This chapter's a little bit longer than usual, but I'm sure you all don't mind at all, huh?

All right, then. Here you go. Chapter 13. Enjoy. And thank you all for your reviews. :-)

"Um…uh…how is Isuzu-san?" asked Tohru.

"Well, she's really stressed", said Haru.

"Ah, I see. Well, maybe she'll be in a better mood once the baby is born."

Tohru didn't know that Rin was stressed about something else, as well. Something that Haru had brought up…

"Oh, it's such a mess! Maybe I came at a bad time…"

"Nah, those are mostly just empty boxes. For like the crib and stroller and stuff…"

"Ah. So…um…where will the baby sleep?"

"Well, Shihan has lots of space…it's not really a problem. We're setting up the baby in a spare room."

"Ah. So you'll come to see Isuzu-san and the baby all the time?"

"Well, actually, we're making arrangements."

"Arrangements?"

"Yeah. So I can live with her and the baby."

"R-really?!"

"Really."

"That's great! Oh, but I mean, um…I…I'm terribly sorry. I came at a bad time. Of course you need to make preparations for the baby. It's just that, um, I made something for Isuzu-san, but I could give it to her later…"

"Would your gift be that foil-wrapped pan you're carrying?"

"Eh heh…yes." She handed it to him.

"I bet it's tasty. I think I'll eat it now."

"Eh?! B-but…!"

"I'm kidding. Don't worry. I wouldn't eat it all in one sitting."

"Well, um, but Hatsuharu-san…!"

"Ah, don't worry. I'll make sure Rin sees it. Shihan, too."

"Oh, um, thank you. But I…I really don't want to impose on you anymore than I already have…and besides, um, I really need to get back and cook dinner…"

"If you insist…but you're free to come back at anytime, you know."

"I will!"

It amused Haru that Tohru got frantic so easily.

He brought the pan into the kitchen and set it down on the counter. He was tempted, but he knew Rin and Kazuma were waiting for him, and Rin could get pretty…testy.

"What took so long?" asked Rin when he came back into the baby's room, "Who was it?"

"It was Tohru. She brought something for you."

"I thought I told that girl to stop giving me stuff! I can afford it!"

"Actually, it's more along the lines of something…edible."

"Ah, that was thoughtful of her. We can enjoy it as soon as we're done here", said Kazuma, who was sitting on the floor.

He and Haru had been halfway through setting up the crib when Tohru came by.

"I can set this up by myself, you know", Haru told him again, for the third or fourth time, "You don't have to get down on your hands and knees to help me."

"And I've already told you that it's no trouble."

"…it's just a strange sight, seeing you do manual labor."

"Well, of course he must have done some work at some point", said Rin, who was standing nearby.

"I wasn't talking about martial arts", Haru replied, "Shihan, I need that screwdriver."

It was handed over.

"I will admit, this is an experience I've never had", said Shihan cheerfully, "I feel like a grandfather."

"I feel like I want this kid to be born already", said Rin. She had her arms folded across her chest. An engagement ring glittered on her ring finger. "I'm doing all the work here, and I'm not even going to get to hold my own kid because everyone else is lined up for it!"

"I won't hold it, if you feel so strongly about it", Kazuma replied.

Rin looked startled. "Well…no, I wasn't necessarily talking about you…I mean…you can hold it…if you want to, that is."

Haru was pleased.

Kazuma smiled. "I'm honored that you would trust me with your child, Isuzu. Hatsuharu, have you got that end?"

"Yeah, I've got it, don't worry."

"All right, I've just got two more screws to get in. Make sure you hold that steady."

"I will."

All three of them were relieved when it was finally done.

"Well. That was a task", said Kazuma, getting to his feet. "I'm going to go freshen up. I'll meet you two in the kitchen and we'll see what Tohru-san's brought."

As soon as Kazuma was gone, Rin asked quietly, "So…have your parents been…receptive?"

Haru immediately got serious.

"They…haven't taken it very well", he replied, "But that's to be expected, I guess. They've been trying to tell me that I'm being too hasty, that I should take a step back and rethink things. They said the reason I'm even being forced into these decisions right now is because I wasn't thinking things through, wasn't considering the consequences. And…I hate to say it, but…they're right."

"Haru, you're being too hard on yourself."

"No, I'm not. Really. But…I'm sure of my decisions this time. I've thought things through. But…still…I think my parents are starting to come around. They are going to be grandparents, after all. My mom's worried that this will ruin our image, but you know she's going to want to see it after it's born."

"So…I guess…in a way…we kind of have grandparents on both sides, huh…?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But it should be born soon." The two of them were migrating to the kitchen. "I think it's time we set a date for the wedding. I mean…"

"I don't really want to talk about it right now", said Rin dismissively.

"Why not? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, it's not that…I mean, I don't mind getting married, not to you…but it's already spring. It's going to be born soon, and that's stressing me out enough without having to plan a wedding!" Her voice had been getting progressively louder. They now stood in the middle of the kitchen.

"Okay, okay…" Haru held her close to him. "I wasn't saying we have to plan everything out right now. I just wanted to know if you have any date at all in mind that you'd like."

"…there's no particular month that I like", she mumbled.

"Well, we can discuss it later…after the baby's born." He looked over her head, at the foil-covered pan sitting on the kitchen counter, untouched.

"…I'm hungry."

"Huh?"

"Do you want to see what Tohru brought?"

"I could care less", said Rin as Haru went to investigate.

He peeled the foil off. "It's a cake", he announced.

"What? What do you mean, a cake?" Rin came to stand next to him.

"A cake", Haru repeated, "I didn't even know she baked cakes."

'Congratulations Isuzu-san' had been written on it in white icing, and there was a little icing baby in off to the side of it.

"She even wrote all of it in kanji. That must have been a pain", said Haru.

Rin was embarrassed. "Is she stupid or something?! I told her not to do anything for me, but she does anyway!"

"…looks yummy."

Rin didn't like Kazuma's reaction, either.

"It was very thoughtful of her", he said.

"Oh, I…I can tell you two are just dying to eat it, so go ahead!"

"Are you sure, Isuzu?" asked Kazuma.

"Of course I'm sure! I don't just say things for no reason!"

Still, they left her a slice of the cake. And by that evening, it had been eaten.

There's not much more to go now. I hope you all will stick with me to the end.