"Yoh? Where are you taking me?" Anna asked.
Yoh held her hands and guided her into the room. "Just a minute..." He reached open and untied her blindfold. "There," he said.
Anna opened her eyes and blinked. "Wh- what is this?" she asked. All of her friends were there, watching her. "What on earth-"
"It's a baby shower for you," Pilika said, grinning.
"Did you really-"
"And look who came to visit!" Manta said. He knocked on the closet door. "Come on out, you guys."
"Surprise!" Lyserg said.
"Anna, you look so cute!" Jeanne said.
"And fat," Anna added.
"No, just cute," Jeanne said, kissing both of Anna's cheeks. "Congratulations on your baby!"
"Thank you," Anna said, a little shy at everyone concentrating on her.
"Hey, what's all this?" Yoh asked, poking one of the brightly-wrapped boxes.
"Presents!" HoroHoro said. "Sit down and open them!"
"Are these all for the baby?" Anna asked, wide-eyed. "There's so much..."
"You deserve it," Tamao said. "Here, open this one. It's from Keiko and Mikihisa."
Anna unwrapped the gift box. "Oh, it's so soft!" she said. She lifted out a yellow baby blanket. "Feel it, Yoh."
"Hey! This is mine!" Yoh said. "See? See that little hole? This is my baby blanket!"
"Well, I'm sorry, Yoh-kun, but you can't sleep with it anymore," Anna said dryly. "First of all, the baby needs it now, and second of all, when you get scared at night, you should hug me instead."
"All right. I will," Yoh said. "But is this better?" He kissed her on the mouth.
"Hm, much," she smiled.
"Married-couple moment!" the rest of the Mankin gang shouted.
*****
"Anna?" Yoh called. "I'm home. Where are you?"
"Sh!" Tamao warned. "She's sleeping."
"Tamao? Why are you here? Where's Anna? Why's she sleeping? Is something wrong?" he demanded.
Tamao took him by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen. "Remember how Anna had another doctor's appointment today?" she said.
"Hai. So?"
"So Dr. Faust wants Anna to stay in bed until the baby is born," Tamao said.
"But she's fine! And so is the baby! She kicks Anna all the time," Yoh said.
"Don't panic so much. It's just a precaution," Tamao explained. "Dr. Faust just wants to keep them safe, that's all."
"Can I go see her?" Yoh begged.
"Don't wake her up," Tamao threatened. "She just fell asleep."
Yoh was already climbing up the stairs two at a time. Sure enough, Anna was sleeping soundly, the blankets heaped around her. Yoh sat down beside his wife.
She blinked sleepily. "Hi, Yoh," she yawned.
"I promised Tamao I wouldn't wake you," he said, his voice husky.
"You didn't wake me," she said.
"So Faust wants you to stay in bed?" he asked, smoothing her hair away from her face.
She nodded. "Just until the baby's born," she said. Anna stroked her hand over her stomach, much bigger after nearly eight months of pregnancy. "He's been restless today."
"It might be a she," Yoh reminded her.
Anna shook her head. "I hope it's a boy. I'll have no idea what to do with a girl," she sighed.
Yoh kissed her cheek. "Maybe it'll be both," he said, grinning.
"No. Not twins. If I have twins, I swear I'll kill you," Anna said.
"Or triplets. Or quadruplets. Or quintuplets. Or-"
Anna pinched him playfully. "Don't go there."
*****
The phone was ringing off the hook. Yoh rang to get it. "Hello, Asakuras, Yoh speaking," he said. "What? No. No, I can't go." Jun and Ren exchanged a look as Yoh's voice grew more and more panicked. "No, my wife is going to have a baby. I can't leave her. What? She's due late August or early September. Hm? I don't care if you say I'll be home in time, I'm not leaving Anna." There was a long pause, and Yoh's shoulders slumped. "All right. I'll come. But if anything happens to my wife, I'm leaving right away. Understand?" He banged down the phone without the courtesy of a goodbye.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked.
"I've been called up to a village in the south," Yoh said glumly. "They're having a problems with fox spirits and they want me to come down and help."
"Can't you find someone else to do it? I'm sure any one of us could do it," Jun suggested.
"They want me specifically. Originally they asked for Anna, but she can't go, so they want me." Yoh was glowering. "I can't leave!"
"Yoh, we'll take care of Anna until you come back," Ren said. "Pilika and Tamao can live here while you're gone, and the rest of us will help out."
"Will you?" Yoh asked, hope returning.
"Of course, Yoh," Jun said. "You go tell your wife, and then leave right away. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come home, ne?"
*****
"How many days has Yoh been gone now?" Jeanne asked.
Pilika checked the calendar. "Thirteen and a half," she said. "He should be home soon."
"He calls Anna every day, though. That's good," Tamao said.
Suddenly they heard Anna cry out. "Jun!" she called. "Jun, where are you?"
"I'll be right back," Jun said, getting up. When she went into Anna and Yoh's room, she found the blonde girl out of bed, her face pale. "Anna, what's wrong?" she asked.
"My water broke," Anna said. "I think the baby's coming." She was breathing hard, her eyes panicked and her lips white
Jun took Anna's hands. "It's all right, little one," she soothed. "Don't be frightened. We'll take you to the hospital."
"But where's Yoh?" Anna said. "I need him. Is he going to come home today?"
"I don't know," Jun said honestly. "I'll tell Pilika to call him. But right now we're going to take you to the hospital, all right?"
Anna nodded, but she didn't look very reassured.
Author's Note: It's getting closer!!! I just hope Yoh gets there in time...poor Anna...Oh, and the reason the baby (and previously Yoh) has a yellow blanket is because my blanket is yellow. If you read my stories, you'll notice everyone has a yellow blanket has one. Baby Asakura has one, and Yoh has one, and Robin has one, and Anna has one...
Yoh held her hands and guided her into the room. "Just a minute..." He reached open and untied her blindfold. "There," he said.
Anna opened her eyes and blinked. "Wh- what is this?" she asked. All of her friends were there, watching her. "What on earth-"
"It's a baby shower for you," Pilika said, grinning.
"Did you really-"
"And look who came to visit!" Manta said. He knocked on the closet door. "Come on out, you guys."
"Surprise!" Lyserg said.
"Anna, you look so cute!" Jeanne said.
"And fat," Anna added.
"No, just cute," Jeanne said, kissing both of Anna's cheeks. "Congratulations on your baby!"
"Thank you," Anna said, a little shy at everyone concentrating on her.
"Hey, what's all this?" Yoh asked, poking one of the brightly-wrapped boxes.
"Presents!" HoroHoro said. "Sit down and open them!"
"Are these all for the baby?" Anna asked, wide-eyed. "There's so much..."
"You deserve it," Tamao said. "Here, open this one. It's from Keiko and Mikihisa."
Anna unwrapped the gift box. "Oh, it's so soft!" she said. She lifted out a yellow baby blanket. "Feel it, Yoh."
"Hey! This is mine!" Yoh said. "See? See that little hole? This is my baby blanket!"
"Well, I'm sorry, Yoh-kun, but you can't sleep with it anymore," Anna said dryly. "First of all, the baby needs it now, and second of all, when you get scared at night, you should hug me instead."
"All right. I will," Yoh said. "But is this better?" He kissed her on the mouth.
"Hm, much," she smiled.
"Married-couple moment!" the rest of the Mankin gang shouted.
*****
"Anna?" Yoh called. "I'm home. Where are you?"
"Sh!" Tamao warned. "She's sleeping."
"Tamao? Why are you here? Where's Anna? Why's she sleeping? Is something wrong?" he demanded.
Tamao took him by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen. "Remember how Anna had another doctor's appointment today?" she said.
"Hai. So?"
"So Dr. Faust wants Anna to stay in bed until the baby is born," Tamao said.
"But she's fine! And so is the baby! She kicks Anna all the time," Yoh said.
"Don't panic so much. It's just a precaution," Tamao explained. "Dr. Faust just wants to keep them safe, that's all."
"Can I go see her?" Yoh begged.
"Don't wake her up," Tamao threatened. "She just fell asleep."
Yoh was already climbing up the stairs two at a time. Sure enough, Anna was sleeping soundly, the blankets heaped around her. Yoh sat down beside his wife.
She blinked sleepily. "Hi, Yoh," she yawned.
"I promised Tamao I wouldn't wake you," he said, his voice husky.
"You didn't wake me," she said.
"So Faust wants you to stay in bed?" he asked, smoothing her hair away from her face.
She nodded. "Just until the baby's born," she said. Anna stroked her hand over her stomach, much bigger after nearly eight months of pregnancy. "He's been restless today."
"It might be a she," Yoh reminded her.
Anna shook her head. "I hope it's a boy. I'll have no idea what to do with a girl," she sighed.
Yoh kissed her cheek. "Maybe it'll be both," he said, grinning.
"No. Not twins. If I have twins, I swear I'll kill you," Anna said.
"Or triplets. Or quadruplets. Or quintuplets. Or-"
Anna pinched him playfully. "Don't go there."
*****
The phone was ringing off the hook. Yoh rang to get it. "Hello, Asakuras, Yoh speaking," he said. "What? No. No, I can't go." Jun and Ren exchanged a look as Yoh's voice grew more and more panicked. "No, my wife is going to have a baby. I can't leave her. What? She's due late August or early September. Hm? I don't care if you say I'll be home in time, I'm not leaving Anna." There was a long pause, and Yoh's shoulders slumped. "All right. I'll come. But if anything happens to my wife, I'm leaving right away. Understand?" He banged down the phone without the courtesy of a goodbye.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked.
"I've been called up to a village in the south," Yoh said glumly. "They're having a problems with fox spirits and they want me to come down and help."
"Can't you find someone else to do it? I'm sure any one of us could do it," Jun suggested.
"They want me specifically. Originally they asked for Anna, but she can't go, so they want me." Yoh was glowering. "I can't leave!"
"Yoh, we'll take care of Anna until you come back," Ren said. "Pilika and Tamao can live here while you're gone, and the rest of us will help out."
"Will you?" Yoh asked, hope returning.
"Of course, Yoh," Jun said. "You go tell your wife, and then leave right away. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come home, ne?"
*****
"How many days has Yoh been gone now?" Jeanne asked.
Pilika checked the calendar. "Thirteen and a half," she said. "He should be home soon."
"He calls Anna every day, though. That's good," Tamao said.
Suddenly they heard Anna cry out. "Jun!" she called. "Jun, where are you?"
"I'll be right back," Jun said, getting up. When she went into Anna and Yoh's room, she found the blonde girl out of bed, her face pale. "Anna, what's wrong?" she asked.
"My water broke," Anna said. "I think the baby's coming." She was breathing hard, her eyes panicked and her lips white
Jun took Anna's hands. "It's all right, little one," she soothed. "Don't be frightened. We'll take you to the hospital."
"But where's Yoh?" Anna said. "I need him. Is he going to come home today?"
"I don't know," Jun said honestly. "I'll tell Pilika to call him. But right now we're going to take you to the hospital, all right?"
Anna nodded, but she didn't look very reassured.
Author's Note: It's getting closer!!! I just hope Yoh gets there in time...poor Anna...Oh, and the reason the baby (and previously Yoh) has a yellow blanket is because my blanket is yellow. If you read my stories, you'll notice everyone has a yellow blanket has one. Baby Asakura has one, and Yoh has one, and Robin has one, and Anna has one...