Chapter 8 here! Hope you like it, since I really felt the newness tugging at me. Ahihi. ^_^

Daddy's Corner:

My Letter to Baby…

Hey there Baby, how you doin'?

Ten years from now, I'm gonna give you this letter. And when you receive it, I hope you don't see it as cheesy, weird, awkward, or anything in between, ok?

First of, to prevent any of the mushy gushy feelings to flow out from this piece of paper, I hope you understand that right now, I'm writing this letter because there had been recent misunderstandings between me and your mother. No one actually won, but right now, I think both of us are to blame. I'm thinking that because your mother never really paid attention to my efforts, while I, being the jerkface I was, didn't even take time off from work to spend some time with her and to attend the baby shower. Which is why I'm feeling very guilty now, very, very guilty… Which leads us to this… Kindly read on:

As you should know, the world you're being born into is a cruel and selfish world full of hate and deceit. Yes, it may seem overrated, but it's really an inconvenient truth. Everywhere you look, a traitor or manipulator is always ready to appear, out of nowhere, appearing to be your friend or your instant enemy. And once they get the chance, I'm sure they'll just pounce on you unexpectedly and kill you slowly from behind… Ok, not to sound so literal, but, all I'm saying is that in this world, it is very important for you to find the right people who are worthy of your trust. Believe me, they're very hard to find, but when you do find 'em, don't ever let them go, because it's not very clear whether you'll be get them back or not anymore. And well, though my friends may be sort of "Out of the Ordinary", they're still very good people, pervs and idiots, but yeah, still, good people. I'm sure you'll grow up to really like them when the time comes.

As a first-time dad writing a letter to his unborn child, I don't have much to say. I guess it was only the stuff above, and this: I want you to grow up to be a very good person your mother and I can be very proud of. Make many friends you can lean on when the going gets rough and be ready to forgive and forget whenever people do you wrong. And when you do wrong, it's always important to apologize and to acknowledge your mistakes to the person you've offended. MANDATORY, ok? I repeat, MANDATORY.

I'm sorry if this letter lacked material, but this was all I've got. I'm sorry for making your mom so angry right now, and I'm sorry for being a class A loser. I guess I'm to blame for not being the best father an unborn baby can have, but I hope you understand. People are people, and nobody's perfect. I would never want to hurt your mother, but I'd really have to admit it's MY fault she's feeling like this. In a world that's too busy or materialistic to even notice the miracle of a wonderful baby such as yourself, I'm not even sure if I myself can even be called ready or prepared for your coming into this world. Really… Anyway, my last paragraphs are found below, kindly read on:

An Alice is a very special power that a person is born with, and this can be either harmful or useful, depending on the user's heart. So, to put it straight, I am an Alice, your mother is an Alice and yes, if you would ever be born with an Alice, I'm not so sure if your mother and I should blame ourselves or be very happy for you, since being a so-called "Alice" ain't the best thing that could happen to a person. If you ever happened to be one, Gakuen Alice would surely take you away from your mother and I, making us very sad since losing our very first child to the academy ain't such a pretty thing either. However, having an Alice isn't really such a bad thing since you get to help out other people with your powers and you get to meet great people along the way. So, it's not that bad, once you think about the good things that come with being an Alice. Being separated from our parents at a young age, your mother and I have been very good friends ever since we were little kids, and not knowing our parents and families that well, we grew very far apart from them, even up to this day. So Baby, I tell you this, if the academy were to take you away, I'm not asking for your complete loyalty, but I just hope that you would still remember me and your mother, even if you don't grow up under our care… Please do remember to write letters, just to chase the tears away, and keep in touch, to wash away the blues of us missing you more and more everyday.

These are words to live by, Baby, sincerely from your father, me, Tsubasa. And as you read this piece of paper ten years later to date, you have now known that I wasn't prepared for your arrival, at all. But please do take note that I, as a class A loser, have tried my best to live by your mother's high standards. Well, today I have failed, but that won't stop me from trying again, right? Yes, that's right! I love you so much, Baby, and I'm sorry if this piece of paper turned out so crappy, it was the best I could manage, promise.

Your Father,

Tsubasa.

25 Weeks

Misaki's eyes fluttered open as they were hit by the cold, December sunlight shafting through the foggy and blurred window. Still, it was funny how the rising sun always brought forth a feeling of newness, or hope at least. She sighed glumly at this as she sat up, hugging her arms around her huge womb.

All she remembered was her big argument with Tsubasa, probably one of the biggest, she had last night. Thinking back about it gave her a headache and she felt like throwing up, but then she also remembered the detail Tsubasa uttered out that stopped her in her words for a while.

"You heard me, A NEW LIFE, A NEW START. Maybe you should start listening to me more!" Tsubasa scornfully stated.

Misaki felt a lump form in her throat, knowing perfectly well that she was to blame for this mess. She looked around only to find a yellow post-it stuck to the bedside lamp.

Out shopping. Dunno when I'll be back, before lunch time most probably.

Misaki raised an eyebrow at her husband's indecisive note. Put shopping huh? Misaki snorted. Then, a faint gleam from a corner in the room caught her eye.

She stood up ad walked over to the place where she saw the shiny glimmer. It appeared to be something that was sticking out from Tsubasa's coat pocket that was resting on a chair. Misaki picked it up.

The gleaming thing happened to be a small key that had a thin ribbon tied to it. A small gasp escaped from her lips. And just then, she noticed a small note that fell from the coat pocket when she pulled out the key.

The small piece of paper was lying on the floor, which left her with no other choice: "Sit down and wait for Tsubasa to pick up the paper for me."

[Three hours later…]

Misaki's head jerked up as she heard a noise by the door.

Defense Mechanism Class 101 always states 'Aim-for-the-you-know-what'. Misaki silently thought as she stealthily crept to the door, planning a surprise attack to the person by the door.

The door slowly opened… And Misaki clawed blindly.

"Ooof! Stop it!" Tsubasa wailed through the scratches and the roses he was carrying in his hands.

"Eh? Tsubasa? I thought you were somebody else… I'm sorry."

Tsubasa nodded in morose, then handed the bouquet of roses and the box of super helium bubblegum he had in his hands to Misaki.

"For me? What for?" She smiled shyly.

"For last night."

"Hmph." Misaki crossed her arms, eyes to the ceiling.

"Uh.. Ok, fine I get it." Tsubasa apologetically scratched his head.

"There is one thing though." Misaki said, looking at Tsubasa with an unfathomable expression in her eyes.

"What? Anything."

"Could you please pick up that piece of paper for me?" Misaki gestured to the little note that fell from Tsubasa's coat pocket awhile ago.

"Err… Sure. Though I don't know why…" He shrugged, walking to the paper and bending down to pick it up.

"Read it for me." Misaki said tonelessly.

Tsubasa cleared his throat as he unconsciously started to read his own note. "The keys to a brand new house, future, and life. Tsubasa…" His voice trailed of.

"I'm sorry for being such a fag." Misaki's voice croaked.

"I'm sorry for being a class A loser jerkface." Tsubasa blurted out.

"I don't think that's even a word!" She broke into tears, striding over to where the shadow alice user stood.

Tsubasa gratefully took her into his arms, still stupefied by her moodiness.

"You know something?" Misaki hiccupped into Tsubasa's shoulder like a child.

"What?" He replied, stroking her hair.

"We argue and make-up pretty fast for an emotionally unstable couple." She giggled, but still leaving her sobs evident.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"I'm sure it is."

They stood in that embrace for awhile, with Tsubasa patting Misaki's head, and Misaki who was silently tearing up into his shoulder, both not having a clue why the moment just felt, right.

"Now…" Tsubasa broke the silence, a devilish grin tugging at his lips as he stared off into space.

"Now what?"

"Christmas...and Payback. 'Tis the season."

"Goodness me you're unbelievable!" Misaki broke free from the hug, giving her husband an exasperated eye roll. They both laughed.

Then the baby kicked hard, for he wanted to join in too.

For one thing, writing Tsubasa's letter was easy since I knew he wasn't the type of person who preffered the deep and emotionally-moving letters. Anyway, I'm getting myself and you ready for the 9th month finale! Wooh! \mm/ Yosh! XD