Kia ran out of the house, crying and screaming in lost torment. She was cursing at herself for letting Sage get to her like he did and she was so blinded by her own anger that she tripped on her feet. Her face hit the cold snow and it left her crying harder than she was before.
Weakly propping herself up with her hands, she quieted herself by staring at the scarlet snow. As she stared at the patch of red, she couldn't believe that it was her own blood and she wouldn't take in the event that just happened.
Is this really happening? Am I still sleeping somewhere? This can't be me, this just can't be! I couldn't have changed that much!
Kia hit the ground with her fist and looked up to the sky, "Why haven't you killed me yet?! Why?!" she screamed. Bringing her hand up to the right side of her face, she pressed her index finger hard into one of her cuts until she couldn't bare the pain any longer. She started to cry again, watching through blurry eyes as the snow started to turn black. She didn't even mentally hear the front door open and close.
Rowen came to halt ten feet before Kia. Seeing the black snow in front of her, he couldn't calm the worry that bubbled inside of him, no matter how many times he reassured himself or took in deep breaths. "Kia," he started, sounding even weaker than he had planned.
But it didn't matter because he didn't get a reply.
He moved to sit down next to her, but she didn't do so much as even tilt her head. "Are you all right, Kia?"
"Does it look like I'm all right to you, Rowen?" Kia snapped, looking at Rowen to glare at him. You couldn't even see her skin on her right cheek, looking like she had dipped that side of her face in a bucket of the red liquid that kept her alive.
Rowen gasped, "Kia, please, let me help you!" he yelled with impatience, bringing his hand up to her. But Kia seemed to bare her teeth as she quickly jerked her head to the side, keeping her ice cold gaze on Rowen.
"No... just leave me alone."
Rowen regarded her like an injured tiger - not a defeated one - from that point on. He knew that if he made one wrong move to upset her, he would be in something that he couldn't very well get himself out of. "Kia... please listen to me. I know that things have really gone downhill, but I haven't changed. I know I was mad at you before but that was because I just... well, I was completely shocked to say the truth. You all of the sudden just came back home and were there for two days without anyone but Sage knowing. I didn't know how else to react to it." Rowen paused for a moment, making sure that he had Kia's attention. "But I can't change the past."
"Did you not just see and hear what Natsuki did to me!? She is in no fucking position to treat me like that!"
"I know, I know. She is not over this yet, either. But just give her time and-"
"I'm not giving her anything but a knife up her throat! If you really like her, Rowen, then you better not leave me in a room alone with her because only one of us will come out and it's not going to be her!" Kia growled, blinking away another tear.
"Okay. But just... will you please come back inside with me so we can get you cleaned up? I don't want to have you get a nasty infection!"
Kia didn't reply, only looking into Rowen's eyes, the snow falling around them reflecting a brilliant aqua color into the shadows of his dark blues.
"Kia, please!"
Kia closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. "I'm not going anywhere. I refuse to go back into that house and even look at that woman."
"Dammit! Look at me!" he grabbed the bottom of her chin and held it in-between his index finger and thumb. "Just forget about Natsuki, forget about Sage, the baby, and forget about Ayame. You are my wife, Kia. I love you. No matter what happens or how this turns out, I'm still going to be here. I'm still going to live my life the way I've always wanted to live it... with you. Okay?"
Kia took a deep breath, "Rowen..."
"What?"
"Are you mad about..." she looked downward, "about the baby?"
Rowen sighed, "I can't really say how I feel about this whole thing or situation - whatever you wanna call it. To say right now, I'm not anything with it. I'm definitely not happy with it but I'm not angry either." Rowen lifted Kia's chin up so he could look back into her eyes, "Do you understand? I'm neutral is what I'm saying."
Kia nodded, "Comprende."
That brought out a soft smile in Rowen's lips, "Now, c'mon. Let's go back inside and get that nasty cut of yours cleaned up."
Rowen stood up and held down a hand for Kia. She pulled herself up and Rowen took her into him. Kia returned his strong embrace, being extra careful as not to touch him with her right cheek.
"Ready?"
Kia pulled away and nodded, letting Rowen take her by the hand and leading her back into the house. When they got inside, Rowen led Kia straight to the bathroom, opening all of the cupboards and searching for things that would help Kia's injuries.
Sage and Ryo were the only ones who were concerned enough to walk over to the bathroom and see how Kia was doing. They walked in, lighting their slightly surprised eyes on Rowen and Kia. He had a wet washcloth in his hand and was very gently rubbing the right side of Kia's face. He managed to clean up much of the blood, her pale skin showing through again and revealing the two pink scars that ran across her cheek, like two train tracks in the middle of an open country.
Kia flicked her eyes to the door, noticing Sage and Ryo, "Guys... I'm fine."
"Why are you so calm about all of this?" Sage almost yelled, taking one step into the bathroom. "I mean, gods, just look at what she did." Sage brushed his hand against the side of Kia's face, his eyes heavy with worry.
She shifted her eyes to the large mirror that hung beside her, and stared at herself. Her eyes ran along her reflection, noticing the two pink scars surrounded by purple-blue skin. Kia gawked at them, wanting them to disappear by her hard glare. "I'm fine, really." Kia brought her hand up to meet her cheek, held it for a moment or two, then pulled her hand down back to her waist. "Maybe I really did deserve it," She whispered, too low for anyone but Rowen to hear her.
Sage stepped back a pace, "You absolutely sure? Cause I-"
"How many times do I need to say this?" Kia blurted out quickly, "I'm fine!" She moved forward and stormed out of the bathroom, knocking into Sage and Ryo's shoulders as she made her way out.
"Kia, wait!" Sage called, as he, Ryo, and Rowen ran after her.
Kia walked back into the family room, eyeing Natsuki, who was sitting with Raya on the couch and weeping softly into her shoulder. She noticed Kia after a second or so, but didn't even try to make eye contact with her.
Kia sighed extensively and plopped down on a chair across from the two, "Look... I know both of you are-"
"Furious! Why did you come back, Kia?" Natsuki kept her gaze on the coffee table while she spoke. "Or for what it's worth, why didn't you just wait until your husband came back?"
"It's over and done with already, Natsuki!" Sage shouted, cutting himself into the conversation. "None of us can change what already happened. Just accept-"
"I will NEVER accept that your baby is with your best friend's wife, Sage!" Natsuki shot her husband a somewhat exasperated expression.
"Would you stop putting it in those terms? You're making it harder that it already is!" Sage yelled back, his anger brimming its peak.
"Sage, Natsuki! Stop fighting!" Raya looked to both of them. "This isn't going to go anywhere if we all keep yelling at each other," she paused briefly, "Don't you get it?"
"Why don't you take Kia to the doctor and see if this pregnancy is determined to be true or not?" Rowen spoke up from another corner of the room, eyeing Raya in hope. His attempt to change the subject surprisingly worked.
"Well," Raya turned to Kia, "do you want to go?"
Kia nodded, "Anywhere to go but here is fine with me." Before she stood up to follow Raya, she gave Natsuki a grim glare of her own.
Natsuki gratefully returned it, "Yeah, it'll be great fun for you! Fucking with the doctor is second next to Sage, isn't it, Kia?!"
"Natsuki!" Raya turned right on her heel, giving her cousin wide eyes and mouth.
Kia clenched her fists but held them at her waist, "I can't believe-" she didn't have to say another word before Sage fiercely grabbed onto one Natsuki's hands, her mouth shutting as soon as he did.
"I have to talk to you, Natsuki." Sage stated, his teeth clenched together as he led her into the kitchen. "Raya, just take Kia to the hospital and end this, okay?"
Raya slowly nodded, taking a deep breath as she towed after Kia on her way out of the house.
After they left, Natsuki and Sage could be heard yelling at the top of their lungs throughout the whole house. They were swearing at each other so much, that Rowen had to force his way into the kitchen to at least calm them.
"Would you two stop it!? Anyone with ears can easily hear you down the street!" He yelled, switching his gaze back and forth from Sage and Natsuki.
"Is it my fault that Sage and Kia are destroying us?!" Natsuki screamed, glaring hard at Rowen.
"Just stop, please!" Rowen pleaded, matching the tone of his voice with Natsuki's.
Sage only sat by, leaning himself up against the wall, his legs crossed at his ankles and his arms folded across his chest. Staring at the floor like he was made you wonder if he was communicating with it.
"Sage," Natsuki's voice went down to a slightly calmed level, "Sage, you really want that baby, don't you?"
He replied by swallowing a lump in his throat.
"Why won't you talk to me?" She desperately cried, her eyes on the verge of exploding with tears.
"Sage... please, talk to us,"
"Does it really matter if I want it or not? I mean, I'm still your husband, Natsuki," Sage's tone was only a tad above a whisper.
"Yes, it does! I want to know if you love me or Kia, Sage."
Sage looked up until his eyes met Natsuki's, "I can't answer that question," he replied, almost lip-syncing.
"It's as simple as saying yes or no!" Natsuki's eyes were slowly becoming a waterfall, "If you really married me, then the question shouldn't be very hard!"
"Okay, okay. Natsuki, do love you," he blurted out rather quickly, his eyes fixing back on the floor, "But I don't know what to do anymore... too much has happened too fast."
Silence lurked in the room from that point on, Rowen looking out the window, Natsuki as she tapped her fingernails on the kitchen counter, and Sage as he took in deep breaths while leaning against the wall. No one spoke, as no one had anything more to say.
But Rowen had to ask Sage one thing more, "Sage?" he waited until he knew that he had Sage's attention, "Did you and Kia really do... have..." losing the word he really wanted to say, he fell into a speech impediment.
But Sage knew what he wanted to ask, "Yeah, Ro... we did. It just happened. And before I knew what exactly we did, I just couldn't..." Sage paused there, sighing heavily.
"But what were you thinking? I mean, without wearing protection?! Gods, Sage!" Natsuki exhaled, bringing her eyes to rest upon Sage's.
"I'm sorry, okay!? How many times to I need to say it? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm fucking sorry!" Sage pushed himself off the wall and turned to face it, slamming his fist into the wall, "Dammit!"
"Sage-"
"I don't want to hear another word!" He twirled around and headed back into the family room.
Rowen shared an exhilarated and worried look with Natsuki before sprinting after him. He tumbled into the family room, finding Aoi, Ayame and Cye already seated in the couch. They all looked to him as he came into the room. "Did Sage go through here?" Rowen asked, looking around the room.
"Yeah, but he said he didn't want anyone following him." Cye replied, squinting his eyes in a fixed state of anticipation.
"Where did he-"
"Daddy? Where's Mommy?" Ayame cut in, staring her hopefully sad eyes on Rowen. She stood up from her spot on the couch and started to walk towards her dad.
"Oh... ah, she went to the doctor. The doctor is going to help her, so don't you worry, Aya." Rowen picked up his daughter by the waist carried her over to the couch and plopped down sitting her in his lap.
"They just left?" Cye turned his head to face Rowen, who nodded in return. He sighed softly and started to rub Aoi's back, leaning deeper into the chair that the two of them were sitting in. Rowen did the same, closing his eyes and holding Ayame close to him and smiling as he drifted into a soundless and much needed sleep.
**
"If you could just step into the waiting room until we get your tests results back. It'll be about a couple of minutes, okay, Kia?" The doctor ushered Kia out of the patient room and pointed down the hallway.
Dr. Squall, or Akio Squall, was Raya's doctor. She often visited him when she was pregnant with Aoi, so now she was sending him to Kia to have a look at her. Akio was in his late twenties, early thirties, with dishwater blonde hair and deep brown eyes. Having a wood personality, he doesn't like change and can hold up to many things... including the treacherous impatience in Kia's fiery demeanor.
"Okay," Kia smirked. She walked down the hall and out into the waiting room, greeting Raya with a flick of her worn-out hazel eyes.
"How was it?" Raya asked as Kia grabbed a seat down next to her.
"Painful."
Raya smirked, "Really?"
"No," Kia smiled at counterpart, "It was... all right, I guess. Your doctor was really nice about the whole thing."
Raya chuckled, "I knew that you would like Dr. Squall."
Kia sighed with a small grin, then looked towards the ground and folded her hands in her lap.
Raya noticed that her hands were trembling, "Your not nervous, are you?" she asked with a soft tone, her eyebrows forming large arches over her eyes.
Kia shot her an exasperated look, "Nervous? Are you kidding me? Nervous is an understatement. I haven't been like this since my first day at high school."
Raya laughed.
"I am so serious, Ray."
Raya calmed to a wide grin, "I know, I know." She exhaled a brought a wave of concern over her features, then moved so that she was facing Kia, "But you're really going to go through with this if you are pregnant?"
Kia looked to her hands and slowly nodded.
"Well, if that's what you and Sage really want..."
"But you're going to help her, right?"
Raya shrugged, "I really don't know-"
"I meant your cousin."
"Oh... yeah, of course. She's my only cousin, I have no choice."
"Oh gods, Ray! You don't know how much I'm sorry!" Kia cried, darting her eyes to Raya's, "I basically screwed their relationship and I know that Natsuki is never going to forgive me."
"I know, Kia. I know. But no matter how much you and I are friends though, I'm still going to stick with my cousin. She's family... I have to. I hope you understand that." Raya paused to slide her eyes away from the stare of Kia. "I know that she is taking this way harder than normal, but that is just her personality; she can't take it any other way. But on the other hand, I really want you to have this baby... even if it is Sage's. You missed so much when you were at the institute. Sage kept talking about kids and he would always get so jealous of Rowen and Ayame."
Kia blinked, "I... I never knew-"
"Don't you dare tell him what I just said."
"I won't. I swear." Kia vowed, staring at the floor.
Just then, a couple from inside the hospital came out into the waiting area. They looked fairly young, maybe around late teens as Kia guessed. The girl had long black hair, reminding Kia of herself when she was that age. Even the guy, with his blonde hair and green eyes, reminded her of Sage in some way. But then, to both the girls astonishment, the guy just started to shout at the girl, screaming at her that it was all her fault and that he was going to leave her if she didn't fix what she had done - whatever that was.
The girl hunched her shoulders, seeming to be taking the harsh voice blows by hiding her face behind them. She squinted her eyes every time that the guy raised his voice and even held her hand out, fearing for - and if - the guy hit her.
But as soon as the man yelled 'abortion', Kia widened her eyes in bewilderment and noticibly lost mental conscience of the room around her. It wasn't until Raya put her hand on Kia's that brought her back into reality.
"It's okay, Kia. Don't listen to them." Raya met her eyes with Kia's, trying to assure Kia with her soft and comforting gaze.
But Kia's mind wouldn't let that thoughts of abortion leave her mind. She kept seeing the same scene over and over in her head, Sage screaming at her to get an abortion and threatening to leave her. Wrinkles in her forehead visibly formed as she thought about what Natsuki was talking into Sage at that moment. She could be telling Sage anything, and Kia knew that if Natsuki really wanted to get rid of her, she could very easily manipulate anyone's mind... including Sage. Subconsciously watching the couple leave the room, she kept seeing her and Sage, fighting it out in that exact same position.
"Kia? Kia Hashiba?"
She darted her eyes to the door, blinking a couple of times to clear the unwanted thoughts in her head. She tried to answer, but she couldn't find her voice.
Raya soon took on what was wrong and answered for her, "She's right here, Dr. Squall."
"Oh, hey, Ray. How is Aoi doing?" Akio asked, shooting her a glance of his cheerful eyes and giving her a nudge.
Raya smiled, "She's doing great as always."
"That is really good to hear, Raya. Anyway, I have your results, Kia, but before I tell you, I need some information first. Is okay if I ask a couple of questions?"
Kia nodded quickly, too quickly in fact that it told the Dr. Squall that something was wrong.
"Are you all right, Kia?" he asked, placing a warm palm on her shoulder.
"Yeah," she cleared her throat, "yeah, I'm fine."
"She's really nervous," Raya put in, loud enough for Dr. Squall to hear.
Kia glared at Raya for only a second, eyeing her with something like impetuously, but she sighed soon after, seeming to be admitting that it was true.
"Well, I can understand that. I have three kids of my own. But don't worry, Kia. Everything is going to work out just fine, all right?" he waited until Kia nodded her head. "Great. So now I need some information from you. How old are you now?"
"Twenty-three," she replied, rather quickly.
Dr. Squall pulled out a clipboard from the deep pocket in his white overcoat and wrote down on some paper. Not looking up from the clipboard, he asked, "And you've been pregnant before, haven't you?"
Kia nodded, "Yeah. My daughter is two and a half."
"Quite the busy body, aren't you?"
Raya laughed, but Kia could only pretend to laugh. Her heart was pounding directly into her ears and she was surprised that she could even hear straight, for she was in too much worry and guilt to be even thinking about laughing, "I guess you could say that." She faked a weak smile.
"So you're married then, right?"
Kia quieted, then nodded.
Dr. Squall wrote down some more notes and looked back down to Kia, "And have you maintained good health over the first pregnancy?"
Kia nodded and shrugged at the same time, "Yeah, sure."
"Sure? What kind of answer is that?" he peered over his clipboard at Kia like a boy would peer over the edge of a bridge, having a interesting yet unsure look on his face.
Kia tried to smile, "Okay, then I've maintained good health over my first child."
"Much better," he scribbled down some more notes. Before he even got done writing, he went on to the next question, "Do you have problems with your husband?"
Kia was taken off-guard, "What?!"
"What happened to the side of your face?" He brought his hand to her right cheek, "It looks very recent."
Kia brushed his hand away, looking to the ground, "Nothing. It was just a little accident."
"That's all?" Dr. Squall looked to Raya for another answer, but she just nodded in return. He sighed, "Well, if you say so," he paused to write down more stuff.
"So... are you going to tell me the results, or do I have to keep answering pointless questions?" Kia spoke up, grinning so softly that it made Akio long to see the full smile on her lips.
Dr. Squall shoved the clipboard back into his pocket, "Raya, where did you pick up this character? I've never met anyone quite like her."
Raya began to laugh, "We've been friends a long while, Dr. Squall."
"And, seriously, I've never met such a fire tempered, woman! I swear, the way you acted towards just a shot made me wonder if you were born from the fire element itself!" He must of thought his little joke was funny, for he laughed louder than Kia had ever heard him laugh. Akio was one of the few people in his time to still believe in the five elements that created human-kind - fire, water, wood, metal, and earth.
Raya looked from Akio and back to Kia again with a curious smile playing at her mouth, "Why? What happened?"
"Short tempered and doesn't listen. That's all I have to say," At Dr. Squall's comment, Kia turned bright red.
"What happened? Tell me!" Raya bounced in her seat, demanding an answer.
"She wouldn't change into a hospital gown." Akio replied, "And she wouldn't listen to anything I told her."
"Okay, already!" Kia yelled, almost wanting to stop Raya and Akio from laughing at her by throwing a chair or two.
"I'm sorry, Kia. But it was funny now that I look back on it." Akio responded, taking in a deep breath and calming himself. "Well, that's it for the questions. I'm sure you're dying to hear the results."
"Dying?! More like feeling ready to commit suicide!" Kia cried.
"Yes, please do."
"Okay, here goes nothing. Kia,..."
**
Authors Note: BWAHA! I'm making you WAIT to hear if Kia is pregnant or not. I love slow torture. But let me get a show of hands... how many of you want Kia to be pregnant? How many of you don't? I'm just wondering what the view of the public is. And, gods, Akio is annoying *slaps herself for creating him*.
Ja- DemYn