Act Eighteen - Baby Shower
"Haruka, come help me with these streamers!" Michiru ordered from the porch.
Inside, sitting on her favorite armchair in the living room, the blonde tomboy rolled her eyes and ignored her lover's pleas for help. Couldn't Michiru see that she was busy blowing up the balloons like she asked her to?
"Haruka!"
Just one more puff…
"Haruka!"
POP!
Haruka cursed loudly as the yellow balloon she was blowing up exploded right in front of her face. Stupid, cheap balloon. Why did she get stuck with such a lame job?
"Because you're just full of hot air. Might as well put it to good use."
The blonde slowly turned around at the sound of her partner's voice in the doorway. Her eyes were open wide in shock, even though she knew she should be use to Michiru's uncanny ability to know exactly what she was thinking by now. "How do you do that?" she asked.
The aqua-haired musician made her way through the sea of colorful balloons and plopped down on Haruka's lap, wrapping her arms around her lover's neck. Her soft pink lips were curled up in a mysterious smile. "Magic," she answered simply, as if that explained everything.
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Really? Okay, Magic-san, if you're so smart, then tell me what I'm thinking about right now."
Michiru cocked her head in mock concentration, closing her dark blue eyes. "Hmmm, let's see…" she purred, brushing her lips against Haruka's. The blonde moaned at her touch, wanting more. "Is it something like this?"
She nodded as Michiru slowly started nibbling on her ear. "Hey, aren't we supposed to be setting up for the party?" Haruka asked in a breathless voice.
Michiru waved a disinterested hand toward the doorway. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Hotaru-chan can finish up in here… Oh, hi, Hotaru-chan."
The raven-haired teen lowered the stack of beautifully wrapped presents in her arms, an amused look on her face as her mothers quickly pulled away from each other and blushed. Sometimes those two acted like a couple of hormonal teenagers instead of the mature adults they claimed they were. "Hope I wasn't interrupting something," Hotaru said with a knowing smile.
The musician stood back up, smoothing down her wild hair and tucking back in the green t-shirt that somehow managed to get pulled out from her jeans. "No, nothing at all," she replied. "Haruka and I were…uh…just finishing blowing up the balloons. So, who are the gifts from? I thought we already brought all our gifts downstairs."
"Oh, these are from Ami-san and Ryo-san."
"Wow! They certainly were generous."
Hotaru rolled her eyes as she adjusted the stack of boxes in her arms so they wouldn't fall. "I'll say. This is just the first batch. Shingo's helping Ryo-san with the rest."
"You mean there's more?"
"Yeah, they should be right behind me. Should I put these gifts in the dining room with the others?"
Michiru absent-mindedly waved a hand toward the aforementioned room and walked over to the door. Sure enough, Shingo and Ryo were busy carrying a huge box nearly twice the size of their television set up the front steps, panting heavily. She quickly opened the door and held it open for them as they brought the box inside and dropped it on the floor with a resounding thud. Shingo slid down to the ground in exhaustion while Ryo looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
"Hallelujah!" Ryo exclaimed, leaning against the box. "I didn't think we were going to make it. I told Ami that we should have had the store deliver it straight to the house, but she insisted on us dragging this bloody thing here ourselves so that Setsuna-san wouldn't find out about the party."
Hearing voices, Hotaru popped her head out of the dining room and smiled. "Good, you two managed to haul that thing in here. Now would you mind terribly if I asked you to bring it in here with the other presents? It's blocking the doorway."
Shingo sighed heavily and vehemently shook his head. "No way, no how. If you want this thing moved, you'll have to do it yourself. I came here to help your family decorate, not to be your personal moving man."
Shingo's girlfriend stepped out of the dining room with a pathetic puppy dog look on her face. "Shingo, please," she pleaded. "I'm sure a big, strong man like you can manage to carry a itty-bitty box ten feet to the table."
Rolling his eyes, the teenage boy stood back up and grabbed his side of the box. The things he did for love! He could have been at the arcade right now, hanging out with his buddies, but with one bat of an eyelash and a kiss on the cheek, and he was hers. Luckily, however, Michiru got Haruka to help them move the insanely large package from the doorway, so it wasn't that bad.
Michiru then headed outside to greet the blue-haired doctor, who was busy piling more presents into the two large sacks beside her. The musician felt like she was going to faint at the sight of even more gifts for Setsuna. Haruka thought she and Hotaru spent too much money on presents? Wait until she check these out. Ami must have bought the entire baby department at Macy's. In comparison, she made the two of them look like Ebenezer Scrooge.
"Oh, hi, Michiru-san!" Ami greeted her. "I hope you don't mind that I arrived a little early. Ryo wanted to drop me off on his way to the airport. He's going to Baltimore for a pediatrics conference this weekend."
"It's fine, Ami-chan. You can help me finish decorating the porch. Do you need any help out here?"
The doctor took a final look inside the large SUV, making sure she hadn't accidentally overlooked anything. "I think that's about it, but you can take one of the bags inside if you'd like."
"Sure."
The aqua beauty grabbed one of the deceptively heavy bags of gifts and lead Ami toward the house. They headed straight to the dining room, where they found the guys and Haruka sitting at the table, drinking the lemonade Hotaru brought out in gratitude for the work they did. Spotting his wife walk in, Ryo jumped up and took Ami's bag, setting it on top of the table. He then looked down at his watch, realizing he needed to go if he didn't want to miss his flight.
"I better go now," he announced, giving Ami a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll give you a call as soon as I arrive at the hotel."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you too, Ami." Ryo gave her a small smile and lightly caressed her cheek. His voice then lowered so that nobody could here him. "Have fun, okay? And don't worry so much about this baby thing. You'll get pregnant one day. I promise."
They exchanged quick goodbyes and then Ami slumped into Ryo's empty seat, sighing. Michiru gave the younger woman a sympathetic look. Though Ryo tried to be discreet, she had heard the entire conversation. So, that was why Ami bought so many presents. She was depressed about not having her own baby, but instead of talking about it, she had decided to spoil the child of her friend. Michiru rested a comforting hand on Ami's shoulder.
"Come on, Ami-chan. Let's get to work on the porch."
A lime green convertible pulled into the driveway of the Tenoh/Kaioh/Meioh/Tomoe household about ten minutes later. Its driver, an athletic brunette, honked her horn and waved to Michiru and Ami, who were busy decorating the front porch. The two girls immediately dropped what they were doing to help Makoto unload the food for the party.
"Did you remember to bring the cake, Mako-chan?" Michiru asked, taking the stack of Tupperware the Amazon handed her.
Makoto reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed a large white box. "Of course I remembered, Michiru-san!" she exclaimed, opening the box to show her friends the gorgeous white frosted cake, decorated with elegant purple roses made of icing and the words "Welcome, Baby Meioh" written across the center in beautiful kanji. "I wasn't sure what kind of cake Setsuna liked, especially with the weird cravings she's been having lately, so I just decided to go with simple vanilla. I hope she likes it."
Michiru laughed. "Knowing Setsuna-san, if you just offered her a bowl of sugar, she would be as pleased as punch. I don't know what it is, but she has developed quite the sweet tooth over the past couple of months. Just yesterday, I caught her finishing off the entire box of chocolate I gave Haruka for Valentine's Day."
The blue-haired doctor raised an eyebrow at the report of her patient's eating habits. "But wasn't Valentine's Day over two months ago?"
"Exactly."
Ami just shook her head, mentally writing a note to herself reminding herself to have a little chat with the mother-to-be during the party. Chocolate definitely didn't provide the nutrition a growing baby needed.
After unloading the rest of the refreshments, the trio then headed back inside the house and to the kitchen to set up. Much to the doctor's relief, the rest of Makoto's feast appeared to be rather healthy, to the displeasure of a certain teenage boy who strolled into the room looking for a quick snack. The chef was quick to slap Shingo on the wrist when she caught him trying to steal a finger sandwich from one of her containers. "Hey, not until the party, mister," she scolded lightly.
"No fair, Kino-san!" Shingo exclaimed. "I'm not even invited to the shower."
With a playful look in her eyes, the musician grinned. "Oh, I don't mind if you stay, Shingo-kun. Consider yourself invited. It'll be great. I'm sure you'll have tons of fun listening to us girls talking about diapers and breast feeding."
The boy wrinkled his nose in disgust and immediately stepped away from the sandwiches, walking backwards toward the door. "No, thank you, Kaioh-san. I think I'd rather go hungry. Besides, I think I hear Hotaru calling. See ya!"
The three girls turned to stare at each other before erupting into a gale of giggles. Boy, that sure got him out of there fast. If only Makoto had it that easy dealing with Shinozaki. Her boyfriend -- no, fiancé, she reminded herself -- loved to hang out with her in the kitchen while she was cooking, sneaking little bites here and there when he thought she wasn't looking.
The thought of Shinozaki brought a goofy smile on the brunette's face as she twirled the small diamond ring around her finger. She still couldn't believe that after all these years of searching for Prince Charming, he had been there all along. Beside her, Ami poked her friend in the ribcage.
"So, have you and Shinozaki-kun set the date yet?" she asked.
Makoto shrugged, still wearing the silly grin. "Not really. Everything has been so crazy lately, preparing for Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san's upcoming nuptials and all, that I haven't really had the time to think about my own wedding. Probably sometime next year, in the summertime. I always wanted to be a June bride."
The aqua-haired musician sighed loudly, resting her elbows on the counter. "You're so lucky, Mako-chan. I would love to have a wedding, but Haruka won't even think about it. She says that we already know how we feel about each other, so getting married is just a waste of valuable time and money."
A knock on the front door interrupted their conversation. Michiru sighed again and went to see who it was while Ami and Makoto continued talking about the wedding. "Hello, Rei-chan, Yuuichiro-kun," the musician said, greeting the arguing couple outside on the porch. The lovebirds ignored their friend, immersed in their own private universe.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me when I'm meditating?"
The temple caretaker rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, looking a little hot under the collar. The other hand held a medium-sized bag. "I told you, Rei. I'm sorry. It was just an honest mistake. Really."
"This was the third time this week, Yuui-chan. I can't have you interrupting my fire readings every time you're feeling frisky."
"Well, can you blame me? You looked so beautiful sitting there, with the flames flickering across your face. I just had to kiss you. It's not my fault that-"
Michiru loudly cleared her throat, not really wanting to hear what happened if she didn't have to. Finally aware of her presence, the priestess and her boyfriend immediately extinguished their heated argument and blushed identical shades of dark red. "Oh, hello, Michiru-san," Rei said. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to wish I wasn't," Michiru said, smiling knowingly.
Rei and Yuuichiro both began shaking their heads vehemently. "It's not what it sounds like," the priestess insisted. "We've never…uh, at least, I've never…"
"Yeah, what she said," Yuuichiro said, trying to help. "It was perfectly innocent. All I did was--"
The aqua-haired beauty crossed her arms and raised a doubtful eyebrow at the couple. Of course she knew that nothing immoral happened between the two, because Rei was definitely not that type of girl, but it was certainly fun to watch them squirm. "Sure, okay. Whatever you say, Yuuichiro-kun," Michiru teased.
The priestess, trying to hide her increasing embarrassment, grabbed the gift bag from Yuuichiro's hand and walked inside the house. "Okay, you walked me here, so you can go back to the temple now," Rei said quickly, wanting Yuuichiro gone before the others came out and heard what happened, twisting it all out of proportion in their little perverted minds. Haruka alone would have a field day. "I'm sure there's plenty of chores for you do at the shrine."
The look she threw him left no room for arguments. The caretaker said goodbye to his girlfriend and a snickering Michiru and headed back to the shrine. After he left, the two girls went back to the kitchen to help Ami and Makoto set up for the party.
A gorgeous blonde smiled as she stared out the window of her boyfriend's car, watching the world pass by. Was it just her or did Tokyo look even more beautiful than usual?
Beside her, her lover raised an eyebrow. "You certainly look happy today, Minako," he commented as he smoothly braked to a stop at the red light. "That smile has not left your face since this morning."
The movie star seductively rested her hand on Asai's knee, rubbing his thigh. "Well, maybe that's because I had a good night."
"Maybe?"
Minako laughed at the disappointed look on her boyfriend's face. "Okay, I definitely had a good night. No, make that a great night. A super night. A fantastic night. A--"
The professional volleyball player brought a finger to her soft pink lips, a grin on his face. "I get the point, Minako," he said, cupping her chin in his hand and leaning over to give the blonde a sweet kiss on the lips. "No need to expound the point. Although if you want…"
His words hung in the air as Minako moved in for another kiss, more passionate than the first, effectively proving her point without saying a word. They didn't come back for air until the line of impatient drivers began honking their horns. Asai blushed as he looked up at the now green light in front of them. From the looks and sounds of things, it appeared that the light had changed several minutes ago.
"I think we better get going now," he said, wiping the Passion Pink lipstick from his lips.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
He gunned the engine, crossing the intersection just as the light reverted back to its hated red hue. Behind them, they laughed at the symphony of blaring horns and shouted expletives of those forced to wait yet another five minutes to cross the street.
"We are so bad!" Minako screamed, pulling back her windblown hair. "I can't believe we just did that in public! Do you think anyone saw us?"
"I think everybody in a two mile radius saw us. Hope there wasn't any paparazzi around. I know how much you hate that."
The movie star brushed his concerns off. "It doesn't matter, Asai. I love you and I don't care who knows."
The professional volleyball player's face suddenly became serious as he finally turned into the driveway of the Outers' house and killed the engine. Asai then faced his girlfriend, taking her hand while he stared into her large baby blue eyes. "Minako, do you regret last night?" he asked softly.
Minako gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? I told you that last night was wonderful. It was a night I'll never forget for as long as I live."
"But I took your virgini--"
The blonde shook her head, correcting his mistake. Her other hand reached up to brush away a strand of dark black hair that fell into his eyes. "I gave you my virginity. You didn't take anything. When I was younger, I made a promise to myself that my first time would be with the man I loved with all my heart and soul, and although I might be a little ditzy and scatterbrained, I always keep my promises. I love you, Asai, and I don't regret a thing."
"I love you, too, my beautiful goddess of love."
The lovers kissed sweetly before Minako remembered that she had a shower to attend, as much as she would much rather stay in Asai's arms. Nevertheless, she grabbed her present and said goodbye, watching the car pull away. She touched her lips, still burning from his passionate kisses, and blushed before heading inside. How wonderful it felt to finally be in love!
Meanwhile, over at Timeless Creations, Usagi stared at her reflection in the mirror, amazed at how beautiful her wedding dress was turning out. She twirled in a small circle, wanting to see how it looked from every possible angle. "Oh, Setsuna-san, it's perfect!" she breathed. "Absolutely perfect!"
The six-months pregnant guardian of time carefully stood up from her kneeling position and took a step back to inspect her work. There was a small frown on her face as she noticed some minor mistakes. A seam was slightly crooked and the bodice could be taken in a little bit more, though with the way Usagi ate, it probably would be smart to leave some room around the stomach area. Plus, she definitely needed to lose about two inches on the train. The last thing Usagi needed was to trip on what was going to be the most important day of her life. But all in all, the princess did look incredibly beautiful.
"You look gorgeous, Usagi-chan," Setsuna replied, pinning up the hem of the train. "Mamoru-san will be positively speechless once he sees you walking down the aisle."
Usagi blushed very prettily at the designer's compliment. "I still can't believe that the wedding is less than five months away. We've been waiting a lifetime for this, but now that it's actually happening… It just seems like this is all just a wonderful dream, you know?"
Setsuna sighed as she stood back up and smoothed out a couple of wrinkles in the pure white silk. She was happy for Usagi and Mamoru, really and truly she was, but the time guardian couldn't help but feel a tad bit depressed whenever the wedding was mentioned, although not for the same reasons as before. It only served as a reminder that soon everything would change. She had such little time left.
Noticing the designer's melancholy, Usagi gave the green-haired woman a concerned look. She was surprised to see the beginning of a tear forming in the corner of Setsuna's eye. "Setsuna-san, is something wrong?" she asked. "Did I say something to upset you?"
Setsuna wiped away the tear and shook her head, forcing herself to give the future bride a small smile. "It's nothing, Usagi-chan," the designer insisted as she started unbuttoning the back of Usagi's dress. "I was just thinking about something and I guess my hormones have been making me more emotional than usual. Nothing to worry about. You should start getting dressed. I'll be closing the shop in a few minutes."
Usagi glanced up at the clock, surprised at how late it was. Michiru was going to kill her! She quickly gathered up the bottom of her gown and ran to the dressing room, leaving Setsuna to shake her head in amusement. No doubt Usagi was late for something once again.
A couple of minutes later, Usagi came back out and found Setsuna carefully putting the dress back on the mannequin, a threaded needle between her teeth. Usagi frowned, her hands resting on her hips.
"I thought you said that you were closing," Usagi said. "Shouldn't you be making the final rounds?"
The designer shrugged her shoulders. "I decided to stay a little while longer to work on your dress. Haruka said that she was going to be busy until around eight or so, and since my car's in the shop and I don't really feel like walking home today, I figured I'd just stay here until Haruka can pick me up."
"But you can't!"
Usagi blushed and quickly slapped a hand over her big mouth, realizing she almost gave everything away. Curious by the princess's behavior, Setsuna put the needle back in her pin cushion and crossed her arms, interested in what she had to say. "Why not?"
"Uhhhh… Because I can take you home," Usagi replied, congratulating herself on her quick thinking. It wasn't exactly how the plan was supposed to go, but she was sure Michiru would understand.
Setsuna quickly declined the offer. "No, that's okay, Usagi-chan. I don't want to make you go out of your way. I'll be fine here."
"Don't be silly! It's no problem at all. Shingo spent the day with Hotaru-chan over at your house and I promised to take him home, so it's not an issue. Come on, Setsuna-san. I won't take no for an answer."
Although she was still suspicious, Setsuna finally accepted Usagi's kind offer. She quickly began closing the store while the blonde pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Michiru-san?" she whispered so Setsuna couldn't hear. "There's been a change in plans…"
Ten minutes later, the two woman were in the pink Corvette Mamoru bought Usagi as an early wedding present and driving toward Setsuna's house. The suspicions the time guardian had earlier were aroused once again as they stopped at a red light about two blocks away from the house and Usagi handed her a scarf.
"What's this for?" Setsuna asked.
The blonde grinned. "It's a blindfold. Put it on before the light turns green."
What kind of crazy idea did she have cooked up now? Despite her reservations, Setsuna did as she was told, wondering what in the world was going on. Michiru better not be throwing her a baby shower. She specifically told the musician that she didn't want a shower, especially considering the sensitive circumstances of her baby's conception. Besides, they already had plenty of baby supplies up in the attic from Hotaru's brief emergence as an infant. Most of it was still brand new, never removed from the box, so it wasn't like she needed anything.
However, when Usagi turned into the driveway and told her to take off the blindfold, Setsuna couldn't help but blink back tears of happiness at the sight of all her friends on the festively decorated veranda, shouting "Surprise!"
It truly was the best surprise she ever received.
After the shower, Setsuna began helping Michiru, Hotaru, and Usagi clean up the huge mess they made, a small smile on her face. She truly had the best friends in the entire world, even if Michiru had gone against her wishes and thrown her a baby shower.
Beside her, the musician frowned at the sight of the pregnant time guardian bending down to pick up some trash. She quickly grabbed the wrapping paper from Setsuna's hands. "No, Setsuna," Michiru ordered, wagging a finger in her friend's face. "You are not helping us with the clean-up."
"But--"
"No buts. You are going straight up to bed and sleep, just like Ami-chan said. I'm sure you're tired after all the excitement of the party."
"But I'm not tired, Michiru," Setsuna replied, stifling a yawn. Well, maybe she was a tad bit sleepy...
However, her friend refused to take no for an answer. Michiru playfully shooed her toward the stairs, promising they could take care of everything downstairs. Though she felt guilty for leaving them with all the work, Setsuna reluctantly exited the living room and headed toward the stairs, thinking that turning in early sounded like a very good idea. But halfway up the staircase, she turned back around and quietly slipped out the front door to do some stargazing.
It was one of her favorite things to do when something was troubling her. For some reason, the sight of the starry night sky always managed to calm her nerves. Tonight's was particularly beautiful, illuminated by the serene presence of a crescent moon and hundreds of tiny stars, sparkling like diamonds against the darkness of the sky. Setsuna sighed, already feeling better.
Grabbing a thin blanket that had been left out to dry on the porch, she sat down on the swinging bench and wrapped the soft material over her ever-growing belly. It was strange to think that just in a few short months, she was going to be a mother. It was scary, yet exciting at the same time. She only wished she had someone to share in this little miracle. Michiru, Haruka, and Hotaru were great, but…
She brought her hand to her stomach, rubbing the bulging belly. "I love you, my little one," Setsuna whispered. "But will my love alone be enough?"
Tears clouded her eyes as she began gently rocking back in forth in the swing, lost in her thoughts of the future. Setsuna didn't even notice when Usagi came out on the porch until the princess sat down beside her and handed the time guardian a handkerchief embroidered with tiny pink bunnies.
"Setsuna-san, what's wrong?" she asked, the concern evident in her voice. "I thought Michiru-san told you to go to sleep."
Setsuna wiped away her tears and forced a small smile on her face. "It's nothing, Usagi-chan. Just hormones again."
The blonde didn't look convinced. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Setsuna was upset about something. "Didn't you like the party? Michiru-san said that you didn't want a shower. Maybe we shouldn't have gave one."
"No, the party was wonderful," Setsuna said quickly, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "Everybody was so generous. I still can't believe Ami-chan and Ryo-san gave the baby such a beautiful crib. And I really must thank you again for the mobile and the blanket."
Usagi shrugged. "It was nothing, really."
"But it was, Usagi-chan." Setsuna reached for the blonde's hand and squeezed lightly. "Especially considering what I put you through. I still don't understand why you've been so nice to me. If I was in your position, I don't think I would ever be able to forgive my fiancé's mistress for getting pregnant, much less still be her friend."
"It's really not so hard to understand," Usagi replied. "I love Mamoru-san and the child that grows inside of you is part of him. I could never hate something he loves."
"Usagi-chan…" The green-haired woman suddenly gasped, her garnet eyes widening. She just felt a kick. Taking Usagi's hand, she rested it on her belly, smiling as the princess giggled. "She's strong, isn't she? Just like Mamoru-san."
Usagi shook her head before standing up to leave. "Just like her mother. See you, Setsuna-san."
Setsuna watched as the beautiful blonde with the heart of pure gold jumped into her car and pulled out of the driveway, completely speechless by what Usagi just said. Tears now streamed down her face freely, but they were tears of happiness. Usagi forgave her…
"You truly are love personified, my princess," she whispered.