Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews, thanks for the love. I greatly appreciate it. Also, I've decided: two chapters left, and Koharu will be done. Then I'll be starting on Koharu II. So, thanks everyone and enjoy Chapter 16!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kodocha!
Summary: It's been a couple weeks since Akito returned from America. But now, there's a problem: Sana is pregnant. And they're only 15!! What will they do now?? This story is based off of the manga more than the anime, because I like the manga better. Lol. Hope you enjoy. Please review. Tell me if you like!
Chapter 16: Happiness Keeps Falling Apart: Part Two
"Thoughts"
"Talking"
The door lightly slammed, and Koharu woke up in Sana's arms, crying. "Mama.." Sana said, stressfully. Sana started to bounce her, and try to shush her. "I just got her to sleep. Shh, shh. It's alright." Misako sat down on the couch beside Sana. "Well, they got on the plane in one piece." Misako said, trying to make conversation. Sana nodded and forced a smile. "That's good. They probably won't call unitl.. hm.. sometime tomorrow." During the small talk, Koharu had not stopped crying. It was beginning to stress Sana out. "Koharu, baby, please stop crying. Please?" Koharu's head rested on Sana's shoulder, and they could slightly hear Koharu's constant mumble of "Daddy." Misako didn't really want to ask, she thought she already knew the answer. As if Sana had read her mother's mind, she answered the unknown question. "She's been crying ever since she woke up. She would stop when she ate, but her eyes constantly wandered. Then, she'd cry again. She had just fallen asleep when you came home. Shh.." Sana sighed. Misako nodded. This is a horrible situation. At this rate, would Koharu recover from the absense of her father? Misako's eyes suddenly lit up, and she left the room. She came back. In her hands, was Akito's tape recorder. "Let's see if it works." Sana nodded, and took the recorder. To her, Koharu was one of the smartest babies she'd ever laid eyes on. Due to that fact, Sana took the recorder, while Koharu was facing the other way. Sana put the recorder behind her back. She nodded at Misako, and she pressed the play button. The tape rolled, and Akito's voice appeared in the atmosphere. "Hey Koharu." The recorder said. Koharu immediately lifted her head up. The voice continued, and Koharu kept searching her surroundings. "Daddy." She stated. Sana nodded. "Yep, that's daddy! He's talking to you. Say Hi, Daddy!" Finally, Koharu smiled. To Sana, it appeared to be a game with Koharu. "Where's Daddy hiding." Koharu kept looking around the room, and Akito's voice was still playing. All of a sudden, she giggled.
Even though Akito was not really around, the house got more peaceful. Koharu stopped looking around, and she rested her head on Sana's shoulder. Just hearing his voice seemed to put her at ease. It lifted Sana's spirits too. Koharu's eyes started to droop, and Sana rubbed her back, as she hummed a tune. With Sana and Akito's voices combined, Koharu's eyes completely closed. Before she fell into a peaceful slumber, she whispered, "Muma." Sana sighed with huge relief, when Koharu's eyes finally closed. She mouthed to her mother, "I'll be right back," and stood up to put Koharu to bed. As she walked up the stairs, Sana still let the recorder play, and continued to hum to her. When Sana put Koharu in her crib, she quickly switched the tapes, and let the recorder play. Once she knew Koharu would not wake up, she walked out of the room. Once her door had shut, she collapsed onto the floor, and rested her forehead on her knees. With her face hidden, she cried softly. This was harder than she thought. "Akito, I miss you." She suddenly felt her stomach do flip-flops. Reality had really hit her. She stood up, and wiped her face with her sleeve. She sighed, and placed her hand on her now,flat stomach. She slightly groaned, and walked to the bathroom. When she finished puking her guts out, and returned to her room, she just sat on her bed and stared into space.
"How could I forget? I have two now. And I still haven't told Mama yet. I can't. I'm afraid. I went through the pregnancy talk before. I'm just.. so afraid. I've already disappointed her enough. Would she react different now? Gosh, now I just want to leave this place. It's so lonely and useless without him here. Maybe I should.. run away.. and not return.. until.. I don't know when. But, where would I live?" Her face turned to her huge piggybank. All of her money made, was kept in there. "That's it. I'll save up for this new baby, and a place to live. I'll be 17 soon. I can rent off of someone, right? Someone would give me a place to say, if I have Koharu with me. Of course, I don't think I'll leave now. Just, I don't know." She looked down at her stomach. "Maybe, when I start to show, I'll hide until Akito returns, or until this new one is born. Speaking of that, I need to make an appointment too. Oh, joy. Here we go again: Sickness, mood's swinging, a whale for a stomach, and all of that ice cream." Just the thought of a nine month's supply of ice cream, made her want to run back into the bathroom again. She had not had one bite of ice cream since Koharu was born. It seemed she had one bite, too many. "It'll be hard to hide from the press and stuff. And I don't think I can trust doctors to keep this a secret either. Hmm?" She looked around the room again. Her eyes stopped on her huge closet. She stood up, and walked over to the double doors. Once opened, her eyes found a chest that was full of wigs and weird outfits. A smirk came across her lips. "Good idea, Sana." She opened up her chest, and searched through it. She ended up pulling out a blonde wig, blue colored contacts, and a pair of thick rimmed glasses. What she wore out did not matter. She put on the wig, popped in the contacts, and put the glasses on. She looked in the mirror. "Hmm?" It was different. It definitely wasn't something she would wear out. "I think these glasses pull it off." She smiled, liking what she saw, and picked up her phone. She looked up her recent doctor, and dialed the number. "Ahem." Sana cleared her throat, trying to find a different pitch. Before anyone picked up on the other line, she tested her voice out. She found one that worked for her. It didn't sound completely like her, but it wasn't too fake either. "Thank goodness for all of those years of acting at Komowari." The line picked up. "Um, Hi. I need to make an appointment." The other line asked a question. Sana answered. "It appears that I am pregnant, and I.." The other line cut her off, and gave her all of the information. The person on the other end then asked, "May I have your name please?" Sana kind of stuttered. "A.." She started off. "Think of something, Sana!" "A.. Akina. Akina Hayashi." Sana nodded to herself. The secretary continued to ask questions, and Sana continued to answer falsely: Different age, different details, everything. Finally the conversation ended, and Sana was due to have an appointment that next morning. Once she hung up the phone, she let out a huge sigh. "Well, that's one problem solved.. for now anyway. I just hate that I have to hide all of this from Mama. But, it's only temporary. I just feel so alone and helpless without Akito here to help me through it." Sana looked at the clock, and it read 9:45 am. Since she didn't have a study session with her tutor today, she pretty much had the day to herself. She yawned. "I think I'll take a nap." She turned the baby monitor on high volume, and collapsed on her bed.
It was three days later, Sana was pacing across the living room, at 11:00 at night, bouncing Koharu. "Shh, shh baby! It's alright!" Sana said again for the millionth time. Koharu was once again crying for Akito. "This has got to stop." Sana thought, as she bounced Koharu on her hip. Misako entered the living room with the phone in her hand. "Sana?" Sana looked up at her mother. "Yeah?" Misako handed the phone to her. "Phone call." Misako said nothing more, and without asking, she took Koharu out of the room. "Mum!" Koharu protested, and Misako just bounced her out of the room. Sana sighed, and then put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sana." Sana's eyes lit up. "Akito? Hey! How are you?" She sat on the couch. "I'm alright. I just woke up, actually. So, I figured I'd call you before you went to bed. I'm about to go to school."
"Oh, good. Is it the same school as before?"
"Yeah, in fact some people from the school saw me yesterday. What about you? Are you doing alright?"
"Me? Oh, yeah! I'm doing just fine! I do miss you though."
"Yeah, I miss you too. How is Koharu doing?"
"She's alright. As expected, you not around, upsets her. However, I've been using your tape recorder and it calms her." Akito smiled. "Good. I figured it would help." Sana was so happy to hear his voice again. It was all small talk, but just talking to him made her recent stress go away. That is, until Misako came back with Koharu. This time, Koharu was screaming. Sana sighed. "Sana? What's going on?" Akito said on the other line. Apparently, he could hear Koharu's screaming. She sighed again. "Oh, she's just grouchy. It's way past her bedtime. Not to mention, she misses you terribly." Akito started to feel guilty. "I know. I miss her.. and you too. Hopefully, I won't be here for very long. Just stay strong, okay?" Sana smiled and nodded. "Mhmm. I will. I promise. You too!" Koharu's constant crying got Sana's attention. She groaned. "Well, let me get Ms. Fussy Britches to bed, and I'll talk to you later." Akito nodded. "Okay, I'll call you after school. Will you be.. awake?" Sana giggled. "Well, Koharu wakes up around that time, so yeah. I'll be awake. Call away. Haha."
"Okay, get her to bed. Love you."
"Love you too. Goodnight."
"Uhh, goodmorning?" Akito asked. Sana laughed again. "Goodbye, Akito!" She laughed, as she hung up the phone.
Akito chuckled to himself as well, as he put the phone on the receiver. He went back to his coffee, and got ready for school.
(A/N: Time for Akito. Let's take a break from Japan, and go to California. lol)
"Welcome back, Akito." Some of the kids said, as he entered the class room. It was amazing that some of these kids remembered him. He just nodded, and walked to the back of the classroom to an open table. His first class was Anatomy & Physiology. He was already taking this class in Japan. This classroom had tables, instead of desks, so two people sat at each of them. He sat down, and looked around. Some of the kids stared: some smiled, and some had that blank stare that said: "Who are you?" Akito just ignored all of the stares, and pulled his notebook out, along with his wallet. He didn't pay attention, when a young girl sat down beside him. "Hi!" She said, cheerfully. Akito's eyes just quickly looked at her. "Hi." He said simply, then looked back at his notebook. He had his wallet on the notebook, opened up. He would stare at the two picures. One side was Koharu's. The other was Sana's. The girl seemed to be an idiot. She had light brown hair, with hazel eyes. Most of the guys found her attractive. Akito, obviously did not. "What is your name? My name is Megan." She said very slowly. Akito let out a low scowl. Just because he was from Japan, did not mean he couldn't understand her. He had been there a few years before. He knew english. "Akito." He said. The girl kept watching him. His finger, unconsciously was tracing across Koharu's picture. The girl, being the nosy type, peeked over his shoulder. "Aww. Is that your little sister?" Akito, plain as day, said. "No. My daughter." The girl's eyes nearly bulged out. "Oh. Wow. Okay, that's cool, I guess." She looked at the other side of the wallet, looking at Sana's picture. "And, I take she.." She pointed. Akito cut her off. "Yes, my girlfriend, and her mother." The girl kind of backed off now. Akito was kind of in that state of mood, where he didn't care if he was being rude or hurting her feelings. She was kind of bugging him the second she sat down. "She was the one being nosy." He told himself. Once the teacher started to actually teach something useful, Akito put his wallet away, and started to write the notes down. He inwardly sighed. "This is going to be a long day."
The day went on, and Akito got super lucky. Since most of his credits passed, he only had to take four class periods that entire day. He was able to go home during lunch. The only classes he took was Anatomy, Pre-Calc, English, and some American History class.
He was sitting on the couch, just watching the clock tick, while the TV played, giving him something to do. Life was so boring for him right now. He used to always be busy. He went to school, he went to help at the Karate dojo every so often to make some ends meat, he went home, he took care of Koharu and Sana, when needed. He was always busy. Now.. what? The things that kept him busy, were very far away. Sana wouldn't be awake for another few hours. "If it's 12pm now, it's like 5 in the morning over there. Ehh, why not?" He made himself comfortable on the couch, and went to sleep.
(A/N: Back to Sana in Japan)
"That's a wrap! Good work, Sana!" The director shouted. Sana had decided to take on a TV show. She wouldn't be leaving the area. It was no different than the TV shows she did with Asako and even the sadly deceased Takeshi.
Sana let out a deep sigh. She was definitely tired. She had been up on her feet since 7 that morning. As promised, Akito did call around 7:30 in the morning, however most of that conversation didn't go too pleasant.
(A/N: Flashback begins)
Sana was sitting on the couch watching "Good Morning, Japan" (Yes, I just made that up.) Koharu was on the floor, playing with her toys. She already had her "I miss daddy." episode, and was content now that the tape recorder was playing, keeping her happy. On top of stressing over keeping Koharu happy, Sana had to take a few breaks. And they weren't for her enjoyment. Oh no, her breaks took place in the bathroom. She was pregnant, after all. She maybe got a chance to relax for maybe three minutes before the phone rang, making Sana get up on her feet again. "Hello?" She said, groggily. "Oh, hey Akito." On the other end in America, Akito got worried. "Are you alright? You don't sound too good. Oh, is it that time of the morning?" Akito said. He knew the pregnancy game. How could he forget? It wasn't that long ago. Koharu was barely seven months old.
Sana kind of sighed. "You could say that. I'm also a little tired, as usual." Akito got a little concerned. "Other than the normal situation, are you alright?" Sana nodded at the phone. "Yeah, of course. Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you this.. earlier, but things got in the way, so I guess I'll tell you now."
"Okay, what is it?" Akito asked.
"Well, I got another job yesterday. A director contacted Rei, and immediately accepted it for me. You know how he does that all the time. Well, it's a TV movie, kind of like what I did a long time ago. I'm not leaving the area. It'll be at the same studio that Child's Toy is filmed. So, I'll be busy for the next few days until the movie's completed. I've also been booked for a few commercials too. Not to mention my doctor's appointments in between all of that." She laughed at that comment. Akito, however, did not find this funny. "That's a lot on your load, don't you think?" Sana's laugh settled down. "Well, a little bit. I'm taking it easy though. I'll take as many breaks as I can while on set. And Koharu will be with me too. All of the directors are fine with her being there. I'll have Rei watching her, while the camera rolls. And in my condition, I'll be just fine. I'm sure of it. It's just pregnancy, nothing serious." Akito sighed in the phone. "But, if you take on all of this work, you could harm yourself." Sana sighed back in frustration. "What did I just say? I'm taking it easy. It's not like back to back to back work that I have to do. I just said I'm going to be busy. We're you even listening to me?" She said, her voice rising.
Akito rolled his eyes on the other end. "Here we go. A mood swing." Akito thought to himself. He kept himself in check, not wanting to upset her. Luckily, he was nowhere near her with her hammer in hand. With that thought in mind, he chuckled. "What are you laughing at? This isn't funny!" Sana shouted. Akito stopped, and tried to think of the right words to say. "Sana. Calm down. I heard every word."
"Obviously not, if you doubt my motives!"
"I don't. I just want you to be safe."
"I am safe! I will be safe! I already told you that! Must I repeat myself?" Akito sighed. "No." Out of nowhere, they heard crying. In Akito's mind, he kept thinking "Whew, saved by the baby." Actually this was a bad thing. He wanted to talk to her longer, but Koharu got in the way again. He could hear Sana whispering "There there, baby. Calm down."
"What's wrong with her now?" Akito asked. Sana was holding Koharu with both arms, while the phone was resting on her shoulder. "Fussy. That seems to be her most popular mood lately. She eats, she sleeps, and then the rest of her day is filled with crying and then calming down to a tape recorder." Sana said, irritated. Akito just smirked. "Well, good thing I was a genius. What would you do if I hadn't made the tapes?" As if it was the most difficult question to answer, Sana threw one arm up in surrender. "Geez, I don't know!" Akito inwardly sighed again. This whole conversation with Sana was proving his point. He didn't want to, but he was about to make her upset. He took a deep breath, and let it out quickly. "Now do you understand, Sana? I'm proving my point right now." Akito said. Sana was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, you were just talking about all of this work that you're doing. How are you going to handle all of that when you're emotional state is out of whack?" Akito asked, knowingly. "My emotional state is not out of whack, Akito! I'm pregnant, dammit! Don't you understand at all.." She kept complaining. As she did this, Akito just pulled the phone away from his ear, as her voice rose. He knew how to play this game too. He could hear her loud and well though, even when the phone was away from his ear. Once he finished yelling, everything was silent, except for Koharu's whimpering. Through experience, Akito learned: let her frant, let her freak. Once she's finished, and she's had a minute of silence and cooling off, talk to her normally. He put the phone back to his ear. "Are you finished?" He asked. Sana sighed. "Yes, I'm finished. Thank you." Akito continued. "As I was saying, even though your emotional state is normal,.." He chose his words carefully. He didn't want her to get upset again. "I'm worried that it will make you more stressed out. Too much stress can harm you. I don't want to take that chance. Do you?"
"No. But, I have to do something. Money's got to be flowing in somewhere, Akito."
"Yes, I know. But, just don't over do it, okay? I'm only looking out for your best interests, you know." Akito said
"I know. I know!" Sana shouted, her voice was rising again. Akito groaned at the volume. Off she went again. As she shouted, Akito thought,"Why does she seem worse now than she was before?" He could remember Sana having quite a few mood swings. But, they never lasted this long. A good three minutes, and she was done. Now, it was like never ending. Sana continued to talk. "Can't I just decide for myself for once?" Sana said, her voice getting quiet. Once again, Akito gave her a minute to cool off. "Decide for yourself. I'm not stopping you. I can't anyway. I'm just begging you to please take care of yourself, okay?"
"Yes, I will." Koharu's cries increased, throwing Sana from "freak out mode" to "mother mode." "
"Uhh, sorry Akito. Let me take care of this child of ours. She needs attention. Anything you wanna say before I hang up?" Akito remembered. "Oh, yes actually. I'm getting surgery on my arm tomorrow. Just to let you know."
"Okay. Good. The quicker you get that arm better, the quicker you can come home to us." Akito nodded. "I plan on it." He could hear his daughter's cries, and it continued to break his heart. He inwardly sighed. "I'm sorry, Koharu." He thought. "Well, Akito. I'll talk to you later. When is your surgery tomorrow?" Akito began to think. "Umm, I'll be at the hospital at 7 in the morning. I don't know how long I'll be there. I'll just have Dad call you guys with news after the surgery is over with."
Sana nodded. "Okay. Well, I'm sorry, but I've got to go. This girl is reaching for my hair, she's so frustrated." Seeing the vision in his head, made Akito chuckle, but he quickly controlled it. "Sorry, go take care of her. I'll talk to you soon."
"Okay, good luck tomorrow. I love you." Akito nodded. "You too. See ya." He hung up.
"Bye." She hung up. At the same time, they both collapsed against the wall.
(A/N: Flashback Ends)
"Sana?" Rei got her attention. She turned to see him appraoch her with Koharu in his arms. "Hey, you!" She took her from Rei. "Were you good for, Rei?" She looked at him with serious eyes. "Was she?" Rei shrugged that look she gave, off. "Yes, yes, of course. I just played the tape recorder, and she was just fine." Sana smiled brightly. "Good." She yawned, and stretched one of her arms out. "I'm hungry. Let's go get some food, and go home. I'm tired." She admitted. She started to walk away with Koharu, leaving Rei behind with the stroller. "Oh, by the way.." Sana started, before she turned around. "Later today around three, I have plans with my friends. We're going shopping for about an hour or two. So, would you mind calling Asako, and ask if she would be willing to watch Koharu for me?" Rei nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Great! Thank you so much!" With a bounce in her step, she walked out of the studio. Even though she was bouncing, her eyes looked sad. She had lied to Rei again. She was really going to a doctor's appointment, not on a shopping spree. She did use Fuka, as a cover, just incase. She decided that to hide her identity, she would go to Fuka's house to change into her new "person." After she would do that, she was no longer Sana Kurata, but Akina Hayashi. She decided she would take Fuka with her as well. The press did not know Fuka. So, the doctor's seeing her would not cause a problem. Fuka would be playing her adoptive sister, in this pretend game.
With courtesy of Rei, they stopped at a restaurant. Sana wanted everything, but she had to keep her hunger in check. She bought Koharu a plate of sushi, and she was satisfied. As Sana sat down with her tray, she relaxed and closed her eyes. Rei saw her do this, and got a little worried. "Sana? Are you feeling alright?" Sana's eyes opened. "No, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Rei shrugged off Sana's bluff and continued to eat his food. While they ate, Rei called Asako, and she immediately agreed to watch Koharu. Sana's plan was set in motion. After this, she would have Rei take Koharu to Asako's, while she went over to Fuka's. Sana had already discussed this plan with Fuka, and she didn't like the whole "secret" idea, but she supported Sana. She even offered Sana a place to stay, if she really did run away.
Rei hung up his cell phone, and smiled. "Well, Asako accepted the job." Sana smiled. "Great. So you don't mind taking Koharu over there right now?" Sana asked, still smiling. Rei's face got confused. "Right now?" Sana nodded. "Well, it's 2:00. And I said earlier, that I was meeting up with my friends at 3. Rei remembered, and then nodded. "Okay, you're right. When will you be back?" Sana thought about it. "Hmm... maybe 4:30, or 5:00, it depends on everyone else." Rei nodde again. "Okay." They both stood up, and Sana gave Koharu to Rei. "You be good for Asako, okay?" Koharu started to protest. "Oh, don't cry." She lightly touched Koharu's face, and pushed it the other way so she would't see the tape recorder. Sana whispered, "Here. Play this the whole way there, and then explain it to Asako, okay?" Rei nodded, and whispered back. "You got it." Sana let go of Koharu's face. "Okay, I love you! Be good." She kissed Koharu's cheek, and walked away. Rei put his hand in his pocket, where the tape recorder was, and pressed the play button. Akito's voice magically appeared, and Koharu calmed down. "Okay, let's go see Asako." Rei said, as he walked out of the door as well.
About one hour and a half later, Sana and Fuka were sitting at a restaurant, again. The doctor's appointment was completed, and everything was going well with the baby. She still looked like "Akina Hayashi," but she talked like she was "Sana Kurata." Luckily, there were not many people at the restaurant. All of a sudden, Sana's cell phone rang. "Oh!" She put her finger up at Fuka, and answered. "Hello?"
"Great! Is he well?" She listened well, nodding every once in awhile. But not too soon, and Sana's face turned into a frown. "Oh, I see." The other end apologized. "Don't apologize. It's okay. However long it takes. I just want him well again. I can wait." She nodded again. "Okay. I'll call him later. Thanks, Natsumi. Bye." She hung up, and her face hung low. "Sana?" Sana lifted her head, and faked a smile. "Well, his surgery is over. It's been a few hours since, and he's awake now. But, he still can't move his arm, at all. So, he might be there longer than we want him to." Fuka grabbed onto her hands reassuringly. She smiled. "Sana. It will be okay."
"I don't know, Fuka. I'm just so tired. I don't know how long I can really take all of this." Sana admitted. Fuka smiled knowingly. "Don't worry about everything so much. Just take it easy. That's what Akito wants, right?" Sana just nodded. "He worries about me so much, and I don't want him to. How do I continue on without him? It's already such a lonely journey, and he's only been gone for three days. Now, imagine him not being around for oh, let's say a year? I don't know. I might just take Koharu and go to America."
Sana and Fuka sat there for another two hours. Just talking to Fuka, was making Sana feel better. She hadn't been able to discuss her true feelings with anyone in a long time. After she stopped talking, Fuka was smiling. Really, she got worried. This was really bad for the new baby. Sana being so stressed out, at heart, could really cause problems. "I really hope Akito gets better soon. Who knows how bad this could get." Fuka thought to herself, as she took a bite into her sandwich.
(A/N: Four months later.)
"Mama!" Koharu shouted. Sana, carefully got up from the couch, and went to find her 10 month old daughter sitting at the door. "What is it, baby?" She asked, stressfuly. Koharu lifted her arms up towards the door knob. She wanted to go outside. Sana siged. "Oh, alright. Come on." She opened the door, and she waited. She knew what was going to happen next. Koharu grabbed onto the edges of the door, and pulled herself up to her feet. Sana clapped. "Good job, Koharu!" Koharu than looked at her mother. She didn't want to ask for help, so she stared at her. Sana giggled to herself. "Here." She grabbed onto her hands, and helped her walk. Once Koharu had her balance, she let go of Sana's hands. Very carefully, she walked across the yard. She started to walk too fast, and her little feet lost balance, and she plopped down on her butt. She banged her little hands on the grass, in frustration. Sana giggled to herself. "Don't stress too much, Koharu. You'll get it." She couldn't help but laugh. "Try it again." Sana said, encouragingly. Sana walked over to her, and helped Koharu stand up again. Koharu had her balance again, and she started to walk again. Once again, she took one step too soon, and she fell. "There's your problem." Sana started. Koharu just looked at her. Sana sat down across from her. "You're going too fast. Take it one step at a time. You won't be running over night." She laughed to herself. Koharu got on all fours, and crawled closer to Sana. She sat down on Sana's lap, and rested against Sana's growing stomach. Sana sighed contently, and ran her fingers through Koharu's hair. "Mama." She stated. Sana looked down at her. "Hm?"
"Daddy?" She asked. A few months ago, Koharu's speaking got a little better, and she wanted to know when he would come home. The tape recorder was starting to get old. Sana sighed. Honestly, she did not know. "Soon, baby. Soon. He should call you in a few minutes." Throughout the recent months, Koharu got interested in telephones. Obviously, she can't hold a conversation, but Sana would let Akito talk to Koharu through the phone. This time when Koharu said something to Akito, he would respond. Instead of the tape recorder just saying the same stuff over and over again. Koharu, all of a sudden, got up on her knees, and turned around to face Sana. Her face was confused. Sana smiled at that face. "What?" Koharu pointed at Sana's stomach. A few months ago, Sana's stomach started to grow, and Koharu's actions questioned it. Sana would just say "Baby." and then point at it. Koharu would get a little confused, so Sana would just pick up one of Koharu's random baby dolls, and put it near her stomach. "There's a baby in there." She would say.
Koharu put her little hand on her mom's stomach, and got more confused. "What's wrong?" Sana asked. "Move." Koharu said, then Sana understood. "Oh, no it's not moving right now. It's asleep." Come to think of it, the baby had been quiet all day. This one normally moved around a lot. Sana just shrugged it off once the phone rang from inside the house. "I bet that's daddy! Wanna talk to him?" Koharu just nodded, and Sana picked her up to take her inside. Still holding her, Sana picked up the phone and gave it to her. On the caller ID, it said America, so she knew it was Akito. She put the phone on Koharu's ear. "Say, hello." Koharu held onto the phone, and whispered. "Hello." There was silence, then "Daddy!" As expected, she didn't talk much, but she had a huge smile on her face. Then Sana heard him say, "Where's Mama?" In other words saying, "Let me talk to your mom." Koharu said "Bye!" and let go of the phone. "Hey, Akito." Sana said. She walked to the kitchen, and put Koharu in her high chair. "I'm getting her some food real quick. I'm taking her over to Tsuyoshi's for in a little bit." Sana said, while she put a plate of veggies in front of Koharu. She gave her a plastic kid's fork, and Koharu started eating. "Why are you taking her to Tsuyoshi's?" Akito asked.
"I have a doctor's appointment. She would hate having to sit in that room, with all of the machines and stuff." She bluffed. Really, she couldn't take Koharu, because then her cover would be blown. She never told Akito about her cover, or ideas of running away. Sana continued to speak. "I've been having people take turns watching her. They love her. Now, it's Tsuyoshi's turn. She's seen them enough, to not mind."
"Okay. So a doctor's appointment today, huh? What time?" Sana looked at the clock. "In about an hour. Luckily, Tsuyoshi doesn't live too far. I'm going to find out the gender today. What do you think it is?" Sana asked. Akito thought about it. "Gee, I don't know. Either or, it doesn't matter. A boy wouldn't be too bad, then I wouldn't be left out. Yet, another girl wouldn't be too bad either. Who knows, maybe this girl would look and be like you. Then we'd be even. One mini-me, and one mini-you." Sana kind of giggled at that thought. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Let me know once you find out, okay?" Sana nodded. "Yeah, of course I will!" She looked at the clock. "I better go. I'm still in my pjs, and Koharu still needs a bath, so I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay. Talk to you later."
"Yep. Bye!" Sana looked over at Koharu. "Daddy says, bye, Koharu!" Koharu was eating, and she just waved, and mumbled "Bye" with her mouth full. Sana giggled at the picture. "See ya, Akito." She hung up the phone. She picked up a wash cloth off of the sink, and ran water over it. Then, she walked over to Koharu, and wiped her face up. "Yeah, you definitely need a bath, kid." She said, wiping up her face. Koharu sputtered, when the cloth came across her mouth. "Stop that, Koharu. You've got to stop being such a messy eater. You're a lady." She put the cloth down, and picked her up. "Come on. Bath time!"
About an hour later, Sana was sitting at the doctor's office. She dropped Koharu off at Tsuyoshi's, and walked alone to the office. Fuka had family plans so she wouldn't be able to go with Sana today. With her blonde wig fixed, and her thick glasses shined, she followed the technician into the ultrasound room. Sana's stomach was immediately topped with goo, and the tool ran over her stomach. While they waited for the picture to pop up, Sana started to make small talk. "The baby's been awfully quiet today. Usually it just moves and moves." She giggled lightly. The technician just smiled, and asked. "You want to know what the gender is today, right?" Sana nodded. "Yes, absolutely." The picture popped up, and the technician just watched the screen, while moving the tool. While this went on, Sana kept talking. "I have a feeling it's a boy, though, just because it gets really rowdy sometimes." In her mind, she thought "This one is more active than Koharu was." All of a sudden, the technician quickly glanced at Sana, and then moved the screen away from Sana. "Sorry, I'm just checking something." Sana's face became serious. "Is there something wrong?" The lady didn't answer her question. After a few seconds, of rolling the tool, and glaring at the screen, she got worried. "Ms. Hayashi." She stated. Sana had her attention. This lady felt horrible. "Ms. Hayashi, there's no heartbeat."
At that moment, Sana had no heart beat either.
-gulp- is all i can say. lol look for chapter 17. thanks for the reviews and love!
-Stephanie
