I sighed as my car stopped outside of the Dojo and Sakaki put it in park. I had been too tired to drive home from work and had called the karate Master to come get me. He had, literally, run over to my office and driven me home. I saw Akisame waiting for me at the gate and waited. He walked over to my side of the car and pulled open the door, reaching inside and lifting my seven-month pregnant body into his arms. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, returning the tender kiss he pressed to my lips.

Akisame walked into the house, Sakaki trailing behind him with my keys and purse in hand, which he dropped next to the door. Akisame set me on a plush cushion in the main room and went to get me some tea. Shugure dropped down from the ceiling and quickly helped me into my nightgown while Kensei waited nearby with his acupuncture needles in hand. Normally I would have protested the royal treatment I was getting but at seven months I was huge, my belly swelling far beyond what a normal seventh month belly would look like. The doctor had warned me that I was one false move from being put on bed rest until I gave birth. Shugure neatly folded my work clothes, then took a warm rag and cleaned off my make-up. When she was done, she sat at my side while Kensei put acupuncture needles in my neck, back, shoulders and ears. Apachai sat in front of me, something cupped in his massive hands.

Akisame returned to the room and Kensei paused long enough to let me drain the cup of meticulously selected tea.

After Kensei was finished, he removed the needles and placed them in a dish to be sterilized.

"Now?" Apachai asked. I smiled and nodded, holding out my hand. Apachai's massive hands parted to reveal a hospital machine that monitored heart rate, pulse and oxygen saturation. He placed the reader on my finger and turned the machine on, pressing the button's needed to bring up the readings he was looking for.

Apachai had been upset that he hadn't been able to do much for me. He tried massages, but often left me tenser than when he began. He tried getting me tea and food, but usually broke more dishes than we had to spare. He tried brushing my hair, but got the brush so tangled it had taken Akisame and Hayato together an hour to get it loose. I knew Apachai's heart was in the right place, but he was clumsy at times. When the doctor had given me this device, I had immediately asked if I could bring the gentle giant into the office and have him be taught how to use it. The doctor had agreed and assigned a nurse to the task, who had spent a good hour and a half with Apachai, patiently instructing him until he could use the machine with ease. She then showed him the application on my phone he would need to access and plug in the readings. The application would send the information to the doctor's office and they would send back a message telling me if they wanted me to come in or not.

Apachai stared at the read-out on the machine, then pulled up the application and carefully punched in the results, hitting the send button. He waited, watching the screen intently. The message came up with a cheerful chime and he accessed it. He smiled and showed me the screen.

"All good!" he declared. He took the device off my finger and turned the machine off, carefully packing it away in the case.

I smiled and rested my hand on my belly, yelping when Kimiko kicked.

"What's wrong?" Akisame asked, alarmed.

"Your daughter kicked me," I said. He reached over and put his hand on my belly. Kimiko gave it a good, strong kick that made him smile.

"Apachai wants to feel!"

"Me…too…"

"Hey, move over!"

"Oh, can I feel?"

I laughed as I had five hands pressed to my belly, all wanting to feel the baby kick. Kimiko must have sensed the demand for attention, because she turned and began kicking and pushing out with her hands, letting everyone feel her movements.

"Ouw, Kimiko!" I cried. "Stop showing off. That hurt!"

"That's certainly your kid, Akisame," Sakaki laughed.

"Indeed," Akisame commented.