Chapter Two:
"Rei- where is that blue shirt I let you borrow?" Usagi yelled tearing through her dresser drawers. "What?" Rei yelled from the bathroom as she was drying her hair with a towel. Usagi sighed and walked into the bathroom to find Rei in a long green towel with her beautiful black hair draped over her face.
"That's just creepy Rei. Where is my blue shirt? I let you borrow it last week." Usagi said and yawned. Rei flipped her hair back revealing her confused face and retorted, " Blue shirt? I don't know if I ever borrowed a blue shirt." Usagi grew impatient. "Rei- the shirt! The shirt you borrowed on your date to Jakusi's with Yūichirō, remember?" Rei walked out of the room with her eyebrows scrunched together, and Usagi could not only tell Rei did know what she was talking about, but also was trying to remember where she put it.
Usagi followed Rei into her room and Rei started looking everywhere. Under the bed, in the closet, and even in her dirty clothes hamper. Then a blank and stupefied look came over Rei's face. "What?" Usagi said with a disappointed face. Rei slowly turned to Usagi with a sheepish grin. " Um…..Usagi….I know where your shirt is." Usagi raised her eyebrows and said, " Good! So where is it?" Rei didn't answer. "What did you do Rei?" Rei turned her back and walked over to her dresser. She was definitely stalling.
Pulling out clothes for her to dress in, Rei slowly started with, "Remember when I told you I was spending the night at my grandpa's house last week?" Usagi replied, " Yes….what about it?" Rei paused and then said, " I….uh…..I'm a liar!!" Usagi frowned and said, " What?! What do you mean Rei?!" Rei frowned and then put her hand over her face, "I was with Yūichirō…and I left your shirt on his couch."
Usagi could not BELIEVE what she was hearing. "REI!! GROSSS!! YOU!! YOU BAD BUNNY!! DO I EVEN NEED TO ASK WHY MY SHIRT ENDED UP AT YUICHIRO'S??" Rei turned bright red and said, " I'll bring it back to you! I don't want to talk about it anymore!", and then walked out of the room. Usagi shook her head and went after her.
"Rei…..you got something you want to tell me?" Rei took a bottle of milk from the fridge and said without looking at Usagi, "Nope". Usagi said, "Fine- I'll just have to make assumptions of how MY blue shirt got there and was forgotten there!" Rei was not about to cave in. She shrugged and walked back into her bedroom shutting the door behind her.
Just then the doorbell rang. "OH shit!" Usagi thought realizing she'd been chasing Rei around for the past half hour when she should have been getting ready for her date. Only half dressed, Usagi runs to the door with the wet towel that Rei used covering her top. "Hi Seiya! Come on in!" Usagi said blushing as Seiya's surprised face said it all. "I didn't have enough time ok? Don't say anything. Just come in and give me 5 minutes."
Seiya smirked and blushed a little himself. " I wasn't going to say anything…except I'm perfectly fine if you want to just go like that." Usagi shot him a dirty look and chucked the towel at him. Then immediately realizing what she'd just done by the jaw dropping of Seiya, she screamed and ran into her room.
"Wow" Seiya said to himself really blushing now, and sat down looking at the towel. Just then Rei came out wearing nothing but a bra and panties and walked right past Seiya to put her bottle back in the fridge. Seiya was in a catatonic state. Somehow he managed to make a little sound, which made Rei realize she wasn't alone.
Slowly turning around she made eye contact with Seiya and screamed. Seiya threw his hands up and said, " Rei- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't see…" Rei screamed again and fell behind the kitchen counter. " CLOSE YOUR EYES SEIYA!!" Seiya threw the towel over his head and Rei ran back into her room slamming the door for the second time.
Five minutes later Usagi comes out and Seiya has still got the towel over his head. She pulls it off and gives him a strange look. "Are you ok?" she said. Seiya gets this huge somewhat embarrassed smile on his face and says, "I'm…..I'm great. Let's go!" "Seiya! You're blushing! Are you still fretting over the towel thing? It's not that big of a deal. I'm already over it." Seiya shakes his head a little and then says, " I don't want to talk about it. Let's just go."
Low and behold Rei walks out, fully dressed, and gives Seiya a look of death. Seiya's face turns bright red, and Usagi looks at the two stare at each other. "What is going on you two?" she says. Rei just shook her hair and said calmly, "Seiya just needs to announce when he's in our apartment, because otherwise, embarrassing things could happen." "Noted! Let's go!" Seiya says heading for the door. Rei reinstates, "That should never….ever EVER happen. Right Seiya?" Seiya nods and runs through the door. Usagi shrugs at Rei and follows him. Rei shuts the door and locks it.
Taiki had lost sight of Ami, and so was searching diligently. He finally found her sitting alone on a park bench staring at the ground. " Ami! There you are." Ami looked up with stained tears on her face and looked away. Taiki sat down by Ami and put his arm around her. "Ame's, what's wrong?" Ami looked up at him and then said quietly, "I'm so ashamed. I feel like I had everything already planned out, and it had to be in a certain order. Now, I'm so off track, I don't even know how to get back on it. I'm so lost and alone. I can't talk to anyone, because it would just make me feel worse about myself. I'm so disappointed in me…I can't bear anyone else to be also. "
Taiki wiped a tear and said gently, " Ame's, you've always been able to talk to me. Tell me what's gotten you so upset? You're not acting like yourself." Ami hugged herself and said, " I know I'm not acting like myself. I don't even feel like me right now. I would never have gotten myself in this situation….so how did this happen?" Taiki grew more concerned and said, "WHAT AMI? What happened? You've got me worried now? Did someone do something to you? Did Seiya say something or do something? He never told me anything, but I haven't had the chance to talk to him since you took his head off. What is it Ami?"
Ami looked back down at the ground and said, " No….it's not Seiya. I don't want to tell you." Taiki thought for a moment and then said quietly, "Is it us? Is that why you're being this way? You feel guilty?" Ami laughed and said, "If only it was that Taiki. I already feel guilty about being with you when I'm in a relationship with Urawa. I already don't want people to know about us. I certainly don't want them to know about this."
Taiki was so confused. "About what Ami? I don't understand what you're talking about. If it's not us that is making you so upset, what is it? I'm tired of guessing." They were both silent for a moment and then Taiki added, " Ami, I don't regret us being together. I know it was not under the best of circumstances, but I've never felt this way about anyone. In fact….Ami….I….I love you." Ami bursts out bawling.
Taiki frowns and tries to comfort her. "I'm sorry Ami. Don't be sad. I've felt this way for a while. I just haven't had the courage to say anything. If you don't feel the same way back I completely understand, but…..Ami. I can't help it. I love you. I want you to be with me. I want you to leave Urawa and be with me. I promise to make you so happy." Ami stops sobbing and whips her head up towards Taiki. Taking a huge breath, Ami says matter of factly, "Taiki! I'm pregnant! I don't want to deal with THIS right now. I'm pregnant! And its yours!" and bursts out crying again.
Taiki froze. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Ami…..uh uh…" Taiki stammered trying to regain his vocabulary. " This is….so unexpected….I…..oh my gosh….I feel sick." Taiki said putting his head between his knees. Ami chuckles a little between tears and says, " Try having morning sickness for the past two weeks." Taiki lifted his head up and said, "Wow….I'm speechless…." Taiki stated and scratched his head.
Ami nodded and said, "Yup- well now you know how I feel." Taiki looked at her with a frown and said, " What are we going to do? I mean….is there a guide book on how to deal with something like this?" Ami smiled at the failed attempt of humor and said, " I wish there was Taiki. But sadly, no. This is something you and I have to figure out on our own." Taiki took in a huge breath still trying to grasp the fact that he was going to be a father.
" Ami- I'm here for you. Whatever you need. I know I'm acting kind of loopy but this news really blew me out of the water. I was just expecting to come after you and have you tell me that Seiya said something rude. This is a whole other matter. Hi Taiki- you're going to be a dad." Ami laughed and hugged Taiki.
"Why can you make the worst of situations feel like they're nothing more than everyday things? Like brushing your teeth?" Taiki smiled and kissed Ami's cheek. "It's not like someone died Ami. More just we have new decisions to make that we weren't planning on making. It's not the end of the world. I'm not going anywhere. And I've confessed my love for you within the past ten minutes, so that one's out of the way. It can only go up from here." Ami smiled bigger and said, " You are certainly good at looking at the bright side of things….because all I can see right now is I've been horrible to all of my friends, I've cheated on my boyfriend, and now I'm pregnant with my lover's child. I don't see how that is something to overlook like it happens everyday, but hey. At this point, I don't know what else to do. So sure- things I guess will get better. Either that, or someone will die to top off my week." Taiki and Ami laughed and hugged each other.
"Come on Ame's. We'll talk about this later. Let me cheer you up by taking you out to eat. You've had enough to worry about for one day." Ami smiled and said, "All of these disastrous events are making me a little famished." Taiki took her hand and kissed it, saying, " Well then let's get you something to eat my dear. It's the least I can do." Ami nodded and they walked out of the park arm in arm. The shadow kept a close eye on them.