A/N: Hi there! This story has been written with love by two authors (the KyoruQueens!) in a tag-team style effort. We both had so much fun writing this, and hope you enjoy reading it!

Chapter 1

Tohru woke up early that morning feeling nauseous. After realizing that she wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon, she rose carefully so as to not wake Kyo and went to the kitchen to make some tea, hoping that would settle her stomach. She needed to be feeling in tip top shape before leaving for work later.

She sat in front of the TV while she sipped, trying to ignore her discomfort.

The tea didn't help much.

By the time Kyo ambled out of the bedroom some time later, hair unkempt and rubbing his eyes, she had finished her tea and had become concerned about the content of her stomach going through with its threats. She had considered going to the bathroom once or twice, but it always settled before it came to that.

"Hey," Kyo greeted her. "You're up early." He came over and gave her a chaste kiss.

"I'm not feeling too well," she admitted. It wouldn't take him long to figure it out anyway. He could always see straight through her.

Concern crossed his features. "Oh, what's going on?" He raised his hand to her forehead, but she shook her head.

"Just nausea. It might have been something I ate."

"We had the same thing for dinner last night, so I don't know. Do you need to take off work today?"

"Oh no, I'm sure I'll be fine!"

He looked at her skeptically, but then softened. "Okay, well, I'm gonna make some breakfast. You want some eggs?"

With the thought of eggs, she unintentionally imagined their smell.

Oh no.

It was real this time, she just knew it.

She rushed to stand up, brushed past Kyo, and raced to make it to the bathroom on time.

Thank God. She made it.

She felt Kyo's hand on her back, the other holding her hair.

Once she finished, she wiped her mouth with a tissue while Kyo said sternly, "You aren't going to work today."

She pouted but understood. Slowly, she rose to her feet to brush her teeth.

A few minutes later, Kyo watched while she called the office manager at work to let her know. The manager understood, but explained that if she's out for more than a day, she'll need a doctor's note. Tohru agreed, hoping it would only be today. Maybe she could use the time off to get a few things done around the apartment.

A little while later, she was cocooned in a blanket on the couch with crackers and a new cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her, an empty trash can at her feet. She looked to Kyo, who was showered and dressed, his work bag slung over his shoulder. "Thank you for doing all of this," she said pitifully.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead before looking her in the eyes and saying sternly, "You call me if you need anything, okay? And no chores." Well, there went her plan to be productive. "I'll come home at lunch to heat up some soup and check on you. Try to eat some crackers. I love you."

"I love you too."

He opened the door but turned to her once more. "You call for anything, you hear me?"

She nodded as vigorously as she could.

"And no chores," he repeated. She sighed but nodded again.

With a satisfied nod from him, he left, gently shutting the door behind him.

It had been a few hours since Kyo left, but Tohru's nausea had not subsided. She was still glued to the couch, blanket wrapped around her, a bottle of water now at her feet. She sipped from it occasionally, hoping it would work wonders along with the crackers. Why was this feeling not subsiding? What could she have eaten that would have upset her stomach so much?

The TV had been on for hours now, the daytime options becoming too cheesy for even Tohru to handle. Clicking the TV off, she had a thought. Maybe she would call Uo for a chat. That might take her mind off of her nausea. And besides, it had been a week or so since their last chat.

Grabbing her phone from the coffee table, she scrolled until she found Uo's name in her contact list and pressed call. Just as it was about to ring out, Uo picked up.

"Tohru!" she yelled down the line excitedly. "You know, I was just thinking about you."

"You were?" squeaked Tohru, thankful to hear her best friend's voice.

"Yeah! It's been a little while since I've heard your voice. I know we've both been busy, though. So, what's up? Wait, aren't you supposed to be at work today?"

Tohru sighed. "I've had to call in sick. I felt nauseous this morning and… Kyo thought it was best that I stay home and rest."

"Well, look at that, Kyo made a smart call. Miracles do happen," Uo chided. "But seriously Tohru, I know how hard you work. Kyo is right, as much as I hate to say it. You need to take it easy. How are you feeling now?"

Tohru bit her lip, a roiling feeling in her gut sending a fresh wave of nausea over her. "Not so good."

"Did you eat something funky? You know, I read something the other day about a particular species of cod, that if you don't wash it right, it can-"

Just the thought of fish, the smell of it, the slimey feel of its flesh, sent Tohru over the edge. She ran to the bathroom, dropping her phone beside the toilet and emptying her stomach into the bowl. All the crackers and water she had been snacking on and sipping on today had not been doing what she had hoped.

Tohru reached for her phone hurriedly after she was done, hearing Uo yelling for her down the phone. "I'm so sorry Uo," cried Tohru, wiping her eyes and heading over to the sink to wash her mouth out. "I didn't mean for you to hear that. I'm so sorry!"

"Tohru, it's okay. You don't need to apologise. Sheesh, you're scaring me, girl," she said, worry lacing her voice. "Kyo better be coming back to check on you today."

Tohru nodded. "Yes! He's coming back at lunch time. Oh Uo. I don't have time to be sick! I just wish I knew why I'm feeling this way so I could fix it."

Uo barked a laugh. "Who knows, maybe you're pregnant!"

Uo continued to laugh down the phone. Tohru started to laugh too, but stopped abruptly, a feeling other than nausea coiling in her stomach. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide.

That night a couple of weeks ago. The night it was late and she and Kyo couldn't contain themselves; control themselves. She had realised the day after that he hadn't worn protection the night before, but reasoned with herself that it would be fine; it was only the once and they were safe every other time. There was no way she could be pregnant, was there? No, surely not.

Unless…

"Tohru?" Uo's concerned tone drilled down the line. "Are you there?"

"Yes," Tohru whispered, sinking down to the floor.

"You aren't pregnant… are you, Tohru?"

Tohru knew it then. She had a feeling. She didn't know how she knew or why - she just did.

She was going to throw up again. And it wasn't because of the nausea.

She groaned into the phone, trying to hold back the need to cry and the need to vomit.

"Tohru, please answer me. Are you okay?"

Tohru took a shaky breath and was about to reassure her friend that she was fine, of course, nothing was wrong, but when she opened her mouth to speak, a sob came out instead.

"Oh my god, Tohru! What's going on? Are you alright?"

Tohru sniffed. "I… I think you're right," she sobbed.

"Okay. Tohru." Uo's voice was hard and steady now, for which Tohru was grateful. She needed something to cling onto. "Take a deep breath." She paused, and Tohru obeyed. It helped a bit. "Now. Why do you think you're pregnant?"

"Um...well, there was one time when...when we didn't…use protection."

"Okay. When was that?"

"Um, a few weeks ago?"

Uo sucked in a breath. She tried to hide it, but Tohru heard. "Okay. Here's what you're going to do. Are you listening?"

Tohru whimpered a soft, "Yes."

"You're going to get up, you're going to put pants on if you didn't already. You're going to walk to the nearest pharmacy, and you're going to buy a pregnancy test. Okay?"

"Okay," Tohru squeaked.

"And when you get back home, you're going to take the test and see what it says. You're not going to worry about what happens after that, your only focus is getting and taking the test. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I would be happy to be on the line the whole time or when you take the test or whatever you want. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll...I'll call you when I get back home. But will you stay on the line with me for a bit now? I'd like to wait until this afternoon so that I'm not gone when Kyo-kun gets here for lunch." The last thing she wanted to do was explain to him why she was gone. If she told him she'd gone to pick up medicine for her nausea, he would admonish her for not asking him to do it.

"Of course, whatever you need."

Tohru sighed in relief. She really had the best friends in the world.

They tried to talk about other things in the time being. Uo explained since she can't do anything about it now, she'd have to try and not worry about it. And Tohru did try. But their whole conversation seemed trivial with the word "pregnant" ever hanging in Tohru's mind. Finally, she asked Uo about her own life, which kept Tohru's attention more efficiently. Eventually, she heard the front door unlocking and realized she was still on the bathroom floor.

"Tohru?" Kyo's voice called from the living room.

"Oh, Uo-chan, Kyo is here."

"Okay, you've got this. Call me whenever you need me. Love you!"

"I love you too, Uo-chan." They hung up. Tohru felt her eyes well up with the stress of having to pretend everything was normal. He would see it right away. Maybe she would just pretend that she was sicker than she thought, and that's why she was so stressed.

Slowly, she rose and called out to him. "Hi!"

He rounded the corner of the bathroom. "Hey, I was afraid you were up doing something."

"I was just talking to Uo-chan."

"In the bathroom?"

"I got sick again."

"Oh." He softened, and came up to kiss her forehead. Feeling him this close, she desperately wanted to break down and sob into his chest. He always knew how to comfort her. But the last thing she wanted was for him to worry about this too. And who knows? Maybe she was just being crazy, maybe she wasn't pregnant at all. But she couldn't ignore that sure feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew.

"Were you able to eat anything?" Kyo's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, but then it didn't matter." They both grimaced.

"Okay, well, I'll heat you up some broth. Maybe that'll help."

"Thank you, Kyo-kun. Would you like me to fix you some lunch?"

He glanced at her sideways. "Absolutely not. You rest. You can cook for me again when you're feeling better." He tucked her hair behind her ear, and left towards the kitchen.

It wasn't too long before she had hot broth in front of her as she sat on the couch. He had heated up some leftovers for himself while she tried to sip carefully. He seemed suspicious that something was up, but didn't ask about it, and Tohru would be forever grateful. Maybe she was playing up the sickness well. Not that it was all that difficult. She felt like death.

After he finished eating with her, he washed up, asked if she needed anything else, reminded her to call for anything, and said his goodbyes.

She'd made it. Now she only had to fight through the nausea long enough to get to the store. And take the test. And see that it's positive. And then, oh god, what then? She could feel her breaths starting to come faster but remembered Uo's words: "You only focus on getting and taking the test." She took a deep breath, trying to focus on her next step.

She steadied herself and went to her bedroom, slowly getting dressed out of her pajamas. Once she looked decent, she tied her hair into a ponytail with a ribbon that she found on her chest of drawers. Looking in her mirror, her face looked a shade of green, the nausea still well and truly brewing in her stomach. She took a deep breath, grabbed her wallet, keys and phone off of the drawers and headed out the front door.

The day was warm, the sun not too harsh. The fresh air was a welcome reprieve, slightly alleviating her sickness. The pharmacy wasn't far, and hopefully this walk in the sun is what her body needed.

Rounding the corner, she smelt the distinct smell of takoyaki from the stall down the road. She clasped her hand over her mouth, that familiar feeling crawling back up her throat.. She swallowed the nausea down, trying to block her nose from the stench of the seafood. Hurriedly, almost in a run, she went past the stall, holding her nose for the next couple of blocks just in case. She loosened her grip eventually and took a deep, welcomed breath, relieved she had made her way to the pharmacy.

Stepping inside, there were only a few people milling about. Tohru kept her head down as she walked through the aisles, the risk of bumping into someone she knew making her anxiety go through the roof.

She stopped in front of the pregnancy tests, scanning over each different brand. There were so many, how on earth would she choose?

Reaching out to one of the more expensive digital tests, she took it and held it tucked by her side until she reached the counter. Handing it to the sales assistant took all her courage, a furious blush all over her face. The sales assistant didn't seem to notice, taking Tohru's money and handing her the test in a brown paper bag like she was simply buying paracetamol.

The whole way home, Tohru felt as if she was carrying something illicit, her nerves hitting new levels. She had even forgotten about her nausea for a moment, her fear the only thing on her mind.

Finally reaching home, she dumped her wallet and keys down on the dining room table and ran to the bathroom, phone and test in hand. She carefully opened the box and took the test out, her hands shaking. She began to read the instructions, reading every last word, not wanting to miss a thing. She was going to initially take the test and then call Uo, but…

She dialled Uo, Uo picking up after just one ring.

"Did you take the test?" Uo whispered down the phone.

"No," squeaked Tohru, gripping it tightly. "I wanted you to be on the phone with me while I did it."

"Of course," said Uo. "Put me on loudspeaker. I'll be right here."

Tohru shakily put the phone on loudspeaker and then placed it down on the counter. She sat down on the toilet, the test between her legs. Scrunching her eyes shut and taking a breath, she took the test, mortified that Uo would be hearing all kinds of unflattering sounds.

When she was done, she put the test down on the counter and then washed her hands. Picking the phone back up, Tohru said nervously, "I-I took it. It's still developing."

"Give it a few minutes," said Uo, a gentleness in her voice. "Just sit down for a bit and talk to me. Are you okay?"

"I think so," said Tohru. "What if it's positive, Uo? How am I going to tell Kyo-kun?"

"By telling him the truth," said Uo. "Tohru, he loves you more than anything. He's not going to be cross with you. Sure, this is unexpected and you guys didn't plan it. But if the test is positive, then there's something that is for certain: you two will both become parents. Great ones at that. You two love each other, and that baby will be lucky to have you both."

Tohru sniffled, tears falling down her cheek. "Oh Uo-chan…"

Uo sniffled too. "I think it's time you had a look at the test, Tohru."

Tohru knew she was right. It had been a few minutes.

She stood and approached the counter where she had left it. She couldn't bring herself to look at the test just yet. Instead, she stared into the mirror. Her eyes were red, her face still a shade of green. Her cheeks were wet with her smeared tears. She looked downright pitiful. How could someone so pathetic ever hope to raise a child?

"Tohru?" Uo's voice sounded a bit far away. "Have you looked?" She said it so gently, as if any more force would have made Tohru crack.

Tohru took a deep breath. Just look. Just look, and the not knowing would be over, and the next step could begin. It could even be negative. It could be negative.

It could be negative, she chanted in her mind.

She glanced down.

A single word stared back at her from the digital display.

It wasn't negative.

"Uo-chan…"

"Yeah, Tohru, I'm here, what is it?"

"Uo-chan, I...it's not negative."

"It's not negative? You mean that it's positive? What does it say?"

"It says...Uo-chan, it says...pregnant." Her voice came out strained as the lump formed in her throat.

"Okay." Uo's voice wavered before stabilizing again. "We can handle that. You can handle that, Tohru."

"I don't know, Uo-chan." The tears started tumbling from her freely now, along with her words. "I don't even know how I'm going to tell Kyo-kun. He's told me how afraid he is of having children, he doesn't want them for a very long time, he'll be so angry with me for letting this happen, Uo-chan, how will I ever tell him, how will I have the courage, he'll be so scared and so upset and - "

"Tohru!" Tohru stopped abruptly and hiccuped. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. Are you listening?"

"Yes," she whimpered.

"Number one. Not using protection was a choice that both of you made. If he were mad at only you, because you're the one with the uterus, then not only would he be an idiot, he would also be a dick. Number two. That's not even something you should be worried about. That boy is head over heels for you. Yes, he'll be scared, yes, maybe a bit upset, but none of that would ever be directed at you. The guy worships the ground you walk on." Tohru sniffed. "Number three. All you should be thinking about right now is your next step. So you have a choice. You can go ahead and tell him, or you can go to the doctor for a blood test to confirm it before having that conversation. I'll support whatever you decide. So. What would you like to do?"

"I want to have it confirmed," Tohru said meekly.

"Great. So tomorrow, you'll tell Kyo that you're going to the doctor for your nausea - which you are, technically - go to a clinic, and tell them you had a positive home pregnancy test. They'll take it from there. You won't think about what happens after that, only getting to the clinic. Okay?"

Tohru took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Now, how are you feeling, really?"

"Scared."

"Okay, what else?"

Tohru thought. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to look into her heart and beneath her fear. "I wish my mom were here."

Uo was quiet for a moment, before saying softly, "Me too."

"And...I know that if this were to happen, then...no matter his reaction, I'm glad that it's with Kyo-kun." Tohru's voice caught. "Even if I had to do it -" hic "- by myself, I'm happy that it's his."

"Oh, Tohru...You won't ever have to do this by yourself. You and Kyo are great partners. You'll be a wonderful mother, and admittedly, I actually do think he'd make a good dad. You both have a lot of love inside of you. And besides him, you have me, and Hanajima, and the Prince, and all those other Sohmas who love you so much. You'll be okay, Tohru, I promise."

Tohru's voice was small. "Thank you, Uo-chan. I'm so grateful."

"I only speak the truth."

A noise from the other room suddenly caught Tohru's attention. The front door unlocking. Oh god.

"Uo-chan, Kyo is home! He's early! What do I do?! The test!"

"Okay, close and lock the bathroom door." Uo spoke quickly, and Tohru obeyed. "Now wrap it in toilet paper and put it in the bottom of the trashcan, or the back of a drawer or somewhere it wouldn't be obvious."

Tohru wrapped the stick as she was told, opened the drawer by the sink - where she kept her lotions and make-up - and stuffed it into the very back. Some small, weird part of her hated the thought of throwing it away.

"Tohru?" Kyo called from the living room.

"Uo-chan, I have to go! Thank you so much, I love you!"

"Love you, Tohru, good luck!"

They hung up.

"Tohru? Where are you?" Kyo called again, concern in his tone.

She took a deep breath and left the bathroom as calmly as she could, nearly bumping into him as he was heading down the hallway. "I'm so sorry Kyo-kun. I was sick again…"

Kyo's face softened and he bundled her up in a hug. She wanted to cry, her heart beating so fast. She was afraid he'd be able to read it on her face that something was wrong. That she was hiding something.

Thank goodness for the nausea being her excuse. She never thought she'd say that.

The afternoon carried on normally, the truth eating Tohru up inside. She tried to start prepping for dinner, but Kyo refused, sending her back to the couch again.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" he asked, a tea towel slung across his shoulder. He looked so gorgeous, Tohru wanted to cry.

"I'm not sure I'm too hungry, Kyo-kun…" she said, her face flushed. She didn't know how to act normal around him. She needed to calm down, or he'd notice. He was good at that; noticing all her little quirks and mannerisms.

"Well, it could be good for you to have something in your stomach. Maybe just some plain rice?" he asked, tapping his chin in thought. "I actually felt like some teriyaki baby octopus tonight."

Tohru stiffened at the word baby. He continued, unbeknownst to her discomfort. "Maybe the baby octopus with some egg."

Baby.

Egg.

Tohru leapt up onto her wobbly legs, Kyo running to steady her. "I think I'm just going to head to bed!"

Kyo looked at her, suspicion on his face. "Are you alright? Like, really?"

She felt like she was going to throw up again. "Totally, Kyo-kun! I'm fine! I just need a shower and bed, that's all!"

He nodded and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Shower is all yours. Feel free to head to bed after that. I'll come check on you later."

She hurried past him and headed to the bathroom, internally cursing herself. She missed him so much when she didn't see him all day, and now because of this, she couldn't even be close to him without almost having a panic attack.

This was going to be a long night.