Ryuuji paced back and forth. It was all he could do to stave off insanity. Taiga had been, well it'd be a stretch to say "unwell". She'd been fine, generally, it wasn't like they'd felt the need to rush to a doctor. It was just little things. She was complaining of headaches, and being tired. Ryuuji had advised going to bed sooner, and then came the mornings she'd rush to the toilet, and spend five minutes cleaning her teeth. Even this, ultimately, didn't strike them as too odd, maybe a use-by-date had been disabled, or Taiga had gotten into something that was actually past date (again). It was only when Taiga made note the date one day that she realized something had happened.

Or to put it another way, something in particular hadn't happened to Taiga in over a month. She'd sent him out to get something, and now here he was, waiting.

Click.

The door opened, a shaking Taiga slowly walking out, holding up something. Ryuuji focused on the object, and the symbol upon it.

Ryuuji smiled.

This was going to be wonderful.

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Taiga wretched once again, casting out what wasn't there to expel anymore. She groaned, Ryuuji keeping her hair pulled back. She sudden growled, loudly. "Damn it all."

"Taiga?" She said nothing. "Taiga?" He leaned in closer. "Tai-?"

She lunged out, grabbing him behind the head, pulling him to the-he grabbed the rim of the toilet. "You did this to me, you mutt!" She pushed down, Ryuuji's nose protesting, as his back fought to keep him up. "Look at the mess you made! Look at it!"

How long did morning sickness last again?

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Taiga and Ryuuji sat in a doctor's office, in stunned silence. When they'd realized they were with child, they'd accepted it, after it finally sunk in.

This, this on the other hand, was something else entirely. Their brains had jammed. Like a stuck record, they just repeated, never advancing.

They were having-, they were having-, they were having-.

They were having triplets.

Three babies.

Three.

Not one. Three.

Taiga fainted.

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The quiet of the night was shattered, by the unholy roaring of a beast from the depths of an underworld too horrifying for humans to have devised. A monster that would an army of evil Gods running to the furthest edges of the cosmos, of time, of other realities far from this beast could hope to devour them.

Ryuuji was awake instantly. Taiga looked across at him.

"Hungry."

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Garlic Fried Rice.

Ryuuji's special meatballs (he was still working on a name).

Bacon…

...with Chocolate Spread.

Three babies, three separate things. Which baby ate which, he wondered?

"Seconds!"

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Taiga was leaning up against Ryuuji, sitting between his open legs as they watched the TV in the dark.

Taiga jumped, smiling. "They're kicking!"

Ryuuji wrapped his hands around her, feeling for the-there. A serenade of little thumps against his hands.

It wouldn't be long now.

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"RYUUUUUUUJIIIII! I'M GONNA RIP YOUR FUCKING GOD DAMN BALLS OFF!"

Ryuuji winced, silently thankful he wasn't in the room anymore; The doctor's had removed him after Taiga tried strangling him...again. He light rubbed his throat, where little bruises were already forming. Feeling was just now starting to come back to his hand. How many hours had it been? She'd gone into labour before noon, and it was night out now. In the rush he'd forgotten his watch.

"RYUUJI!" Ryuuji shot up, he knew that tone, born of need, not rage. "GET IN HERE! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

He rushed through the doors, ignoring the protests he got from the staff. He found Taiga on the bed, breathing heavily. She looked at him, part determined, part frightened. "They're coming!" She held out her hand. "Ryuuji!" He moved to her side, taking her hand in his own. She clutched it like a vice, letting loose her mighty war cry.

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Ryuuji sat in a chair, his newborn, sleeping son in his arms. He gently rocked his sleeping son. He looked over at Taiga, whose exhaustion defied description. Two more babes slept in her arms, little mirrors of their parents. Ryuuji's charge was more a mix between the two. Three little bundles of perfection. Taiga and Ryuuji crossed gazes, smiling.

The war was over.

Now a new battle began.

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End

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