So sorry I didn't update last week T_T I just did not have the time or the energy to write! My big degree deadlines are coming up so I have no idea when I'll be able to update next, sorry T_T I'll try my best to get this story to you!
Thank you to LovelyLily13, splitheart1120, Anon person thingy (), Majorly Obsessed Ikarishipper, pokemonpuppy23, Dani4Short, Fairo Neko, Sjir-sama, Angie188 and Anonymous for reviewing.
Chapter Twelve: Akachan
Isamu slowly opened his eyes, pained as consciousness hit him like a lead weight. He didn't even try to sit up since he could already feel the tell tale signs of a massive injury on his chest. What had happened?
"You alright?"
He turned his head to look right through his wife's face.
"That can't be good," he muttered. Akiko offered him a lopsided smile as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. It didn't do anything since she wasn't really there but the gesture was appreciated. With a groan, Isamu shuffled in his bed so that he could see Akiko easier and without getting a crick in his neck. "What happened?"
"Your mother, that's what," Akiko replied.
"Oh," Isamu said, "I did warn you."
"I know," Akiko said, rolling her eyes, "but she did stop you from going completely mental and killing all of us."
"That's good," Isamu commented.
"Then again, she did almost kill both of us," Akiko added. "What makes it worse is that I am out of commission for the foreseeable future."
"That's bad news," Isamu groaned, rubbing the area around his heart. "I'm sure it will come back to bite us later too."
"Sorry," Akiko said. "I should have listened to you."
"Yup," Isamu said with a small nod. "Now you know."
Akiko smiled at her husband before she bent over him to kiss him on the cheek. He glanced up at her wondering what on earth she was doing as he felt her lips brush against his skin.
"Good night," she muttered.
"Aki," Isamu said. "I've been compromised, haven't I?"
"Something like that," Akiko chuckled. She brushed her hand against his cheek. "Just rest, for now."
"Alright," Isamu muttered. He closed his eyes, turning his head away from Akiko slightly. "Goodnight, Aki."
Akiko waited for a while until Isamu drifted off into an uneasy sleep. She was about to ask Gardevoir to stop her projection when she noticed someone at the other end of the hospital wing. Letting out a sigh and folding her arms, Akiko waited for Clair ro walk towards her.
"How is he doing?" Clair asked.
"That was risky," Akiko snapped, "Not only did you almost kill us, you could have jeopardised the whole Akari."
"The Akari did well before you came along," Clair said, brushing something off her shoulders.
"I'm not talking about me," Akiko replied. "Isa.
Akiko took an aggressive step towards Clair, a deep scowl set into her face.
"I can't imagine a mother who would try to kill her own son," Akiko spat, "then again, you were never much of a mother, where you?"
With that Akiko disappeared into nothing leaving Clair to stare blankly into thin air. Slowly she turned to look at her youngest son who was staring at her with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Hello mother," he said.
~K~
Dawn could not get comfy. The duvet was too warm, the bed was too hard and the pillows weren't doing anything for her. She wriggled onto her back then let out a loud huff, turning to glance at her husband. To her surprise he was staring at her, one eyebrow raised and a smirk playing with his lips. He seemed to be laid on his side so he could look at her.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.
"I can't get comfortable," she replied. "Sorry, I'm keeping you awake, aren't I?"
"It's fine," Paul said. He moved so that he was sat upright with his legs crossed. Dawn followed suit, facing him and slightly glad she was wearing PJs rather than a nightie. She stroked the cotton fabric of her star patterned bottoms. "Tell me what's bothering you."
"The end of the world," Dawn said without a pause for thought. "You know; the little things."
Paul chuckled slightly. He placed a hand on hers, stroking her soft skin gently.
"How is it you always have soft hands?" he asked.
"I guess it's the soap I use," she replied with a shrug.
"Hmm," Paul said, pulling a face to say he was impressed. Dawn shot him a look to try and get him back onto her problems but he seemed to ignore her until: "No matter what, Dawn, we'll be together. You do know that, right?"
"I know," Dawn muttered, "but it's still scary."
"Have I ever failed you before?" Paul asked.
"You let me get kidnapped by Kuro, remember?" Dawn said. Paul frowned at this, causing her to smile at him. "I know, I know. You only left me because I told you to."
"And I rescued you, didn't I?"
"Yeah… but this is different," Dawn said looking across the room. "Do you feel as though something isn't quite right, sometimes? This whole thing seems to be wrong."
"Come again?"
"I just think there's something more happening here, that's all," Dawn explained. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just… I don't know."
Paul didn't say anything to her, not even when she looked back at him. It seemed as though he was lost for words until he shuffled himself against the headboard. He gestured for Dawn to sit on his lap which she did, albeit, slowly. Paul cupped her into his chest, staring all the time across the room. She snuggled into the crook of his neck.
"Do you suppose there's something we don't know?" she asked.
"There's a lot we don't know," Paul replied. "The problem is that the only people who did know are dead and can't tell us."
"How about Liaden, couldn't we ask her?" Dawn asked, looking up at Paul's chin. She could just see his expression: thoughtful.
"Perhaps," Paul said, "but dad would have been better to talk to."
"You really miss him, don't you?" Dawn asked. Paul nodded slowly. "I miss him too."
"It's strange that I wish he was here because I want his guidance," Paul said, "but not as the leader of the clan. Kiboji will grow into his role the longer he's there."
"You really think that?" Dawn asked, smiling slightly. Paul nodded.
"He's smart, determined, quick thinking, calculating and calm," Paul listed, "everything a great Akari leader needs. He's got the perfect personality for a leader and he will be a great one if his confidence grows a little."
There was a pause.
"If you tell him I said that, I will deny it," he added. Dawn giggled, hugging Paul tightly round the waist. "Do you feel better now?"
"A little," Dawn admitted, "but still a little worried."
"It's natural to be worried," Paul said, "just don't get too worried, OK?"
"Paul," Dawn said, her tone suggesting she was moving the conversation onto something completely different. She sat up, looking him in the eye. "What if it was me?"
"What if what was you?" he asked.
"What if I was the one giving birth to the bringer of the apocalypse?" she asked. Paul gave a soft chuckle.
"I have to admit I was surprised it wasn't you being the troublesome one for a change," he said.
"Paul," Dawn whined.
"I don't know," he replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "I honestly don't. On the one hand I would be worried like crazy but on the other… I'm not sure."
"You wouldn't freak out?" Dawn asked.
"Of course I would," Paul said. Dawn looked puzzled for a few seconds until Paul grabbed her hand. "Still, my freak out would probably be dwarfed by your own."
"True," Dawn agreed. She bit her lips nervously as she thought about one other question she had been thinking about since this morning. "Do you want kids?"
"Hmm?" Paul asked, not sounding as surprised as Dawn expected him to. He merely stared at her for a second like he was waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't he shrugged. "I guess so but sometime after we've stopped the apocalypse. I've not given it that much thought really."
"Well…" Dawn paused, "I want kids."
"Fair enough," Paul said with another shrug.
"You can't just shrug it off, Paul," she told him. "I would have preferred it if you had freaked out a little."
"Unless there's a second child of the apocalypse that can also blink into existence by Immaculate Conception," Paul said, "I guess it's nothing I have to freak out about yet."
"You're such a jerk," Dawn snapped, pouting at him. Paul let out a short laugh.
"I guess the real question will be 'is the world ready for our kids'," Paul said. Dawn's pout slowly transformed into a wide smile as she realised he was right.
"I guess you're right," she giggled.
"You do realise that it's tradition for Akari Princes to have three kids, right?" Paul said. Dawn nodded quickly.
"I know," she said, "I want three kids anyway."
"Hmmm," Paul said, more to himself than Dawn. She blinked a few times, somewhat confused by his behaviour. "May's apocalyptic child won't have anything on our three."
Dawn launched herself forwards, hugging Paul tightly. He frowned slightly as he hit his head against the wooden headboard but he didn't vocalise his annoyance.
"You really OK with having kids?" Dawn asked. Paul paused for a second making Dawn pull away from him and stare up into his eyes. After a few seconds Paul let out a sigh.
"We'll talk more about it once the whole end of the world thing blows over," he said. Dawn nodded slowly. "But yes, I'm fine with having kids."
"Great," Dawn said happily, "I was thinking about names for them…"
Paul nodded idly as Dawn began to ramble on about their future children. He was surprised that she had thought so much about this, if not a little freaked out by the whole thing, but he would never let it show. He merely stroked her arm gently as she talked about their daughter, who had already been named Hoshi by Dawn, and her pretty pink kimono, a pleasant smile wiped across his face.
"I think you should take the others to the Ruins of Alph," Paul said suddenly when Dawn was half way through a sentence. She frowned at him.
"You weren't listening, were you?" she asked.
"Hoshi, little pink kimono," Paul replied. "You should take the others to the Ruins, apart from May, of course."
"Sure," Dawn said, her eyes narrowing at him.
"I'll come with you," he added quickly. She nodded, suddenly convinced.
"Why did you bring that up so suddenly?" Dawn asked, slightly suspicious of his behaviour.
"Rule one of having children, Dawn," Paul told her, "bringing them up in an apocalypse won't do them any good."
"They wouldn't be born for nine months," Dawn told him.
"I know that," he snapped back at her. "I'm not thick."
"You're too much of a jerk to be a father," Dawn told him.
"And you're far too troublesome to be a mother," Paul retorted.
"Fine then," she snapped. "You keep them out of trouble, I'll make sure they're not emotionally scarred."
"Deal," Paul said and they shook on it.
~K~
"Water?"
"Check."
"Camera?"
"Check."
"Rope?"
"Check."
"Mallet?"
"Check."
"Well you seem to have everything," May told Misty glumly. Misty shot May an apologetic sort of look but May didn't seem to care very much for apologies at the moment. She was rubbing her breasts in a pained sort of way finally letting out a growl of frustration. In three quick movements she was holding her plain t-shirt bra in her left hand, glaring at it as if she was willing it to burst into flames. "Damn you."
"You're sore?" Misty asked.
"Yeah," May sighed, "It's so annoying. I know Kiboji explained what was going on with me but it's highly inconvenient."
"You're pregnant and all you can say is its highly inconvenient?" Misty laughed. May shrugged.
"It's not so bad," May said, "Despite something the size of a melon popping out of me in a few months, I get to eat whenever I want, eat whatever I want and do nothing all day. I think it's a done deal, don't you?"
"You're not scared?" Misty asked.
"A little annoyed that these people didn't ask my permission before they dumped a baby in my uterus, but not at all scared," May replied brightly. "Personally, my hormones are so weird at the minute. If you ask me again in five minutes you'll probably get a different answer."
"That's good to know," Misty said.
"Hey, do you think if we found these people who did this to me, they'd you know… pay me for carrying their little child of doom?" May asked.
"I doubt the greatest evil in the universe will think about settling debts with a girl they knocked up for funsies," Misty replied, flashing May a smile. May's expression darkened and she hit the mattress she was sat on with her fist.
"Get them here and I'll show them what for!" she yelled angrily.
"Is everything alright?" Suzume asked as she and Dawn hurried into the room. The two new comers looked a little confused as they heard May mutter something along the lines of 'stupid, cheap skate villains'.
"Are you packed?" Dawn asked Misty. Misty nodded quickly.
"Yup," she said, "I'm ready to go."
"Yipee for you," May grumbled.
"It's alright, May," Suzume said brightly, "Kiboji says he's going to spoil you rotten today, since you can't go outside."
"Great," May said, thoroughly unconvinced by this. Suzume flashed Dawn and Misty a reassuring smile to tell them that she had everything covered.
"We'll be going then," Misty said slowly.
"Don't worry May," Dawn said. "If Kiboji says he's going to spoil you rotten then he will. And to make sure, we'll bring you something back from the ruins."
"If you bring me a rock back, I will throw it at you," May warned them.
Misty and Dawn giggled to each other uncertainly, wondering if Silver and Paul would let them take a quick detour to the gift shop.
"Have fun without me," May told them glumly. Misty and Dawn glanced at each other then waved at May with forced smiles on their faces.
"We'll try," Misty said.
"But you know it'll be hard," Dawn added. Then they left quickly, shouting their good byes to May just before the left the apartment. When they were gone, May looked up at Suzume, tears shining in her eyes.
"They left me," she stated. Suzume waved her off.
"They'll be back soon," Suzume reassured her. "You wanna make them jealous? I bet we can have three times as much fun as they will."
"Only three times? That's a bit lame," May moaned.
"True… But where they're going they won't be having jelly and ice cream like we will," Suzume said, winking. May's eyes lit up at the prospect of jelly and ice cream.
"Awesome!" she cheered.
So there was a bit of Ikarishipping for you lovely folks ^_^ I felt like writing it today. I hope you don't mind. I'm going to continue writing through the night if I have to just to make sure I have something to update next week ^_^
Please review!
RSx
