Chapter Thirty-Seven
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Hizuri. You are going to be parents." The elderly gentleman announced. "Mrs. Hizuri, I'm going to keep you here for another hour. I want you to drink as much water as possible. I would like to perform an ultrasound to get a better look to confirm something. Try not to use the bathroom until after. It will give us a better picture of what's going on." He smiled gently.
Kyoko and Kuon just looked at each other with worry. "Is everything going to be alright Doctor?" Kuon asked.
"Oh! Of course. I just wanted to take a little look. The hormones in the blood test are a little high for just a couple of weeks." He explained.
Kyoko squeezed Kuon's hand nervously and nodded at the doctor as Kuon took the bottle of water from him and handed it to Kyoko.
"No worries. I'll be back to check on you in about 30 minutes." He told them as he left the room with her new chart.
"Kuon? Do you think everything's going to be okay?" She asked him in a worried voice.
He nodded. "Here... Now you better start drinking." He smiled. "We get the first look today."
The doctor stared intently at the monitor as the wand floated over Kyoko's belly. "Well..." He smiled brightly. "Mrs. Hizuri, you will have two little additions to your pack." He turned the monitor towards Kuon and Kyoko and pointed to the two tiny little dots on the screen. "It looks to be fraternal twins." He smiled and explained how he could tell then printed out their first picture. "Now... I'm going to give you some instructions on what you need to do and the foods you need to avoid while you're pregnant. Mothers of our kind have it a bit more difficult for some reason than humans. I don't want you hunting until after they're born. The transformation can be risky and put them in jeopardy." He warned as he turned off the machine and she wiped the gel off her tummy.
"Thank you Doctor." Kuon told him as the doctor handed him a folder with all the information they would need.
"No problem at all. Oh and I would like to see you again in a month to check your progress." He told them in a no nonsense tone.
"Am I safe to travel back to Los Angeles?" She asked with worry.
The doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "I prefer you didn't but, if you must... nothing after that. Stay where you are. It's safer that way. I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks."
Kuon nodded in agreement as the doctor left the room. Kuon kissed her temple. "I think he's right Love."
"But Kuon... I really want to go home. I miss Mom." She whined.
Kuon sighed. "Kyoko... She can come stay with us... We can rent a house until they get here. I just want you and the babies safe until they get here." He suggested.
She stared at the floor in defeat. She heard the worry in his voice and she really didn't want to risk the lives of her two new charges just for the sake of wanting to go home. The more she pondered it, the more she became okay with it. "I guess we can stay here for a little while."
Kuon smiled brightly. "Good... We'll start looking for a place tomorrow." He hugged her gently and grabbed her bag. "Now... let's go make your next appointment."
How on Earth he ever thought he could stalk the pair without them knowing was beyond the Male Alpha. The chihuahua was yapping once again and polluting their air with his stench. He found us here? The couple thought in irritation.
Sho walked quickly to follow then bellowed out to them. "Kyoko!" He lurched forward to grab her and Kuon stood before her protectively. "She's coming home with me."
Kuon laughed. "My wife... isn't going anywhere with you Fuwa." A thoughtful look crossed Kuon's darkened visage and he paused for a long moment. "Did you know there are sharks in the waters around here?" He asked him.
A look of confusion crossed Sho's face. "What do I care about sharks?"
Kuon smirked. "You try to touch my wife again and you will care." Kuon warned in a low even tone.
"You're a celebrity. You wouldn't." Sho hissed.
Kuon narrowed his eyes and hardened his gaze. "I'm a father and a husband first. You try to touch my wife again and you will find out how very little being a celebrity means to me." He growled in a quiet Cain Heelesque manner.
Sho backed away from the fearsome aura and Kuon led Kyoko to their car to take her home.
Sho sat on a little bench in front of the shop where he had approached the couple to intimidate them and pondered just exactly how badly his encounter went. Shivers of fear blazed through his body as he realized just how serious Kuon had been with his veiled threat. He felt as though he had just escaped a very life threatening situation. This would be his first and last encounter with trying to take from a married man. A learning experience that would last him a lifetime. He wasn't completely blinded by stupidity, just a little overwhelmed by jealousy.
"Kuon... You really shouldn't have threatened him like that. You could get into trouble." She scolded as they headed back to their bungalow to relax and browse the internet for houses.
"Kyoko Love, it wasn't a threat. If anything happens to you or, our babies because of him... they will not find his body. I won't be able to stop myself. You mean the world to me." He took her hand and gently squeezed it as they pulled into their little parking space.
"I love you, Kuon. But, after that... I don't think you'll need to worry about him doing anything anymore." She giggled remembering the terrified look on Sho's face.
Kuon chuckled. "Yeah... He kinda looked like he'd wet himself. Well, that's what he gets for trying to mess with my woman." He kissed her on the cheek then left the car to open her door and escort her into their lodging.
"Who was messing with my daughter..." A deep familiar voice came from the bungalow as the couple entered. Their conversation had been hard to miss when he heard their voices from the convertible.
Kyoko whipped around to follow the direction of the voice and excitedly exclaimed. "Father!" Then leapt into his arms.
Kuu chuckled, hugging her tightly and rubbing soothing little circles on her back. "Now... You two have some explaining to do." He shot the male a penetrating look with an eyebrow raised and head cocked.
"We can't go back to L.A. yet." Kuon told Kuu as they sat at the table while Kyoko served them tea.
Kuu gave him a pointed look. "And why not?" He asked as he gobbled up another teacake and took a long drink of the hot tea to wash it down.
Kyoko smiled and pulled the little ultrasound photo from the folder on the table in front of them and laid it next to his small plate.
Kuu's eyes went wide. He knew what the picture was as she pointed to the two little bodies. He looked up at the young couple in surprise. "Is that?!"
Kuon nodded as his arm snaked around her waist and smiled brightly.
He looked at the photo again in shock, almost speechless. "Two?" He whispered.
They nodded in confirmation.
"I'm going to be a grandpa?" He asked joyously then narrowed his eyes at them and shot them a serious look. "Did you tell your mother?"
Kyoko smiled. "Of course. Oka-san was the one who found my doctor."
Kuu sighed with relief. He didn't even want to think what Julie would do if she were the last to know about something like this...wait...if Julie already knew...then. "Hey! She knew already? She knew you two were married?" He pouted.
Kuon sighed and shook his head. Kyoko leapt up and wrapped her arms around Kuu's neck. "I'm so sorry Otou-san! We just didn't want Takarada-san to find out and make a big deal out of it!" She told him in tears while Kuon gently rubbed her back.
"Kyoko... It's okay. He's just messing with you." He gave his father a disapproving glare.
Kuu immediately perked up. "It's okay Kyoko. I'm not angry with you. I understand." He pulled her away and kissed her forehead and smiled to show her he was only kidding. "Now... How pregnant are you?" He asked as he sat her down in the chair between him and Kuon.
"We're 2 almost 3 weeks now." She told him as her hand rested on her little belly. "The doctor says he doesn't want me traveling until I give birth, because our kind have difficult pregnancies. He doesn't want me taking any chances." She told him as she flipped through the folder the doctor gave her absentmindedly.
"He's right... Julie had a really hard time with Kuon and..." Kuu had almost let slip how much he knew about Kazu and Saena. A remorseful look fell across his face.
"Dad?" Kuon asked with a bit of worry.
Kuu looked at her thoughtfully and made a decision. "Kyoko..." He took her hand in his. "You know I knew Saena and Kazu..."
Her brow furrowed and she nodded. "You told me before Otousan... Why?"
Kuu sighed deeply and Kuon looked on in confusion. "She and Kazu Misonoi were members of our Kyoto pack before it was disbanded. Kazu was her mate...before he..." He had never told her how her father died or, what had happened. Only that he knew her parents.
Kyoko could feel the lump in her throat. "What are you trying to say Father?"
"Before a hunter killed him." Kuu whispered with his head down in shame. "We tried to save him but..." He told her in guilt. "I'm sorry. We asked Saena to contact us if she ever needed anything but, after we left... we never heard from her again. We thought she would love you as much as Kazu. God Kyoko... I am so sorry." He confessed.
"Did you know about me Kuon?" She asked as she stood and turned her back to the two men.
Kuu leapt up and rushed to her side. "NO! No, he never knew. He was only 4 when we left! We went back to Kyoto when he was 10 to find you but, your mother was gone and no one knew where you were." He explained.
"You came back for me?" She asked in a small voice and a teary smile came to her lips.
Kuon pulled her into his arms and Kuu rubbed her back as he hugged his children. "Of course we came back for you. Had we known... we would have taken you with us when we left the first time." He explained. "I am so sorry Kyoko." He told her in a sad voice.
Kyoko turned in Kuon's arms and looked up at Kuu with a bright smile. "Don't be sorry Father. We're all together now."