A/N: Hi all, good day to you! I present to you: Chapter 6. Please enjoy :)

Chapter 6: The shadow in the dark (Part 2)

xxx Souichi xxx

"Sempai, Sempai, look—! Those are so kawaii; we have to get one for our little girl!"

Flinging his scarf back around his neck as an excited Morinaga tugged him past shops and towards a toy store, Souichi followed as best as he could with his heavy womb. "Morinaga, slow down a little—!" Huffing, he nonetheless felt the same elation quickening his feet. The cold, fresh air felt good as it stung his cheeks a rosy red, his breath puffing out in white as they meandered through the shopping street that was practically empty at this time of the day.

For the first time in a week, Souichi could feel the invisible restraints lift from their shoulders. The uproar over their pregnancy seemed to have died down mostly and the neighbours had also regained their usual apathy. Contrary to what Morianga might have thought, Souichi had been aware of the malicious notes that had been left at their door, having discovered some of them in the other man's trousers while helping out with the laundry.

It was only in such extreme times that the true natures of people became exposed. Despite the fury that he had felt, knowing the anguish that those words must have brought to his partner, Souichi was just glad now that they were being mostly left alone. Although, he supposed, such delicious fodder for gossip were never completely forgotten, judging from how some of the shop owners had stared as they passed by in a flurry of jackets and scarves.

They finally came to a stop outside of the quaint- looking store, various sizes of dolls displayed on the wooden booth set amidst pots of delicate pink blooms. With colourful suede for hair and shy smiles sewn beneath tiny button eyes, Souichi had to admit that the hand- made dolls did look quite endearing. Beside him, Morinaga was already looking avidly around, his determination to buy one for their unborn baby apparent.

There were quite a large variety of designs to choose from and Souichi fingered one particularly adorable one with red suede hair and a large polka- dot bow. An image of a little girl with Morinaga's blue- black hair and doe eyes cuddling it rose up in his mind. He chuckled quietly to himself. It was really quite irresistibly cute. Souichi picked up the doll, attracting Morinaga's attention at once.

"Yea, Sempai, I saw that one too! Ah, our baby girl will surely love it~" Humming happily, the man- boy took the doll and went into the shop to make payment. Shaking his head in exasperation, Souichi waited outside the shop, noticing the stares of some shoppers as they walked by him. He was in too good a mood to berate them though, and when Morinaga reappeared, they made their way to the restaurant where they had made their rendezvous with Suzuki- san.

The tasteful little café was a slumberous establishment set a ways from the shopping street, quiet except for a man buried in a newspaper. Tucked in a cozy booth at the back of the restaurant, Souichi, Morinaga and Suzuki- san sat formally at the table, awkwardly nursing cups of coffee as each of them wondered how best to conduct the conversation.

"Sorry to disturb; one order of chicken- potato stew, one order of pumpkin soup and one order of garden soup coming up." The waitress broke the ice at the table as she efficiently served the food, professionalism preventing her from doing a double- take when she saw Souichi and Morinaga.

Nonetheless, Souichi could feel the waitress's scrutiny all the way from the bar as he began to stir at his soup. The doll that they had purchased was set aside as the main issue of the day made its heavy presence known.

"Ano, thank you for coming out to meet me, Souichi- san, Tetsuhiro- san." Suzuki- san spoke up first, a hesitant smile on her face.

"It's fine; we wanted to get out of the house anyway," Souichi gestured at her untouched bowl of soup. "Don't stand on ceremony with us, Suzuki- san. The soup is getting cold."

The three of them settled down into their late lunch, tip- toeing around each other. Souichi felt uncomfortable and a little regretful that the previous camaraderie of their relationship had to be restrained on such an occasion. Damn that woman who had turned their lives upside- down!

His black mood must have been palpable, for Morinaga tapped him gently on the arm and tipped a warm spoonful of stew into his mouth the moment Souichi turned to him. "Sempai, the stew here is really good; I'm thinking of making it at home one day. How is the taste?"

"…It's pretty nice." Souichi swallowed the morsels of chicken and carrot as Morinaga squeezed his free hand beneath the table. "Baka, we are in public; I have my own soup so you don't have to give me yours. Didn't you say that you were hungry just now?"

"Yea, but this is an indirect kiss, no?" The irrepressible man went back to his stew as Souichi flushed at the innuendo.

"T-that's called being unhygienic! Give me that spoon and get a new one!"

They continued to bicker softly over insignificant topics as they finished their lunch, unaware that Suzuki- san was observing them while she sipped slowly at her soup.

"I'm glad to see the both of you looking so healthy and happy, despite the unpleasant things that have occurred recently." Suzuki- san continued to speak, her head bowed in contriteness. "I apologise for the trouble that my disciple has wrought. Thank you for inviting me today; it means a lot."

"She did mention your name, Suzuki- san, or I wouldn't have contacted you regarding this issue," Souichi looked at the matron levelly. "I didn't want to ask this in view of our good working relationship up till now but it's imperative as that woman's actions have impinged on our privacy." His tone became firmer as Morinaga looked on anxiously. "Suzuki- san, did you break the promise of confidence that we made at the beginning regarding the pregnancy? I would really appreciate that the truth be set out here between the three of us."

"I absolutely did not. My customers' privacy and wishes are always the priority for me." The older lady's voice was quiet but certain, washing away the doubt that Souichi had harboured since yesterday's incident.

"I have a few disciples that are learning about midwifery techniques from me. However, I can only think of one person who fits the description that you gave. She is probably Inari- san—Inari Reiko- san. She was my assistant midwife, the first disciple whom I took under my wing ten years ago. However, I fired her two weeks ago…"

Inari Reiko, huh. The image of the short, thin woman talking imperiously to him in his own house made him irritated. Souichi put down his soupspoon with a clatter. "Suzuki- san, please tell us how to contact her. I apologise for being blunt but we have encountered many problems because of her." Souichi's hand went unconsciously around his womb as he glanced towards Morinaga. "Inari Reiko tried to extort two million yen from us, or she would tarnish Morinaga's name at his company. I cannot just let the issue slide even for your sake, Suzuki- san."

"I understand, and I apologise again for what my disciple has done to the two of you," The woman sighed deeply, the sadness making her seem much older than her fifty- three years. "I caught her looking through my patients' private data two months ago but forgave her since she had been working with me for so long.

"However, two weeks ago, she ransacked my belongings and took off with a large sum of money that another customer had paid…Firing her was just an excuse that I told the others. The last time that we were in contact was when I was at your house for our fourth lesson…I'm really sorry about all of this, gentlemen but I also have no idea of her whereabouts."

"Is there no way to find her? What about her address, or her contact number?"

The midwife sighed resignedly. "I reported her to the police after the theft. However, she seems to have moved away and changed her phone number…your call was the first I have heard about her whereabouts since she disappeared."

"Damnit…there's no way to stop her then…" Turning to his kouhai, Souichi made a decision on the spot. "We are going to Tokyo tomorrow. Let's go and see your superior."

"But Sempai, tomorrow is Saturday, a weekend. Saga- san won't be at the company—"

"Then we will stay the weekend and go on Monday! No matter what it takes, I'm not going to let that woman harm you!" To be frank, Souichi had no idea if finding Morinaga's boss would be useful but it was better than being sitting ducks! "Ow…" Their baby girl seemed to dislike his outburst, making her complaints known with a series of kicks.

"Sempai—" Instantaneously, Morinaga had reached for him. His large palm rubbed circular motions on his womb as he made soothing sounds. Looking up to throw a disgruntled face at Souichi, his kouhai admonished him. "Sempai, you are too worked up! Even our little girl is complaining. Ne, baby?"

"Souichi- san, is everything okay?" Suzuki- san also leaned forwards in concern. "The last trimester can be quite trying. You should try to stay as relaxed as possible."

"It's fine, she's just kicking me a lot now." In the face of three opponents, Souichi finally relented. Fine, I'll try to keep my temper down!" He glowered at his partner's satisfied expression but did feel his and the baby's fretting lessen under Morinaga's soothing. Damnit, that man's touch always made him feel…

"Although I said that, I do understand your anxiety in such circumstances…Souichi- san, Tetsuhiro- san, please don't hesitate to call me if you need any assistance, whether for the baby or for other things."

"We will. Suzuki- san. As for the lessons, we would still want to continue them. There are still some post- natal care issues that we want to learn." Souichi hoped that the lady understood his intentions behind the offer.

"Yes…thank you for your continued patronage, Souichi- san, Tetsuhiro- san!"

"Good afternoon, everybody."

A tall, lean man had suddenly appeared by their table, a khaki trench coat folded neatly over his arms. From the notepad down to the recorder that made a bulge in his breast pocket, everything about him screamed 'reporter'. Suzuki- san gasped, spilling some coffee over the white tablecloth. She scrambled to right the cup as Souichi and Morinaga pinned the stranger with curious but cautious stares. "If you don't mind, we are having a private conversation here. Please leave."

"Tatsumi- san, Morinaga- san, and I believe, Suzuki- san, I'm sorry for interrupting what seemed to be a very grave conversation. However, if you would hear me out, I might be of some help here." The man, who looked older than them by about two decades, smiled and took out a card case. "First things first. I'm Hashimoto Aoi, reporter and journalist for N Magazine," he handed them a name card. "It is the first time meeting you, please take care of me. May I sit?" Without waiting for an answer, Hashimoto Aoi flopped down beside Suzuki- san and ordered a cup of coffee breezily.

With a start, Souichi realized that the man who had been sitting near them had disappeared…"Did you follow us here to this cafe?!"

The waitress reappeared then, setting a steaming cup of latte in front of the lounging man. Hashimoto stirred in a cube of sugar into his coffee and sipped it. "You are observant, Tatsumi- san. To be honest, I'm the reporter in charge of finding out more about your pregnancy case for my magazine. For the past week, I have been hanging around your apartment, hoping that you might share your experiences on your pregnancy with the public. However, so far, it hasn't been very effective."

"Of course! We are not some animals in the zoo for people to ogle at! What the hell are you getting at, Hashimoto- san?" Like him, Morinaga and Suzuki- san were on alert, wary of the media after the trouble that they had been through because of them.

"I have a proposition to make."

This all sounded too familiar. Recalling how Inari Reiko had tried to extort money from him by proposing a 'deal', Souichi's lips twisted in disgust. "We have had enough of propositions, thank you very much. Please leave us!"

"I could help you find Inari Reiko."

The bomb dropped, leaving the three of them stunned. The bespectacled reporter calmly sipped at his latte, apparently uncaring of the import of his words.

"Y-you know about Reiko's whereabouts? How?!" Suzuki- san's voice was raised in astonishment and anxiety.

"Hmm, if I say that I happened to overhear your fight yesterday with Inari Reiko, and decided to follow her all the way to her hideout that all of you are ignorant about—would you believe me?" Hashimoto slid a photo to the center of the table, his black eyes gleaming.

Inari Reiko was captured clearly in the photo, donned in the black coat and boots that Souichi remembered vividly. In the snapshot, she was inserting a key into a particular apartment, a furtive look on her face.

"…" Torn between his loathing for all reporters alive and the desire to protect his lover, Souichi's hand clenched into fists.

"Do you believe me now, gentlemen?"

"…So what is your intention in telling us all of this, Hashimoto- san?" Souichi pushed the photo back to the man, folding his arms. Despite his outer calm, the possibility that Inari Reiko could be caught before she did anything else was extremely attractive. Souichi's feet itched to dash out of the café and dig that woman out of her hiding place. However, he was also fully aware that this reporter had approached them with his own motives.

"I want an exclusive interview with you both with regards to your relationship and pregnancy, as well as sole coverage on the birth of your baby."

"No way!" The porcelain cups rattled on the table as Morinaga shot up in a flash.

"Morinaga!" Souichi tugged at Morinaga's sleeves, finally managing to pull him back into the seat with some effort. "Calm down!"

"I will not agree to this!" Agitatedly, Morinaga bit out, "Isn't it enough that the public has found out about us? Can't you leave us alone to have our baby in peace? Please stop placing stress onto Sempai!" Clutching Souichi's hand, the taller man moved swiftly out of the booth. "Sempai, this man is too much! We can go to my company and solve the problem ourselves!"

"Wait, Morinaga—" Souichi winced at his kouhai's forceful grip. "Sit down! I'm fine, all right? The issue now is about Suzuki- san's business and your future, not me! If this man can stop that woman, then I want to hear about it." He squeezed Morinaga's hand tightly.

"But Sempai—!"

"It's okay. Come on." Finally, he managed to coax his partner. Morinaga sat down again but did not release Souichi's hand. Barred from leaving, the younger man could only scowl at Hashimoto.

"Hashimoto- san, you have shown us where the woman lives but so what? She could just as easily disappear again. How can you ensure that she wouldn't be able to cause trouble for us?"

"My detective friend is waiting outside the apartment complex as we speak. With your promise to give me an interview, I would call him to arrest her immediately. Inari Reiko has apparently caused quite a few embezzling problems for Suzuki- san's agency, as she should be well aware of." Hashimoto glanced obliquely at the subdued woman, his hands clasped together. "Am I right, Suzuki- san?"

"H-how did you know so much?" The matron's head snapped up, worry lining her face.

"I'm a reporter; I'd of course have my sources. Besides, Inari Reiko shouldn't be your concern any longer, seeing as you have reported her to the police for her crime." Hashimoto leaned back on the cushioned seat, seemingly relaxed. However, his sharp gaze on Souichi was anything but. "Do we have a deal, Tatsumi- san? I'm your last hope for saving your partner's future. You can't refuse me."

"Sempai, please don't do it…"

Souichi looked at their entwined fingers, at Morinaga's sorrowful face, at his heavily rounded womb. If he agreed to this, they would be willingly serving their privacy to the hungry public… "Hashimoto- san, what you have managed to find out could also be done if we hired a private investigator—"

"Ah, but that would take days, even weeks. I have her right in my hands now, Tatsumi- san. The time spent looking for her would give her the chance to attack you all again! I'm offering you an instantaneous solution, an opportunity that you shouldn't reject."

Suzuki- san suddenly grabbed hold of Hashimoto's sleeves. Startled, the man turned his attention to her, jerking his hand free. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Bring me to find her, Hashimoto- san! Please, even though I couldn't condone her crime, she is still like a sister to me; if I were to see her, I could convince her to turn herself in!"

"No way! Why the hell would I do that?" Hashimoto pushed Suzuki- san away. "What's she to you anyway? Hasn't she been embezzling your agency's money for a while now?"

To Souichi's shock, the midwife began to cry softly, tears rolling down her powdered cheeks. Morinaga was faster in offering the woman a napkin, his kouhai also frowning in concern. It seemed that their midwife's relationship with the woman named Inari Reiko was more than she had let on to them. "Suzuki- san, please calm down. What exactly happened with this Inari Reiko?"

"She—"

The crying woman was about to elaborate but was cut off by Hashimoto. "Hey, this isn't the time to reminisce! I'm offering you all a deal here—are you or are you not going to take it—ah, shit!" A ringing tone broke through the tense atmosphere and the reporter swore, fishing a maroon cell phone from his pocket and moving out of the booth to answer it.

Everything seemed to be getting more and more complicated. While Hashimoto was off with his caller, Souichi and Morinaga held Suzuki- san's hands, trying to reassure her. As though he did not have enough troubles at the moment, their baby girl began to throw a tantrum inside of him again. Souichi's temples throbbed.

"Shit!"

Hashimoto was back but the languid predator that had hounded them for a scoop was gone. In one fluid movement, he had swiped his belongings into his bag, long legs already making for the door before the rest of them could react. The door chimes jangled. Hashimoto had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Wha—?"

At the moment, Morinaga's cell also rang. The bewildered man immediately picked up the call. Souichi's trepidation increased as he saw Morinaga's expression becoming even more shocked. "What happened?!"

"The estate manager just called. He said that there's somebody, a woman, making a ruckus outside of our apartment now. Do you think it's—"

Souichi and Suzuki- san were already standing up; they exchanged a grim look of understanding.

"Looks like we would not have to search for Inari Reiko any longer."

To be continued.

A/N: Would like to ask for suggestions for baby girl names! :)