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Chapter 6:

Patchwork Family

Sitting on the large sofa chair, Kai places his hand on his pregnant stomach. It's almost hard to believe that more than eight months have already passed. He looks like he can give birth any day now and it's put everyone on edge. Although, they are nervous, they are also excited. There's going to be a baby in the house soon.

They've grown up a lot during the last few months. Tyson doesn't nag him as much as he use to do and has even stopped boasting about being the best blader in the world. Daichi as well has quieted down. He's not as loud as he used to be, well in front of him, anyway. When he faces Tyson in a beybattle, their voices still seem to echo through the neighborhood.

The pregnancy wasn't as bad as he thought it would have been; he expected killer morning sickness for the next nine months, uncontrollable eating and his mood swinging like a pendulum. Those were his symptoms, don't get him wrong, but they weren't as bad as he thought they would be.

Hilary is absolutely ecstatic about the up and coming birth. She even went out and bought some baby clothes and baby toys. Kai can already tell this little one is going to be spoilt rotten. And so be it. Kai didn't have the best childhood, so he's going to darn well sure his child will.

Max and Ray have changed very little, but that's because they've always been two of the mature bladers on this team. Max is still his bright and happy self, helping to successfully pull Kai out of his dark moods when he was still suffering from morning sickness.

Ray is also very helpful towards him in his current state. But there's seems to be something troubling the neko, Kai can just tell. He seems like he's hiding something important and appears to be torn, especially when he looks at Kai's pregnant stomach.

Kai makes a mental note to speak with the neko later.

The Grangers, Bruce and Gramps, have been fantastic. This isn't the first time the dojo has seen a pregnancy and they are very understanding when it comes to Kai's dark moods and rapid mood swings. The two older men are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their grandchild.

"Being a parent is great, but being a grandparent is even better," Bruce said to him one day.

Oh yes, this child is going to be spoilt!

His pregnancy has been relatively hassle free, thank the heavens above. He sees Tenzen just about every second day and he even comes to the dojo for a visit, just to check the progress of his unborn baby. He has even managed to become quite a good friend with Bruce, the two often sitting down and talking about matters.

The last term of his pregnancy is the most critical and thank goodness it seems to be progressing smoothly. He has a healthy child growing within his artificial womb. Who would have thought Bio-volt was capable of creating something like this?

There is one design flaw, though, and knowing Bio-volt, they did it on purpose. These is no choice of a natural birth, the only way to bring this child into the world safely and without killing Kai in the process is for a cesarean. The womb is located in front of his organs and between the muscles of his stomach. After the operation, he's going to need a lot of down time for the muscles and the cut to heal.

Someone suggested that someone else takes care of his child while he heals, and Kai immediately thought of Hiro. But that only made him angry and bitter. Hiro isn't here, so he's going to have to be a single parent until he decides to come back.

Placing both hands over his stomach, Kai is unable to stop the swell of anger and bitter disappointment from arising in his chest. It's been a little under nine months since Hiro went on his cross desert voyage, but there hasn't been a word from him since. Nothing, not even a little message telling everyone that he's still alive and that he's doing ok.

The search for the wayward young man has dwindled in the last few months. Hiro's name is pretty much forbidden to say in front of Kai as he understandably becomes upset. Kai has spent many a night lying in bed, thinking about Hiro. Where he is now and whether or not he's fulfilling his dreams of adventure. He also feels torn. He knows Hiro sees life as an adventure and is always willing to try new things, but at the same time he wants Hiro to drop whatever it is that he's doing to come to him.

Hiro is the father of his child, he should be here dammit!

"No," Tyson's voice suddenly pulls Kai from his musings. "Part B fits into Part C."

A small smile appears on Kai's lips as he watches four of his teammates attempt to build a baby's crib to place in Kai's room for when the baby finally arrives. The crib comes with some assembly required and by looking at all the pieces and the expressions of utter bewilderment on his younger teammates' face, he isn't sure he wants this crib for his baby. He's tempted to go out and buy an already made one.

Max gives Tyson this perplex look as he holds up a piece of the puzzle. "This is part B."

"No," Tyson says quite firmly as he points to the unknown object in Max's hand. "That's part D."

Daichi scratches his little head as he picks up a random piece on the floor and looks at it like it might bite him. "What the hell is this one, then?"

"That's A," Tyson replies with a sharp nod of the head.

Ray is sitting in the corner of the room, scratching his head as he tries to make out the words on the instruction manual. "That isn't what the instructions say."

"Who cares?!" Tyson suddenly announces as he climbs to his feet and snatches the instructions from Ray's grip and replaces it with two random pieces instead. "They're always wrong anyway. Now, fit Part B in the Part A's hole."

Ray seems to bristle at the demand, clutching the two pieces with his hands. "I'll shove Part B into your a-hole if you don't stop bossing me around," he hisses.

Kai can't help but chuckle at his bickering teammates, watching as Tyson and Ray engage in a mock sword fight with a piece of the crib each, Max trying to calm then down and Daichi simply sitting on the floor and bashing two random pieces together in an attempt to get them to stick together. They never fail to put a small smile on his face when he needs it most. It's a distraction most welcomed in his current state.

Narrowing his eyes a little, Kai senses that Ray's annoyance is real. He seems to be in a bit of a foul mood, which is rather unusual for the lighthearted neko-jin. Maybe it has something to do with that letter he got this morning. It was from China, so maybe there's conflict back at home.

Watching as the neko gets up, Kai decides to follow him to find out the answers for himself. Struggling out of his chair, Kai climbs to his feet and follows his dark haired teammate into the kitchen.

"Ray," Kai says the moment he steps into the kitchen, almost making Ray jump out of his skin. "Is there something wrong back at home, Ray?" he asks, deciding to get straight to the point.

Ray presses his lips together, seemingly reluctant to tell Kai anything in fear that it might add more stress upon those already fragile shoulders of his. "You can say that," he murmurs, leaning back to rest against the kitchen bench behind him.

Kai nods his head slowly, seemingly understanding why the neko is reluctant, but at the same time, doesn't want him to brood by himself. If he is able to talk about his past and open up to everyone, then surely Ray can as well.

"What is it?" he asks softly as he moves further into the room and places a hand on the kitchen table for support, the other over his stomach, subconsciously protecting it.

Ray stares at Kai with his amber eyes in complete silence, a small expression of defiance on his face. But after an intense showdown with their gazes, Ray finally utters a small sigh of defeat and he looks off to the side. "They want me to come back home so I can get married and start a family."

"You're only 17 years old, though," Kai says, trying to ignore the fact that he is also a teenager and an unexpectedly pregnant one at that, but that's irrelevant to Ray's situation.

"In my village, that's the age you become a man," Ray mutters bitterly as he folds his arms over his chest and chooses to glare at a spot on the floor in front of him.

Kai sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Do you know who you're going to get married to?"

Ray's frown deepens a little more, but this time with a hint of guilt. "…It's Mariah."

"Mariah?" Kai repeats, a hint of surprise in his voice, even though a part of him is telling himself he shouldn't be. It's obvious to even the most brainless of fools that Mariah adores Ray, more than a friend or sisterly way.

"I don't love her that way, Kai," Ray says with a hint of frustration and desperation in his voice. "She's like a sister to me. I don't know what to do."

Kai gazes at Ray with a sympathetic gaze as Ray buries his face in his hands. His chest tightens a little when he realizes just how torn Ray is feeling and knows exactly where he is coming from. "You should do what you want to do."

"But, they're my family…" Ray murmurs as he lifts his head from his hands.

"A real family would not make you do something you don't want to do," Kai says quickly with a firm voice. "Look at me, Ray. I don't have any blood relatives, but I don't care. This is my family now, you, the Grangers, Max, Kenny, Hilary and yes, even Daichi are my family now."

Yes, his family. They may not be blood related, come from different back grounds and don't always get along, but they are his family. And he wouldn't trade them for the world. Yes, even Tyson and Daichi.

"I've done some pretty stupid things in my life," Kai continues, a hint of embarrassment in his face as he subconsciously rubs his stomach. "And yet you all stuck by me. If your family threatens to disown you, then they're not your real family."

Ray seems to mull over these words for a moment before a smile appears on his lips and he gives Kai a soft and warm gaze. "You're right," he says. "I've moved on from my village, haven't I?"

Kai simply smiles softly at him and nods his head while Ray returns the gesture with one of his own. Suddenly, Kai's brow knots in discomfort when an unknown sensation makes its presence known.

"Argh," Kai hisses as he buckles over, wrapping one arm around his stomach as the other grips onto the kitchen table with white knuckles. An uncomfortable sensation appears in his abdomen. It feels like his muscles are contracting and twitching. He must be having what Tenzen called contractions. His baby is coming.

Oh, crap…

"Kai!" Ray says in alarm and immediately makes his way to his side, hovering about unsure of what to do. "What's wrong?"

"Get Bruce," Kai mutters through clenched teeth. "I need to see Tenzen. I think its coming."

Ray's eyes widen and for a split second he doesn't move. But when he hears another hiss pass Kai's lips he bolts out of the kitchen and through the dojo, looking for his elder. "Bruce! Quick! We need to get Kai to the hospital!"

A small cry passes Kai's lips as he tries to keep himself on his feet and not to slip onto the floor. Mildly aware of the voices around him, Kai chooses to ignore them for the time being and concentrate on his breathing. Even when he feels an arm slip around his shoulders and practically lift him up off the ground, Kai still isn't thinking about anything else but to keep taking deep breathes.

The only thing Kai is aware of is mild pain and the feeling that something is desperately trying to make its way out of his stomach. He doesn't remember the mad dash to the hospital or Bruce carefully carrying him inside the hospital through the back entrance, or being set down on a hospital bed. The last thing he remembers is looking up at Tenzen as he places an oxygen mask over his face and him saying a few words of comfort.

"Don't worry," he says. "You two are going to be just fine."

After that, Kai's world suddenly becomes fuzzy and then goes completely black.

Um, I think I might skip the actual birth. Don't need to go that far, right?

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