This warm feeling…is inside me? – Chapter 8
The first sign of life is movement
It was the middle of an afternoon. A body was spread out on the couch. His breathing was calm and all his muscles were relaxed since there was one thing that was checked off of his list of things to worry about, headache madness. He thought he could get some rest because a certain annoying pork bun and magician left the house to go and buy him some robes to wear, taking Sakura with them.
He let them go buy the robes because just a little while earlier, Mokona, strangely enough, had got a shopping spree ticket and was jumping all around Kurogane. The pork bun was whining and being annoying, with Fai chiming in a little while later.
"Lookie! Lookie here! A shopping spree!"
"A shopping spree? Mokona where'd you get this?" The blonde asked as he caught Mokona.
"It's a secret!" The pork bun whispered, but enough for Kurogane and Fai to hear.
"Ah, a secret. But what do we need a shopping spree for… Oh! We ran out of luck last time, right Kuro-puu?" Kurogane shifted in his seat on the couch and dug his nails in the cushion.
"Come on Kuro-myuu! Let's go shopping!" Fai said as he grabbed Kurogane's collar with one hand and his other hand pointed to a random location.
"Did you say shopping?" Sakura asked, seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Oh, would you like to come with us Sakura?" Sakura smiled and nodded in reply to the blonde's question.
"Do you think Syaoran would like to come too?" Fai said.
"Syaoran's taking a nap. He didn't sleep at all last night, I hope he's ok." Sakura scrunched her eyebrows together in worry and looked down. She looked back up again when Fai touched her shoulder reassuringly.
"At least he's taking a nap now. Right?"
Sakura gave him a little smile and said, "Right."
"Now then, come on! Stand up Kuro-rin!" Fai said and grabbed a tan hand. Kurogane stopped the blonde from going any farther by jerking Fai's hand to a stop and looking straight into his blue eyes. The blonde stared back for a moment before he smiled and laughed.
"Kuro-buro! Don't be so stubborn like a bulldog! We need to buy you some bigger clothes!"
"Fai! You spilt it!" Mokona whined as it waved its arms in the air. The blonde childishly covered his mouth.
"Oops, I did Mokona?"
"Yes you did!" The pork bun threw a little tantrum and crossed its little arms across its chest. Fai chuckled and gently patted Mokona's head with his free hand, the other hand still clutching Kurogane's hand.
"I'm sorry Mokona. For an apology, I am going to treat you!"
"What Fai! What!"
"It's a secret." The blonde said low in the pork bun's ear. Mokona cheered and hopped into Sakura's arms, jabbing its little arm into the air.
"Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Mokona said eagerly. Fai smiled and pulled Kurogane again, only receiving another stop.
"I'm staying. Someone needs to watch the kid." Kurogane whispered in the blonde's ear when he pulled off Fai's hand and stood right behind the blonde. He gently ushered Sakura and Fai out the door.
"Buy me robes, no dresses. Got it?" Kurogane said after he let them go. He received a laugh and an, "All right Kuro-puu," before he closed the door.
Kurogane shifted on the couch because sleep was falling on him. As he shifted, he heard a clattering sound and a sharp draw of breath. He quickly sat up, sitting in a battle position, but then lowered his arms and shoulders when he noticed that it was Syaoran.
"Oh…" Syaoran said shyly as color came to his cheeks. He picked up the thing that clattered to the floor, which was a little plastic container, and placed it back to where it was before.
"Hey kid, you should be sleeping. Not walking around." Kurogane said and started fixing his blue robe that he was wearing, since sleeping on the couch made some of his robe slip off his shoulder. He heard Syaoran apologize and saw the kid bow.
"U-um, may I sit with you?" Syaoran asked after he straightened. Kurogane lightly grunted and Syaoran politely sat next to the ninja. Kurogane saw the brunette glance down to his stomach that, unfortunately showed, but not enough to tell that you are really indeed pregnant. Kurogane covered his stomach with his hand and saw Syaoran blush again.
"I-I'm-" Syaoran started but Kurogane held up a hand for him to stop.
"Kid, don't worry over these kids. Think about your well-being and your princess'. You're not in my position."
"Ok." Syaoran nodded.
"Can I feel the babies?" The brunette said as he glanced down again.
"You won't feel anything."
"But you're five months along and they say that in this month, the baby would start to move." Kurogane twitched.
"You read too many books, kid. Now get some rest, or your princess might worry even more." Kurogane said and stood up, grabbing Syaoran like a little kitten. He placed the kid back down and ushered Syaoran toward his bedroom.
"All right then. Take care, Kurogane." Syaoran smiled his usual calm smile and closed his bedroom door behind him. Kurogane sighed and opened the back door, taking his sword with him. He did some cutting in the air with his sword then he laid the sword on the grassy ground, sat next to it, and meditated.
Grey clouds filled the blue sky and it let its daily drops fall down to the Earth. Soon everything was soaked, even the black-haired being that still sat in the grass, unmoved.
xXxXxXxXx
"Ah! Is anybody home?" Fai asked as he opened the front door wide. He looked around from the threshold while closing his light blue umbrella. Sakura was already in the house and inside Syaoran's and her bedroom, with a sleeping Mokona in her arms. In seconds, she came out of the bedroom.
"Fai! Syaoran's sleeping!" Sakura whispered and ran back to the bedroom before the blonde could ever speak. Fai put down his shopping bags in the living room then went to join the princess.
The blonde found Sakura standing by Syaoran's bedside, gently tucking in the brunette more comfortably. In the brunette's arms lay Mokona.
"Poor Syaoran. He's too tired to know that Sakura and Mokona are by his side." Fai thought as his back leaned on the border of the threshold.
"Oh! I wonder where Kuro-pon went!" The blonde whispered and left the bedroom. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch where he last saw the ninja. He could still feel the warmth that lay on the couch.
"He lay here recently, so he shouldn't have gone out. His umbrella is still here too." Fai mumbled as he saw Kurogane's red umbrella still on the hook by the front door. The blonde sat back on the couch and closed his eyes, imagining what Kurogane might have looked like sleeping and waiting for them to come back from shopping. He heard the pitter-patter of the rain on the windows and made a small rhythm with his fingers. He strummed his fingers on his leg, matching the rhythm of the rain. Then an idea popped into his head.
"Maybe he's in the backyard!" Fai exclaimed and looked out in the backyard through a window. Sure enough, the blonde saw a familiar man sitting in the rain. Fai quickly grabbed a few blankets from his room and his umbrella and burst through the back door. He opened his umbrella and held the blankets close to his chest, in attempt to warm them while he ran. Mud slushed under the blonde's shoes and it was a surprise the ninja didn't flinch.
Fai stopped right in front of Kurogane and saw the man was shivering and gritting his teeth to concentrate. The blonde opened all of the blankets with one hand; the other held the blue umbrella over the two. He held the blankets in front of him with both hands and hugged the ninja, tilting his umbrella so no rain dripped on them. Fai felt Kurogane tense and could feel red eyes look at him.
"What are you doing?" The blonde heard Kurogane ask.
"Trying to warm you up!" Fai said with a smile.
"What you're doing is-" Kurogane stopped talking then swore under his breath, grabbing his sword as he did.
"Where are you going Kuro-myuu?" Fai said after he was moved off of the ninja's lap. The blonde watched Kurogane leave them stood up himself and followed the man inside the house.
xXxXxXxXx
"Hey kid, you wanted to feel them?" Kurogane said as he burst into the kids' bedroom. Syaoran sat up in bed, his mouth open. Sakura's eyes were wide from the sudden guest the stormed inside. Mokona hid in Syaoran's nightshirt. Fai watched from the threshold.
"Kurogane, you're shivering!" Sakura exclaimed. Kurogane ignored her.
"Yes, I-I do but-" Syaoran started but was pulled close to the ninja's body. A blush came to the brunette's cheeks and Fai also saw a blush on Kurogane's.
"I don't feel anything." Syaoran said in disappointment.
"Why don't you talk to them? Babies could hear from the inside." Sakura said.
"You two read too many books." Kurogane grumbled.
"We could try. It would-" A gasp escaped from Syaoran's lips and Kurogane's eyes flickered with surprise.
"I felt them move!" Syaoran said.
"Woohoo! Mokona felt it too!" The white pork bun said as it came out of Syaoran's shirt and hugged Kurogane stomach. Kurogane growled.
"Hey!" Mokona said as it was dangling in the air. The ninja was holding the white pork bun by the ears.
"May I feel, Kurogane?" Sakura asked in her sweet voice. The ninja sighed and lowered Mokona a little, but threw the white pork bun in the air the last minute.
"Mokona!" Sakura said and moved to catch Mokona, but Kurogane grabbed her wrist.
"That pork bun's fine. See?" The ninja said in a low voice. Somehow, Kurogane threw Mokona right into the blonde's arms and the white ball of fur was already chitchatting with Fai. The princess nodded and Syaoran nervously moved off of the ninja to make room for the girl. Sakura gently put her face close to Kurogane's belly.
"Hello little babies. My name is Sakura. You're fathers are wonderful people. Ah! I felt them!" She said, her face beaming with excitement.
"Aw Kuro-buro! Good doggy!" Fai said as he popped up beside Kurogane and petted the black-haired's head. The ninja opened his mouth to complain but soft pink lips stopped him.
"Hey little guys. I hope you're not giving Kuro-mommy a bad time!" Fai whispered to Kurogane's belly, feeling a little kick and a limb brush against his cheek.
"Tsk. That's because you do that, and also muffin over there."
"Hey Mokona's not a pastry!" Mokona lightly bounced on the bed. Sakura giggled.
"You know little ones, you have beautiful heartbeats." Fai said in a gentle tone and had his eyes closed.
"Hey Syaoran, could you bring some towels for me?" Fai asked the brunette when he sat up. Syaoran nodded and walked out.
"What for?" Sakura questioned. She was sitting next to Fai on the bed, Mokona in her arms.
"We are going to dry Kuro-puppy off!" The blonde threw his arms up in the air.
"As I said plenty of times before, I am not a dog!"
"And as I said before, don't get too angry or it would harm your health!" Fai challenged the ninja. Kurogane grunted and looked away from the blonde.
"Here Fai." Syaoran said when he finally came back. He gave the blonde a small stack of towels, since they were large towels.
"Thank you Syaoran. Now get ready Kuro-puppy!" Fai said as he raised a towel in front of him, looking like he was going to catch a cat.
"I can do it myse- achoo!" Kurogane sneezed, shivering slightly.
"Achoo! Kuro-puppy sneezed! Mokona repeated Kurogane's sneeze. The ninja gritted his teeth and bit back a growl. What suppressed his temper was when he felt a warm arm wrap around his shoulder then warmness on his body and messy blonde hair in his face. He then felt a slender hand run up and down across his belly, making him feel the twins move slightly, but enough for a chill to run up Kurogane's spine. Through the bedroom window, orange light blindly shined into the comfy home.
"Look Kuro-puu, the rain is gone." Fai said in a soft tone. Kurogane gently embraced the blonde and buried his face into the warm shoulder of the mage. Fai did the same after he paused for a bit and smiled, closing his eyes as he did.
"You're welcome, Kurgy." Fai whispered into Kurogane's ear as he felt the ninja slowly drift off to sleep.
