SVDC: "It's a little short, but really cute I think. "

Kero: "SVDC doesn't own CCS or any of its characters!"

Suppi: "Aw look! Fluffiness!"

SVDC: "Suppi just said fluffiness…Kero did you give him sugar again?!"

Kero: (Hides)

Chapter 5

Kaho walked down the dimming streets with her thoughts wondering. She was trying to figure out how she had gotten pregnant, but every thought she had led to a dead end.

She gave up on that and started recapping on what had happened over the past two month. She remembered having to stay over with Sakura because she kept having nightmares of her father dying. She smiled at some of those memories, then one got caught in her mind, the night Nadeshiko's spirit had visited them. The scene flashed before her eyes like she was still there.

Nadeshiko smiled as she floated in front of them. Sakura was huddling against Kaho, scared to death of anything that reminded her of a ghost. Kaho was glaring at the spirit, not knowing exactly who it was at the moment.

"My, your instincts are strong to protect her," the spirit had said.

"Who are you, what do you want with Sakura?" Kaho asked. If looks could kill, the spirit would have died again.

"I just came to visit my daughter," the spirit said.

"You're Nadeshiko," Kaho said in realization, her glare disappearing.

The spirit nodded with a smile, "It appears my daughter still holds her fear of ghosts. It's too bad, I would have liked to visit more often, but it looks like I don't have to watch over her anymore. She has someone to protect her." The spirit came towards them and Sakura started screaming all over again. Kaho closed her eyes as the bright glow around the spirit became too much to look at. The next thing she knew, something made her feel sick, dizzy, and in pain all at the same time. Then Nadeshiko was gone.

Kaho's head came up as the memory faded. Something sparked in the back of her mind and everything clicked. She knew.

She turned and ran back to the Kinomoto house as it started to rain.

"Hang on a minute, I'm coming," Fujitaka said as he heard the doorbell ring. He hobbled to the door and opened it to find a drenched Kaho standing in front of him. "What-"

"I figured it out," Kaho panted.

"Well wait and tell me whatever it is until we get you dry, it's freezing out and you're soaked," Fujitaka said as he pulled her inside. "Sakura! Bring me some towels!"

After she had dried off a little, they all sat in the dinning room to talk.

"So what all this about?" Fujitaka asked.

"I figured out how I got pregnant," Kaho said as she looked down at the table. "This'll sound crazy, but Sakura can back me up on this if you have any doubts."

Kaho took a deep breath and continued, "While you were in the hospital and before Toya came home, I stayed with Sakura because she kept having nightmares of you dying and was scared to be in the house alone. I usually stayed up most of the night and talked to Kero, but this night was different.

"Kero had stayed with Sakura in her room and I was sitting in the living room reading a book I had brought to keep me awake. Out of nowhere, I heard Sakura scream bloody murder and I bolted upstairs. I opened the door and found something you wouldn't believe."

"What?" Fujitaka asked, enthralled in the story.

Kaho pointed to the picture of Nadeshiko on the table and Fujitaka's mouth dropped out. "She had come to keep an eye on Sakura as I had. Problem is Sakura is scared to death of ghosts and nearly suffocated me when I sat next to her to try and calm her down.

"At first I didn't know who it was. She looked familiar but I couldn't put a name to her, not until she told me who she was." Kaho stopped for a minute, "It surprised me, but scared Sakura even more. She said something about me having the right instincts about something, then she started coming towards us.

"I closed my eyes as she came closer and I started to feel sick and my whole body hurt at the same time. It threw me against the wall and I blacked out for a minute and came to with Sakura shaking me. I didn't know what Nadeshiko had done to me then, now I know." Kaho looked up at Fujitaka. "She did it."

Fujitaka stared at her for a minute, then looked up at his daughter, "And all of this is true?" Sakura nodded and Fujitaka turned back to Kaho, "But how?"

"I can explain that," Kero said as he sat of the table. "I watched the whole thing from Sakura's desk drawer. What Kaho said here is true but is missing a few elements. What I saw and what you felt, was a spirit going into you." Kero was silent for a moment, "You're carrying the reincarnation of Nadeshiko Kinomoto."

"What!" Sakura and Fujitaka said at the same time and Kaho groaned.

"It's true," Kero said, "I studied reincarnations with Clow Reed himself. He told me there are two different ways of reincarnating. One is the way Clow Reed was reincarnated, the subtle approach. No one knew. His magic and memories were just set in place like they were meant to be.

"Then there is the second way, when a spirit chooses at anytime when to be reincarnated," Kero said, "They search for the right carrier until the time is right. Then they do as Nadeshiko did, go to you. Unlike the way Clow Reeds reincarnating went, this way makes so there are no memories, just traits. The reincarnation will resemble and act like the old Nadeshiko, but never know who she really was." Kero stopped there for a moment. "Nadeshiko still wants to be close to her old family, so finding someone who was around a lot would work best."

They were silent for a moment, then Sakura spoke up, "This is too weird."

"I'm carrying the reincarnation of Fujitaka's wife," Kaho said as she put her head in her arms, "What next?" The bad part about being a psychic was sometimes you get what you ask for, and the future passed before her eyes. She didn't say anything, she just started crying. "This can't get any worse."

"I'm home!" Toya called as he walked through the front door and Sakura and Kero fell over. Toya walked into the room and his eyes widened, "Dad, you're home!" He took a step into the room, and then looked again. He noticed Kaho and said, "I'm missing something."

"I was just leaving," Kaho said as she stood and walked out of the room.

"Wait! Catch her Toya!" Fujitaka said as he struggled to grab his crutches.

Toya whirled around to grab her, but missed as Kero slipped by unnoticed.

Kaho reached the door and found a growling Kerberos standing before her. She backed up a step as Kero came forward, growling and snarling. Kero gently tripped her onto her back and stood over her as, Toya, Fujitaka, and Sakura made it over.

"Thanks Kero," Sakura said and the guardian stopped growling and smiled down at the woman under his paws.

"Fuzz Ball," Kaho said and the guardian fell over and Kaho sat up.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?" Toya asked, "I'm really confused."

"Kaho's pregnant Toya," Fujitaka said. "With the reincarnation of Nadeshiko."

"What!" Toya whirled around to look at Kaho as she stood up. His eyes finally caught the bandages and his confusion increased. "I think you need to start from the beginning."

Fujitaka sighed and told his son all that had happened that day. Toya mouth was down to his house-shoes when his father was finished and he turned to look at Kaho, who was now leaning against the entryway with her arms folded and her eyes closed.

"So you're," Toya started.

"Mmhmm," Fujitaka said.

"and she…"

"yep,"

"Do you have a crush on her?" Toya asked just to make his father stutter.

"I, huh?" Fujitaka shut up quickly and turned a bright red.

Kaho's head had snapped up at the question, and now she too was staring at Fujitaka.

"I uh… well…jeez no matter which way I answer this I'm going to look like an idiot," Fujitaka muttered to himself. "Okay, I do."

Toya hadn't expected that answer and Sakura laughed when she heard it. Kerberos sat thoughtfully by Kaho and looked up at her. "And what does Kaho think of Fujitaka?" Kero asked with a silly grin.

Kaho looked down at the guardian then up at Fujitaka. His face was all red and it made her smile. She came to a decision without really thinking, "I like him."

Sakura started giggling again when Kaho said it and Toya fell over. Fujitaka went redder and Kaho took on a red tinge of her own. Kerberos looked pleased with himself as Sakura walked up to him and ruffled his fur.

"I think this family is going to be a little bigger soon," Kero whispered into his mistress's ear.

"Me too," Sakura giggled and looked back over at her father. Toya had already gone upstairs so only Fujitaka stood in the hall. Sakura decided she had she and her guardian should disappear too and she and Kero walked upstairs.

OOOO

SVDC: (Grins) Well? What did you think? Cute? I did!"

Suppi: (On sugar high) Review review review!"

Kero and SVDC: (Duck and cover)