Title: Hakkai's Surprise
Rating: T
Summary: Kanan took her own life because she believed the child inside her to be Hyakugan Maoh's, but what if it was really Gonou's? A year post facto, Hakkai's been living with Gojyo for a while, and they've fallen into the commonplace normalcy of life (punctuated with visits from Sanzo and his pet monkey). But when a young girl comes bearing an announcement and another chance, what will happen to our beloved human-turned-youkai?
AN: hehe, an on-time post for once! -gasp- Anyway, there's major OOCness in this chapter. Warning you now, as if you didn't expect it at some point.
Chapter the fourth: Two Months and Counting!
Hakkai had, by the time he was seven months along, undergone a few changes. What used to be the gentle swell of his growing baby was now a large bump that was practically impossible to hide. He still fit into his green tunic shirts, if only barely. Around month six, the comfortable stasis of watching his body change as his baby developed was swapped for a sudden onslaught of hormones. At any given moment, he was likely torn between crying, laughing, or giving Gojyo a sound smack to the head. Mostly crying. The light cramping that had been explained as his scar refusing to stretch with the baby was now gone for the most part, but he seemed to be carrying the child awfully low. He had a hard time sleeping with the now-active baby kicking the hell out of his internal organs, and he was having an equally hard time breathing with the pressure of the baby on his diaphragm. Even with all of the discomfort of his changing size (he was becoming more self-conscious by the day, claiming that he was nearly the size of a barge); there was something vaguely magical about the sensation of the new life inside of him. Not everything about the pregnancy was negative. The feeling of absolution, of peace, that he'd had since he found out about this second chance was still there, and it always came to him when he felt like he couldn't take anymore. But now, late in his seventh month, a stinging, prickling sensation had started in his lower area, and he had no idea what was causing it. He was still unable to complain to Gojyo about any of the symptoms that he was going through, though the now-frequent mood swings seemed to scare the half-kappa greatly. Luckily, a few days after the prickling started, the note came that said that the storks would arrive in about a week. He posted a response by 'door mail' (his term for the way that the notes just seemed to appear and disappear from the door), asking if they could come sooner. Now, apparently he couldn't get them to delay even a day, but when he needed them to come sooner the swirly blue handwriting appeared on his response saying 'See ya tomorrow!' Indeed.
Gojyo was frightened of pregnant Hakkai. Very, very frightened. One minute he'd be about to bite Gojyo's head off over some trivial little thing, and the next he'd be crying and apologizing like he had tried to kill him. Not only was it out of character, but it was just damn creepy. Of course, the mood swings also went from eerily giddy Hakkai to angry Hakkai or from sad Hakkai to giddy Hakkai. What about 'normal Hakkai', you ask? Hah. Normal Hakkai disappeared when the hormones set in. Hopefully it would only be a few more months until Hakkai was back to normal. Hopefully. Gojyo wasn't sure if his already frazzled, nicotine-deprived nerves could take much more of this. For a hanyou chimney like Gojyo, four months with hardly any cigarettes was starting to drive him insane. And nicotine-deprived Gojyo obviously grated on pregnant Hakkai's nerves, making both of them basket cases. If it weren't him in this situation, Gojyo would have laughed.
The day of the storks' arrival came, and Hakkai sent Gojyo into town, telling him to stay as long as he wanted. It was getting late, and Hakuryu was already asleep, curled up on the table. He struggled up from his seat when the knock at the door came, his left hand resting on his sore back.
"Konnichiwa, I'm coming!" He yelled, walking (it would be a month or so yet until he truly started waddling, he assumed) over to the door and opening it.
"You look well, Hakkai-san. Anything wrong?" The storks' expressions were serious. "Why did you summon us early?" A blush rose to Hakkai's face, and the pregnant brunette ushered the two in.
"There's been sort of a...ano...a stinging sensation, for a few days now." Jihira breathed a sigh of relief.
"Remember in your first check up when I said it'd be a few months before you'd have to take your pants off?" Hakkai nodded. "Well, it's been a few months. In the bedroom and pants off, Hakkai-san. We'll be there in a minute." Jihira said with a smile. Once he was out of the room, Jihira laughed.
"He does make an adorable pregnant man, doesn't he?" She asked her husband.
"Why are you so calm? The stinging, isn't it dangerous?"
"Baka, you're going to scare him. It's perfectly normal in male pregnancies." With that said, Jihira walked into the bedroom. Hakkai was under the covers.
"Nice try, Hakkai-san. Covers off." Jihira said. Reluctantly, Hakkai threw the sheet off his body.
"Now then, the stinging. It's perfectly normal." She reassured with a smile. She sat down at the foot of the bed, and looked about to examine him, when an impressed expression crossed her face.
"Wow," was all that the stork said before starting her examination. She reached under the subject of her unprofessional statement, blindly searching with gentle fingers and years of experience until she found the spot that she was looking for. This, as it turns out, just happened to be the source of the stinging sensation. Hakkai hissed, clenching his fists in the sheets.
"Mm-hmm," Jihira nodded. "You know what this is, Hakkai-san?" She removed her finger, as it obviously was hurting him. Hakkai shook his head.
"It's the start of where the baby's going to come out." A restrained look of horror crossed Hakkai's face. "Don't worry; it won't sting the entire time. Right now, your body is rearranging to make a canal for the baby. The flesh on the outside won't open, however, until the baby's ready to be born. During month nine, I bet you won't even know it's there." Jihira reassured with a smile. She patted Hakkai's foot.
"You can cover back up now." Hurriedly, he pulled the sheet back over himself. Jihira laughed.
"Shirt up, now. I have to examine the belly." Hakkai obeyed, pulling his tunic up to just above his very rounded stomach. He watched Jihira as she made sure everything was in order.
"Jihira-san?" The baby delivered a square kick to his liver.
"Hai, Hakkai-san?" She didn't look up as she answered, but she didn't need to.
"Ano...it's nothing." He looked up at the ceiling. She backed away and smiled at him, nodding.
"The baby appears to be fine. We'll be back same time next month." Jihira said sweetly.
"Something happens between now and then, feel free to door post." Jyuuseii added.
"Matte, could you stay until Gojyo comes home?" Before the two storks could answer, the door opened.
"Hakkai, tadaima!"
"Speak of the devil!" Jihira chirped.
"That's our cue. Sayonara, Hakkai-san."
"Sayonara." The two storks transformed and flew out the window.
"Hakkai? Hey, 'Kai, can you hear me?" Chuckling quietly to himself, Hakkai got out of bed and laboriously pulled his pants back on.
"I'm in the bedroom, Gojyo!" He called. Just as he made his way to the door, Gojyo came in.
"So, how'd my excessively pregnant roommate do on his seven-month exam?"
"Urusai kudasai." Hakkai said, feeling his mood start to swing to the 'angry' side of the scale. In his mind, the term 'excessively pregnant roommate' was equal to 'disgustingly corpulent barge of a roommate'. This did not do wonders for his self-esteem, nor did it bode well for Gojyo.
"I was just asking how your check up went. No need to get testy," Gojyo wisely put his hands where Hakkai could see them in a gesture of submission.
"I'm not 'testy', just because you think I'm fat."
"What! I never said you were fat!"
"Aha! You do think I'm fat!"
"No, I don't! I think you're insane, but that doesn't have anything to do with your weight!" An eerie calm fell over Hakkai's face.
"You think I'm insane, hm?" Gojyo didn't get a chance to respond before the palm of Hakkai's right hand met his face.
"What was that for!" Gojyo cradled his cheek in one hand. Hakkai's angry expression softened, his green eyes filling with tears.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Hakkai pulled Gojyo's hand away from his face, putting his own to the impressive red mark. "Are you alright? Does it hurt? I'm so sorry, Gojyo. I didn't mean to hit you." Short, suppressed sobs caused Hakkai's shoulders to hitch. Gojyo wrapped his arms around his friend comfortingly as the slightly smaller man rode out his mood swing.
"There, there, I understand. It's not your fault, Hakkai. Don't worry; it'll take more than a slap to hurt me." Gojyo comforted. It took a few minutes for Hakkai to calm down, even still.
"I'm sorry, it's just...these hormones are making me crazy." The hormonal youkai pulled away from Gojyo.
"It was my fault that time, Hakkai. Now, let's put that behind us. Wanna tell me how your check-up went?"
"They said everything was normal. Ano, could we sit down? My back is killing me." The two sat down on the bed, and Hakkai sighed in relief as pressure was taken off his lower back and ankles.
"And they'll come back in two months?" Hakkai stared at Gojyo like he had just sprouted three heads.
"They'll be here this time next month." Hakkai smiled at his best friend. "And you? How was your evening of smoking, drinking, gambling, and women?" The half-kappa waved off the comment with a grin.
"I couldn't bring myself to light up," Gojyo said nonchalantly. "And the girls kept asking me why I hadn't been around lately and why I wasn't smoking." Hakkai was touched that Gojyo couldn't smoke anymore. He smiled, but even though he was smiling, tears welled in his emerald green eyes. Gojyo truly had a heart of gold hidden between those smoke-blackened lungs of his.
"I ended up just wandering around for a while. Then I saw something and figured that I'd get it for your kid." Gojyo stood, grinning. "Be right back." Hakkai blinked tears back, sniffling softly. Now, here Gojyo had wandered around nicotine, booze, and women-free all night and bought something for Hakkai's baby to boot, and practically as soon as he gets home, Hakkai had to haul off and slap him. Oh, he felt like such an ass. Gojyo came back in, holding something behind his back.
"I figured that maybe dragon taming runs in families, so I got the little one a pet of his – or her - own." The half-kappa grinned, holding out the little white dragon stuffed animal that he'd had behind his back. Slowly, Hakkai took the stuffed animal from Gojyo's hands. He stared at it, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Gojyo sat down next to his friend, thinking that he'd upset the pregnant youkai.
"Hey, if you don't like it, I can take it back." Gojyo reassured. Hakkai tearfully clutched the stuffed dragon to him.
"It's perfect! I love it!" Hakkai cried. Gojyo tipped the youkai's head toward him, wiping the tears away from the emerald eyes with his thumb.
"Then why the tears?" The hanyou asked.
"You were so sweet to go without a single smoke or drink all night, and then you bought this for my baby," Hakkai sniffled, "and as soon as you get home, I get mad and slap you!" Gojyo shifted to hold Hakkai as he cried, comfortingly rubbing his friend's back.
"It's alright, I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. It wasn't your fault, it's alright." Hakkai finally stopped crying.
"You're right, Gojyo. I'm sorry." He offered a soft, teary smile. "Thank you, it's a sweet gift. I'm sure the baby will love it." His mood did a 180 then, swinging straight to happy, and he held the stuffed dragon in front of his large belly.
"Thanks to your uncle Gojyo, little one, you'll have your very own hakuryu to snuggle when you come out. What do you think?" The baby made a visible show of kicks and punches, then, clear as day against the taut green fabric of Hakkai's tunic, the outline of a tiny hand appeared.
"I think that means that she likes it." Hakkai said with a laugh. The hand outline disappeared.
"That was the...the baby's hand?" Gojyo was still in awe. Hakkai smiled at him.
"Mm-hmm," he nodded. Gojyo's shocked expression faded to a grin.
"Guess it's really coming soon, ne?"
"Hai, in two months." Hakkai rested one arm on top of his belly, cradling the bottom with his other. "Just two more months."
Language notes: Konnichiwa - hello, ano - um, baka - idiot, hai - yes, matte - wait, tadaima - I'm home, sayonara - goodbye, urusai kudasai - please shut up, hakuryu - white dragon, ne? - right?
Canon notes: They're both OOC, I know that, they're supposed to be. Gojyo's been practically cold-turkey nicotine free for four months, and Hakkai's suffering from the traditional hormone overdose. Of course, Gojyo's random act of kindness (the plushie!) came about because he does have a heart of gold between his smoke-blackened lungs. He's the best big brother anyone could hope for. Minus the smoking, drinking, gambling, and womanizing, of course.
Author notes: I have too much fun writing mood swings. Far, far too much fun. Next chapter, month eight. As Hakkai gets closer to his due date, his hormones get more and more out of whack. This should be fun.
Oh, and a note to reviewers: your feedback makes me squee! I haven't gotten a single flame yet, either, which surprises me. Thank you and stay beautiful (or handsome), all of you:)