(2/20/11)

Wednesday...

Minako seemed so happy since we hung out the other day. I was really excited and eager to show her that even though I was young, I was ready to be a father, I went to several online websites, including Tanaka's Amazing Commodities Online to buy baby supplies. I already had several items on my shopping cart, when a familiar number appeared in my phone, calling me.

I picked it up, "Hey Gran!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Hello Minato-chan! Its been too long!" She greeted.

"Yeah. Too long, really." I said.

"How is everything?"

"Well... Remember Minako?"

"Yes! Did you two become a couple?" Granma asked frantically.

"Uh, well... not exactly." I stammered, "I kinda knocked her up. It was official when she tested positive in the pregnancy test the other day..."

"Oh! That's... unfortunate..." She mumbled, "My granddaughter had the same fate... are her parents okay with it?"

"She's an orphan, like me." I said sadly, "Sigh... I really ruined her life... I mean, who would want to be an early mother?" I sighed morosely.

"Minato-chan... I can't pretend to know what you're going through, but I want you to know everything will be all right."

"I know it'll be all right, Gran... Thanks." I said gratefully, "I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"

"It only gets better from here on out." She insisted, "You should come over to my place to have tea! I just renovated it and it'd be great if you could come over and catch up."

"Sounds good, Gran."

"It's getting late and I need to get some rest. I'll talk to you later. " Gran yawned sleepily.

"Oh, sure thing, Gran!" I said happily as I hung up and resumed my shopping.

(2/27/11)

Wednesday...

Today was a good day. Tanaka's Amazing Commodities had delivered my packages at zero delivery charges, and even gave me a frequent buyer-membership card.

After hours of fixing and arranging, I went to sleep.

2:33 AM...

"Minato?" Minako's oddly depressed voice said shakily, "Um... I got it."

"What, your final grades? Are they bad or what?" I asked seriously.

"No..." She muttered morosely, "My... My 'period'. I miscarried our baby."

My heart rate spiked up. After a moment of stunned silence, I began sobbing uncontrollably. The tears streamed down my face as I looked at the unopened packages of Tanaka's Amazing Commodities carrying toys and clothes my child will probably never get to wear. I thought for a while that it was a good thing, meaning Minako and I will get to live our lives now, but why should our child have to die, while people like Elder and his cult get to run around, killing people? It just didn't make sense...

The sadness of my heart became too much to bear as my tears rolled down my cheek.

"Um... I'm sorry. I can tell you were sleeping before I called, so I'll talk to you tomorrow, maybe..." Minako began.

"No, no, it's fine, I'm awake now..." I sniffed.

"No, it's really okay, Minato... I... I know you're feeling upset too." She said soberly, "I'm sorry. I know how thrilled you were..."

"It's no one's fault..." I said in an effort to remain strong, "Especially not yours."

"Thanks..."

"Minako?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no, I'm okay. Don't worry." She said with a trembling voice.

"Um... Did you want a baby?" I asked.

"Eventually. I mean, when I have a stable job and future."

"Well, don't worry. Eventually, you will." I encouraged her.

"It's got me thinking, you know..." She chortled sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I'm gonna have someone's child, I need to ask myself if that's the guy I'm willing to be with forever. So, Minato... I ask you now... What are we getting ourselves into?" Minako asked, "Think about it, please." She said as she hung up.

Needless to say, I couldn't sleep anymore for the rest of the night, so I decided to pack every package inside my Armory. Sighing sadly, I crept back to my bed like a zombie and went to sleep.

(2/28/11)

Friday...

The day started off with a wet note. Since I was a pluviophile, I felt relaxed at the pitter-patter of rain.

Minako looked immensely depressed and so did I. When I finally caught her a the rooftop, staring on the horizon, she looked at me and smiled sadly. I sat beside her in the rain and allowed her head to rest on my shoulder as we both sighed.

A little while later, we stood up and went home, but strangely, everyone converged on our house. Apparently, Lee called a meeting. The only one not there was Fuuka.

Lee looked rather distressed.

"Lee...What's wrong? Is everything alright?" I asked as he kept pacing.

"Is everything okay with you and Fuuka?" Yukari asked with a singsong voice.

"Yes, everything is alright, for your information..." Lee said evasively. Yukari turned pink as she looked down sheepishly.

"Don't spread this to anyone..." There was another short pause, a rather awkward and constricted pause, then Lee breathed sharply, as if to admit something embarrassing, "Fuuka and I... We... uh... we sorta... took our relationship to fourth base not long ago."

"Oh, that's good!" Yukari cried as she pumped her fist to the air.

"Freakin' awesome!" Junpei cried, "You actually got Fuuka out of her cyber shell."

"So, what's wrong? Why d'you look so strange?" Kenji asked, "Did you get her pregnant?"

"Don't joke about that," I said seriously as Minako squeezed my arm.

"Ah, I know! Maybe he's gonna ask Fuuka to marry him!" Pinky sighed, "How romantic!"

"Pinky, I think it's too soon to think that. Probably, he'll just ask her to go steady." Quan said.

Another deep breath, and he sat down looking dejected, "I left her immediately after we..." He couldn't finish it as he began to weep, "I just left her. We kinda broke up. I didn't answer her messages, e-mails, calls or texts..."

Everyone blinked, not knowing how to react.

I felt angry. Incredibly angry. Minako's revelation had made me really sensitive to these kinds of topics, "Just to be clear with everything..." I said loudly, "You left Fuuka after using her, then you broke up with her?" I said slowly, enunciating every word clearly as I stared defiantly at the tall guy.

Everyone's eyes were on me now.

"Sh-she'll be better off without someone like me ruining her life." Lee assured, his platinum blonde hair covering his eyes, "Minato, she'll be fine without me."

"Well," I said slowly, "You don't really know that, do you? Actually, you don't know anything at all. You're the only guy she truly liked. I don't know why she'd choose a jerk and coward like you though..." I spat hotly.

Lee's face drained of color. The room temprature seemed to have dropped drastically. Quan stared around the room, hoping to burn the memory in his mind, while Pinky kept biting her nails. Kenji's foot kept moving. Minako, Yukari, Rio, Leah, Akihiko and Junpei's eyes swivelled back and forth between Lee and I as if watching a game of tennis.

"You don't understand..." Lee said at last, "None of you would."

"Explain then," I said coldly, "So we'd understand."

Lee took a deep breath, "I suffer from a rare medical condition... It's so damn rare, it hasn't even had a name yet. It's similar to Diabetes or even AIDS. I'm afraid it's a contagious, degenerative disease. And that's not the only thing I have... Autoimmunity disease, sickle blood cells and a lot of other diseases that make me susceptible to all diseases known to man..."

Everyone looked horrified. I, on the other hand, felt a stab of sadness. My friend, Akinari Kamiki, of the Sun Arcana, had died under uncannily similar circumstances.

"You're dying...?" Minako whispered as her eyes widened.

"Yeah... I might die, while Fuuka's life will be ruined." Lee said sadly.

Junpei cringed.

"See, even you guys think so..." Lee said bitterly.

"It's not like that-"

"That doesn't justify nothing!" I shouted, "Fuuka will still love you."

Everyone looked nervous.

Lee swallowed hard, "I-I made an error in getting intimate with Fuuka. I did it against my better judgement and I... began regretting it ever since."

"I see... So after using Fuuka like some... back alley whore, you throw her aside like a broken sandal?" I said harshly.

Lee sprang to his feet, his chair toppled over so loud and hard, that the entire group flinched.

He glared at me so fiercely, that for the first time ever, I saw the shadow of a murderous killer etched on his face. There was nothing more dangerous than a Marine and his rifle. But there is nothing more angrier than me right now. And Lee had neither rifle nor was he a Marine. I glared back at him.

"Don't you understand what I've done to her?! I never should have gone to second base with her! I've ruined her life! RUINED IT!" He bellowed so loudly, the house seemed to have shook with his voice.

He kicked the chair he overturned, smashing it to bits.

"You've only seen me with the gang, with my underclassmen, my dormmates or under the hospitality of the Kirijo Group at Gekkoukan! You don't know how the rest of the world sees me! When they know what I harbor in my body, they'll never accept me! Don't you see what I've done?! Even my own family is disgusted by me! Hers included! I mean, what parents would actually be mad enough to allow their only daughter to be with someone like me!? And... And I might have spread it to her...!" He said, and his eyes widened like he just realized something awful.

He seized a handful of his fair hair and ripped it from his scalp. He kneeled down and punched the ground repeatedly while screaming as hard as he could, until the tiles cracked, his voice hoarse and his fists were bloodied. He looked really deranged and let out a remorseful sob.

Everyone looked somber.

"People like me don't usually stay with one woman! There's a reason why I don't stay in serious relationships! Fuuka's irreplaceable! She'll turn out just like me, I'm damn sure of it! How the fuck am I gonna forgive myself after knowingly passing my... fucking curse to a young girl, with her whole life ahead of her! And if, by some Divine Intervention, she doesn't turn like me, then she'd be better off without me for a lover who she'd be ashamed of!"

"Lee! How could you even say such a thing?!" Yukari said quietly, "Why would you even think she'd be ashamed of you?! She loves you very much!"

"That's right! I haven't seen Fuuka that happy before!" Rio said.

"Fuuka won't care if you're sick or not!" Minako cried, "I wouldn't! If the person I love has that disease, I'll weather the storm with him!" She said as she gave me a sidelong look.

Lee smiled faintly, but shook his head.

"I don't know, Yuks." I said, "I would." I really didn't know where my rage was coming from, wether from last night or protectiveness for Fuuka, who saved my life countless times with her battle support, but it sent me to my feet.

He looked as if I slapped him in the face.

"What, you think Fuuka is some 15$ whore you get it on with everyday? She's a beautiful soul, a kind person and has a big heart! What will people think after you toss her aside and replace her for some mule-faced whore? I thought you loved her!"

"How- how dare you?" Lee said angrily, "I never meant to hurt Fuuka. I never desired anything but to make her happy. And the only way for it to remain so is if I stay as far away as possible from her. How dare you even suggest such bullshit!"

"I think you're trying to relive your glory days, aren't you, bruv?" I said coldly, "You want to be some sort of playboy, bedding every single girl who'd even have you."

"Minato, no!" Yukari begged.

"Stop fighting!" Minako shouted, in the verge of tears.

"Just stop it already!" Rio shouted.

"Enough!" Pinky bawled.

"C'mon fellas..." Akihiko reasoned.

I ignored them and stared at Lee's livid face.

"I'd never would believe this," I said, rage boiling inside me like a cauldron, "A man who fought in countless battles... turned out to be nothing more than a coward."

"Don't...call me...a...coward..." Lee said through gritted teeth, trying to suppress his killer rage.

"You are one." I said harshly.

Lee moved so fast, it was a blur. He lifted me off my feet so fast with a roundhouse, I felt as if he pulled the ground up from underneath me. Actually, I felt as if my skull was made of jelly. As I slid to the floor, I saw Lee's jacket billowing after him.

"Lee, Lee! Come back!" Rio cried after him, but he had already slammed the doors shut.

The next thing I knew, I was laid on the couch and Yukari putting ice all over my wounded face. His fist hit me square on the left eye, hitting my nose as well.

Everyone else was either looking at me or crying.

Leah was cursing under her breath at the mess Lee made as she cleaned it up.

"Minato... That was cold, dude." Minako said, "How could you do that?"

"It was easy." I said. I was so full of anger, I was still shaking, "I can't stand that kind of attitude."

Rio shook her head as she looked at me with distaste.

"Don't look at me like that!" I spat harshly.

"Don't you round up on Rio too!" Kenji cried defensively.

"What are you gonna do about it?!" Junpei challenged.

"Oh yeah?" Kenji hissed went closer to Junpei's face, "Want to see me do something about it?"

Junpei pushed him, "Come on then. Let's go a few rounds."

Kenji pushed him too, "Let's go toe-to-toe, bitch!"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Pinky pleaded, "That's enough."

We nodded.

"I'm sorry guys..." I managed.

"Kenji... I'm sorry man..." Junpei muttered guiltily.

"Think nothing of it. I'm sorry too, bro." Kenji said as he and Junpei shook hands.

Turning to me, Junpei said, "You shouldn't have said that to Lee. Even though it was totally true... It still hurt."

"Sorry. But he had it coming." I said. Broken memories of me fighting Nyx resurfaced. "Lovers..." I said, "Should never leave each other... Unless they have to." I said, looking at Yukari, who looked at her shoes.

The former members of SEES looked sober.

I sighed, "I shouldn't have called him those words."

"Yeah. Right." They mumbled.

"Still." Minako said, "Lee's illness must be the freaking Bubonic Plague mixed with Smallpox for him to react that way..."

"I know..." I said.

"But if it'd make him go back to Fuuka, then it's okay, right?" Quan said.

"I don't know." I sighed as I went out. Minako followed me. I expected her to get angry, but she patted my back reassuringly.

"Hey... What's bothering you?" She said serenely.

"Nothing..." I sighed, "It's about our baby... It died before its time."

"Yeah... I'm sorry..." She said sadly, "Were you mad at Lee because he left Fuuka?"

"Yeah... His situation is similar to ours..."

"I know..." Minako said, "Sigh... Why is everything going wrong?"

"I don't know... We don't deserve it." I sighed, "I mean, if I had it my way, I would have wanted everything to remain the way they were."

Minako smiled as she stood up, "Well, I had enough drama for one day..." She opened the door, "Minato... Remember what I said." She said as she left.

After everyone left, and the place was fixed, I went to sleep, hoping everything that just occurred was just a bad dream.

A/N: This chapter goes out for my aunt and stepsister, who both had the misfortune to miscarry. Its pretty horrible experiencing it, so this also goes to others who had it.

Please be kind enough to leave a review! :)

Q/A:

Hoshiro: Well, I can laugh about it now!

I'll think about it when I write about her again. :) Thanks for the help!

Well, I like the name Yuki, and Mako is from Avatar, but its funny how things work out!

MinexLeggante: Well, I write to chill out. Its weird of me, I know :P And Aigis plays a major role soon, in a few morechapters.

DragOn: Thanks. And she may or may not be Guinevere. Depends really on your perception, of you read the signs and the red flags...

Fanart?

Aniki: Well, you're very convincing.

Gin: It would, wouldn't it? Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned. Johei is real. But he died with Minato's parents, so it could be likened to Daryl Dixon hallucinating about his brother in the show The Walking Dead, episode 'Chupacabra'.

DarkBlah: Well, she could be all of them. That's what makes it fun!

Ace: Hmmm... Imagine looking yourself in the mirror and your reflection doesn't follow your movements. Like, Norman Osborn when he talks to the Green Goblin in the mirror.