Unsuspected

By

Marie Darkholme

Chapter Two – Across the ocean…

Two weeks later, Taichi's and Sakura's time for enjoying the pleasures of several European cities was over. After Vienna, Berlin, Plaque, Paris, Madrid and Lisbon, it was time to return to Tokyo. The trip from the beautiful Portuguese city of Lisbon was long and tiring. They arrived at Taichi's apartment exhausted. Hikari, his sister, helped them with their bags into the room. Apparently her boyfriend was not around. Taichi didn't bother asking the reason. The most probable reason was things were over between them.

After a nice and fast dinner with familiar homemade food on the plate, Sakura left to their room. They didn't unpack until the next day. The dim light that entered through the window landed over Taichi's eyes making him awake. He slowly turned to the woman besides him and smiled, taking a hair from her face. Her eyes opened slowly, showing their unnatural green colour. He kissed her before standing and leaving the room.

Hikari had left him a note saying she was going to meet Takeru, a long time friend, Yamato's brother. Now he was sure she had broken up with her latest boyfriend. Sighing inwardly, he started making breakfast, but then ended up by making lunch since it was late in the morning.

Sakura entered the room minutes before lunch was ready.

"Morning sleepy head." He called to her. She yawned visibly sleepy still and sat on a chair. Taichi put a plate on the table in front of her and than sat as well and started eating. They exchanged little words. After lunch Sakura helped him with the dishes into the washing machine.

"I've got to get to work, so you'll have to unpack alone, alright?" he smiled as he kissed her forehead. Sakura puppy eyed him.

"Do you really have to?" she asked. Taichi smiled and put his hands over her waist.

"Yes, I really have to." He replied.

The day was shinny and while he drove to work, Taichi couldn't help smiling. Even knowing he was leaving Sakura behind, he couldn't help feeling happy for being back to work. As much as he wouldn't like to admit, but he truly liked his job. He wasn't an important politician, like he had once dreamed. Nevertheless, he had an important task in international relationships between the various countries of the world and Japan. Right now, he was trying to smooth their relationship with China which was going stiffly lately.

Days passed until he had contact with his two friends again. Now that they were adults and all had their own jobs, it was more difficult to keep in touch. Koushiro was a computer technician at Sony. He was entrusted with the search for errors in programs designed by the company. Yamato, on the other hand run a music shop along with a partner and taught guitar and other strings instruments.

They planned to meet on that Friday at a bar. Sakura stayed at home. It was a men's night out.

"How was the honeymoon? Did you try out my book?" Yamato asked as he swallowed down a cup of whisky, realising a satisfied moan. Koushiro chewed on the straw of his coke. After the bad experience he had had while drinking with Yamato, he decided to take it easy with the drinks. On his hand, Taichi made small circles in the air with his half empty beer. He smirked.

"Like I need something like that. It looks more like your style." He replied, making Yamato spill some of his new cup of whisky.

"A guy never knows everything." he grinned. At the same time, he spotted a girl looking at him. He blinked an eye at her and the girl quickly turned her look away and Yamato turned back to his drink with a smirk playing on his lips. Seconds later the girl was looking at him again.

"Well, you sure had more fun than me, travelling through Europe. Fun every night, huh?" he continued. Koushiro remained silent, chewing his straw. "I thought that maybe Mimi would stay a little longer and we could…you know…get together again, for old times sake…"he smirked "…but the day after you left, she packed her things and left. She and Sora. When I went there the next morning, the apartment was completely empty and for sale."

Taichi put down his beer and looked at his blond friend. Yamato took another long sip of his drink as he continued to meditate over Mimi's departure.

"Sora sold her apartment?" he asked surprised. Yamato watched him also surprise.

"You didn't know! I thought she would have told you, since you're best friends and all." he launched him a confused look. "I received a letter from her some days ago. Looks like Mimi's agency was looking for a stylist and they accept her there. So she moved in to New York with Mimi."

Mimi's house was pretty big. Sora was amazed with New York. It was indeed a busy town. It took them almost two hours to get from the airport to Mimi's house, right in the heart of the city. The girl had a duplex in one a high building. Only Mimi lived there and of course, now Sora did too. The three rooms were more than enough for them. The kitchen was spacious and the living room had a glass wall. Sora's room was decorated similarly to her own room in her small apartment in Japan. A large bed in the middle of the room, a big desk under the window and Mimi had even put some blue painting in the walls.

It was easy to get adjusted to her new life in New York. The agency was spectacular. They loved Sora's ideas and in less than a month she had already had a model's passage, being Mimi her main model. The brown haired girl seemed to fit perfectly into every piece of clothing that the auburn one would draw.

The language was an easy adaptation since Sora was used to speak in English at her old job, and with Mimi as guide and partner, she couldn't have more fun. While in one hand her new job occupied most of her thoughts, her free time was carefully scheduled by her friend. She had always something planned, whether it was a visit to the mall in order to enhance her already large wardrobe or a night out to a bar or the disco.

Even though all this new things entering in her life made her happy, when the night came and she was alone in her room, her mind travelled back to Japan, where her best friend would be spending his time with another woman. She hadn't written to him or sent an e-mail or even phoned, but she was sure he already knew of her trip. She had been afraid of telling him; afraid that that would make more difficult her departure. She would never now if it would have, but it cost her enough to leave without his knowledge.

In those nights, when those thoughts haunted her, she would remind herself of that night when he had joined with her. Sometimes it made her sadder while other times it made her smile, remembering the taste of his lips over hers, the touch of his skin on her hands or his soft scent to water cologne, one that she had offered him by his eighteenth birthday and that he only used in special occasions…like his wedding.

She turned around and once again closed her eyes. It would be a month the next day that she had left Japan. She could hear Mimi in the living room chatting on the phone with some of her friends, telling them about how another guy had tried to take a step forward with her and how she had, so greatly, discharged him with two words. Sora listened to the conversation and few minutes later she was asleep.

"Oh no!" Mimi's voice echoed through the house coming from the lower floor. Sora slowly opened her eyes, only to hear another sound of unhappiness. "It's completely ruined."

The auburn haired swung her feet off the bed and quickly sat on the bed. A sudden nauseous invaded her. Her hand flew to her mouth but as suddenly as the feeling appeared, it also disappeared. Putting on her fluffy lion headed slippers, she slowly walked downstairs to find her friend sobbing over a piece of clothing.

"What's going on Meems?" she asked the girl. Mimi eyed her, her eyes puffy and red, and exhibited the piece of clothing she was holding in her hands. The short, thigh pink dress, one of Mimi's favourite had now blue dots in the chest and back.

"Did you put it in with that blue blouse you have?" Sora asked knowingly. The girl nodded. Sora slapped her forehead as a sigh escaped her lips. "I told you when you bought it that it would stain if you washed it with other clothes."

Mimi nodded apologetically, her eyes imploring the auburn haired to do something.

"The only solution is staining the entire dress in blue." She replied after a small thinking. Mimi looked scandalized to the dress and then to Sora again, but the auburn haired was no longer there. Mimi walked to the bathroom from where she detected strange sounds.

The auburn haired flushed down the toilette and washed her mouth.

"Are you feeling alright?" Mimi asked concerned. Sora smiled as she shook her hand.

"Must have been those drinks and the ice-cream we had last night." She replied promptly. Mimi raised an eyebrow.

"But you didn't have that much to make you sick. Last week, we ate like the double and you were fine."

"Well, maybe this time they didn't fall so right into my stomach." She tried to ease her friend. "C'mon, don't worry about it. Do you want me to stain the dress or not?" she asked, wiping her mouth to a towel. Mimi walked back to the living room, Sora following her. She looked at the dress.

"It's already ruined so I guess it won't make that much of a difference, will it?" she sighed. "Yeah, go ahead." Sora took the dress from her and walked upstairs to her room.

"I'm going to get dressed. We have a meeting in the afternoon about the Spring-Summer collection of next year and the bosses want to hear some of my ideas."

The night was settling across the sea. Taichi exited the high building where he worked. He threw his small case into the passenger's seat of his car as he entered. The autumn was finally giving in space for winter. He wouldn't be admired if tomorrow it was raining, by the looks of the sky as he drove to his house. He wondered what Sakura would be doing. Maybe she was cooking something incredibly delicious to him like she had done the last week, when she got off from work earlier. She had phoned him a few minutes before he left his office, asking if he was going to be home in hours. Last week it had been the same and when he got home, there was not only a delicious plate on the table but also beautiful. Sakura had a lot of gifts and cooking was definitely one of them.

He suddenly noticed he had missed his turn. Sighing, he simply continued ahead, knowing that a few metres away he could make a turn back and get on the right way again. For moments, he didn't notice where he was. That was until a familiar building crossed his view.

It wasn't his intention to slow down, but he did, as he stared at the familiar window. It was closed. When she was there it was never closed. When a head approached the window, he almost could see her auburn hair appearing from behind the glass, but instead a slightly old woman opened the window and peeked outside. Then she just got back inside, closing the window and shuts after her.

Taichi shook his head. Sora was no longer living in Japan and he knew whose fault was it. Maybe that was a good thing for both him and her. Nevertheless, it hurt him, knowing he couldn't count with her presence again when something happened. And, on the reverse, he wouldn't be there for her when she needed, like they always had supported each other since childhood, like two good friends. Something, however, seemed to somehow relief him: the fact that she was with Mimi. That way, he knew she was not alone in a completely strange country.

Once again, he shook his head, forcing himself away from the distant window. He arrived home shortly after. Like he had imagined, Sakura had prepared a delicious meal. The table was set with two plates on the each extremity of the short table; bottle of wine and the respective glasses; and for completing the romantic environment, a single short and wide red candle, floating in the middle of a liquid covered with petals.

"Welcome home, love." She greeted him with a kiss. She too was dressed up for the occasion. Her long black hair was falling over her shoulders and that was the only thing that was over her shoulders. She wore a wine coloured dress with a deep neckline, which showed off her shoulders. It had a long split that reached inches over her knees, from where he could see the lingerie he had offered her in her last birthday, in provocative colours of black and red.

The meal was great and so it was the night. It was hard to leave the comfort of the blankets and the warmness of Sakura's arms the next morning, but with a little more effort and despite the girls pleads, Taichi got up and prepared for another day of work.

The autumn gave time to winter, and New York was covered in a white cloak of snow. Sora dared to peek outside, bringing back inside a cold nose.

"It's going to be difficult to get to work today." Mimi stated as she too peeked outside, closing the window almost instantly. "We should get the subway for exchange. That way my car won't get stuck in the snow like last time." She murmured the last words as she walked back to the kitchen table and picked another toast.

"All this snow is giving me great ideas for next Autumn-Winter collection." Sora said as she sat happily on her chair and chewed her third toast while she drank small bits of milk. She put her hand over her mouth as she felt something coming up her throat and a burp came out.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed apologetically to Mimi that eyed her from the corner of her eye.

"You're eating a lot this last month, aren't you? And strange things too?" Mimi stated as she took a sip of milk. "I don't know what the thing is of eating bread with a tablet of chocolate inside." She continued eying her through the corner of her eyes.

Sora simply shook her hand, like blowing away the issue. "It's all this changes. I'm feeling lacking." She smiled. Mimi smiled too as she put her toast down and walked behind her. In a cute picture, she embraced Sora from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, poor little girl, she's lacking." She said in a baby directed voice. "Don't worry. Mimi will take good care of you and be your best friend." The two of them laughed. Then, the brown haired woman put on a serious face and forced Sora to look at her. "You should go see a doctor. Morning sickness, huge appetite…!"

Sora didn't follow Mimi's advice. It is said that when a woman is pregnant, she doesn't need anyone to tell it to her. A woman can feel it. And Sora could feel something growing inside of her. The colour on the pregnancy test that evening was only a confirmation for something she already suspected.

She caressed her belly, an innocent smile plastered on her features.

"Why are you smiling and…oh, my goodness! Are you pregnant?" Mimi ran to her friend's side, taking the couch near Sora's. There was a mix of anxiety and happiness in her features. "But…how! When…" this where probably the questions that would come to anyone's mind, considering the fact that Sora wasn't married or had a boyfriend for the matter and that she had only been in a completely different country for two months. Of course, Mimi considered that it had happened in Japan, before they moved. Still, she feared to ask the most important question. "Who's the father?"

Sora's smile seemed to flatter for a second, but then she looked out the window and a new confidence seemed to fill her.

"I don't care." She replied. The consequences that saying something like that could bring were not at stake being Mimi her best friend and knowing her better than anyone else. However, the all situation got Mimi a little confused.

"What do you mean you don't care!" she asked astonished. "Don't you think the father would want to know that…well, he's going to be a father?" she emphasized.

"No, I don't think he would want to know that right now." She replied quite convinced of her reply.

Mimi smiled. "Then you know who the father is." To this, Sora replied with silence, slightly biting her bottom lip. It was going to be her little secret and she wouldn't tell it to a soul, not even Mimi. "So, you don't want to tell me? That's okay." The brown haired replied, a bit of sadness invading her as she leaned back onto the comfort of the couch. Silence fell between the two.

"Still, it's a good thing, right? You being pregnant? I get to be like an aunt?" Mimi smiled. The auburn haired took her eyes from the window and smiled as well. She then stood and enveloped Mimi in her arms, in a very sisterly way. "Of course it is."

And the plot denses. I suspect you were already expecting this. But what will happen next?

Thanks to the reviewers: couragechild, anon, dbz, darkmetalangel of destruction.

No this won't have any Takeru or Jyou for now. At least I'm not planning it, since this will be a simple short story. But as for Mimi, you can see that she had an important role.

Don't forget to review this one.

Ja ne, tomodashi