Enpitsu: Thanks for the reviews! Notes are down at the bottom. I guess you all like your chapters long, though! (Insert smile here) lol.

Disclaimer: Anything that you have ever heard of does not belong to me.
Claim: Plot, OC, and Reidan belong to me but there's another OC that doesn't.

Chapter Three
Not so Easy

It was almost eight o' clock and Rei was sitting outside on his balcony, staring up at the cloudy night sky. The clouds hid most of the stars from view but that didn't stop him from enjoying it. He was sketching the buildings which loomed over the rest of the world—or in his city, at least. The weather was mild tonight, and the wind blew softly through his ebony bangs. Everything was great tonigh—.

A sharp cry from somewhere made Rei drop his pen and cringe. He still wasn't used to the infernal racket. He was surrounded by students from Weatherbury and the seniors in his building also had children of their own to take care of. The bad thing was that sometimes one cry would trigger another—just like the real world. As if on cue, Reidan's bawling voice rang from inside. Rei sighed, and went to do his duty.

"It's okay, Reidan. Daddy hears you," he said to the robot.

He hated it. Inside this robot—which conveniently came with a few sentences of information—had a chip which recorded the status of things you said. If the parent cursed at it or possibly around it in any way, there would be ways the teachers could tell. Just because Rei had to say it, didn't mean he had to fully mean it. He didn't get a major role in the seventh grade school play for nothing.

Taking the thing in his hands, he used one to put the pacifier where it belonged. Rei sighed gratefully. There were times where he appreciated a little noise and times when he abhorred anything else.

According to Hileimi and the instruction manual, the pacifier was to stay in Reidan's mouth for ten minutes. If it was any longer, the baby would give out muffled cries. During those ten minutes, Rei junior had to be held. Rei senior had no other choice, since Junior's skin detected heat. So, the young man cradled the robot-child in his left arm while his right hand flipped through channels of the limited cable he had.

Settling on some piece of news, Rei looked down at the piece of machinery. If it wasn't for the glossy look, he would've thought it were real. The thing fit in his easily fit in his arms but he couldn't feel any warmth emanating from its body.

Ten minutes passed, and the teen removed the pacifier from the thing's mouth. After he used the bathroom and returned, the crying resumed. Rei scratched his head, staring at in mild frustration. That had been happening for a while now. The machine started crying after five minutes or so.

"What the hell is wrong?" he asked it, fully knowing he wouldn't get an answer. "I just fed you!"

The young man had no other choice but to put the pacifier back. When Rei was sure Reidan wasn't going to explode, he consulted the instruction card. His golden eyes quickly scanned it for any help he could find.

"'There are things this machine will do that real babies will do as well. You'll just have to find out for yourself!'"

Rei scoffed at the smiley face and put the card aside. He stared at the little whelp in front of him. One of his arms was folded across his chest while the other was set on it, making his loose fist go to his mouth in contemplation. The cradling rule was far gone from his mind.

"What do real babies do . . . that this thing hasn't done yet?"

After minutes of thinking, a two ideas came to mind. One of them was far less pleasing than the other. When the ten minutes was up, he took out the pacifier. He picked Reidan up and started patting him on the back.

Please, oh please, let it be this one.

After a few moments, Rei was awarded with a small burp. A triumphant glint sparked in his eyes. Since it was his first choice, it couldn't be the second one . . . Reidan was right next to him but why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Oh, God," Rei groaned, holding the child-he-knew-was-going-to-cry-any-minute-now away from him. "Why did does it have to be both?"

Rei grumbled silent obscenities to himself as he drove his black 2005 Honda Civic to the nearest store. Target was a ten minute walk from his apartment, but he needed to get there as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand it anymore.

The red and glass doors automatically opened for the young man dressed in grey sweat pants and a black jacket, holding a baby carriage. Rei immediately made a bee-line for the aisle that had diapers. He didn't know which ones he wanted to buy, but he knew they were terribly expensive. He quickly passed the aisle with feminine products and was about to turn into his destination when he heard bickering going on.

Wait a minute . . . He recognized those voices.

"What does it matter if we get this one or that?"

"It's the quality, Tyson! We don't want our daughter having a damp butt!"

Rei chuckled. It seems that his friends didn't know about this little surprise, either. He took the left turn to see Tyson and Hilary arguing—nothing out of the usual. The navy-haired teen was holding the carriage while the young lady held a package of Luvs in one arm and Huggies in the other. She saw him and her anger immediately dissipated, her features donning a grin.

"Hey, Rei!" she greeted. Rei waved with his free hand as Tyson turned around to greet his buddy.

"Yo, Rei! You didn't know about this diaper crap either?"

"Tyson!"

"What?"

"The baby's going to hear you!"

Tyson looked down at the robot, which returned his gaze, and rolled his dark eyes. Rei laughed when he mumbled, "It's just a doll, anyway . . ."

"How did you guys know what she needed?" Rei asked them, staring at the many different brands and ludicrous prices. Tyson continued to mutter to himself, so Hilary spoke.

"Effie kept crying even after we put the pacifier in. I guess that means she must've been needing a change for a while," she admitted sheepishly. Rei nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't smell anything until later," he muttered. Tyson visibly grimaced at the mere thought of the stench. "They'll probably explain everything tomorrow."

"How lame is that? Did they think it was gonna be a damn laugh?" he said, cringing. Hilary promptly pummeled him with the Luvs package.

"Tyson! Don't curse in front of Effie!" she hissed. It was probably too late though, but Tyson sighed in defeat.

Rei continued to stare at the different types of poof-y packages. There was too many to chose from. Why couldn't there be just one universal type? They all did the same thing anyway: Made sure the waste didn't leak through. The young man just didn't see the significance of it all. He decided to just grab the Huggies package Hilary had put down.

"So, why're you guys together at this hour? I thought you guys hated spending time with one another," Rei spoke, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. His desired reaction came almost immediately.

"W-We had another homework thing to work on before this," Tyson said, trying hard not to sputter. Hilary glared at him and haughtily tossed her chocolate hair over one shoulder.

"The idiot wanted to stay for dinner," she admonished. "He's such a little freeloader!"

"Freeloader! Look who's talking, Big Mouth!"

"What did you say?"

Rei chuckled. It took one little insult to get them spewing at each other again. He was sharp though. He hadn't missed the little slip of tongue Tyson had allowed. He knew the navy-haired teen had at least a little feelings for the girl. They supposedly shared their accidental first kiss in third grade, after all.

He looked down at Reidan just in time. The robot started crying and so did Effie. The three teens sighed and took the appropriate measures. Oh, boy. They had a long way to go . . .

What the hell is this? Do they think it's some kind of joke?

Kai Hiwatari stood in the family bathroom of the local mall. He had no idea how to change a diaper. It wasn't like he had a kid before and he was an only child himself! How was he supposed to know?

He stared down at Amaya as she patiently waited for him to do his duty. He had everything that he needed: Diapers, wipes, and powder. It was embarrassing enough to ask the lady at the store what he needed to change a baby, but now he was just staring at Amaya like an idiot.

As he stood there, Kai had to hand it to the Japanese—they were well skilled. He had to assume that was what the female anatomy looked like though. Contrary to popular belief, Kai was still a virgin. Yesiree, at the ripe old age of seventeen, he had never been that intimate with a girl. It's not like there was any girl worth being with. When they first see him they fall under the charm Kai liked to call a curse.

He didn't need a girl to succumb so easily. She had to be able to talk with him or play hard to get. That was a thing that he found attractive. Unfortunately, when they played hard to get it was because they were happily married. Kai also preferred older women to younger ones since they hardly fell goo-goo all over him. A girl who wouldn't even notice his male prowess would intrigue him far more than one who did.

As if on cue, Amaya started crying again. Kai sighed, and placed the pacifier in her mouth and picked her up off of the changing table (after re-buttoning her outfit). As he held her he tried to think of how to change her. He lived with his grandfather, Voltaire, and there was no way in hell he was going to ask him. If only he had a woman around . . .

The door to the family bathroom opened at Kai turned his crimson eyes up to the newcomer. Her chocolate eyes quickly scanned the room before settling on his own. She saw that he had a baby in his own arms, and a grin replaced her surprise.

"Oh, 'sup? Do you mind if I use this?" she asked. Her voice was casual and friendly. Kai blinked at the bundle in her arms and silently nodded.

The way she changed her son's diaper was quick. He noticed something strange though—the child was lying dead still as she went about her work. Realization finally struck him in the face.

"Do you go to Weatherbury?" he nonchalantly asked her. It wasn't a normal thing to do—Kai asking questions or talking to strangers—but he was in dire need of assistance. The brunette nodded making her pony-tail shake, back still turned to him.

"Uh-huh. Geez, can you believe this literal crap they dumped on us?" she replied, grimacing at the very idea. Kai didn't reply but the girl took no heed as she finished. "I take it that's your robot-thing?"

This time, Kai nodded. The girl still had her back to him, but she turned around to throw away the waste the little bugger had created. She grabbed up her things and was about to leave when Kai's mouth acted before he thought—a trait he thought he had overcome years ago.

"Wait." The girl slowly turned around to face him, speculation in her chocolate brown eyes. She cocked her head to the side and waited for him to continue.

What the hell am I doing? Kai thought, mentally berating himself. I'm talking to a complete stranger.

"Could you . . . well, I'm not good with this baby stuff, so . . ."

What was he saying? He was blabbing like a damn idiot! If this were a presentation in class or a meeting to propose a new rule to the school board, he'd be fine. But he was asking for help. That was a whole different story.

"You need help changing her?" the girl easily offered, grinning in amusement at his inability to ask for assistance. Kai looked up at her and went back to his silent mode, nodding. "You're a helluva funny boy, Kai."

It was no surprise to him how she knew his name if she went to Weatherbury. He was often on the school video update and he always gave a speech to his class on the first and last day of school. The young woman walked over and traded him robots—her son was in his hands and his daughter vice versa.

"What's your daughter's name?" she asked him conversationally, back turned to him once more. Kai spared a glance at her own son before answering.

"Amaya." After a few moments of silence in the room, he spoke again. "And your son's?"

"His name is Kekoa," she replied. It was a Hawaiian name. If Kai thought about it, it matched her. She had a light tan and features that made her look tropical. She finished and handed Amaya back to him, a normal grin on her features as she took her son back.

"Thanks," Kai mumbled, getting up. He had gone home to change so now all he sported was a navy blue, hooded sweatshirt and slightly baggy jeans. To top it all off, he was carrying a bag full of baby's needs. The young woman stared back at him expectantly but Kai didn't know what else to say.

"Don't you want to know the name of your savior from diaper duty?" she asked, a laugh in her voice. The corner of the young man's mouth twitched and he shrugged at her expression.

"What's your name then?" He wasn't really that interested but he wasn't one to be rude to a person who just helped him. The girl laughed at his tone of voice.

"Jasmine Gomes, but you can call me Jaz if you want. Nice to meet you." She stuck her right hand out for a handshake, amused smile still on her face. Kai slowly took his smaller hand in his own strong one.

". . . Same to you."

Rei tiredly groaned as he waited for Hileimi in the quad. He wasn't sitting on the grass of his favorite place today; he was sitting on the concrete bench next to it. Reidan was safely nestled in his carriage next to daddy on the bench so that Rei could give him to the mommy. That was the agreement after all—Hileimi had him during school or until she had practice and Rei had him at night.

To put it simply, it had been hell. The young man had been woken up every two hours or so and by the time it was four, his body woke him up by habit. The thing Rei hated about his body at the moment was its ability to quickly adapt. He didn't even know how Reidan was able to make waste since the stupid robot didn't eat anything. No, not stupid, darling robot. Rei still had to watch the way he talked around the child-like machine. Maybe the teacher's will explain . . .

There she was, looking as upbeat as ever. Her bright grin only wavered when some passing guy suggestively leered at her and she sneered back at him. Rei unconsciously noted this as her smile came back when her strange eyes settled on him.

"Hey, Rei. You look hella tired, babe," she said, inspecting his features. He snorted and moved Reidan's carriage over as she took a seat. They looked like a real family—baby in the middle with mommy and daddy on each side—but Rei couldn't feel more opposite.

"You try taking care of this . . . darling child at night," he said through clenched teeth, very tempted to replace two words in his sentence. Hileimi gave him a sympathetic look for a quick second and sighed, putting her hands onto her knees.

"I'll take him on weekends then," she said. "I don't really go anywhere unless my friends come up with something to do, you know?"

"Great," Rei said, relieved. She had no idea how close he actually was to hugging her—and even having the urge was a wonder, considering how much he liked her. "All I have to do is survive tonight and tomorrow night until Friday comes . . ." Hileimi grinned once more, waves and curls starting to blow in the light wind.

"Cool. I'll take him now," she said, just when the bell rang. The girl grabbed the carriage and baby bag that Rei had just bought, without hesitation or asking why he had purchased it. "I can't wait for fourth period! It's gonna be fun, yo!" With another grin and wink, she was off.

Rei didn't believe her one bit. Any class with Mrs. Minute sucked. But that day, it didn't suck so much. She informed them that fourth period would be the period that the couples got new information or turned in their responses to assignments. The couples that had classes together would receive one copy of information while ones that were separated would get copies of their own and would have to meet on their own time. Even though students were supposed to do that anyway, Mrs. Minute was choosing to be cool and let her coupled-up students have ten minutes together before she started blabbering about more useless information.

As he handed in their son's name Mrs. Minute handed Rei the new information, a strange smile on her face. He shakily returned it and quickly turned around to talk with Hileimi. No matter what the teacher did, she still creeped him out.

He opened the pre-used folder and Hileimi looked over his shoulder, much like the first time they had read their scenario. Young men were sitting on desks while girls sat in circles for the time being, chattering away. It seemed that they were the only couple who shared this class which was very odd to Rei.

"You're failing classes in college 'cause of the kid . . ." Hileimi said into his ear, though really not meaning to. The Chinese teen's ears twitched slightly—that only happened when he was very perturbed. She continued like she hadn't noticed or didn't care. "I'm alright with classes but I'm sick and you have a choice to pay for my medical bill or not . . ."

Rei brought his attention back down to the slip of paper and stared at the sentence. The admin really weren't going easy on these "real-life situations", were they? But no matter what emotion was on his face, he was nice guy so obviously he knew the answer.

"Of course we're going to pay the bill," he disbelievingly muttered. Did those teachers really think he'd let anyone slowly die like that? Hileimi had other thoughts as she blew out a breath, once again near his ear.

He was getting annoyed again. Either this girl was really naive or she played everything off rather well. Didn't she knew the ears were practically a pleasure center for many people? Rei sighed. He wasn't going to admit that to her though, and looked at her strangely.

"Just keep on trying to 'pass your classes'," she muttered, glancing to the side. The young man continued to stare at her.

"What're you talking about? It says you're sick so we should take you to the hospital," he said to her, trying to persuade her to go. Hileimi stubbornly shook her head, making her black hair sway slightly.

"I don't want to," she said, crossing her arms and avoiding his eyes. "Just use the money for the baby or somethin'. I'm sure I'll live until the next assignment."

Rei was close to glaring at her now. What was so bad about being sick and getting treatment? "If it says you're sick you should go to the doctor, whatever the bill is."

"No, okay?" she replied, voice rising. "The baby's more important than me bein' sick!"

"So what're you going to do, let yourself die?"

Rei had trod onto sensitive ground. He knew the reason for it being sensitive for him. His parents died but he knew they wanted him to live on and make the best of everything. He had no idea why Hileimi was being so sour though.

Everyone was looking at them now and the once rowdy classroom was deathly silent. It was twice in two days that Rei Kon has shown another emotion and it was with the same girl. Tyson was looking back and forth at his friend and the girl, wondering what would happen next.

Hileimi was staring up at Rei too, her dark eyes ablaze. Both of them were standing with clenched fists at their sides, breathing a tad heavy. While he was handsome when calm or smiling (though only few had seen him that way), she looked even better when riled up.

"All right, fine," Rei quietly said, sitting down after a while. The class looked at each other and started to go about their business once more, but shooting glances at the pair every now and then. Hileimi sighed and looked up at the ceiling before crossing her arms and following his action.

"I'm sorry, Rei," Hileimi apologized. Her tone of voice showed it was not a thing she was very good at doing. "I just . . . it's —"

"Whatever, it's okay," he mumbled, tenor light. He wanted to drop the subject and Hileimi let him as he took out their actual assignment, not scenario. I thought this day couldn't get any worse . . .

"What is it?" Hileimi wondered, leaning over once more. The grudging familiarity between them started to come back to normal and Rei had a feeling this was how it always would be. They would fight, then never talk about it again. "Oh, yes! This is going to be hella fun, Rei!"

He sighed but said nothing. He knew what she just read. Our next assignment . . . Buy clothes and accessories . . .

"Maybe it's a really touchy subject for her," Max said. Once again, he was the voice of reason when Rei's was absent.

"I think we've established that, Max," Rei said, dead-panned but in good humor. The blonde shrugged and made sure their AP Economy teacher wasn't looking and that his son was all right before talking again.

"I mean, maybe a family member is sick or something," he whispered. The raven-haired teen looked down at his pencil and shrugged.

"I guess I'll just leave it like it is . . ." At this, Max smiled and nodded, going back to his work.

What could it be that made her act like that? He knew he shouldn't be nosy, but he was a curious guy by nature. His mom had always told him that curiosity had killed the cat, which deflated his young somewhat wondering since everyone always told him he looked like a feline. A few years later he had found the counterattack:

"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back."

All joking and reminiscing aside, Rei had never seen Hileimi emotional before but he had only really known her for a few days. The times in middle school were over. Maybe there's more to her than I thought.

Author's Note: Hey, thank you guys very much for the reviews! Looks like I'm going to be keeping these chapters long! Lol. Reidan's a name I actually thought about naming my future son. Haha, can you believe it? Effie is a girl's name that means 'Loud.' I couldn't help myself lol. It looks like I'll be keeping the chapters long, too.

By the way, I changed the full summary in the first chapter so people can see where Kai and Tala fit in to this story. If anyone wants, go ahead and check it out!

I wanted to make Hileimi a little different from other OCs, which are normally punk or gothic. There's nothing wrong with that (I mean, I have a few friends like that) but I just thought it was time for someone different. Just thought you guys might want to know. XD If anyone wants to get a real feel of Hileimi's attitude, just listen to "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas. That song kind of fits her, especially the last verse (minus the part where the guy is rapping). Lol. I'm glad people liked her though!

Special thanks to iSLANDGiRL05 (formerly known as elementBLUE) for letting me borrow Jasmine! I owe you, girl! I hope I did her justice. (Sweats) lol.

In the next chapter Michelle and Hileimi have a little . . . heart to heart. Rei takes a little happy trip in the mall, also known as Hell for men. He realizes something about the guys there but that doesn't change his point of view about Hileimi. The girl in turn, makes a small progress . . .

Thanks for reading and please review (no flames)! I'm even allowing anonymous reviews to do so now.