Chapter 32: Appointment
Kaori dressed and got ready for the appointment as Sesshomaru slept. It was only ten, but she usually thought ahead. She had her hair in pigtails that swung every time she walked. She was going through the gifts at the moment, looking at what had to do with babies. She found an assembly crib they would have to put together, some bottles and pacifiers, and some blankets for the crib. Kaori put them aside and looked at the other gifts. Toasters, microwaves, blenders. The usual. She was looking at the packages of blankets when Sesshomaru walked in and kneeled next to her.
"Looking at our gifts, huh?" Sesshomaru asked, taking a different package of blankets.
"Yeah," Kaori said. The blanket package reminded her of the blanket she used to have when she was a kid. Where did it go?
Kaori stood and hurried to her room, going through her closet. It had to be somewhere. He parents didn't throw out something that was so precious to her, would they?
She eventually had made a mess of her room, looking for the blanket, but didn't find it anywhere. Maybe they did throw it out.
Sesshomaru came in and pulled one pigtail.
"You look like a schoolgirl," he told her. "Maybe later I can be your teacher."
"I'm not in the mood," Kaori told him, walking out of the room. Sesshomaru released her pigtail and looked at her room. It was a mess. What exactly was she looking for?
He found Kaori cooking in the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen and watched her get a baking pan out and a bucket of something.
"What are you cooking?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Cookies. Why?" Kaori asked.
"Just asking," Sesshomaru answered.
Kaori put the dough from the bucket onto the pan equally. She put it in the oven and sat at the table, waiting.
"What are cookies?" Sesshomaru asked when she sat down. Kaori laughed at how innocent he was acting.
"Sweets. Dough that sometimes has toppings on top, like chocolate chips. There's different kinds, as well," Kaori explained.
"What type are you cooking?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Chocolate chip," Kaori answered.
"I see," Sesshomaru said, his head resting in his hands. Kaori was doing the same. There were a few hours to waste and neither knew what to do. Kaori decided to cook to waste the time, but you would need to wait for the cookies to cook, and she was an impatient person.
"So, what do you want to do? We have like hours of free time," Kaori said, looking at Sesshomaru.
"Where is the cat?" Sesshomaru asked, looking at the floor for any sign of the cat.
"Mom took her for some company," Kaori answered. Her eyes were half closed. She was nearly bored out of her mind.
"So, what do you usually do while you wait for cookies to cook?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I usually talk on the phone, but what will you do?" Kaori asked.
"I'll find something to do," he told her, now only leaning his head on one hand.
"Well, if you do find something to preoccupy yourself, don't trash the house while your at it," Kaori told him, getting the phone.
"Do I ever trash the house?" Sesshomaru asked.
"A couple of times," Kaori told him.
"I'll train, if I really have to," Sesshomaru told her. He stood at the kitchen door, looking at Kaori while she dialled Yori's phone number and talked a little. She frowned and held the receiver with her palm.
"She wants to talk to you," Kaori mumbled, forcing the phone into Sesshomaru's chest. "Have fun."
Sesshomaru put the phone to his ear and it was nearly yelled off. He pulled the phone away, waiting until he couldn't hear Yori's voice from the distance. He returned the phone to his ear and listened to Yori ramble on about something or another that Sesshomaru didn't know. He returned to the kitchen table and rested his head against his free hand. Yori eventually mentioned Kaori's name and that put Sesshomaru into alert.
"What about Kaori?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Well, we've been best friends since we were kids," Yori said, calmly.
"Any stories of Kaori only you know?" Sesshomaru asked, a smirk forming. He heard Kaori training in the backyard. Oh, this was going to be good.
It was nearly the time for the appointment and Kaori returned from the backyard. Sesshomaru was sitting on the couch, nearly laughing his head off. The phone was still in hand. He looked at Kaori from the corner of his eye and laughed out loud. Kaori stopped and knew something was going. Sesshomaru never burst out loud laughing. Kaori dabbed the towel around her neck to her forehead and sat next to Sesshomaru. He saw her and turned away.
"Really?" Sesshomaru whispered. Kaori caught it. "I can imagine that. Well, we should be going. Thank you Yori."
"What was so funny?" Kaori asked as he hit the end button on the phone.
"Nothing," Sesshomaru said, standing up. He couldn't look at her straight. His head was down and could see him smirking. Kaori raised his chin up and glared at him.
"Yori told you something about me, didn't she?" Kaori asked, her free hand on her hip.
He had a smirk that was forming into a smile.
"You have no idea," he told her.
"Tell me," she ordered.
"Something about a swimming suit, public pool and millions of boys," Sesshomaru hinted, walking backwards away from Kaori. Kaori held her chin with the hand that held Sesshomaru and thought. The memory came to her and her eyes went wide as she covered her mouth, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire.
"She told you that?" Kaori asked. Sesshomaru was now on the other side of the couch.
"Yep," Sesshomaru said.
"I'm going to kill both of you!" Kaori yelled and ran after Sesshomaru.
"Only if you can catch me," Sesshomaru told her, walking backwards. He hit the stairs and didn't walk up and fell backwards. Kaori pinned him down with her legs, glaring at him.
"She is so dead," Kaori said. "Did she tell you anything else?"
"I can't say," Sesshomaru said, looking at the ceiling. Kaori grabbed his chin and pulled it so it was inches away from hers. If she was in a good mood, that would be good. But she was really pissed.
"Did she tell you anything else?" Kaori repeated.
Sesshomaru blurted everything Yori told him. Kaori was nearly shaking with anger. Her face was red from both anger and embarrassment.
"She is so dead," Kaori hissed, her fists clenching until her knuckles went white.
"Kaori, we'll be late for the appointment if we don't leave now," Sesshomaru told her. A bell was heard inside the kitchen and Kaori raised to take the cookies out of the oven. She left the tray on the kitchen table and got her coat and shoes on. Sesshomaru just got a spring coat Kaori recently got him and they left for the doctor's.
No one was waiting at the doctor's office. Kaori walked in and was shocked at how empty it was. Was she late or something? She didn't even see the doctor until she peeked her head around a corner and waved to Kaori. The doctor disappeared behind the corner again and Kaori and Sesshomaru sat in chairs while they waited. Sesshomaru removed his gloves and stuffed them into his jeans pocket. His hat that kept his silver up was removed, his hair falling over his shoulder and back. He hated hiding anything about himself, but in Kaori's world, he had to. Kaori removed her coat and hung both Sesshomaru's and hers on the coat hanger.
"Kaori, how have you been doing?" Dr. Jun asked, giving Kaori a hug. Sesshomaru kept a growl as low as possible, but Kaori heard it.
"Good. Dr. Jun, this is Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, this is my doctor," Kaori told him. He put a hand out, his eyes hidden by his bangs. Dr. Jun shook his hand and gasped at the claws. Sesshomaru stuffed his hand back into the pocket once the handshake was over.
"Kaori, how about you come this way and we'll check on you and the child," Dr. Jun suggested. Kaori nodded and stood. Sesshomaru followed Kaori into the examination room. Kaori told him he couldn't come in until after they got samples and he sat outside of the door, waiting. The doctor nearly tripped over him while she left the room. Kaori sat on a bed and Sesshomaru sat in a chair off to the side, his hands constantly in his pockets.
"So, do you think the child's all right?" Kaori asked Sesshomaru, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Maybe," Sesshomaru told her.
"I want an answer, not just a maybe!" Kaori yelled.
"I don't know," He told her, looking up to her eyes.
"I didn't ask if you knew. I was asking for your opinion!" Kaori yelled.
"I think so," Sesshomaru said. "Happy now?"
"That's my line," Kaori mumbled, crossing her arms. Sesshomaru smirked and hid his eyes with his bangs as the doctor walked in.
"All right, here's the status. The child is fine, but it is progressing oddly. I would want you to come once every other week, but I really don't have any clue about half-demon births," Dr. Jun said, sitting in her chair.
"Well, there's a priestess I know who does. She gave me this for the child," Kaori said, passing the bottle to the doctor. Sesshomaru noticed it was slightly less than when he first saw it.
"I see. It looks like it contains some sort of herbs. I advise you to see this priestess as much as possible, or at least once every other week. Though, please try to come here in the later stages and have me take a look at you," Dr. Jun said, giving the bottle back to Kaori, who put it into her purse.
"Sesshomaru barely knows anything about pregnant women. Maybe he should come in a few times and you could tell him about some stuff that will be happening," Kaori said, speaking up for Sesshomaru.
"Well, what does he know?" Dr. Jun asked.
"You know, he is in the room," Sesshomaru growled. Kaori was ashamed at how rude Sesshomaru was being.
"Sesshomaru, behave," Kaori told him. Dr. Jun just laughed.
"Men are usually sceptical of me when they first meet me. But I'll gladly tell you anything you want to know about women during the next nine months, if you would like," Dr. Jun said. For the first time, Sesshomaru looked at Dr. Jun.
"If it will help," Sesshomaru said, lowering his gaze to the floor and shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, how about you come into my office and I'll tell you all about it. Kaori, how about you take a few drinks of that bottle and I'll have my assistant will run some tests to find out what it does to your system," Dr. Jun said, standing up. Sesshomaru stood, looking over at Kaori. He really was hoping Kaori would go with him.
"Can you wait a sec? I want to talk to Sesshomaru for a little while, all right?" Kaori asked. Dr. Jun nodded and left the room.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I really want you to be able to understand what's going on. I'm your wife and if you don't understand, it will be a long nine months for you. Give my doctor a chance and trust her. She is here to help," Kaori told him.
He nodded and left the room. The assistant came in and Kaori took a few sips of the drink. It tasted nastier than it smelt, but it was for the child. Sesshomaru sat in a chair and Dr. Jun was telling him all about the symptoms and how Kaori might act during the months. At the end, both just wanted to go home. Sesshomaru kept looking over his shoulder at the doctor as he left the room. Kaori was washing her mouth out and exited after Sesshomaru.
"May we go home? Now?" Sesshomaru asked, shaking his head, trying to take the images out of his mind that were on the posters Dr. Jun showed him.
"Please," Kaori said, the disgusting taste still lingering in her mouth. The tests seemed to find that the drink was helping the child and she was told to drink it once every day. She really didn't want to, but the child might be in danger if she didn't. The bottle was in her purse now, slightly less. She drove home, quiet the entire way. Sesshomaru still had the images in his mind and couldn't get them out of his head. All that was supposed to happen to Kaori? He couldn't imagine it. He looked at Kaori constantly, trying to imagine her giving birth to a child, but just couldn't. He sighed as they got home and Kaori bolted for the sink for a drink of water. Anything to get the taste out. Sesshomaru sat on the couch, watching some TV.
Kaori looked at the cookies. She always tossed the bad ones out and was doing that until Sesshomaru came over.
"You were loud. What are you doing?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I don't keep the bad cookies," Kaori told him, throwing another one out. It was only a few tossed and Kaori put the rest into little baggies and put them in the fridge. Sesshomaru snuck one into his mouth and complimented they were good. "No sweets before supper."
"This child is going to hate you," Sesshomaru mumbled, brushing the crumbs off of his hands.
"Well, too bad," Kaori said, walking to her room. She put the bottle on the dresser and started cleaning up the room. Sesshomaru decided to train at that time. Kaori watched him train, sweating and shirtless. She rested her elbows on the windowsill, her head on her hands as she watched him. He finally caught her watching him and shook his head, going back to training. But now he knew Kaori was watching him and he just wanted to watch her. He eventually couldn't even hit the punching bag and grabbed the towel, going inside. He then looked up at the window and saw Kaori wasn't there.
He came inside and found the bathroom door ajar, the light on. Opening the door a crack, Kaori was over the toilet again. He sighed and left her to finish up.
He changed into some loose clothing and relaxed on the couch, watching a few TV shows. He didn't understand half of them. Kaori came downstairs and stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Sesshomaru glanced once at her before the TV show came back on and he finished watching the episode.
Kaori was trying to decide something for supper. Nothing much appealed to her, but hot dogs were an idea. Quick and simple. Kaori glanced back at Sesshomaru and he seemed preoccupied with the TV, so she didn't want to bother him. She got the wieners and buns out and started cooking them. It was fairly quick and Sesshomaru sat at the kitchen table, wondering what Kaori was cooking. Kaori brought the supper from the microwave to the table and sat down, her head in her hands. Sesshomaru just stared at the hot dogs, steam rising from them.
"Well, eat up," Kaori said.
Sesshomaru took one and inspected it. What kind of food was this?
"It's called a hot dog and you eat it with your hands," Kaori told him, getting one of her own and taking a bite from the end.
Sesshomaru did the same. It had an unusual taste, but was reasonable. He only ate one and so did Kaori. She put the leftover hot dogs into the fridge and told Sesshomaru she was going upstairs to sleep.
"It's only seven," Sesshomaru told her.
"So? Is there a rule that I can't go to bed early?" Kaori asked, halfway up the stairs.
"No, I'm just wondering," Sesshomaru told her.
"Well, excuse me for being exhausted. Come to bed when you want to," Kaori told him. She went to her room and silently closed the door behind her.
Sesshomaru looked up to Kaori's room and sighed, turning the TV back on. It only kept his attention for a while before his eyelids started closing. He shut off the TV and headed upstairs. He caught a glance of the clock and was shocked three hours had passed while he watched TV. It only seemed like three minutes.
He quietly opened the door and only saw darkness. He finally closed the door and his eyes accustomed to the darkness and saw Kaori sleeping on the bed, dressed in pyjamas. He brushed some hair that was in her face and laid down next to her, trying not to move too much to wake her up. He rested his head on her head and inhaled her scent before his eyes closed and he fell asleep.