It was too difficult to watch.
Hiyori had been whining for almost an hour.
Was it the afternoon sunlight in her eyes? Was she in pain? Was she feeling sick? Or was Hiyori having a nightmare? Was that usual for an expecting mother?
Nora didn't know much of anything, but Hiyori's behavior was causing her to worry. She couldn't just sit around and wait for Hiyori to wake. Waking her up wasn't an option either, though.
Nora stood by her bedside, pondering on possible solutions.
Then, it came to her. She smiled softly, feeling hopeful about her idea.
Nora had never used it often, but she knew it worked.
She carefully raised an arm, the sleeve of her kimono hanging from her wrist. The young girl connected two fingers to the brunette's forehead and opened her mouth.
"Iki Hiyori," Nora whispered, a blue light forming between her fingers. "Slumber."
Any incoming whimpering from Hiyori was suddenly cut off. A sigh escaped her lips, sounding much more pleasant. With it, her restless tossing and turning ceased altogether.
Nora grinned, feeling satisfied with her abilities. She reached over and adjusted the tangled blanket to a comfortable position over Hiyori's shoulders.
. . . . .
For once, her eyes didn't feel sore, her body wasn't stiff and sore, and her mind felt clearer somehow.
Hiyori yawned and shifted, suddenly noticing the heat of something on her forehead. Her hand immediately came up to reach her head, finding a hot towel against her skin.
"Hmm?" she mumbled aloud, still slightly groggy from her nap.
Hiyori stared down at the steaming wet cloth in her hand. She straightened up in bed with some difficulty, holding herself up with her heavy belly.
That was the moment that someone immediately came to her aid, small hands coming to carefully pull her upward.
Words that sounded like a question reached Hiyori's ears, but didn't find their way to her half-awake brain.
The half-Phantom looked down at the young girl beside her in her bedroom. She rubbed one of her eyes, correcting her blurry vision. "Huh…?"
"I asked if you slept alright," Nora answered, offering a kind smile.
"O-oh…" Hiyori blinked and scanned her bedroom, gaining awareness. "I slept well, thanks." She grinned back, softly rubbing her stomach.
Then, something new - something she hadn't noticed until then - invaded her nose. A scent - almost spicy, but extremely pleasant.
"What's…- what's that smell?" The brunette asked.
Nora seemed to immediately bounce up, her expression filling with realization and excitement. "Oh!"
She rushed to Hiyori's nightstand nearby, picking up a miniature vase and eagerly presenting it to Hiyori. The half-Phantom appeared surprised, then interested by the purple plants inside the dish.
"Are these… lavender?" Hiyori plucked one of them out of the vase and held it up to her nose to inhale. She sighed happily.
Nora nodded, her face glowing with emotion. "Yes. I found them in a field not too far from here."
Then the girl turned to the vanity mirror. She grabbed up a book that Hiyori recognized as one of previously bought pregnancy books.
"This book has an entire chapter about the stress levels on an expecting woman's body and mind. It even includes a series of solutions to eliminate - or at least reduce - the stress. One of them said that lavender plants work well at easing anxiety and sleep disorders. It's called aromatherapy."
Hiyori couldn't help but release a gentle laugh. She had been meaning to open that book. Nora apparently had gotten to it before her, and she made such incredible use of its contents.
There was silence as Hiyori gazed down at the lavender and hot towel in her lap.
She actually stayed. She went through all this trouble…
That feeling of being taken care of. She hadn't felt that way since her lover was last with her.
Nora set the book aside on the table again. She heard a distant sniffle. When she spun around to face Hiyori, the young Regalia found her face dripping with tears, her brown hair clumping together against her soaked cheeks.
"H-Hiyori?" Nora hurried over, hesitant to come too close. "Did I… do something wrong?"
Suddenly, Nora saw Hiyori lift her head and grab up her tiny figure into her arms. The brunette continued to sob into her shoulder, the tears of joy, sorrow and hormones sinking into Nora's kimono.
"Thank you. Nora."
. . . . .
With Nora sent off to fetch the newly cleaned bed sheets from the dryer across the hall, Hiyori was left to pick up the rest of her room.
She set up her books against her bookshelf, organizing them so that they sat delicately next to each other. Once finished, Hiyori stepped back and basked in the glory of her work.
"There. That's much better," she grinned, a hand over her round stomach.
There was a brief pause. Then—
"Hiyori!"
The brunette gasped and nearly tripped over her feet, catching herself against the edge of her desk. Her head whipped around her shoulder to witness a blonde boy suddenly in the center of her bedroom.
"Y-Yukine-kun?!" Hiyori cried in shock, standing upright again. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at Kofuku-san's!"
"No! Well, yeah, but it's just that-" The blonde boy halted and shook his head as if trying to regain focus. "S-sorry - there's no time to talk. Your brother sent me. We need to go!"
"'My brother?'" She repeated, suddenly bewildered. "'Go?' Go where? What's going on?"
Yukine seemed agitated by all her questions. Hiyori knew it had to have been serious for him to appear out of nowhere and look as antsy as he was.
He snatched her wrist and nearly rushed her while she immediately grabbed her shoes, coat, and bags.
"I'll explain on the way, but we have to stop by the shrines to get holy water. Lots of it."
Hiyori blinked at him, watching him tug her around.
And suddenly, within all the commotion, the half-Phantom realized she nearly let it slip her mind.
Nora!
"W-wait a minute!" She gasped, pushing away from the boy's grasp. "I…- I think I forgot something! Just wait here a moment."
Then she hurried towards the hallway, sliding her bedroom door open and leaving her friend behind.
Hiyori was halted in her tracks when she discovered her bed sheets laying on the floor by her door. She scanned her surroundings, puzzled.
But where was Nora?
Yukine followed her out into the hallway. "Hiyori, c'mon!"
Her senses came back to her when she turned to face the Regalia again, her blankets in her arms. Yukine pulled her back into her room, where she messily dropped her sheets on her bed.
"Yukine-kun," she began, sounding impatient. "What's wrong? What's going on? Just tell me." She implored.
The disturbance in the air was thick enough to slash with a Katana.
Hiyori's heart was already thumping with anxiety. Yukine sensed it too as they stood and stared at each other. Grief and concern in the girl's pink eyes, the boy quietly gathered himself for just a second long enough to respond with a grave expression.
"Yato's back."
