Chapter 20: News
A smile appeared on Sora's lips as soon as she stepped out of the plane in Tokyo. Yamato and Taichi were both beside her.
"Home sweet home." The brunette said and began to walk towards the terminal.
"Exactly my thoughts." She smiled warmly. "I never realized how much I love living here. I miss my daughter. I can't wait to see her."
"I'm sure she misses you too."
"So let's get going, I need to… ouch!" Sora placed her hand over her belly and winced in pain.
"Is everything okay, Sora?" Yamato asked with concern.
"Yes, everything is fine." She looked at him. "My ribs were squashed, but it's all fine now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." She assured him. "Let's go."

The taxi driver stopped in front of Sora's apartment after dropping Taichi at his place. She looked up at her floor before getting out of the car.
"Here we are."
"Do you need some help with the bags?"
"It's okay, I can carry them. There are only two."
"Alright, so I'll call you later."
"Great." She smiled and then stood on her toes to kiss him briefly. "You know what? Why don't you go up?"
"What? Are you sure?"
"I am." She nodded. "My mom is bringing Yumi soon. I think it's time to tell her the truth, don't you think?"
"Tell Yumi I'm her father?"
"Exactly. I think it's about time."
"What if she takes it badly?" Yamato was worried. "I mean, she likes me, but that can change once she knows I'm her biological father. We should be very careful about it."
"And we will. I don't want to throw it all on her at once. It's a big change."
"Yes, it is." He looked up towards her building. "I guess it won't hurt. Let's go."

.

Mimi felt herself getting nervous and her palms sweaty when the doctor called her into his office. It was going to be the first time she was having an ultrasound.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Koushiro intertwined his fingers with hers and looked into her brown eyes. "Don't you want to see our baby?"
"I do, but…" She bit her lower lip. "We're about to see our baby. I'm a little apprehensive."
"So am I. I think it's normal, but it's also exciting."
"Yeah. So what do you think it will be? A boy or a girl?"
"Honestly? A girl."
"Really? I thought you were going to say a boy."
"That would be cool, but I think a mini you would be cooler. And I've always wanted to have a little girl."
"You have? How come you never told me about this?"
"Well, pregnancy wasn't in our plans at this moment, was it?"
"You have a really good point. But now that's happened, I feel very good about it. Besides feeling nervous and nauseous sometimes. I really think we're ready for this."
"Me too. Come on, let's find out if the baby is healthy and what we're having."

.

"There you are." Sora came from the kitchen and found Yamato in her balcony, leaning against the rail. "I made some food."
"That's a beautiful view you have over here."
"It is. It's my favorite place in my house."
"I'm not surprised." He wrapped his arm around her back. "It would be mine too if I lived here. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He added quickly. "I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay." She assured him. "That's inevitable, isn't it? I mean, if you're still serious about us."
"Of course I am. I still keep everything I said to you. I want to help you raise this baby you're expecting. I want to raise Yumi with you and not because I want to make up for all these years I've lost, but because I want to be with you."
She turned to him and placed her hands on his hips, looking into his blue eyes. "Are you sure you want to be with a woman who owns a flower shop? There must be a lot of women who'd want to be with you."
"I don't like it when you put yourself down like that. You're beautiful." He caressed her left cheek with the back of his hand. "And your job is just as worth as any other one."
"Alright, lesson learned." Sora smiled weakly at him.
"That being said, I'm sure I want to be with the woman who owns a flower shop. Because she stole my heart nine years ago and she can steal it everyday. I really don't mind it. It's hers to take. Actually, I think it never belonged to any other woman."
"I think that would make a good song, don't you?"
"Are you suggesting I should write a song about you?"
"I think that would be too embarrassing. But at the same time, it'd be cute to know someone loves you so deeply to dedicate a whole song to you."
"I guess I have my answer." Yamato lifted her chin and leaned over her, capturing her lips in a deep and passionate kiss.
She responded to it right away, giving one step closer to him and pressing their bodies together. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a soft moan when his tongue slide into her mouth. They only let go of each other when the doorbell rang, but they still shared a cute moment together when their foreheads touched each other's.
"Sora?"
"It's my mom." Sora moved away from him and searched for his eyes. "Are you ready to see your daughter?"
"Absolutely, let's go."

.

Taichi was suspicious and felt nervous when he walked into his house and found a few items spread all over the floor. He noticed they led to the way to the bathroom, but was sure they didn't belong to Akiko. The only other person who had his keys was…
"Hikari?" He gently knocked on his bathroom door. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is fine. I'm sorry for breaking into your apartment without telling you. I thought you'd be back home later today."
"That's alright. Are you throwing up?"
"Not anymore, but you can ask me again in five minutes."
"Did you eat something that got you sick."
"No." She took a deep breath and then opened the door. "I'm feeling nauseous for another reason."
Hikari stepped aside and Taichi immediately took notice of the stick placed on the sink. His eyes went wide and his jaw fell open.
"You're pregnant?!"
"That's what the test says."
"Oh my God, Hikari!" He exclaimed and hugged her tight, spinning her around. "You and Ken have been trying to conceive for so long! I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you." She grinned before he put her down.
"Have you told him yet?"
"No, I wanted to be sure first." She placed her hair behind her ear. "I didn't want to get his hopes high. Mine already are, so…"
"Are you going to tell him now?"
"I will. After taking a few tests, I suppose it's really positive. And also…" Hikari walked to her purse and took out a pair of tiny white shoes. "I bought this today."
"Hikari."
"I'm going to use them to tell Ken we're expecting. Do you think it's too much?"
"No, I actually think it's sweet. I'm sure he will enjoy it."
"I hope so." She put them back into her purse and threw it over her shoulder. "Well, I should get going. He's getting home soon and I want to arrive before him."
"Alright."
"I'll see you later." She turned to leave, but looked over her shoulder. "Oh and I'd appreciate if you didn't tell our parents yet. I want to make a family dinner at my house and then reveal it."
"Sure, I'll try to be quiet about it."
"Silly." She laughed. "Thank you for helping so supportive."
"You don't have to thank me." Taichi walked to her and embraced her. "I love you and I think you're going to be an amazing mom."
"Thank you." She hugged him back. "I love you too."

.

"Mommy!" Yumi came running and jumped on Sora's arms. "You're back!"
"Yes, I am." Sora picked her up and kissed her cheek. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Did she give much trouble?" She addressed to her mother.
"Absolutely not. She was an angel the whole time."
"That's great to know."
"Well, I'll let you two catch up. I'll talk to you later."
"Thanks for staying with her this weekend."
"You're welcome. Bye, Yamato."
"Bye, Mrs. Takenouchi." He stopped beside Sora. "I think she doesn't like me. I don't blame her."
"Give her some time, she will change her mind."
"Mommy?"
"Yes, darling." She looked at Yumi.
"What is my music teacher doing here?"
"He's visiting us. Remember I said we used to be friends? Well, we had lost touch for a few years, but we're becoming friends again."
"That's right." Yamato nodded. "So you might see me here sometimes."
"Okay." She suddenly threw herself towards him and he had no choice but to pick her up.
"Can we have some ice-cream?"
"Not right now, sweetie. We're having lunch first. But we can definitely go to an ice-cream store afterwards."
"Cool!"

.

Mimi never felt anything like this in her whole life. Lying on the hospital bed just about to see her baby on an ultrasound felt so surreal that she almost burst into tears. She reached for Koushiro's hand seconds before the exam started.
"Are you ready, Mimi?" The doctor said before applying some gel on her belly.
"Yes, I am."
"Okay, here we go."
The tears Mimi had been holding in finally fell free from her eyes the moment the image appeared on the screen. Koushiro squeezed her hand a little; he was feeling very emotional too.
"That's our baby!" She exclaimed while looking at him. "Do you see it?"
"Yes, I do. It's real. We can see it."
"It's our baby! It's our child." She covered her mouth with her hand.
"Do you want to see if it's a girl or a boy?"
"Can we already?"
"Depends on the baby's position. We can try and see if it will work."
"Okay."
They were all silent for a few minutes, staring into the screen in hopes of seeing the gender of the baby. The doctor pouted and approached the ultrasound machine. "We can't see it very clearly, but it looks like it's a girl."
"A girl?"
"It looks like a girl, but the position makes it difficult. Maybe next time we'll be able to see for sure."
"It's okay, thank you doctor."
"Maybe we will be luckier next time." Mimi grabbed the papers that were handed to her and cleaned her belly.
"Let's hope." The doctor turned off the machine. "You're free to go."
"Thank you, doctor."

.

Hikari managed to arrive to her apartment before Ken, so she rushed to get everything ready to tell him about her pregnancy. In a matter of minutes, she managed to arrange all she needed seconds before he walked in.
"Hikari? I'm home." Ken closed the door behind him. "Where are you?"
"I'm here." She appeared in the hall and immediately walked to him. "How was work?"
"Kind of boring. What about you? What did you do this morning?"
"I just went out to shop for… groceries."
"Oh, okay. Do you want to eat out for lunch? The weather is amazing."
"Sure, I'd love to." She pressed her lips together and put her hair behind her ear.
"Is something wrong? You're acting strange."
"There's something I need to tell you."
"Alright. What is it?"
"Come here." She grabbed his hand and led him to their bedroom."I want to show it as well."
"Did you buy something?"
"Actually, I did. You'll find out what it is very soon. Please, have a seat."
"Okay." He said unsure, but sat down anyway.
Hikari went through her purse and took a deep breath before taking out the small white baby shoes, placing them on their bed.
"Hikari… is this what I think it is?" Ken looked at her, feeling surprised and shocked.
"Yes, it is." A large grin came into her lips. "It finally happened. We're expecting our first child."
"Oh my God!" He could barely contain his happiness and threw his arms around her, almost dropping her on the bed. "We are having a baby."
"Yes, we are." She hugged him just a tight; tears falling from her eyes.
"Are you feeling any nausea or something?" Ken pulled away from her and grabbed her arms gently and firmly.
"No." Hikari shook her head. "I thought I would, but I don't."
"That's good." He removed his hands from her arms and shoved one of them into his pocket. "I was going to wait a little longer for this, but now seems the perfect moment."
She glanced down at the small box lying on his palm and her heart start pounding in her chest. "My God."
"Hikari." He gently held her hand after he opened the box. "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So will you give the honor of becoming my wife?"
"I…" She kept staring at the wedding ring for a few seconds.
"Hikari?"
"Sorry, sorry." She shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I will! Of course I will!"
Ken slid the engagement ring into her finger and watched her doing the same on his. Then he gently lied her down on the bed and their lips met halfway in a passionate and deep kiss.

.

"Yumi, there's something mommy needs to tell you." Sora placed the cutlery on her plate.
"Okay."
"Sora, do you think this is the right moment?"
"I do." She nodded and then grabbed her daughter's hand, holding it within hers. "Sweetheart, remember that I said Mr. Ishida and I were friends when we were teenagers?"
"Yup." Yumi said. "You showed me some pictures."
"That's right. Well, we weren't just friends. He was my boyfriend."
"Boyfriend? So you two used to kiss?"
"We did." Sora reached for Yamato's hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "We broke up years ago and met again this year. We realized we still loved each other and wanted to be together."
"But what about Mike?"
"Mike and I realized we're better off as friends. Actually, he didn't really want to have a child with me."
"So we will have no father?"
"I want to help your mother take care of you and your brother or sister, Yumi." Yamato spoke softly. "So I'll be your father, in a way."
"Okay." She said with a puzzled expression and her eyebrows raised.
"Sweetie, Mr. Ishida is your father."
"What?!"
"I didn't tell you before because I wanted to protect you from him. I was wrong and hope you can forgive me."
"He's my father?! But I don't want him to be." She climbed down the chair and went to her bedroom.
"Yumi, please come back here." Sora tried to stand up, but Yamato held her by the shoulder.
"Give her some time. It was too much for her to take in at once."
Sora looked at him and then bit her lower lip, knowing he was right.