Shuichirou kissed his wife. It was night and they were inside the hot spring near Ryoma's house. He noticed she was not reaction to his deep kisses like she used to, even though they finally had some private time.

"Kaori, what is wrong? You are not here." He asked, concerned, caressing her cheek gently.

"I am sorry." She averted her eyes. "It is just… Ryoma is going to be a father. He really is going to have a child."

One day had passed since Sakuno's hunt. She was sad and confused with Ryoma's words. He was so nervous, he tried to explain himself but was not able to and his wife was just getting sadder. Kaori stopped their conversation and asked her brother to examinated the mermaid so they could confirm things.

They went inside the house for some privacy and Ryoma went out after a few moments, pale as a ghost. Sakuno was indeed pregnant and, comparing to a human female, she was 2 months along.

The mermaid took her husband's reaction like he was unhappy and she cried. Sakuno was not talking to him since then and the atmosphere on the house was heavy.

"Are you not happy?" he said, gently. "You are going to have a nephew or a niece."

"How are they managing this?!" She looked at her husband. "Is it even possible for this child to be born? She is already so sick. And, what about the hunting thing, she ate half of a seal! Is Sakuno-san going to risk herself every time she needs to eat?"

"You are worried about her." He pointed out with a smile.

"Of course I am. She was crying so much, she is probably very afraid. I wish I could do something to help her." The pink eyes were sad.

"Just continue to support her like you are doing." He hugged his wife. "I am sure everything will be okay. Ryoma-kun would never let anything happen to her."

"Shuichirou?" she asked, inside the embrace.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to have children?"

"Of course I do." He looked at her and smiled. It was the first time they had that conversation. "Three would be nice."

"Three?!"

"Yes! Two boys and a girl! So the girl could be like you."

"How long have you been thinking about this?!"

"I started to date you with the hopes of making you my wife and having a family, Kaori. The green eyes were so loving. "I was always certain you were the one. When you broke up with me, I was so lost." He showed her a sad smile. "How could I go on with my life without the person I wanted to share everything?"

Her hands cupped his face and she investigated his expression.

"Every day I wake up so happy, still not believing we are really together again."

"I am sorry." Her thumb caressed his handsome face. "I had no idea."

"That is okay. I know solving Muramasa's situation is your priority for now and will probably take a while for us to start a family, but I want you to know that I am ready for that." he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I want to see these beautiful eyes in a child we made together."

Her heart was heavy and full of love from Shuichirou's word and Kaori felt blessed. She kissed him again, this time deeper and seriously and her shorter naked frame was pressed on his lean body.

########

Ryoma took a deep breath, watching Sakuno laid on the futon. Kaori and Shuichirou changed places with them, so she could be more comfortable inside the house. She was so quiet and the absence of her voice and smiles hurt him very much.

He still could remember how happy she was when he explained she was expecting a baby, but soon her smile died when seeing his troubled face. She started to cry and he tried to hug her, but she distanced herself from him. Kaori was the one who comforted her and he felt small and useless.

The young human noticed when she put her hand over her mouth, like being nauseated again and came close to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently.

"I am fine." Her voice was dry and serious.

"Are you hungry again?" she was finally able to eat some human food. Shuichirou had a theory that her hunting a seal was a pregnancy craving. "Or do you need to hunt again?"

"Leave me alone!" she sat down and looked at him with a deep frown on her forehead. Her back was against the wall and Ryoma noticed she was in the same position of discomfort from when she first arrived on his place, hurt and not even knowing how to communicate properly.

Sakuno averted her eyes and her voice was heavy with sorrow.

"As soon as I'm feeling better, I will leave. I will go back to the ocean and you don't have to worry about me again."

"What are you talking about?! You are not going anywhere!"

"I know you don't want this baby!" a big, round tear rolled down her face.

"Is that what you think?" he felt horrible for making her cry again.

"You said having a child with me was impossible! And you look nervous all the time, like you made a big mistake! You were not even happy!"

"You are wrong. I really think it was not possible for us to have a child. You are mermaid and I am a human. Of course I look nervous, I am terrified. I am a doctor and I don't know what to expect, I don't know how to help my own wife and my child!"

He was on the edge of crying too.

"Even if it was a remote chance, I really wanted to have a family with you, but now… I do not know what to do." Her husband lowered his face and she noticed his shoulders trembling. "I do not know what you need or what is going to happen. Are you going to be able to make it to full term? Are you even going to be able to eat properly tomorrow? And what about the birth, how is that going to happen?" he placed his head between his hands. There was so many things he had worried about on that small period of time and there were many more to come yet.

His wife came close and gently touched his chin, making him look at her. Sakuno spread soft kisses on his cheeks before kissing his mouth slowly. The scarlet eyes looked deeply inside the golden ones.

"Ryoma, you're going to be a father." A new tear ran down her cheek, but she smiled at him. "We love each other and we made a baby."

"Sakuno…"

"I'm afraid too, I worry too, but, I am happy. I am so happy, Ryoma. Not long ago, I was completely alone swimming in the vast blue." She leaned her forehead on his chest. "I am not alone anymore. Thank you, Ryoma."

Her words finally made his heart calm down. He hugged his wife tightly and Sakuno smiled, hugging him back.

"I am going to be a father." He said, gently, kissing her neck. "We are going to be parents, Sakuno."

She looked at him and grinned happily.

"Yes!"

"I am happy, Sakuno." He touched her face. "I am very happy, beyond words. Do not think otherwise."

"Really?"

"Yes." Ryoma kissed her. "Let's do our best so this baby can grow up properly and you can be healthy too."

"Okay." She leaned on his chest, holding his torso.

"I will take care of you two."

#########

"Oh, it is bigger!" Kaori said, amazed, when her brother was measuring his wife's belly. She was standing up and he had a small measuring tape around her. Shuichirou was outside, tending the vegetable garden. Another week passed by and she was already with a little bump.

"Isn't my wife amazing?" Ryoma said, taking notes in a small notebook. He had made a diary of her pregnancy, writing down all the big and small milestones.

"Is growing up properly, right?" Sakuno smiled, sitting down.

"Yes. And you are able to eat properly most of the time too, which is also a good sign."

"Her body is adapting to the baby." Kaori smiled. "But, it also makes sense it is growing up quickly like that. It must be hard for a mermaid staying with a big belly for 9 months on the sea."

"Ah, that is right!" Sakuno caressed her belly. "I wonder when it will start to move, like Ryoma said."

"Sakuno, be careful when you go to the sea tonight, okay? Do not dive very deep. Even for humans, those first weeks require care."

"Okay!"