The next morning, Kazuha's alarm clock waked him up from sleep. Still a bit tired, Heiji snuggled up to the unfamiliar source of warmth, unwilling to get up now. But then he remembered how last night had ended. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked down at Kazuha in his arms. Still naked as she came into the world. She groped grumbling and blind for the cell phone from which the annoying beeping sound came. Her hand just reached it without having to move far from him and turned it off. His cheeks reddened as he responded by pulling her back closer to him and wrapping her tightly in his arm. He could see her squinting up at him and putting on a smile. Secretly, the detective hoped she wouldn't notice how uncomfortable the whole situation made him. After all, something had gone wrong with him last night that had made him not even think about prevention! And he was always reasonable ... well, at least most of the time and in his eyes. But then Kazuha closed her eyes again and murmured: "Yeah, I'll get up in a minute, don'cha worry. You're driving me, after all. I've got a little time left!"
Heiji could not suppress a soft sigh. She had to get up and he had to let her go. But perhaps it was also quite good to become a little clearer in the head again. The moving boxes would distract him today and when she came back from work, he would be completely normal again - or so he hoped. Still, he enjoyed a few more minutes cuddled together with her under the blanket they shared. After a while, however, Kazuha let out a long-drawn sigh and got out of bed, but she still pressed a kiss to his cheek. Heiji reluctantly released her from his arms, even if the kiss consoled him a little. From half-opened eyes he looked after her and had to swallow slightly when she - after a short hesitation - wandered naked through the room as if she had never done differently and took things from her closet. A little embarrassed, he pushed the blanket over his head, to not get any more wrong ideas. Heiji listened to the brunette's steps for a moment and snuggled into the warm blanket for a bit. Only when he heard the water of the shower, he also straightened up. For a moment he stretched extensively. With a quick glance at the door, he got out of bed and went to the closet. Unlike Kazuha, he got dressed right away; they certainly didn't have time to both shower. Therefore, he postponed his shower until his return, after all, he just wanted to drop his wife off at work and maybe make a detour to a drugstore.
Not wanting to disturb his wife during her morning toilet, he went downstairs to the small guest toilet and did a quick wash at the sink. His hair was quickly arranged and when he came into the kitchen, he took a look into the fridge and snacked on some rice balls left over from the previous morning. Just as he closed the fridge door with his mouth full, Kazuha stood in the kitchen doorway. She had raised her brows and was eyeing him. Briefly, his cheeks full, he paused and gazed at her silently. Then he turned red around the nose and held a hand in front of his mouth to quickly finish chewing. A little embarrassed, he glanced at the fridge. Had she actually eaten anything yet?
"Uhm... Do ya want breakfast? Or at least take somethin' with ya?" He pointed to the fridge, after all, there were still a few of the rice balls Kazuha had prepared the day before left. Then the young man wiped the corners of his mouth to remove as many grains of rice as possible from his face.
"Thanks for already box me some!" she teased as she made her way past him to the fridge, seemingly to grab some for herself. But she stopped in front of him and wiped the remaining grains of rice from his face as if he was a child. At the same time, though, it was an incredibly pleasant feeling, the way she was caring for him. "Really," she said with a grin, shaking her head. "Are ya a man or a piglet?" She could have held back those words, though!
"Man, of course! A very hungry one!" he returned confidently. After all, he had used a lot of energy the night before. Ahhhh... again Heiji blushed. He really should stop reminding himself inwardly and then finding everything embarrassing again. Lightly he sighed, but Kazuha didn't give him time for long conversations. She ducked past him, grabbed a bento box from the cupboard and quickly packed a few of the rice balls into it, only to shoo him out of the kitchen afterwards, and out of the house as well, all the way to the motorcycle. Jeez, she had probably never heard of a relaxed morning!
As she climbed on behind him on the bike, she casually said, "Ya don't have ta pick me up. I've a quick errand ta run after work." Somewhat questioningly, he looked over his shoulder at her after the announcement.
"I can go with ya, too...", he indicated. Of course, he thought it was about something trivial, like shopping. "Or mail me a list, I was about ta run errands anyway." What kind he preferred to keep to himself.
"No, I've ta do that by ma'self."
"Alright..."
He started the engine and drove her through the city to the kindergarten. Once there, he let her climb off without a hurry. Heiji wanted to continue with a short farewell, when Kazuha suddenly opened his helmet, pushed it up and gave him a kiss, which he returned a little surprised.
He looked after her sheepishly for a moment as she hurried into the kindergarten, before he pushed the helmet back into place. Well, she had some nerve ... Heiji steered the machine around so that he could drive to a drugstore nearby. He knew this area better than the back of his hand, unlike the new neighborhood. Just as he was about to start the machine, he briefly felt as if he was being watched. He paused briefly and looked around attentively. Hadn't there just been a movement in the corner of his eye? Like a shadow ... But there was no one to be seen. He must have been mistaken, perhaps he had not enough sleep. Without further delay he rolled up and drove directly to a konbini in the neighborhood. With a casual greeting, he entered the store to the ringing of the bell above the door. He had known the owner since he was an elementary school student and had always bought stickers and candy here. Heiji strolled through the aisles and finally got stuck in the small drugstore section. His eyes swept over the range of condoms and he felt directly slain. He would have never thought that it could be so difficult to make a decision. Just the whole inscriptions and highlighting features made his head blow up.
Heiji didn't know how long he had been standing in front of the shelf when the doorbell sounded once again and the owner threw a greeting to another customer. Heiji decided on a very simple version and turned away, but had to pause when a man stood in the aisle and it was too narrow to pass. The young detective noticed how the guy first eyed him and then the pack in his hand. Briefly, Heiji swallowed and although it was something completely normal, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Especially because there was something about the guy that the detective didn't really like ...
Without further hesitation, Heiji pushed past the man and grabbed a bag of chips on his way to the checkout - a diversionary tactic so that the pack of condoms wouldn't stand out quite so much. Quietly, he hoped the owner of the store wouldn't talk too much to him about it as he placed the items on the counter and also added the new Jump magazine. But the man smiled mildly as he scanned the items and engaged him in normal small talk about where he had been all these years and what had become out of him. Heiji told him briefly about his upcoming wedding and that they probably wouldn't see each other again anytime soon. The man thought it was a great pity, but he was visibly pleased by the fact that his wife would continue to work nearby. When he asked if it was the girl with the ponytail, Heiji smiled a little sheepishly and the man nodded knowingly.
Heiji quickly said goodbye with the things packed in a bag under his arm and left the store. Arrived at his bike he stowed everything and looked back again briefly. He noticed how the strange guy got into a conversation with the store owner and pointed outside. The detective's eyes narrowed a little skeptically. It had probably been really smart not to reveal too much about the new place of residence to the old man. Heiji started the machine and drove directly back home. Once there, he threw the purchased items carelessly on the sofa and pulled out his cell phone to write a message to Kazuha.
I'll pick ya up later. Had an unpleasant encounter!'
With this guy around, he certainly wouldn't let her go home alone today! Then he turned already to today's task and got himself the first boxes from the rabbit room down.
Heiji then spent the morning with these very boxes and no longer looked at his cell phone. In the meantime, he had also sorted his own DVD collection and some novels. He had also sorted a few of Kazuha's boxes as far as he could, and also put her things in the appropriate places. The things he didn't know a place for, he collected in a separate box so she could look over them by herself later. It wasn't until he settled down for lunch that he looked at his cell phone and caught sight of her message.
'Are ya okay?
'Yeah.'
His answer was short, he didn't want to upset her now with the fact that the stalker was skulking around near her. Fortunately, she did not reject his announcement, otherwise he might have had to engage in discussions with her.
The detective grabbed his glass and sipped the Coke he had poured himself. So now he knew what the guy looked like. Even though he hadn't exactly shown much of himself. A cap low on his face and a turned-up collar. Maybe he should have confronted the guy. However, he had no proof that this guy was actually stalking Kazuha. So far, it was just a guess. A slight sigh escaped the young man, because actually he had almost forgotten the whole thing again all that time together with Kazuha. After all, they hadn't experienced a single encounter with the guy since the wedding. Only the first night Kazuha had imagined that the guy might have followed them. However, the guy didn't seem to have a clue where Kazuha had moved to yet, so that's why he was sneaking around her workplace. Heiji took a bite of one of the rice balls he took from the fridge. Both of their fathers could have given him at least a name, if they were already aware of everything! But all the worrying didn't help. After his meal, he picked up the next box from the bunny room. He paused briefly and looked thoughtfully at the bunnies smiling at him from the wallpaper. His cheeks flushed as he thought once again about the lack of prevention last night. But then he turned away. "Never ever!" he still muttered affirmatively to himself as he left the room again.
Quickly, this cardboard box was also empty. Heiji packed up the cardboard and took it out with him as he set off to pick up his wife again.
A short time later, he stopped the machine right next to Kazuha and pushed up the helmet's visor. "Ya booked a ride?" he joked dully from under the helmet.
"Ahou!" scolded Kazuha as she grabbed her helmet. Heiji looked at his wife in irritation as she reacted so angrily. What had gotten into her now? And thus anyone should understand women! Was she angry with him because he disregarded her announcement in the morning and simply picked her up? But she quickly cleared up her mood: "How dare ya send me a message like that? I've been worried about ya all day!"
Heiji grimaced a little under his helmet. "What are ya worried about?! If something had happened ta me, I wouldn't send any messages, stupid!" he countered directly, even if it only came out muffled under the helmet.
As Kazuha was about to put on her helmet, his gaze passed her. He looked at what appeared to be a colleague of her, who was saying goodbye to Kazuha and briefly greeted him. Somewhat irritated, he returned the greeting politely and realized at the same time that the lady was not the only one who eyed him with interest. Under his helmet, he blushed sheepishly. "What's the matter with 'em? Never seen a guy on a motorcycle before?" Men weren't very common in this career, it seemed, because their entire cohort was female.
Kazuha also looked there and apparently also noticed that half of the kindergarten was standing in line to see her off. She gave the women a brief friendly wave, then turned back to Heiji and gruffly flipped his visor back down so that he flinched slightly and glared at her a bit.
"Yeah, that'll be it," she replied, miffed, as she put on her helmet and took a seat behind him on the bike.
"Man, don't be mad anymore! I only meant well, Ahou!" he grumbled at her as he looked after her. Now he didn't care about the women's stares anymore, but steered the motorcycle around after Kazuha put her arms around him and told him the address he should head for. The place wasn't hard to find, especially since it was right beside a hospital. Was she going to see a doctor? The detective stopped the motorcycle in one of the parking spaces and parked it neatly before dismounting and pulling his helmet off his head. For a moment he looked silently at the building they were in front of, and it was working in his mind. Then it slowly dawned on him and his face turned to Kazuha almost in slow motion.
"H-have I hurt ya yesterday or somethin'?", escaped him perplexed and also a little worried. After all, he didn't know if he had done everything right. Was it possible to hurt a woman in the process? What were they doing with a doctor like that?
"Do I look hurt?" she asked, rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips. Heiji eyed his wife suspiciously for a moment. But she didn't seem to be in any pain and moved completely normal. Pregnancy wouldn't process not so fast, however, so that could not be the reason. Besides, he had already determined that the probability of this was very low. And since she hadn't mentioned anything about this appointment before, it certainly wasn't a normal check-up. Thoughtfully, he hung the helmet on the handlebars of the motorcycle. Or did she just want to get something for contraception? So she really hadn't had anything yet. So she had really still been a virgin? Then maybe he had really hurt her! And anyway, then maybe he should have been a little more gentle on her! Strained, he rubbed his forehead. Damn, again too many thoughts at once!
Kazuha sighed and took a step towards him. Then she cleared her throat and blushed a little. "I need ta get a prescription here. Because of yesterday... And one for... well, the future," she printed around and averted her eyes, examining the surrounding buildings almost casually.
"A... a prescription because of yesterday?" he stammered a little dumbfounded. Then it dawned on him and now he blushed too. "But... But nothin' happens that fast! So... at least the probability is only... very small and..." A little nervously he stepped on the spot. Somehow his whole explanation seemed a bit incoherent. Everything he had spent the day reassuring himself about escaped him only in incoherent chunks. "The chances are slim, but that's no guarantee... and I think ya need a few more years before ya can be let loose on children," she teased him. Heiji looked at his wife a little skeptically after this remark. He knew that very well himself, but if it were up to that, he would probably never feel ready for it. "Is anyone ever ready for something like that?" he grumbled in a huff. After all, one's age was no guarantee that one was ready for children. Somehow, he felt a little stupid now that he had been so casual about the whole thing, but Kazuha seemed to be giving it real thought - possibly afraid of letting him go off on his own children right now. Heiji just dismissed it on the off chance. Perhaps this was due to his logical memory, which probably preferred to deal with numbers rather than facts.
Kazuha just shrugged her shoulders in perplexity and replied, "Probably not."
„... I've already bought something so that next time something like this doesn't happen... again," he admitted sheepishly and noticed how the brunette blushed directly. Embarrassed, he also put a hand in front of his face. Also the idea that she now went in there and explained to a third person that she had sex yesterday was extremely strange for him. How could she do that just like that?!
Then she looked at him seriously again. "What was yer message supposed to mean? Who did ya meet?" she inquired skeptically and shifted the topic. Heiji lifted his hand from his face and looked cautiously at her, noticing how she eyed him scrutinizingly. Slowly, he lowered his hand and looked at her silently for a moment. Only then he spilled the beans about it. "Well... when I was in that konbini on the corner earlier, the one from old Takahara-San... There was a weirdo there who seemed to be watching me and probably asked the old man about me later..." he muttered a bit thoughtfully. "I that hunch it was the guy who was hassling ya the whole time and taking the pictures. Apparently he's still looking for yer new whereabouts, and that's why he's sneaking around yer workplace..." He didn't want to scare her, but keeping it from her would be just as bad as the photos her father had kept from her. Besides, Kazuha needed to know about the immediate danger. Heiji was actually not worried about himself at all. He wasn't afraid of the guy, what could he possibly do to him? Even in the store, the man had only watched him. Well, probably he had followed him into the store, but it was not really dangerous.
A little perplexed, Heiji raised his shoulders. "But I've no proof that it was really him. That's why I left it at picking ya up." Of course, he knew that this wouldn't last much longer. In the police service, he would have shift work and be home at different times. Of course, he could take short breaks to drive Kazuha from A to B, but whether that was really the best method was questionable. While Heiji was sure both of their fathers would quickly promote him to a position where he would no longer have shifts, but would only have to work during the day - he didn't know how much time would pass before then. In any case, they had to prevent the guy from finding out Kazuha's new home while he was still on night duty!
"Promise me you'll be careful!" said Kazuha, looking at him anxiously. For a moment, he looked at her questioningly in amazement. But then he smiled confidently.
"I always am!"
Kazuha then raised her eyebrows a little skeptically and looked at him meaningfully. "I'm serious!" she said again emphatically. Apparently, she was now more concerned about him than herself. Okay, sometimes his kind of cautiousness went badly wrong. But he was careful - in his own way. She knew him, though, everything always went well somehow!
"Sure~!" he replied annoyed by her overprotective manner and rolled his eyes. He looked down at the brunette once more with a serious face. "Ya've ta be careful, though. That guy isn't out to get me, after all." Heiji didn't think the guy would make a pass at him. These kinds of people tended to pick on the seemingly weak, after all. Kazuha wasn't weak, yet she was certainly a more interesting target than the detective. Hopefully his warning got through to her and she would be a little more careful on her commutes.
Heiji slipped his hands into his pockets and let his gaze wander a bit. Silently, he looked at a couple who were just leaving the clinic. They were apparently the same age as them and the man happily stroked her belly, but nothing was visible yet. Clearly, they had just received the joyful news about the long-awaited pregnancy. Well, for normal couples at their age, this was really starting to be a trendy topic. Heiji had to smile a little in thought at the sight. It was already a little funny, how others in her age already worked for this exact moment and they made themselves worrying around to prevent exactly that! How different the motives could be, which led someone to this clinic ... If one saw them both standing here, they would probably also believed that they were as well here because of a pregnancy. Nevertheless, children were clearly too exhausting for Heiji. After all, he had noticed that just recently when he had the confrontation with the ones in Kazuha's kindergarten. They were cheeky, whiny, loud ... he rolled his eyes a little. How could Kazuha do this to herself every day?
But apparently Kazuha here also thought exactly like him and found it still too early for a pregnancy. The smile on his face burned itself in, while he looked after the pair still briefly. Poor idiots in love. Didn't the guy apparently know what he was getting himself into with kids!
"I'm going in, okay? Shouldn't take long!"
When Kazuha abruptly addressed him, he flinched a bit, taken aback, and looked at the brunette, puzzled. "Eh? Ah... yes..." he muttered a little absently. So apparently he was allowed to wait out here. Good thing, after all, he didn't need to be around when she told someone else that she had unprotected sex the night before. A little embarrassed, Heiji grabbed the back of his neck. Besides, with all the pregnant women around, he'd probably just feel bad that he'd let it get this far, only to have his wife take care of it now. A displeasure that was written all over his face. Well, but it wasn't like they were already ending an existing life. So, everything's okay, isn't it? Cautiously, he squinted at his wife. She seemed to see everything quite pragmatically and apparently took it for granted.
Kazuha quickly pressed a kiss on his cheek and then disappeared into the clinic. Heiji looked after his wife, then sighed softly. Now it was time to wait. He briefly glanced at his wristwatch and leaned a little against the motorcycle in his back. He had gotten them into quite a mess with his rash action last night. His cheeks flushed again at the thought. He still didn't understand how his head could shut down like that. He hadn't been in control of himself at all, and somehow the idea that this could happen to him more often was creepy. Of course, the young man couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it. Even if he had not been so directly aware of it before, he had apparently longed for this intimacy with Kazuha. But that he lost control over himself like that ...
A sigh escaped him and he watched all the people entering and leaving the building. Women in various stages of pregnancy, some with heavily amorous men at their sides. He didn't even really register the women who were coming in and out completely normally. What was the effectiveness of this morning-after pill? Was there really no remaining chance? Why did one even bother about unprotected sex if such things existed? Okay, sexually transmitted deseases. But they didn't have to worry so much about that in a marriage.
When something fell to the ground next to him, he startled up and his gaze went to a heavily pregnant woman who had dropped her bag. Heiji pushed himself off slightly and went to her. "Are ya okay?" He picked up her bag and politely handed it back to her. Gratefully, the woman accepted the bag, but he could tell she was struggling. Her hand rested against her stomach and her breathing was heavy.
Heiji briefly looked around, but apparently she had come alone. A little nervously the detective stepped on the spot, he wanted to play obstetrician only reluctantly. Then he grabbed the woman carefully by her arm and supported her a bit. "Don't worry, I'll help ya..."
"Thank you..." the woman smiled dejectedly. "But say... Aren't ya Hattori-kun? We were in the same class in high school." She giggled, seemingly relieved at his familiar face.
Somewhat surprised, he looked into the young woman's face. "Ah, aren't ya... Yamada-chan?" he said in surprise.
"Yes, but I'm married now..." she answered strained and her hand rested against her stomach again. Heiji became aware of the situation again and swallowed hard as the woman curled up a bit at his side, seemingly stuck. The young man's eyebrows furrowed a bit, then he decided to lift the woman in his arms and carry her the remaining meters to the clinic. At the door, he met Kazuha, who looked at him a little perplexed. "K-Kazuha! Yamada-chan has... will...!" he brought out somewhat breathlessly and excitedly, but Kazuha seemed frozen. Well, great, the woman from whom he hoped for help in this situation just stared at him as if he was from out of this world! But luckily a couple of nurses came out with a wheelchair - apparently they had noticed his action. They briefly asked him if he was the father-to-be, but he quickly waved them off and the ladies took care of the former classmate. She looked back at them gratefully for a moment and smiled attentively, even though she was in pain.
"Thank ya, Hattori-kun...! A-all the best to ya two!", she brought out with a light laugh, before she jerked up a bit again and cried out.
"Ya too... all the best!" Heiji waved briefly after her and smiled a little irritated. All the best to them ...? For the wedding or what? ... Wait, she couldn't know anything about that? Slightly skeptical, he raised an eyebrow.
"Congratulations!" exclaimed Kazuha after them as well. This reminded Heiji of the real reason they had come, and he looked to his wife.
"... a-all done?" he began, a little embarrassed. Kazuha also looked embarrassed as she nodded in confirmation.
But then she grinned mischievously and nudged him in the side. "Well, are ya already scaring children in the womb?!" she quipped with a grin.
A little miffed, Heiji contorted his face. "Yes, I really am a terrible child terrorist!" he replied with a grim smile and lightly poked her in the side with his elbow. For a moment, he looked at Kazuha in silence. She, on the other hand, would probably make a perfect mother. He had already witnessed that several times, and if nothing else, she was incredibly absorbed in her job. "You'd probably look good with an infant like that..." he murmured in his mind without giving it much thought. Wait a minute. Had he really just said that out loud?! Kazuha blinked at him in surprise, too. Abruptly, he averted his eyes and turned to the motorcycle. His head seemed to be literally smoking. Hopefully she did not interpret that wrongly! It had simply been a statement like when she had the baby in her arms and announced to him with full pride that she wanted a baby too. The innocent words of a 17-year-old. Why did he have to think about it just now?!
"Ya do realize that would be yer child, too?" she teased him. Ahhhh, she had to harp on that too! Before he got even more tangled up with his big mouth, he rather just waved it off sheepishly. Of course, he knew even then that he would then be the possible father. And now it was obvious that an newborn in Kazuha's arms would really be his child. After all, they were married. His head was probably closer than ever to a tomato right now. Of course, he had already resigned himself to the fact that Kazuha would eventually want a child. She was simply made for children. With him, on the other hand, it would probably be rather exciting - after all, he didn't really have a knack for it. And now that they had become intimate with each other, it was almost a stone's throw to that wish. No, he preferred not to think too much about it.
"R-really funny that Yamada-chan is already becoming a mother..." he then tried to steer the topic a bit in another direction again as they strolled to the motorcycle together. Kazuha nodded in agreement, but didn't elaborate. In fact, he knew from relatively few of the former classmates at all what they were doing now. He should probably get in touch with some of his friends from school and listen in a bit. How many of them had already reached that point? While he could never imagine some of them ever would. But life always had surprises to offer.
"Home?" she asked as she reached for her helmet. He nodded.
"Yeah, I've got a few more things for ya to look through."
Without further ado, Heiji got the machine ready for takeoff and put on his helmet. After Kazuha had climbed on behind him, he already drove off through the streets of her home. After some time, however, he became aware of his rearview mirror. The dark car behind them had been following them since the clinic ... Coincidence ...?