"And this is Dadie's room," Ayame stopped in the doorway of Rowen's bedroom, almost everything inside it white.
Kia walked in and looked to the dresser, finding two framed pictures. One of them was of herself, Sage, Ryo, Cye, Rowen, and Raya all cluttered up on the downstairs couch. Kia chuckled when she saw herself, drenched in wine and remembering their party night on the day that she conceived her daughter.
She could only look at the second picture for five second before tears starting swelling up in her hazel eyes. It was her wedding picture. Rowen, dressed in a black tuxedo, navy bow tie, and his right arm around Kia's waist. She was dressed in a traditional white dress, pale pink flowers weaved through her long black hair and matching the flower bouquet that she held in her hands.
"Are you okay, mommy?"
She tried to smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. But can you just leave me alone for a little bit?"
"Okay..." Ayame seemed depressed by her command, but she obeyed her mother and walked out of the room.
The second that Ayame had walked out of the room, Kia collapsed into tears. Every tear that fell from her cheek was of different emotion or crying for a different person. She even cried in anger at herself, wishing that she had never left the ones she loved in the first place. After she wiped her tears with her sleeve and took in a deep breath, she bit her lip and went to walk over to the bathroom that was within the room.
But before she could get there, Rowen stopped her, "Kia?"
She turned to see her husband in the doorway. Rowen only had to glance at his wife for second to know that she had been crying. He ran up to her and took her in his arms, allowing her to cry in his shoulder.
"Kia! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!" Rowen cried, hugging Kia tighter.
"Rowen, I missed you so much. Just please... please-"
"What?" Rowen slightly pulled Kia away from him so that he could look into her eyes, "Tell you that I love you? Kia, I do love you! I've never stopped loving you for god's sake!"
"Rowen...."
"Shh..." Rowen cradled her face in his palms and brought her face closer to kiss her. Kia immediately wrapped her arms around the back of his head and kissed back. He feathered his hands down to her waist and then picked her up.
Kia cried out in surprise, "Rowen!" She soon started to laugh as she realized that he was going to throw her on the bed. Once he did, Rowen climbed on top of her and continued to kiss her.
He broke away a few moments later, "Promise me... Kia, promise me that you'll never leave my sight again."
Kia smiled, brushing her hands on the sides of Rowen's face and leaned up to kiss him soundly. Rowen accepted her answer and entwined his fingers in her raven black hair, giving her the brightest smile while gazing deeply into Kia's never ending eyes.
"Mommy?"
Rowen looked behind his shoulder, seeing Ayame in the doorway. "Come here, Ayame," he replied, smiling.
Ayame face brightened for a moment, then she ran to the bed and jumped to the mattress.
"Hey, Aya," Kia mumbled, running a hand through her daughter's hair and down one side of her fair face. Rowen then rolled off to one side, leaning on his elbow and rubbing his foot against Kia's.
"Are you okay now, Mommy?"
Kia laughed softly, looking to Rowen, "Yeah, I'm fine now, Ayame."
"Gosh, you look just like your mother, Ayame." Rowen replied, smiling as he looked from one to the next.
"I do?" Ayame questioned, raising both her eyebrows.
"Yep. And that is definitely a good thing."
"Well, isn't that just the perfect little family - or should I say Kodak moment," Sage leaned his shoulder against the bedroom doorway. He was looking at Rowen, Kia and Ayame who were all lying together on the king sized bed.
"Get a camera then, it'll last longer."
Sage laughed, "That's okay. I think I'd rather join the moment!" No one had a chance to object before Sage ran and jumped on the bed in-between Rowen and Kia.
Kia slipped her hands behind her head, "Now we're only missing Natsuki."
"Yeah."
Sage then sat up and reached across Kia to grab Ayame. He sat her on top of his lap and laid down on his back, "You are the cutest little thing, did you know that?"
Ayame nodded, "I know." Her response caused everyone to laugh.
"Really, Aya?" Rowen paused to get another nod from Ayame.
Sage turned his head to Kia, "Now you know how much Rowen spoils this poor thing."
"I don't spoil her!" Rowen jabbed Sage in the side. But he just continued to laugh at his counterpart. Kia just shook her head in slight amusement and helped Ayame down from the bed so that she could escape the room.
Kia watched her go, "It's hard to believe that she's my daughter," She commented, climbing over Sage and slipping herself in-between the two guys.
"Believe it. She is as sweet as they come, Kia. I don't think that I could be any more proud of both of us... or Ayame for that matter." Rowen sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his head deeper into the pillow that he was resting on.
Kia grimaced at that. "I think I'm going to see if Natsuki is done calling everyone." She sat up and got off the bed, following Ayame's tracks.
Sage leaned up on one elbow, looking to Rowen, "Is she avoiding me?"
"I don't know what she's doing." Rowen replied while shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, I'm going to find out," Sage huffed, getting off the bed and speed walking out the door.
Rowen closed his eyes and pulled his hands behind his head, smiling as he breathed deep. We're finally back together again. Nothing else can matter but this,
"Kia?" Sage peeked into the family room, finding her on the couch next to Ayame, watching cartoons.
She looked up for a second, then back to the TV., "What do you want, Sage?"
He walked over that that he was next to her, "Is something wrong?"
Kia bit her lip, "Ayame, I'll be right back, okay?" She stood up and gestured to Sage, "Follow me." She led him out to the front porch.
Once they were outside, Sage got in an anxious mood, "What is wrong? Kia, tell me!"
"Sage, sit down, please."
"No. Just tell me what's wrong."
Kia sighed and sat herself down on the porch stairs. She folded her hands together in her lap and looked to the side.
Sage stepped down from the porch and stood in front of her, "Kia? Are you going to tell me or not?"
"Sage, whatever I say in the next five minutes, just please... please don't get mad at me."
Sage shoved his hands into his pockets, almost afraid for what Kia was going to say.
"Sage... I'm pregnant..."
"Nani?!"
"I'm pregnant with your child."
Sage blinked, "How... this can't be happening to me..." he took his hands out of his pockets and covered his face.
"Please don't-"
"Kia, just... tell me that you're lying... please!"
She slowly shook her head.
Sage exhaled sharply, "Are you positive that you're pregnant?"
Kia nodded, "I took one of those at home pregnancy test this morning and it turned out a rich blue color." Kia chuckled under her breath, blinking away a weary tear in her eye.
Sage cursed under his breath, "What are we going to do?" he plopped his suddenly heavy body down on the stairs next to Kia.
Kia didn't say anything as she kept her gaze on the ground. Even her breathing was hard to pick up in the solitude of silence in the cold atmosphere that surrounded them.
"Can't you take birth control?"
"No, it's too late. I have to take it before-"
"What other options do we have?" Sage asked quickly, not wanting to waste any of the time that they had alone.
Kia shrugged, "We have to tell them. I'm not going through abortion and I don't know how to hide my pregnancy."
"Well, can't you tell Rowen that the baby is his?"
"I could, but then what if the baby looks like you?" Kia turned her head and locked her eyes with Sage.
Sage seemed paralyzed for that one moment that they looked to each other, but as quick as flame to flicker out in the wind, he pulled his eyes away from hers and sighed again. But this time, he stood up and walked into the house.
"Sage..." Kia was left out on the porch to fend for herself.
"Hey, Sage!" Natsuki ran into the kitchen from the other room, "I just got off the phone with Raya and Cye and-... are you all right?" Natsuki noticed the extremely drawn expression on his face. It even seemed as though someone was pulling on his face, the way it sagged so.
He sighed, "Yeah... so what did Raya say?"
"Oh... well, she's coming in like... 3 minutes. I actually just got off their cell phone and they are on their way. "
"That's great."
"I know. And Ryo said that he would be here in matter of half an hour."
"So what's going on, now?" Rowen replied, looking to Natsuki as he waltzed down the stairs.
Natsuki turned to smile at him, "Cye and Ray are on their way over and Ryo will be here in a half an hour."
Rowen laughed, "That is great!" Then he looked down into the family room and set eyes on Ayame, "Did you hear that, Ayame? A friend will be here to play with you!"
"Who!?" She asked, darting her eyes away from the TV. to look at her dad.
Rowen smiled, "Her name is Aoi. I'm sure that you will get along just fine with her."
"Yay!" Ayame shot up from the couch, "I'm gonna get my dolly!" She barely finished her sentence before she ran to the stairs.
Natsuki watched her with a smile, "Well, she seems in a good mood."
Rowen walked next to her but eyed Sage with brief confusion, as he was noticeably slouching in a kitchen chair, "Where's Kia?"
Natsuki shrugged, "I don't know."
"Sage? Do you know?"
He very sheepishly shrugged his shoulder and opened his mouth to reply, but Natsuki cut him off.
"Wait... there she is. Outside, on the porch," She pointed at the window, "And there's Raya and Cye!"