"NDS: Book 13—Neon: Chapter 96: Bundle of Confusion"

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Here goes, another Sakura—Adven heavy chapter, with some Jet and Virginia mixed in. After this one we will have a Gallows chapter, a short little chapter, and then the start of the wedding day. I cut out the one regarding Adven and Jet's search for the Mayflower Ring that supposedly grants the bearer good luck. He was going to get it as the wedding ring for Virginia, because it grants good luck, and it would probably set her mind at ease after he saw the dress, but, that chapter didn't really pan out well, and became just pointless aside from what I have said. But that would have come between the first part of this chapter and the last part, and it would mean that three days past between the two. I will still follow that timeframe though.

Boy, you really embarrass me with compliments, it's hard to stay my usual modest self who thinks he has just pathetic work when you say things like that. Anyway, the wedding will…be surprising. You'll never see the ending to Book 13 coming, that's how surprising it will be.

I would also like to warn you, that I will be coming out soon with another WA3 fanfic, this one will be fully AU though, and…it won't have any of the humor that I usually have. In fact, most of it will just be sad…whatever, there will also be no Gallows in the story, because I couldn't put him in, but Adven shows up. It's only that way because this is a fic that is an AU of NDS that I made, and it has the Negative and Positive Cannon appearing in it, so I couldn't replace Adven with Gallows…so Gallows won't show up. But at least I did not put Emilia instead of Clive, so he stays in it. Anyway, more on that when I finally finish the 1st chapter.

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It was another beautiful day at the Enduro—Maxwell home. The bugs were fluttering about, and the birds made their beautiful sounds. The wind blew making the land feel cool and warm, as the sun stared at the home from overhead. In the kitchen Virginia was pouring a drink for her guest, Sakura, as they sat at the round table they had.

"Are you excited about the wedding?" Sakura wondered. "It's only five days away now."

"Excited?" Virginia questioned. "More like nervous." She admits. "It's a big step. I'm afraid I might not be ready for it sometimes."

"Oh, and like Jet is?" She laughed. She took a sip of her tea and paused out of thought. With a more serious face she looks out the window of the home. "Say…how did the engagement begin? Did he ask you, or was it the other way around?"

"Actually…there was no question." Virginia replied with thought. "One day we were just in town for dinner about seven or eight months ago, and Jet mentioned that it was almost like we were married. Suddenly, we both said maybe we should get married and we both agreed." The brunette explained with a fond smile on her face looking back on her memories. "I was really happy. I mean…living out here with him for so long. My making clothing and his selling it. Him going to town and working then coming back for a supped I made. It was already like we were husband and wife to begin with."

"I always saw marriage proposals as working differently." Sakura remarked.

"You have to remember that Jet and I are not normal." Virginia laughed. "He rearely shows such emotion like that. I mean, it was hard enough for him to say he loved me, for him to pop the question would seem impossible alone. It did take me to get him to even say he loved me after all."

"Yeah, you are too shy, modest, and afraid to even ask such a thing really, but you're still more open than him."

"R-right."

"It's amazing you two can get married just like that. I find it hard enough to even find a boyfriend."

"So Adven isn't your boyfriend?" Virginia questioned.

"Well…you see…he's not my official boyfriend." Sakura oddly explained. She was going to say more, but shook it off and changed the subject. "Say, Emilia told me about your dress."

"That's changing the topic." Virginia noted.

"No, not really."

"If you say so…"

"So, what color is it?"

"White?"

"I see…" Sakura looked into her drink with a downcast look. "So you can wear white then? You're…a virgin?"

"Yes, aren't you?" Virginia answered back and being naïve.

"No, not for the last two or three weeks I haven't." Sakura remarked, not really caring for the statement.

"Really?" Virginia asked anxiously. She calmed. "Can…can you tell me about…y'know…I mean, does it hurt or anything?"

Sakura looked right into Virginia's eyes. "Virginia, they say it is often hard to become pregnant on the first try."

"Sakura?" Virginia muttered. She suddenly did not like the way this was going.

"It wasn't hard for me."

"Y-yo-you're pregnant?" Virginia shouted out of shock, nearly knocking her cup over as Sakura waved her arms quickly telling her not to shout it out loud. The two finally went back to normal. "For how long?"

"I told you. Two weeks or so. I lost track with Neon and everything." She took a sip of her tea. "At first…I didn't think I was, but, I mean, I had all the signs, and everything, so I saw my doctor…and…"

"Wait," Virginia suddenly remarked. "Who's the father?"

"Promise not to tell?" Sakura questioned with an angry look. "Any of this?" She added. "I don't want anyone else to know I'm pregnant or who the father is. I haven't even told him yet."

A light bulb went on in Virginia's mind. "Y-Y'mean…"

"Yes, Adven's the father." Sakura simply finished.

"You two…did 'it' then?" Virginia questioned nervously. "He…he doesn't seem like he is even aware of that much."

"He isn't." Sakura answered. "He doesn't remember us even having sex." She hung her head as her bangs fell forward. "That's why I've been rather confused about this. I've wanted to tell him about all of this. In Neon, and even the other day, and I was so close to telling him I was pregnant." The silver-haired woman was on the verge of crying in response to her fear. "I've dropped enough clues…but…"

"Adven is the King of the Clueless." Virginia noted.

"Right."

"Still…how did it happen?" Virginia asked. "Why doesn't he know you two…did that?"

"He's a lightweight." Sakura shrugged.

"So…this involves alcohol in the end?"

Sakura sighed. "He was my date to a newspaper party a few weeks ago. He had too much, and I had very very little."

"Then….you wanted him…to…y'know?"

"Yes." Sakura admitted. "I…I love him. At least I thought so." She sat there with a thought going over her words. "Well, not a thought. I think I love him. I…just am afraid to tell him that though."

"He would really want to know this though." Virginia replied, knowing Adven and his love for Sakura very well.

"I know…" Sakura moaned. "And he deserves it…but…if I tell him about the baby…it's too much at one time for him to handle."

"Maybe so…but…it's show soon."

"I know, I know." Sakura bitterly replied. She has worried about that after the first try of telling Adven. If she didn't say anything, her own body will soon tell him. "I have to tell him soon."

"Adven said you needed him to protect you. That you were not the fighter you are back in Neon. This is why, right?"

"I didn't want it to be harmed." Sakura sternly stated. "I'm going to have this baby, and I am determined to do that."

"An' this is why you were hurt even more…when Clive died?"

"Yes…I wanted him to be like a grandfather just like he was like a father to me…but…now that just isn't possible."

"Will you name it after him, if it's a boy?"

"Yes, probably…but I really should wait until Adven has his say before I start thinking too far ahead." Sakura admitted.

"Sakura, I'm glad you can trust me like this."

"So am I." She laughed. "We've come a far way, just like Adven and Jet."

Virginia scrunched her lips as a thought took her. "Will you marry Adven?"

Sakura shook her head with lack of an answer. "I don't know." She replied. "It'd be…too much. We don't need to be married to have a baby."

"I know, but it still would work out best that way."

"Maybe." Sakura replied, taking it into consideration. "I think I'll just have to wait and see how Adven reacts first." She put on a sour face. "He may not want me afterwards."

"He'd never do that." Virginia replied.

"Yeah, I know…but…it's one of my fears at this point."

"Well, I will always be here for you," She encouraged. "And so will everyone else."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, at least I have friends to fall back on." She sat there a moment. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"Adven told me, back at the funeral, that I could count on him to catch me if I fall."

Virginia nodded fiercely. "I'm sure you can hold him to that."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"So…uh, can you tell me more about…uh…" Virginia fumbled on her words. Her face a livid pink. "How your child was made?"

Sakura smirked. "You seem interested."

"Well…Jet and I will be…doing that eventually…so I better learn more about it now." She scratched her cheek nervously. "So I don't make a fool out of myself."

"Well, okay then, but it wasn't very romantic…" Sakura warned.

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"Say, Jet," Virginia began as Jet entered the bedroom. He suddenly regretted returning to the room after breakfast this morning. He did not know that she had been thinking over the knowledge of Sakura's pregnancy for the last three days, and she wanted to get her problem with Adven finished. "Don't you think Sakura and Adven's relationship is…well…odd?"

Jet stood there a moment. "A bit." He replied. "But, hey, they're both odd too."

Virginia laughed. "So are you."

"Adven loves Sakura." Jet simply said. "It hurts him to not be with her, but what can he do about it?"

"He could do a lot of things." Virginia remarked.

"He could, but it would all come down to Sakura in the end." Jet shrugged. "She seems to be afraid of just admitting her love for him and saving us all this headache."

"She has the right to be nervous and afraid!" She shouted in the woman's defense.

Jet was a bit surprised by her reaction, but continued. "Why's that?" He wondered. "Because of her father issues and all of that? I was sure that she had resolved those already."

"Well, I think she has the right to be afraid." She calmly continued.

He blinked. "Well, I never said she didn't." Jet thought it over a minute. "But Adven's just as afraid."

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Jet went about his day. He had some jobs left to do in town. Being that the wedding was in a few days most of the guests for the wedding were already staying either in the Enduro—Maxwell home, or in the sandcraft Emilia made. This also allowed for the wedding to easily be set up at the shrine near to the cliff that overlooked the water. Adven felt her got the worst job though, because here he was in the afternoon setting up chair for the wedding. An annoying task.

"Adven?" He put down the chair he had and looked at Virginia who stood ten chairs away from him.

He was surprised to see her. "I'll be done by evening."

"No, that's not what I was going to say." She shook her head.

He looks at her with a quizzical look. "What is it?"

"Adven, I'm sure that if you asked Sakura would marry you." The woman paused. "She would accept."

"What?" He looked at her as if she were an alien.

"Sakura will marry you if you ask." She sternly repeated.

"No, I heard you, I just don't understand why you suddenly said that." Adven definitely thought now that she was going insane. His shallow laugh told her that as well.

She kept her face on. "I said that because I care about you two."

"She wouldn't want to marry me." He dismissed as he went on to set up another chair. "We aren't even boyfriend or girlfriend. What makes you so sure she would accept?"

"Because she…" Virginia realized that she couldn't let on and break her promise. "Well, I mean, I can just tell." She said with seriousness. "It's a 'woman's intuition' sort of thing."

"I…I don't know." Adven replied with hesitation, placing down another chair firmly. "I don't think asking her to marry me would be smart. I really don't want to suffer something that embarrassing." He replied. "I mean, burning down a restaurant while on a date with her is embarrassing as it is." He shook his head with a definite no. "I don't want to widen the gap we have between us."

"But…" Virginia fought but could do little.

"Thank you anyway, Virginia." He replied with a grateful smile, but it was only out of pity for her attempt. "But if there is someone you have to convince on getting married it's you."

"Me?" Virginia squeaked.

"You're afraid to get married right now." He concluded.

"I love Jet very much." She defended.

"I never said you didn't, but you are afraid of marriage."

"But I still have the strength to go through with it because of that love for Jet."

"Yes, and try not to forget that." He suggested as he placed another chair down. "I don't want to be standing next to Jet in two days when you decide not to show."

"That won't be happening." She defended with a scowl.

"I know, I was just warning you." He grinned as he placed another chair down.

She calmed. "Thank you."