"Sano, it kicked!" Megumi said in sheer excitement. It had been at least
eight months now, and she was very welcoming of the next one.
"That's great," he said. "But you should really sit down, Megumi. You don't need to tire yourself out." He started to lead her to a place to sit but she wouldn't budge.
"I'm perfectly capable of doing things for myself," she said, laughing at him.
"I just don't want you to overdo it," he said, a note of worry in his voice.
"I'll be just fine. I still cook your meals, do the chores, and run the clinic don't I?"
"But in very soon you're going to have to stop all of that. Please, just sit down for a little while?" he begged.
She smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt!" She sat on the steps in the back of the clinic, Sano sitting down next to her. She looked over at him and giggled a bit.
"What's so funny?" he asked, wondering what she could be laughing at.
"Have you been slacking in your training?" she said through fits of giggles.
"Kind of. Why?" he asked.
"You're getting a little chubby, Sano!" she said, poking his belly.
"I've been too busy worrying about you," he said, putting his arms around her playfully. "And I wouldn't be talking." He poked her stomach.
She poked him back. "You shouldn't worry and go train with Kenshin and loose that gut." She pinched his side a bit and wiggled it around. He slapped her hand and looked at her menacingly.
"Maybe," he said, looking down upon himself. He had been slacking a bit, but it was all worth it. And it kept Yahiko at bay. "He still won't recognize me the same, though."
"I know. Kaoru is in ecstasy over it, but he's still being odd. He'll get over it once the baby is born," she said, holding her stomach. She smiled, got up and kissed him on the cheek, "and you loose some weight." And with that happy note she walked inside.
Sano stood up and went into his room to look in the mirror. "It's not that big," he said, pulling his shirt back to reveal his steadily growing belly. He poked at his stomach and it jiggled violently. He looked at himself from a side view and sighed. He had stopped wearing the bandages recently as well. "Maybe I will go train with him. It's been a while now. He should be over it," he sighed and let the shirt fall back. "I hope."
Yahiko was standing outside the clinic when Sano walked out onto the path to the dojo. Sano paid no attention to the young boy and kept going.
"Getting a little-"
"Shut up!" Sano yelled back, cutting him off mid sentence.
Yahiko shrugged and went in to see Megumi. He slowly opened the door and looked inside. She wasn't in the lobby so he let himself in and walked over to the sunroom. He saw her sitting and humming to herself.
"Megumi?" he said, peeking into the room.
"Yahiko? Come in! Sit down!" she said, slowly getting up. He rushed over and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't get up. I'll sit next to you. You don't need to get tired out," he said.
"You sound just like Sano. I guess you're right, though," she said and sighed and looked into his eyes. "What brought you here?"
"I wanted to see how you were, and to see if you needed any help," he said.
"You are really sweet, Yahiko. I don't need any help, but I would enjoy your company. Sano's gone off to train. It wouldn't hurt him," she said, her face lighting up with laughter.
"He looks a little heavier," Yahiko admitted.
"A little?" she chuckled. "No. I'm just kidding around. He's a good guy."
"But if he stayed like that, you two couldn't do it. He'd crush you," he said.
"Yahiko!" she said in surprise.
"Well, he would," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
Megumi stared at him, stunned, and then began to laugh. She couldn't stop laughing now. Something about that was so funny to her, and what made it even more out of a ten year-old's mouth.
"Yahiko," she managed to choke out. "Would you say you're a better candidate?"
"Yes. I am," he said and she began to laugh even harder.
"I'm sorry, Yahiko. I needed a good laugh," she said. She put her arm around him. "I actually do need some help. Could you escort me to the marketplace to go shopping?"
"Sure!" he said, hopping up. They walked slowly to the path that led to the center of Tokyo.
At the dojo Sano was talking with Kaoru.
"So he's not here?" he said.
"Yeah. I don't know where he went off to, but when he gets back I'll tell him you stopped by. Oh! When is the baby due?" she asked, becoming giddy and excited.
"Pretty soon," he said, blushing brightly.
"It'll be so exciting! Start thinking of names!" she said and closed the door as he started to leave.
"I wonder where he could be," Sano wondered out loud. He made his way back to the clinic and couldn't find Megumi in there. He shrugged and went into his room, deciding to take a nap. He tossed his shirt to the side and on his way to bed he passed the mirror. He stopped and looked into it, looked down upon himself, and shrugged. "Oh well," he said and laid down in his bed, falling asleep quickly.
"Thank you so much, Yahiko! It was fun! Come back tomorrow!" Megumi said as Yahiko walked away on the path. She sighed and walked down the hallway to go to the back porch when she heard loud snoring. She walked into the room and laid down next to him and pinched his side.
"Ow. What was that for?" he said, waking up a bit.
"It's fun," she admitted, pinching a bit more and shaking it around. "My flabby boy," she said, cuddling closer to him.
"Hey. It's not my fault!" he said.
"I don't care," she whispered, putting her finger to his lips.
He smiled and kissed her. "I love you," he replied.
"I love you, too," she said, getting closer to him. As she was settling in, something unnatural happened. She tensed up and started to breath heavier.
"What's wrong?" Sano said, bolting up and looking around.
"It's early! Sano! It's early!" she said, looking at him in deep concern.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Get the doctor! I can't deliver my own baby!" she yelled.
Sano ran out the door and Megumi laid down on the bed, breathing deeply. Why did it have to come early? After what had seemed like an eternity, Sano reentered with the doctor. Sano held her hands tightly and urged her on. After the most painful experience of her life, she heard the cry of her newborn child. She smiled while panting and looked up at Sano, and the rest became a blur as her daughter was placed in her arms.
"That's great," he said. "But you should really sit down, Megumi. You don't need to tire yourself out." He started to lead her to a place to sit but she wouldn't budge.
"I'm perfectly capable of doing things for myself," she said, laughing at him.
"I just don't want you to overdo it," he said, a note of worry in his voice.
"I'll be just fine. I still cook your meals, do the chores, and run the clinic don't I?"
"But in very soon you're going to have to stop all of that. Please, just sit down for a little while?" he begged.
She smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt!" She sat on the steps in the back of the clinic, Sano sitting down next to her. She looked over at him and giggled a bit.
"What's so funny?" he asked, wondering what she could be laughing at.
"Have you been slacking in your training?" she said through fits of giggles.
"Kind of. Why?" he asked.
"You're getting a little chubby, Sano!" she said, poking his belly.
"I've been too busy worrying about you," he said, putting his arms around her playfully. "And I wouldn't be talking." He poked her stomach.
She poked him back. "You shouldn't worry and go train with Kenshin and loose that gut." She pinched his side a bit and wiggled it around. He slapped her hand and looked at her menacingly.
"Maybe," he said, looking down upon himself. He had been slacking a bit, but it was all worth it. And it kept Yahiko at bay. "He still won't recognize me the same, though."
"I know. Kaoru is in ecstasy over it, but he's still being odd. He'll get over it once the baby is born," she said, holding her stomach. She smiled, got up and kissed him on the cheek, "and you loose some weight." And with that happy note she walked inside.
Sano stood up and went into his room to look in the mirror. "It's not that big," he said, pulling his shirt back to reveal his steadily growing belly. He poked at his stomach and it jiggled violently. He looked at himself from a side view and sighed. He had stopped wearing the bandages recently as well. "Maybe I will go train with him. It's been a while now. He should be over it," he sighed and let the shirt fall back. "I hope."
Yahiko was standing outside the clinic when Sano walked out onto the path to the dojo. Sano paid no attention to the young boy and kept going.
"Getting a little-"
"Shut up!" Sano yelled back, cutting him off mid sentence.
Yahiko shrugged and went in to see Megumi. He slowly opened the door and looked inside. She wasn't in the lobby so he let himself in and walked over to the sunroom. He saw her sitting and humming to herself.
"Megumi?" he said, peeking into the room.
"Yahiko? Come in! Sit down!" she said, slowly getting up. He rushed over and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't get up. I'll sit next to you. You don't need to get tired out," he said.
"You sound just like Sano. I guess you're right, though," she said and sighed and looked into his eyes. "What brought you here?"
"I wanted to see how you were, and to see if you needed any help," he said.
"You are really sweet, Yahiko. I don't need any help, but I would enjoy your company. Sano's gone off to train. It wouldn't hurt him," she said, her face lighting up with laughter.
"He looks a little heavier," Yahiko admitted.
"A little?" she chuckled. "No. I'm just kidding around. He's a good guy."
"But if he stayed like that, you two couldn't do it. He'd crush you," he said.
"Yahiko!" she said in surprise.
"Well, he would," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
Megumi stared at him, stunned, and then began to laugh. She couldn't stop laughing now. Something about that was so funny to her, and what made it even more out of a ten year-old's mouth.
"Yahiko," she managed to choke out. "Would you say you're a better candidate?"
"Yes. I am," he said and she began to laugh even harder.
"I'm sorry, Yahiko. I needed a good laugh," she said. She put her arm around him. "I actually do need some help. Could you escort me to the marketplace to go shopping?"
"Sure!" he said, hopping up. They walked slowly to the path that led to the center of Tokyo.
At the dojo Sano was talking with Kaoru.
"So he's not here?" he said.
"Yeah. I don't know where he went off to, but when he gets back I'll tell him you stopped by. Oh! When is the baby due?" she asked, becoming giddy and excited.
"Pretty soon," he said, blushing brightly.
"It'll be so exciting! Start thinking of names!" she said and closed the door as he started to leave.
"I wonder where he could be," Sano wondered out loud. He made his way back to the clinic and couldn't find Megumi in there. He shrugged and went into his room, deciding to take a nap. He tossed his shirt to the side and on his way to bed he passed the mirror. He stopped and looked into it, looked down upon himself, and shrugged. "Oh well," he said and laid down in his bed, falling asleep quickly.
"Thank you so much, Yahiko! It was fun! Come back tomorrow!" Megumi said as Yahiko walked away on the path. She sighed and walked down the hallway to go to the back porch when she heard loud snoring. She walked into the room and laid down next to him and pinched his side.
"Ow. What was that for?" he said, waking up a bit.
"It's fun," she admitted, pinching a bit more and shaking it around. "My flabby boy," she said, cuddling closer to him.
"Hey. It's not my fault!" he said.
"I don't care," she whispered, putting her finger to his lips.
He smiled and kissed her. "I love you," he replied.
"I love you, too," she said, getting closer to him. As she was settling in, something unnatural happened. She tensed up and started to breath heavier.
"What's wrong?" Sano said, bolting up and looking around.
"It's early! Sano! It's early!" she said, looking at him in deep concern.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Get the doctor! I can't deliver my own baby!" she yelled.
Sano ran out the door and Megumi laid down on the bed, breathing deeply. Why did it have to come early? After what had seemed like an eternity, Sano reentered with the doctor. Sano held her hands tightly and urged her on. After the most painful experience of her life, she heard the cry of her newborn child. She smiled while panting and looked up at Sano, and the rest became a blur as her daughter was placed in her arms.