A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You

Chapter 4: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

The four adults looked at each other for understanding then back at the two sixteen-year-olds who were looking a bit nervous.

"What exactly do you mean?" Satsuki, Juri's step-mom, asked.

"I'm pregnant." Juri stated.

Satsuki bit her lip and looked nervously around.

"When did this happen?!" Mei asked standing up quickly. "You two are only sixteen! You're not supposed to have kids when you're only kids yourselves! You're not even married!"

"Mom calm down!" Takato said thinking that maybe this was a bad idea to tell them now.

"How do you expect me to calm down?! My son, my only son, got a girl pregnant!" Mei yelled

Jigo like Takehiro was still trying to understand the situation, not because they were dense, but because it was a lot to try to comprehend.

"Mrs. Matsuda, we didn't do this on purpose." Juri said near tears.

"How dare you seduce my son!" Mei yelled ready to beat her.

Takato grabbed his mother.

"Mom, stop this! Now be quiet, and listen. Juri didn't seduce me. You know we love each other very much, but we never intended this to happen. But, it did happen, and I'm not going to leave Juri to face this alone. You taught me to be better than that. You always told me to 'face up to my mistakes and do what ever I could to fix them.' Well, we made a mistake. I just want to fix it, like you always taught me to." Takato said.

Mei covered her mouth and fell to her knees crying. She really had raised a good son, a very responsible boy.

"Mei, are you alright?" Takehiro asked hurrying to her side.

She nodded, and looked up at Takato with a small smile.

Jigo walked over to his daughter. Satsuki wasn't that far behind.

"Why?" He asked. It was the only thing he could even think to say.

"We didn't mean to daddy. We just got a little, um, drunk."

"What do you mean? Satsuki asked.

"Do you remember that storm about three weeks ago? Well, I was afraid and called Takato over to stay with me. I got us a drink, but there wasn't much pop left, so I put some of the whisky that was on the counter in it. I didn't know that almost two glasses could get a person drunk! I really didn't!" Juri said crying.

"Whisky is strong stuff!" Jigo said grabbing Juri by the shoulders, but said nothing more since she was still crying.

"We could end this all right now, and have her get an abortion." Satsuki said.

"That's true." Jigo said thoughtfully.

"No! That's wrong! You can't make me do it!" Juri cried out and pulled away from her father's grasp. She ran to Takato and grabbed his arm. "Don't let them make me!"

"I agree Juri. It wouldn't be right." Takato said.

"You say you're going to stay with her, correct? What are you going to do when you go to school? Where are you going to live? Babies are expensive!" Satsuki stated to Takato directly.

"We're quitting school after this year ends, which is about a month away, and I'm going to get a job. We'll manage something somehow."

"You can't raise a baby on love alone." Satsuki retorted.

"So that's why you married my dad. You didn't want to raise my half-brother on your own. I'm not stupid. I know you were pregnant with my brother when you married him."

"We were engaged though. That's different." She said nervously.

"Juri. If you don't get an abortion, then you will no longer be considered our daughter!" Jigo stated.

Takehiro and Mei looked over at Jigo in shock.

"Jigo!" Satsuki scolded.

"You're just going to forget all about her?! As though she never existed?!" Mei asked appalled at the thought of ever saying such an ultimatum to her son.

"Well, which is it Juri?" Jigo asked.

"Fine!" She yelled. A smiled crossed his face until Juri continued. "Then I have no father."

"Come Satsuki, we have no reason to stay here." He growled as he grabbed his wife's hand and practically pulled her out the door.

Once they were gone, Juri broke down crying.

"Did I do the right thing?" She sobbed into Takato's chest.

Takato didn't know what to say, so he just held her.

"You can stay here Juri. I'm sure he's just upset right now. He'll get over it." Takehiro said trying to cheer her up.

"Really?" She asked looking at him with a look of relief.

Mei stood up.

"Yes, you can stay here. In fact, I insist on it.. There are a few ground rules though: You are to go to all of your appointments, I don't want to find out that you are depriving our grandchild of anything before or after he or she is born, both of you will finish school, and you help out around here. Does that sound unreasonable to either of you?" Mei stated.

"That sounds fine to me, how 'bout you Juri?" Takato said.

"Yes, but by the time the baby comes it will be time for midterms at school. I was hoping to go back after the baby is born." Juri said.

"I guess that's alright." Mei said.

"I'd better go and check on the store." Takehiro said and left.

"Alright. I'll go start dinner." Mei called after her husband, then turned to Juri. "Juri would you help me?"

"Sure." She said.

Mei went into the kitchen.

"You have a wonderful mother, Takato." She said and turned to go into the kitchen.

"Juri."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think about us getting married?" Takato asked nervously.

"Are-are you proposing?" She asked.

"I was going to last night, but finding out about you being pregnant kinda kept me from doing it. But I don't have a ring." He said nervously.

"I don't need a ring, I have you and our baby." She said crying tears of happiness and kissed him.

Takato laughed a bit.

"I guess that's a yes then?"

"Uh-huh." She said and walked into the kitchen.

Takato smiled, and went about getting the table set.

"You sure seem happy." Mei said seeing the huge smile on Juri's face.

"Takato, proposed to me. He said he was going to last night, but...well..." She said placing a hand on her stomach and smiled. "So, what is it you want me to do?"

"Go ahead and start some rice. There's some rice in a jar in the pantry." Mei said.

Takato. You really did turn into a good boy didn't you. She thought as she turned back to the leeks she was chopping up.

It was about a month later, when they'd finally get the chance to tell the other Tamers, well except Ryo who was away at college. Every month they'd get together in the park to talk and catch up on what was going on with everyone.

By the time Juri and Takato got there, nearly everyone else was there already.

"Hey, Takato. I need to talk to you for a minute." Hirokazu called as they came into view.

"Go on ahead." Takato said to Juri, he walked over to Hirokazu. "What is it?

"Where are you going on break?" Hirokazu asked referring to the break between school years.

"I'm staying here, why?"

"Why don't you come with Kenta and me to Okinawa to check out the ladies?" He asked doing a little dance.

"Why would I want to? I've got Juri."

"Man, she's really got you trained."

"Yeah." Kenta butted in.

"Ya gotta get away from her, man. Ya know, play the field and keep it real." Hirokazu said placing his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Why don't you understand that I want to stay here with Juri?" Takato said pushing Hirokazu's arm off of his shoulders.

"You need to get away from her before you go and get married because she wants to." He said grabbing Takato's arm.

Takato retaliated by punching Hirokazu square in the nose.

"What the hell was that for!" Hirokazu swore as he pulled himself up from the ground.

"You're bleeding!" Kenta said.

"I love her, and we're already engaged. And for your information it was my idea. Until you can stop saying bad things about her, I don't want to talk to you ever again." Takato said and walked over to where his fiance was talking to Ruki.

"Juri, we'd better leave. Before I punch Hirokazu out again." Takato said.

"Hirokazu's your friend, why did you do it?" Juri asked.

"It's about time you grew some balls and gave him what he deserved. He needs to learn he can't try to push everyone around like he's a king and we're his servants. What did he say? Women are objects or that he's scored with more 'women' than any man alive?" Ruki asked rolling her eyes.

"It matter anymore. And as long as he's coming here, I won't come anymore." Takato said and turned to walk away.

"I guess we'll be going then." Juri said.

"Good luck on your engagement." Ruki replied as they left.

"You told her we're engaged?" Takato asked as they walked back to the Matsuda residence.

"So?"

"No reason."

"I didn't get a chance to tell her I was pregnant though. So what did he say that you punched him?" She asked.

"Mostly saying that I was your puppet and I needed to go to Okinawa to find someone else before I was duped into marrying you. That's why."

"He deserved it then!" Juri huffed. "I'm sorry. It's just that he's such an immature idiot."

"Yes and no. I'd say he's immature, but as an idiot he's overly mature." Takato said.

"Are you going to apologize to him?"

"Only after he apologizes to you first!"

It was seven months later, and Juri was a week away from her due date. Hirokazu and Takato still weren't talking, and her father hadn't retracted what he said about her. Satsuki had called her once to see how she was doing, but that's all. She was so bored, and wished that the baby was born already.

She glanced at the clock, and noticed that Takato would be home soon from school soon. She somehow made her way off the couch and walked over to Mr. Matsuda, who was running the register in the store.

"Juri, what are you doing walking around? You should be resting. Are you hungry?" Takehiro asked.

"Not particularly. I'm just sick of sitting around waiting for her to be born." Juri said.

They'd found out that she was having a girl some months back, but still weren't sure on a name yet.

He looked over at his soon-to-be-daughter-in-law nervously. He liked Juri, he really did, it was just that pregnant women made him nervous. Mei could easily vouch for that.

"Why don't you go see if Mei needs your help with anything." He said as a customer came to him with several pastries

"Okay." she said and went to seek out Mrs. Matsuda.

Mei was taking some fresh made rolls out of the oven when Juri came in.

"Mrs. Matsuda, do you need me to help you with anything. I'm bored out of my mind and need something to do- ooh!" Jeri said, then bit her lip in pain.

"What's wrong? Are you going into labor?"

"I can't be, I'm not due for another week!"

"Due dates only act as an approximation. Oh my! Your water just broke! We need to get you to the hospital!"

"What about Takato?"

"We'll pick him up on the way. Takehiro!" Mei called.

"What is it?" He asked poking his head into the room.

"Juri's gone into labor. I'm going to take her to the hospital. Takato's should be out by now so we'll pick him up on the way.

"Okay." He answered, and disappeared into the shop again.

The two of them got into the car and drove down the street toward the school. Takato was just about to cross the street in front of the school when his mom's red car pulled up in front of him. With a quick explanation from his mother he jumped in the car and the three of them were headed for the hospital.

To Be Continued...

In the next chapter:

What did Takato and Juri end up naming their daughter? Will Jigo finally talk to Juri now that his granddaughter is born? Find the answers to these questions and more in the next chapter of A Tamer's Story: I'll Never Leave You.