Authors Note: Didn't I warn you in the beginning?? 'WARNING! Extreme Angst/ Romance/ Fighting/ AND drama'!! heh heh. But go ahead... I know you've been waiting for this. Oh, and before I forget, a HUGE THANKS to all the extremely nice people who have made very encouraging reviews so far... I love you! ^-^ (only 8 more chapters...)

***

"I wonder what's taking them so long..." Natsuki said, more to herself than anything, as she sat down in the family room. She looked across the room, frowning when she set eyes on Rowen and Ayame, who were both laying on the couch, Ayame sleeping in Rowen's arms.

"I don't know, Suki." Ryo walked into the room, sighing and running a lazy hand through his black locks. "But they better get back soon, cause I have to go and get back home... have work tomorrow."

"Have you heard from Sage, yet?"

"No, he's still standing out on the back porch. I really did try talking to him, but he didn't do anything but breathe. I'm really sorry, Natsuki. Why don't you just talk to him?"

"I can't. Not right now anyways. I still have this feeling that he's still mad. I don't want to do anything to get him angrier than he already is, Ryo. At least, not until Kia comes back."

"Why's that?"

Natsuki grinned, "'Cause then I will know whether or not if she is pregnant with my child!" Natsuki stood up glaring hard at Ryo, "It was supposed to be my child, not Kia's."

"Okay, okay. Don't get mad at me." He cocked his eyebrows as he backed up a step, waving his palms in front of him. His eyes slipped to the window and there he saw Raya's car pull in. "Hey, look! They're back!"

His yell caused Rowen to lazily awake from his sleeping state on the couch. "Huh?" he asked, more a groan than anything.

"Raya and her are back, Rowen," Natsuki crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back into the chair.

Rowen sighed, not bothering to move as not to wake his slumbering daughter.

***

"So? What's the news!?" Ryo anxiously waited for Raya or Kia to answer him.

Raya waltzed into the family room, dropping her body next to Cye and her daughter, "Kia... maybe you should be the one to spread the word."

Kia hesitated, crinkling her brows as she gazed around the room, "Where's Sage?" she finally asked, softer than normal.

Natsuki sighed extensively, almost like she knew that was coming, "Why does it concern you?"

"Natsuki, Sage is really the one who ought to know this first off." Raya spoke up, glaring at her cousin.

"He's out on the back porch, Kia." Ryo mumbled, sad to hear that he wasn't going to know the big news until later.

Kia didn't waste another moment to breathe before she speed-walked to the dining room and out to the sliding door that led to the back porch. There, she found Sage, leaning against the porch gate and wearing a black winter coat. His breath was heavy into the coldness of the air around him, sending thick streams of white smoke to rise out of his light pink lips.

Kia curled her coat around her body tighter and took a deep breath, trying to summon all the courage that she had before she talked to him, "Sage."

He didn't respond.

Wondering if he had even heard her, she called his name again, this time a little louder, "Sage,"

He jolted his head around, immediately locking his eyes with hers, "... Kia." He folded his eyebrows down over his eyes, looking as though he was angry or possibly upset.

"You're not angry with me, are you?" She asked, creasing her forehead in little fear.

He pursed his lips, seeming to stretch the moment that he had his eyes glued to hers, "No... I was just thinking about... about a lot of things. So, what's the news?"

Kia was so surprised about his calmness towards the situation, that she began to think that Natsuki really did change Sage's mind about everything. She was so deep in thought about what she could have possibly told him that she forgot that she was standing in front of Sage.

"Kia?" He anxiously put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her slightly, "Kia? Are you even hearing me?"

She blinked a few times, entering the real world again, "Oh... Sage, I'm sorry!"

Sage closed his eyes and pulled her into him, hugging her tightly. "It's all right. I don't really care about the baby anyways," he said into her ear, inhaling the light mint scent of her hair.

"No, Sage! I'm really sorry!"

"Kia, it's really all right," Sage managed to force out a few more words before his voice grew hoarse and his eyes got heavy with tears. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Kia tried to continue, but somehow her throat made up its mind to swallow. She didn't know what she was swallowing, unless it was a swell of emotion that she had pushed down to her stomach because her face couldn't hold it any longer.

Sage only tightened his grip around her as the moment drew on, getting more and more close to tears. When Kia heard him let out a slight sob, she knew that he was crying.

She pulled away from him, holding him back by the shoulders, "Sage... please don't be like this!" she flicked her eyes back and forth across his face, her emotion knotting her stomach until she thought it would split in two, "It's not what you think, not at all!"

Sage sniffed and took a slightly hesitated breath, "You mean..."

Kia nodded.

His mouth flipped right side up, "Really?" he cried, his tone filled with so much happiness and delight that it made even Kia smile. Sage let out a cheer and picked Kia up by the waist, swinging her around in a complete 360-degree circle. "No way! I can't believe it!"

Kia went back to her feet on the ground, "You're not upset?"

"Upset? Heck no! Kia, you don't know how much I was hoping for this!" His smile was so bright that even Kia felt herself being drawn in, almost as if it had a mysterious magnetic attraction. He brought his hands behind her head and pulled her closer to him so that their foreheads where touching.

"Sage, I-"

"I can't believe that this would go that far..."

"Neither did I." Kia smiled, brushing her nose against his.

"So you're really okay to go through with it?" Sage asked, closing his eyes as he opened his mouth, kissing Kia close to her lips.

"That's why I decided to tell you first," she sighed, slipping her arms behind Sage's neck and brushed her fingertips against Sage's blonde hair. "I'm really okay with this, Sage. I've decided to go with it."

Sage chuckled softly, then closed his eyes again as he leaned in to kiss her.

Kia broke away to breath a moment later, "Sage... no one else but you and Raya know."

Sage kissed her again, "What's your point?"

"I think I should at least go inside and tell them."

"Can't Raya do that? Please, Kia, just a few more minutes..." Sage whimpered, leaning down to kiss Kia's neck softly.

Kia only smiled, sighing gently with her voice and leaning her head to the side, glad to be back in Sage's good company again.

***

"What the heck are they doing? How much time does it take for Kia to tell Sage if she's pregnant or not?!" Natsuki yelled, looking to everyone who was still sitting in the family room.

Ryo shrugged, "I don't know. But a lot rests upon that fact, Suki. It is a big deal."

"Why couldn't she just tell us all at once?! I don't get her at all!"

"Natsuki, this is mostly just between those two. I don't understand why you haven't gotten that yet." Cye remarked, lifting Aoi out of his lap so she could run off with Ayame.

"Shut up, Cye! You are not in this, so just stay out of it!" She growled, giving him a nasty glare.

"Please, Natsuki! Don't!" Raya pleaded. "If you're that worried, they are just out on the porch. Go ahead and get them, but don't you dare even trying to pick any more fights, okay?" She waved her hand towards the back porch and gave a glance to Cye, telling him that she was sorry.

She exhaled sharply, "Fine. But I'm not going to sit hear and let them cheat on us!" She stood up and stormed over to the back porch.

***

"Sage, are we gonna keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" Sage whispered in her ear while he gave her hands a tight squeeze.

"Doing this behind Rowen and Natsuki's back."

Sage grinned, "Why? Don't you like it?" he pressed his nose against hers. "We're having a child together... they have to understand that, Kia."

Kia sighed and closed her eyes, "Why do I even bother... anyways, do you have a name in store for your son or daughter?"

Sage chuckled, pulling away just enough so that he could fully focus his eyes on Kia, "How about Jake? Jake Date... how does that sound?"

"Jake? Where did you come up with that?"

Sage shrugged, laughing softly, "I really don't know, Kia-chan. I was just throwing a name at you. I'm sure we'll have one when the baby comes."

Kia smiled and she was about to pull Sage to her, but she caught herself when Natsuki violently slid the back porch door open.

"What are you guys doing?" She angrily shot her eyes to Sage, noticing that his hands where lightly wrapped around Kia's waist.

"We were just about to go inside, Suki," Sage calmly stated, wisely bringing his hands away from Kia and walking towards the porch door.

"Good. All of us are waiting for you two." She stepped back a pace to let Sage and Kia walk in from outside, glaring at Kia's back as she followed her towards the family room.

When the three got back, Ryo had made some hot cocoa and he was passing out a mug to everyone. He gave one to Cye and Raya, who were sitting next to each other and discussing something of no importance, while Aoi and Ayame stuffed marshmallows in their mugs. He didn't even bother giving one to Rowen, who lay asleep on another couch. Ryo set the tray of mugs on the coffee table and went to grab a seat across from Cye and Raya.

He soon noticed that Kia was in the room, "Hey, Kia! So why don't you tell us the news over some hot chocolate?" Ryo replied, too perky for Kia's taste, and gestured to the coffee table.

"Oh... sure, why not?" she looked over to the table and grabbed a mug. Then she walked over to her husband and sat down next to him. Smiling warily, she started to shake Rowen's shoulder, "Rowen? Rowen, please wake up."

He shifted in his sleep, enough to wake him, "Huh?"

Ayame immediately set her eyes on her mother once she heard her voice, "Mommy! You're back!" She got up and jumped into her mother's lap.

"Hey, watch it now," Kia smiled, hugging her daughter with her free hand, the other holding the mug. "It's good to see you too, Aya."

Rowen sat up and gazed into his wife's eyes, "So..." he pulled his hand through his unruly thin blue hair, "What did the doctor say?"

Kia took a deep breath and put her coffee mug on the table in front of her, "Well, Rowen..." she paused to flick her eyes at Sage, who stood nearby, his eyes light with happiness and a warm smile at his mouth. "I am pregnant."

"No kidding-"

"What's preg-nent?" Ayame looked up towards her mother, her eyes wide with confusion.

Kia put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, "Ayame, you are going to have a brother or a sister... well, half-brother or sister," she replied, softly stroking the side of her daughter's face.

"I can't believe this..." Rowen exhaled softly, his tone too low for anyone to pick up.

"Well, congratulations, Kia." Ryo grinned, pausing to hold up his mug, "A toast to-"

"It's not a good thing, Ryo!" Natsuki yelled.

"Why isn't it? We've all basically accepted this, besides you." Sage glared at Natsuki, seeming more worried than angry. "What is wrong? I'm still going to be here, nothing is going to change except that Kia is pregnant again."

"But... but I'm not the only one! Rowen? What about you? Now that you know that your wife is truly pregnant, what do you think about this?" Natsuki inquired, gluing her gaze to Rowen. "Do you want to live the next nine months, possibly eighteen years with the son of your best friend?"

Rowen exhaled, biting his lip. "Kia, I-"

"I said I was too sorry for words, Rowen!" Kia cried. In desperation, she called out, "You don't have to do anything to help me if you don't want to."

Rowen creased his brow in confusion, "But I'm going to! You are my one and only wife, Kia. I'm not letting you slip out of my hands anymore."

Natsuki almost yelled out in anger, bolting to her feet as she stared everyone down, "Is this how it ends?! Am I the only one who isn't okay with Kia's pregnancy?!" Natsuki paused long enough to make the tension in the room that much thicker."Is everyone blind?! Because of this, Kia and Sage are going to be a second couple! Tell me, who is just okay with that?!"

No one responded to Natsuki. Kia and Sage both met eyes and looked away, fearing what they might be able to translate through them. Ayame didn't understand what was going on, but she was smart enough to figure out that something was wrong. Cye was still trying to start a fire in the fireplace, but eavesdropping and occupying his daughter at the same time was hard to do while making a fire.

"Do you know what?! I think that the four of you should go outside - go somewhere - and work this out. That is the only way that this is going to end." Raya protested, setting down her coffee mug and looking to Rowen, Kia, Sage, and Natsuki. "None of us want you four to continue yelling like this - especially in front of Aoi and Ayame."

"No! Don't go anywhere, Mommy! Stay here wiff me!" Ayame grabbed her mother's shirt, tugging on it and trying to get her mother to look at her. "Don't go! Peas?!"

"It's all right, Aya." Kia looked to Rowen, "Let's just go outside."

"That's fine with me," Rowen stood up and moved to the front hallway.

"Ayame, I'm just going to go outside for a couple of minutes. You stay here and drink hot cocoa with Aoi and watch some TV, okay?"

Ayame sniffed, "Okay."

Kia stood up and set Ayame back down on the couch. Natsuki and Sage were already outside with Rowen after they had grabbed coats, and Kia went to join them. She snatched her black coat and went outside onto the front porch.