Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or else it would've been a shojo comic!

*sigh* Things seem to be going too fast in this fic, I hope it doesn't seem too rushed!

Chapter 5: Feelings, Good and Bad

Mitsuko's schedule didn't really change for the next few months: she grew closer to Seto, and further from Atem (if that's possible). She oft kissed Seto in public, not caring, and ignored any attempts at rekindling their relationship by Atem.

She'd turned Valon down flat, explaining that she wouldn't cheat on Seto, even for a single date, and he was the one she wanted. Valon understood that and rejoined the motorcycle gang.

Her coworkers had figured out from the papers proudly stating that she'd never been seen on dates with anyone but Seto, that she was in a steady relationship with him. They were so jealous that she'd snagged Seto that they didn't really speak to her anymore, but that was just fine for her. She didn't go to work to make friends, she went to work to work. It wasn't a place to socialize for her. She had plenty of friends outside of it.

Right now she was riding in a limo with Mokuba, who'd blindfolded her and told her there was a big surprise waiting for her at a secret location. He was supposed to bring her there without any clues as to where they were going.

"Can you at least tell me how long it'll take?" she asked her boyfriend's younger brother.

"I'm afraid not, Mitsuko-chan. Nii-sama was firm about it."

What could Seto-kun be planning for me? It's not like I hate surprises, just with how he's a famous and powerful person, traps could be hanging around every corner. She clenched her fists and pressed her lips together in a stressed line.

"Don't worry, Nii-sama's taken every precaution for your safety. Everything will be just fine, I'm not taking you anywhere that's dangerous."

She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, just everything worries me nowadays, with how Damiri-san kissed me in public and made a huge spectacle all over the news last month, I'm surprised Seto-kun didn't kill him."

"Nii-sama won't let something like that happen again, he has everything well in hand."

"If you say it is, I trust you, Mokuba-kun."

"Of course," Noa called from the front seat. "Seto's been planning this ever since you two met up again. He wouldn't let anything go wrong."

"Noa! That's a clue, you know."

"Oops! Sorry."

He's been planning this surprise since we first met? We've been dating for four months now, what could he… He isn't planning to propose to me tonight, is he? I don't know…am I ready for that step? She shook her head and smiled to herself. Of course I am! Seto-kun makes me happy and being married to him would be the joy of my life. I'm ready to have a high-profile celebrity wedding with all the trimmings, then get pregnant with a baby that will give us both all the happiness in the world, securing that KaibaCorp stays in the family.

"We're here, Mitsuko-chan. Come on."

He took her by the arm and led her up some steps into a room, where her blindfold was whipped off and the shout of "SURPRISE!" made her jump as she found that her friends and family surrounded her, then the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" on a banner in the background made her remember what day it was.

"Thanks, everyone, I totally forgot it was my birthday today."

"Nii-sama remembered and planned this party for you!" Mokuba revealed, a huge smile on his face.

Seto came over and took her hands. "Is this a good surprise for you?"

She nodded. "The greatest, Seto-kun. I was so busy lately I'd overlooked that I was going to be turning twenty-nine today." She kissed him and then she turned to her brother. "It's your birthday too, Yu-nii."

He shook his head. "Not until tomorrow. I was born after midnight, remember?"

She sighed and shook her head. "It's just that Jii-chan celebrated our birthdays on mine that I assumed they were the same day."

He laughed and hugged her. "It's okay, now we can celebrate two days in a row!"

"Yeah!"

Everything went on as planned, a dinner, cake, presents and festivities. It was all winding down when Seto took her aside and handed her a small box. She took off the paper and found it was jewelry box. She lifted the lid and found a ring that twinkled up at her. She covered her mouth with her hand and for the first time in ten years, tears came to her eyes. She looked up at her boyfriend, who took her hand.

"I wanted to not make a spectacle about it, so here it is. Will you marry me, Mutou Mitsuko?"

She nodded, speechless. He took the ring out of the box and put it on her finger.

"The wedding will be in three months, so we'd better start planning now."

The next day, she was swamped with selecting the wedding venue, colors, refreshments, flowers, theme, time for dress fittings, all the while she was on speaker phone with Seto.

"Your pick for the venue will be fine, Mitsuko. What you need to worry about is fitting into your dress and being there on time."

She smiled and replied, "I just hope they don't make the fit too tight, with the style I want, it's quite modest in comparison to a lot of celebrity wedding dresses I've looked up in the last few years."

"It isn't about what's in fashion, it's what you want, Mitsuko. Don't worry about what people will think about your dress, you'll look absolutely stunning in what you've chosen on our day. Is there anything else we've missed?"

"I don't think—"

It was then Yuto walked into the room and saw the engagement ring on her finger. "Oka-san, what's that new ring you're wearing? You weren't wearing it yesterday."

"I'll call you later, if you have to explain things to Yuto-kun."

"Yes, I'll talk to you later, Seto."

He hung up and she closed her phone, turning to her eldest. "This? Seto gave it to me. It's called an engagement ring."

His eyes lit up in fury. "First you won't allow Otou-san to visit anymore, now you're going to get married to Kaiba?! Why can't you see that Otou-san's heartbroken over what you've done?!"

I've had enough with Yuto's stubbornness. He's going to learn that complaining about it and fighting me at every turn about my love life won't get him what he thinks is right for me. She got up and grabbed his chin as she squatted down to glare into his startled eyes. "You see here, Yuto. I'm your mother, not some pushover like Damiri-san. Ever since he left me, I've hated him for breaking my heart and leaving us. He and I will never get back together. Understand?"

His eyes widened in shock as he heard her say her true feelings for Atem for the first time. "But Oka-san—"

"No buts, Yuto! You listen, and you listen good. In three months Seto and I are getting married and that's that. We're in love and nothing you say will change it, so will you accept it? Damiri-san will still be your dad, but Seto's going to be your stepfather and you'll obey and respect him. You're my son and this behavior is unacceptable. If you can't go along with it, you don't have a choice. You're the child, I'm the parent.

"The reason I won't let Damiri-san come to our house anymore is that he kissed me without my permission, and that's improper when I'm Seto's girlfriend and he's only my ex-boyfriend. He made a lot of trouble for Seto and me, so now he can't be within fifty feet of me without getting arrested and spending time in prison. He's crossed the line and I'm not playing nice any longer. He and I should've never been together in the first place. The only good thing that came out of it is you and Mamoru.

"This time I'll ask you nicely, my son. Will you keep on fighting this or will you give in and accept that in three months, you'll no longer be a Mutou, you'll be a Kaiba?"

She let go of his chin and he looked fiercely upset as he struggled to hold back tears. He gave her a long look before he let the tears fall down his cheeks as he sobbed. She waited him out and he nodded, whimpering, "I'm sorry, Oka-san. I won't fight with you anymore, even if I don't like it."

She hugged him and wiped his tears with a handkerchief. "It's going to be alright, Yuto. Please, just be happy from now on. Seto's going to be good to all of us and be the best of fathers to you and Mamoru both."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise. He's never been a dad before, so be easy on him."

"Okay."

After that, the planning went smoothly. Mitsuko was often so tired she could hardly keep up her late hours at the observatory, but she pushed through. The big day came swiftly and before she knew it, she was getting on her wedding dress and the veil was over her face. She was quivering with excitement and couldn't wait to walk down the aisle to Seto.

Mai, Anzu and Shizuka saw her shaking and Mai asked, "You okay, Mitsu-chan? You're not having cold feet at the last minute, are you?"

"Do you need any last reassurances, Mitsu-chan?" Shizuka offered, taking her hands.

Anzu saw through her veil and shook her head. "Girls, she's fine. Just so excited she can't speak." She patted her friend's shoulder and asked, "Are you ready to go? Jii-chan's waiting."

Mitsuko nodded. I'm ready for this, no matter what might happen.

Sugoroku grinned like he'd won the lottery as he led her down the aisle. She saw Seto waiting with Mokuba as his best man, and Anzu was her maid of honor. She herself wore a dress up to her collarbone with a translucent back and lace trailing all the way down to the end of the train. She couldn't help but admire Seto in his tux which was fitted to his style, his hair slicked back to keep out of his eyes. It reminded her of their first date, which made her even happier that he remembered how much she'd liked that style.

Her grandpa handed her off to him and she thought anxiously, At last I'll be able to get married to my true love, and not be left at the altar. This is the happiest day of my life.

They said their "I dos" and kissed, everyone clapping and cheering, cameras flashing as she parted with him and turned to the crowd, which consisted of their family, friends and all the big names and celebrities that it was proper to send an invitation to.

As everyone crowded around to give their congratulations, she was surprised when she was approached by Pegasus, who held a box out to her, the top off to reveal it was a card: one she'd never seen before.

"My wedding gift to you, Mitsuko-san."

She took it from the box and read the name. "Queen of Games?" She realized the picture… That's me when I was eighteen in the clothes I wore when I accepted Damiri-san's proposal! How did he know what I looked like?

Pegasus chuckled and uncovered his left eye. "Atem-boy couldn't hide his anguish over leaving you from me. I painted the picture for this card from the image of you at your happiest he'd remembered during his final duel with me."

That's…the Millennium Eye! Is seeing into the minds of others it's power?

"Bingo, Mitsuko-san. From how strong his feelings were for you, I'm surprised Kaiba-boy's the one who's married you, but when I see into your thoughts about Atem-boy, I see how much parting hurt you as well and you won't forgive him for it. Your happiness for Kaiba-boy is far and above in comparison to what you could've experienced with your pharaoh."

She nodded. "Thank you, but please, don't use your Eye further on me. I'd like to keep my thoughts to myself."

He smirked and patted her hand. "Of course, Mitsuko-san. I wouldn't be so discourteous as to read the mind of a woman who's just married for more than a moment, especially a woman so special that she held my greatest opponent's heart in her hand. Now, I should give my congratulations to Kaiba-boy. Keep that as a reminder never to look back to what things could've been."

She smiled and bowed to him. "Thank you, Crawford-san."

He twinkled his fingers and left.

Mitsuko woke the next morning and sighed. "It's the first time in a long time I've slept all night. I can't believe it."

She rolled over and saw Seto watching her. She blushed and covered herself, only for him to catch her hand.

"You don't have to be embarrassed around me, your husband. I already saw all of it last night."

She giggled as he loomed over her, his smile turning hungry as he brought her up for a passionate kiss. He touched her without reservations, unlike what Atem would've done had they been married with her newly-healed scars. He treated her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, scars and all.

How could I have not realized he loved me for so long? I've wasted most of my life being alone when I could've been happier than I've ever been with Kaiba Seto. He's all mine and I'm all his.

The pair spent their honeymoon mostly in their hotel room, but once the two weeks Mitsuko was allowed off from work were up, they came home and both went back to work. She turned on her cell phone and saw she had a message. Who could it be? I haven't called anyone these two weeks. She put the phone to her ear and heard:

"I concede defeat, Mutou-san. It's Kaiba-san now, isn't it? I regret not being able to even spark your passion even a little, but it's over now. I'll leave you to live your life, and never appear in front of you again. Sayonara."

She shook her head. Yuto's not going to like this, but it might be better for everyone. Atem…you're actually gone, and now I feel a twinge of regret for having my revenge, although it would've been better if you'd never come back in the first place. At least I wouldn't have to break the news to Yuto that you're not even around anymore after giving him false hope. There will be no living with him after this.

She rubbed her forehead. I already feel the headache over this and I'm not even home yet.

"So Kaiba-san, how was the honeymoon?"

She rolled her eyes and recalled what her doctor had advised her if she'd ever gotten married.

"Mutou-san, your injuries will cause you distinct discomfort during times of intimacy, and if you ever get pregnant, you'll have to have a C-section so your muscles don't get further damage from dilation. If you want to try for a child with your husband, I suggest in vitro fertilization, which would be only one time of discomfort instead of many."

She'd told the doctor, "I'll think about it when I get to that stage."

Of course then the whole incident with Atem leaving had driven any thought of intimacy out of her mind, so it wasn't until her actual honeymoon that she'd felt the full effects of her scarring.

I won't tell Seto, but it was utter Hell. I didn't enjoy one second while actually having sex. Now foreplay was fine, but the actual act… I wish I'd spoken up in the first place, but if I did now, Seto would feel guilty that he hurt me so badly. I just hope that he'll give it a rest, especially with the news I could have if this test is positive.

After work, Mitsuko came home to find Mamoru in great distress. She went over to her panicking son and grabbed his shoulders. "Mamoru, what's wrong?"

He looked straight into her eyes and cried, "Yuto's gone! He left this on his pillow before I woke up!"

She read the note and sighed. I knew something of this nature would happen. I didn't expect so soon. I didn't even get to say goodbye. "Calm down Mamoru, Yuto's safe and sound. He decided to leave us for a while."

His note had said: I'm not going to stay around with parents who've betrayed me. I'm going to the Duel Academy to stay with Yugi-oji-san and Anzu-oba-san. At least they'll treat me better. Don't expect me to come back Oka-san, not after what you did to Otou-san and me.

She rubbed her youngest's back and murmured, "Don't cry, you'll see him soon enough."

"I'm scared, Oka-san. What if he never comes back?"

"That's his choice." I won't stop him, after everything he's gone through internally. Yuto, I hope you can get through this with Yu-nii and Anzu's help, so you can come to accept that my feelings for Atem changed and he came back too late to get me back.

Seto came down from the second floor and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Yuto's run away to stay with Yu-nii and Anzu at the Duel Academy," Mitsuko explained as she continued consoling Mamoru. "Mamoru's broken up about it, but I think it might be better for him to be away from home for a while, until he's gotten over the grudge he's formed."

Seto frowned and kissed her cheek, before he stroked Mamoru's hair. "It'll be alright, Mamoru-kun. You're ready for school, right? Isono will drop you off and pick you up."

Mamoru looked up at his stepfather and sniffed, but nodded. "You'll both be here when I get home?"

Mitsuko nodded. "Of course."

He turned to Seto. "You too, Seto-otou-san?"

Seto nodded. "We'll be waiting. I'll work from home today."

The boy beamed and hugged them both before running out of the doors. Mitsuko straightened up and made a strained smile. "I hope he'll be alright."

"I'm sure he will be, in time. We'll send him off to the Duel Academy once he turns fifteen, so he can be with his brother."

Mitsuko smiled and turned to her new husband. "Seto, there's something I want to tell you."

"I'm listening, my love."

"I'm pregnant."

His eyes lit up and he held her to him. "That's just the good news I needed to hear after what's happened."

"You do know that I'll most likely have twins again."

"You told me all about the high probability, yes."

"So be prepared for when the first ultrasound shows two."

Mamoru got better as he found out he was going to be a big brother, helping Mitsuko as she prepared a nursery for the new addition(s). I love that he's perked up so quickly with the news that there's going to be a new child in the family, she thought warmly as he helped her paint the walls a cheerful blue with white clouds, although he got more paint on him than the wall. She giggled at his paint-covered face and reached up higher to get the wall above her head.

She was nearing twenty-two weeks, although it hadn't shown up that she was carrying more than one. Could I really be that lucky? I don't think so. I'm sure that the other's hiding behind its sibling or some other odd placing. I've built up enough bad karma I wouldn't be surprised that was the case.

"Oka-san, you're lost in thought again," Mamoru pointed out as he splattered paint all over his hair.

She blinked and shook her head. I should stop doing that, if Mamoru notices. "Sorry Mamoru, you know how I get to thinking these days."

"You're thinking about the baby."

"Why shouldn't I? I haven't been pregnant since I had you and Yuto."

Mamoru tensed as she started crying and instantly tried to soothe. "I'm sorry for making you mention him! Please don't cry, Oka-san!"

She shook her head and sniffed, but the tears still fell. "I hate these pregnancy hormones. I didn't shed a tear before this month about anything. Now I'm crying over everything, not just puppies and kittens!"

She hit the wet wall, uncaring that the paint came off on her fist.

"Do you want me to call Seto-otou-san? He always helps you feel better!"

She took a shaky breath, on the verge of sobbing. "Sure, just make sure you wash off your hands first."

"Okay!"

He ran out of the room, only for her to follow him, making sure nothing was on her hands so she could cry into them to her heart's content. She bent over the sink, squeezing her eyes shut, but it did nothing to stem the tears. "Atem…Yuto…Oka-san… WHY DID YOU ALL LEAVE ME?! WHY DOES EVERYONE LEAVE ME?! AM I THAT HORRIBLE WITH MY STUBBORN ATTITUDE THAT I SCARE EVERYONE AWAY?!"

She dissolved into bitter sobs that shook her whole body.

Mamoru came racing back in with his cellphone to his ear. "It's really bad this time, Seto-otou-san. Oka-san's filling the sink with her tears. Okay, here she is."

He held the phone out, but when she didn't take it, he held it up to her ear.

"Mitsuko? Can you hear me?" Seto asked in a soft voice.

"Y-yes…" she whimpered through her tears.

"What set you off this time?"

She then shrieked, "NO ONE STAYS NEAR ME FOR LONG! EVERYONE ABANDONS ME! EVEN YU-NII AND MY FRIENDS! I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM IN MONTHS! THEY HATE ME—"

She coughed as she threw up from the stress.

Mamoru took the phone away and cried, "She just barfed!" He nodded as he listened. "I won't leave her side until you get here, promise. Bye, Seto-otou-san."

Her throat now felt like sandpaper as she continued wailing over the sink.

"Oka-san, Seto-otou-san's coming home right away! He'll make you feel all better!"

He placed a hand on her arm and bounced in anxiety as she struggled to breathe through her constant sobs, only to start hiccuping.

I hate this! Why can't I just calm down?! I keep scaring both my son and husband with these violent sobbing sessions! Stop crying over things of the past, you dimwit! It won't help if you do this at work! They'll think you're insane! And these hiccups hurt like hell with my pregnant stomach hanging in the air like this!

She hit the counter with her fists as she fell to her knees, then slid onto all fours as she found the air was fresher away from the sink.

"Kaiba-sama!" a maid cried as she came in and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mamoru-sama, what's happened to Kaiba-sama?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Mitsuko screamed, shoving the older woman's hand off her. "I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY IN MY TIME OF WEAKNESS! I CAN HANDLE THIS ON MY OWN!"

She shook her head and buried her face into the bathroom rug as she resumed her hiccup/sobs. I'm pathetic…I can't even accept help from other people during this time except Seto! He has to work and I'm pulling him from it with my freak outs! I'm a despicable human being!

"We should call a doctor! She's sick!"

"No!" Mamoru cried. "I've already called Seto-otou-san! He's coming home to calm her down right now!"

The thing was, Mitsuko didn't just have these breakdowns for ten minutes then was happy as if nothing had happened, no, she had these for hours until she cried herself out, and then she felt drained afterwards. This time was the worst so far, but if it continued, it would have to be mentioned to her doctor.

I need anti-depressants at this rate. I'm sick of all this crying and depression from all my suppressed stresses!

She kept pounding the floor with her fists as she struggled to stop, but that only made it worse as she fought her gag reflexes as the urge to empty her stomach fully grew stronger the more she tried to cease her tears.

STOP, DAMN YOU! THIS ISN'T WHAT I PLANNED FOR WHEN I GOT PREGNANT!

"Oka-san, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Mamoru pleaded as her fingernails dug in too far and her hands started to bleed.

Now she started to scream as her depressed sobs turned to furious sobs. She gritted her teeth as she raised her head to the ceiling. "DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT! DAMN YOU, PHARAOH! YOU DID THIS TO ME! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU IHATEYOU! I WISH I'D NEVER COMPLETED THE DAMN PUZZLE AND AWAKENED YOU FROM YOUR ETERNAL SLEEP! I WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN IN THE ANCIENT PAST! JUST CRASH YOUR MOTORCYCLE IN A DITCH AND DIE! YOU MADE YOUR OLDER SON JUST LIKE YOU! JUST TAKE HIM AND VANISH FROM MY LIFE FOREVER! NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER COME BACK OR I'LL KILL YOU! YOU STUPID SPIKY-HAIRED CHILD OF HORUS! WHY DIDN'T YOU GO TO THE UNDERWORLD WITH THE REST OF YOUR DAMN SUBJECTS?! WHY'D YOU HAVE TO BE FATED TO MESS WITH MY LIFE?! YOU TORE HALF MY HEART OUT OF MY CHEST AND ATE IT! YOU MONSTER, YOU MOTHER-*^$% MONSTER! I WISH BAKURA HAD HUNG YOU BY YOUR ENTRAILS INSTEAD OF GOING AFTER ME! I WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOUR SO-CALLED HELP AND LOVE! I WOULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO THAT DAMNED COMA IF YOU HADN'T SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME WITH THOSE MOTHER-&$%^ SHADOW GAMES! DAMN YOU, DAMN EGYPT, DAMN SHADOW MAGIC, DAMN MILLENNIUM ITEMS, DAMN FATE, DESTINY, AND ALL THOSE OTHER MOTHER-^%$* WORDS! I HATE YOU EVEN EXIST ON THE SAME PLANE OF REALITY AS ME! *$^% YOU!"

Seto came into the bathroom and fell onto his knees in front of her. "Mitsuko, stop this, right now. Being pissed about being sad is only going to hurt the baby." He took her into his arms, only for her to blow chunks all over his front. He ignored it and rubbed her back, looking up at his stepson. "Mamoru, you can go now. You've heard and seen enough to scar you for life today."

Mamoru stared at his mom in horror. "Oka-san's scary when she's going to have a baby…"

Mitsuko switched back to despair and just sobbed into his shoulder, begging, "Don't leave me, Seto. Don't leave me."

He lifted her up and carried her out of the bathroom, servants staring at the sight of him covered in tears and vomit, but he ignored them and went into his bedroom. He carried her into the adjoining bathroom and took off both their clothes to take a lukewarm bath, which they both needed. "I'm here Mitsuko, don't worry. I'm not leaving you."

When the tub was full, he eased them both in, washing them both of the grime they'd accumulated. She clung to him as much as she could, even as he washed her hair and rinsed it. They relaxed as he finished, and he murmured, "I would never abandon you, no matter what happens. You know that."

She nodded through her tears, but she whispered, "Everyone else has."

"What about Mamoru-kun? He's stayed with you every time this has happened and hasn't complained. He would stay with you even if you hit him constantly. He loves you that much."

Her eyes widened. "I would never hit my baby boy!"

"I was just giving an example of his love and loyalty to you. No one's visited you since the wedding is because everyone's busy with their jobs and their own lives, not because they've abandoned you. They're still your friends, even if being pregnant has turned you crazy." He chuckled. "Although I'm impressed you went so low on your vocabulary to insult Damiri. I'm sure that rant isn't something that Mamoru-kun's going to forget easily."

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"If you didn't hold back your emotions on all these subjects, you wouldn't have such violent mood swings. It's alright to cry when bad things happen. It doesn't say anything about your strength of character of you shed tears."

"I've shed so many tears when I was thought as a weakling…I couldn't stand being thought as weak anymore, so I promised I'd never cry over anything again."

"Now it's come back to haunt you. Do you really want to be like this every time you have any kids?"

She shook her head. "It sucks."

"Well then, you'll have to overcome all these extreme emotions by letting yourself express them. Yugi doesn't do this, does he? Even he lets himself cry every once in a while, even after toughening up."

"He hasn't visited, even if it's winter break."

"He told me today he'll visit if you're not acting crazy. If you're just crying, that's one thing, but sobbing like the world's going to end? You're not fit for anyone's company, let alone your brother and his family."

She relaxed, letting her body express what it wanted, even if that meant having all the negative thoughts. If I'm not pregnant with twins, I really do need counseling. I'm twisted up in knots not even I know how to untie.

When they got out of the bath, Seto dried his wife thoroughly and smiled. "Are you feeling better enough that you're up for company?"

Mitsuko nodded and although she was still wiping her tears away every other second, she wasn't sobbing anymore.

"Come on, let's get something decent on before they get here."

She put on a pair of elastic-waistband pants and a maternity smock, not caring what she looked like at the time: she felt like crap and knew she looked it with her flushed cheeks and puffy eyes. She sighed when Seto put an arm around her when he was dressed as well, nuzzling her hair as they emerged from the bedroom and walked downstairs, where she settled on the couch in the living room, exhausted from her mood swing.

"This has to be unhealthy for you, if you're this wiped out and you're only four-and-a-half months."

She took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears more successfully. "I know, and it was only because of a single name."

"Maybe until you give birth, some things should be taboo so they don't set you off."

"But people will talk about them, especially if they don't know."

"You have abandonment issues, which I didn't know about until you reached your fourth month of pregnancy. Damiri didn't say anything about you being like this when you carried your twins."

"I hadn't had my fiancé and son abandon me at that time. It wasn't so bad when it was just Oka-san being gone, I had Yu-nii and my friends to stave off the loneliness. But I've been mostly alone for too long and the pregnancy hormones aren't helping."

"We'll have to have the doctor check to see if your hormones are extremely high this coming appointment. You weren't like this at your last ultrasound."

"Yeah. If the press caught onto this, they'd have a field day."

"That's why I'm not letting you go anywhere until your mood swings become less violent, or should I say 'if'?"

"Yeah, it's 'if'. Definitely 'if' at this point."

He smiled and pulled her close. "I doubt Damiri would've had the patience to deal with this."

"Damiri-san wouldn't have had to deal with it."

"Touché."

She rested while they waited, almost asleep when the doorbell rang and she winced when she felt her back screaming at her from her terrible posture. She smiled when Yugi, Anzu and their kids came in, Yugi coming over to hug his sister.

"I haven't seen you since the wedding. You sure didn't waste time having kids, did you?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Seto and I decided having kids now would be better than later."

Anzu was next and squealed when she ran her hand over her sister-in-law's baby bump. "You're blooming! I can't believe you're so big, about even when you were carrying the twins! Are you expecting twins again?"

"As far as the ultrasounds have done, no, but how could I be this large otherwise? Gas?"

Seto snorted and shook his head. "The doctor would've said so."

She accepted hugs from her two nephews and then settled back against her husband with a drained sigh. Yugi noticed how tired she was and asked, "Are you okay? You're awfully tired for only being five months."

"Four-and-a-half, but that's a nuance. I've just been having mood swings and that tires me out."

Anzu raised her eyebrows. "Mood swings that tire you out? I've never heard of that before."

Seto sighed. "You wouldn't believe what mood swings are like for her this time around."

Mitsuko waved off their curiosity by saying, "You wouldn't want all the boring details. I'm fine right now."

Mamoru came into the room, since he'd noticed that they had visitors. "Yugi-oji-san! Anzu-oba-san! Atsushi-kun! Osamu-kun! You're here!"

He only stayed to lead his cousins off to play, glancing warily at his mom before vacating the room.

Anzu watched them go. "Is it just me or was Mamoru wary of you, Mitsu?"

Seto shook his head. "Today's mood swing was particularly bad. It's scared him, so he just wants to make sure he's ready for the next one."

Mitsuko nodded. "Trust me, you don't want to be around when I'm like that. I can't control when they happen, or how long they last."

Anzu looked worried as she offered, "I can stay longer if it's needed Kaiba-kun, if I can help with any of this. I'm sure it's really stressful for you."

Seto shook his head again. "I have it all in hand. We're going to ask the doctor her next appointment if this is natural. We might be in for some surprises."

If Mitsuko has another set of twins, which would they be, boys, girls, or one of each?

Mood swings can be scary for some women, I've heard, and the amount of stress that Mitsuko's been hiding? I think this is rather accurate.

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