A/N- Heeeeeeeeeere's chapter seven! And somebody else is about to find out about Sen, who could it possibly be?!

Uh, so, I just thought I should address this briefly; I'm sorry if Sen seems really whiny or gay (although he is...?) or pansy-ish or excessively-angsty. This just happens to be the way he came out when I was writing him, and given the situation (teenage pregnancy for wrong gender, resulting from a one-night-stand between sorta-different species) I really think most of his uncertainty is justified, even if it seems like he just. can't. get. over. it. :P And I swear, there have been times when I was reading the manga and been like, 'Oh my gosh, he's such a girl...' -cough- But anyway...yeah. I love him muchly, for all his faults!

Oh, and if you're also tired of how I keep beating him up, I'll apologize for that too...but I just can't resist. XD -OA


Disclaimer: ....sigh....


Chapter Seven

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am, bastard!"

Shuji leaned his head out of the study, brow furrowed in concern. "Don't argue, boys…" he called, not entirely surprised when his plea was ignored. The two teens stormed down the hallway from Yoshimori's room, heading for the front door. The older man sighed, returning to his work. It really was too late at night for them to be fighting.

"Give me one good reason!" Kagemiya snapped, hands on his hips. Yoshimori bent down to adjust his shoes, lips pursed in thought.

"You passed out on the roof of the school this afternoon," the dark-haired teen supplied. Kagemiya turned red.

"Th-that has nothing to do with it! That was hours ago! I was just tired, that's all!"

"I had to carry you home piggy-back after class."

"Idiot! That's because I was sleeping! If you didn't want to carry me home, you should have woken me up!"

"I didn't want to wake you up! You were tired!"

"So?! I'm not tired anymore!"

Yoshimori snorted, arms crossed over his chest. "I don't get you," he said shortly. "I thought you didn't want anyone to find out that you're pregnant, but now you want to come with me to Karasumori, where Tokine is going to be." He raised a brow. "What's the explanation for that?"

Kagemiya glared at him. "Maybe I'm just sick of staying home while you go to school and damn guard duty," he said hotly. And this is only the first week… "So sue me. Besides, if the old woman didn't tell her, the Yukimura girl isn't going to notice. My coat hides it well enough."

The kekkaishi sighed. "Not tonight, okay?" He reached out and ruffled the blonde's hair, catching the other teen by surprise. "I don't want anything to happen." Yoshimori grinned. "What if a bug ayakashi shows up?"

Steam puffed out of Kagemiya's ears; he ground his teeth. "Idiot! Do you think I'm going to stay in here forever?!" But Yoshimori merely shrugged and picked up his staff and backpack, stepping out the door and into the night. Not to be left behind, the blonde flung the door open and chased after the other teen. "Yoshimori!"

The dark-haired boy glanced up, standing in front of the small doghouse by the gate. "Oi, Madarao, it's time to go," the kekkaishi called, ignoring Kagemiya's furious outburst. The ghost dog floated out, stifling a yawn. Golden canine eyes skimmed over Kagemiya in an up-down motion, taking in details that the half-ayakashi rather wished he could keep hidden. There was something uncomfortably analytical in those golden eyes, which managed to seem curious and yet disinterested at the same time. Kagemiya watched, mystified, as Madarao gave a slight nod to himself and then drifted away, heading toward the street.

"You're going to be late again," the ghost dog intoned, bored. Yoshimori cursed and dashed after him, casting an absent wave back at the scowling blonde.

"Get some rest, Kagemiya! See you later!"

Hands clenched into fists.

Like hell I'm going to let you walk away and leave me behind, bastard. I told you, I'm not going to break. And I'm not going to stay here and wait for you every night like a housewife.

That last thought made him blush. Madly.

Damn it. Why does he do this to me…?

"You're awfully noisy for this hour of night," called a voice to his left. Kagemiya started, head whipping to the side as he searched for the source of the voice. His investigation led him to the side of the house where he'd sat that afternoon. Where Yukimura Tokiko had been standing on the wall, spying on him, for all practical purposes. Where she'd discovered that he was pregnant.

And here she was again.

The blonde stiffened at the sight of the old woman, perched unconcernedly on the wall once more. "What do you want?" he demanded, glaring up at her. She sniffed, offended by his impertinent tone.

"I want you to keep your voice down, boy," she said frostily. "Some people actually try to sleep around hours like these. No one wants to hear you shouting your lungs out at that Sumimura brat."

Again with the blushing. It was almost as bad as the crying. Almost. "It's none of your business," he muttered, arms crossed over his chest, as if in self-defense. "Don't you think you know enough now anyway-" He stopped, lips pressed into a thin line. That was not what he'd been going to say… Actually, he didn't know what he'd been going to say.

Why do I feel like everything's falling apart, like the world is breaking into pieces, like nothing I do turns out right?

Why do I feel like I'm turning into a drama queen?

If Kagemiya had been watching, he would have seen the old woman's face soften slightly as she regarded him. There was no way he could know that his confusion was written all over his face.

Yukimura Tokiko gave a sigh, hands on her hips. "I don't know what you're so scared about, Kagemiya-kun," she said, shaking her head and ignoring the start he gave over discovering that she knew/remembered his name.

He bristled visibly, like a cat whose territory had been trespassed upon. "I'm not scared!" the teen snapped. A pause. "…Besides, what do you know?" was the muttered continuation. "It's not like you're in this position…"

The old woman shrugged. "Well… It seems to me that it would be much easier if you would simply trust the people who're supporting you, instead of worrying that they're going to abandon you at the nearest convenience. Because I don't think they plan on it." She glanced down in the silence that followed to see if he'd got her point, and then hid a smirk. The confusion on his face had been rewritten in shades of shock. "Good night, Kagemiya-kun," Tokiko said nonchalantly, giving a small wave before jumping down from the wall and returning to the peace of her own home.

Kagemiya stood there and stared at nothing for at least two full minutes.

How…how did she know that I was worrying about…?

Somehow he didn't think he would be getting an answer to that one anytime soon.

"…If you would simply trust the people who're supporting you…"

"You don't have to assume…we're going to leave you behind."

"We really do have people to help us…"

"And I know you're strong enough to do this, Kagemiya."

The pregnant teen ran both hands through his hair in agitation, pacing back and forth. Voices in his head: the Yukimura obaasan's, Shuji-san's, Yoshimori's… They were all telling him the same thing, and it just didn't make sense. How could they accept this so easily? Why was the fifteen-year-old father of his child able to go to school and Karasumori everyday and carry out his duties and not have a total meltdown?

…Of course, that could have something to do with the lack of hormones that Kagemiya himself was so burdened with, but…

Was this not scary to anyone else?

"…People to help us…"

Fine. Be that way.

Kagemiya took a deep breath and marched back into the house, snatching up his coat from a peg by the door. Shuji stuck his head out of the dining room, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

"Sen-kun?" the older man said uncertainly. "Is everything alright?"

The blonde pulled the coat on, glancing back over his shoulder. "I'm going out for a walk, Shuji-san," he said shortly. "Excuse me."

"Be careful," Shuji called. "Don't get in to trouble, Sen-kun." No further reply forthcoming, the front door closed behind the petite teen. The bespectacled novelist sighed for the nth time that night and returned to the study, tea in hand. The recent fight notwithstanding, it was pretty obvious where Kagemiya's walk would lead him. At this point, Shuji could only hope that nothing bad would happen.

Yoshimori-kun will take care of Sen-kun and the baby, the father thought firmly to himself. There was no reason to worry, right?

…That didn't stop him, though.


In all fairness, Kagemiya did walk most of the way. Most of it. Within five blocks of Karasumori, however, he grew too impatient and jumped out of the street, taking to the rooftops in his haste. He needed to get there before any ayakashi showed up and distracted the two kekkaishis on guard; he needed to get this out.

He wasn't sure why he felt so desperate about it. Maybe it had something to do with what the old woman had said. In combination with everything that Yoshimori and his father had been telling him all this time, it seemed convincing.

It was time for him to give in. Some arguments simply couldn't be won.

I'm doing this for you, you idiot, so you better stand next to me when I spill my guts to that Yukimura girl-

The thought of what he was about to do sent a shudder up his spine; his stomach clenched almost painfully in apprehension, and Kagemiya halted atop a small house, trying to catch his breath. It was already clear that he was going to be good for absolutely nothing in the next six months, and probably afterwards as well, when he considered it. It wasn't as if he'd be able to jump up and go once the baby was…born…

That thought was almost as terrifying as the previous one.

Stop. Thinking. About. It.

Right. Now.

He straightened and kept going, trying to keep in mind that he needed to hurry. Otherwise he would completely lose his nerve and succeed in talking himself out of this insanity.

Kagemiya paused outside Karasumori's gate, hesitant to enter. If he did, the kekkaishis would instantly feel his presence. Instead, he stood as close as he dared and listened, half-ayakashi ears straining for a sound.

"Obaasan said she saw Sen-kun today," he heard the Yukimura girl say.

"I-is that so?" Yoshimori replied, sounding nervous. Kagemiya fought the urge to roll his eyes. Idiot. He was so obvious.

"She said he didn't look really sick, just a little pale, like he wasn't sleeping enough." The curiosity in the girl's voice was just as clear as Yoshimori's nervousness. Kagemiya gritted his teeth, occupied with the problem of trying to make his legs move. Come on, move, damn it…

"But he sleeps a lot," Yoshimori said, perturbed. The male kekkaishi gave an unsteady laugh. "Well, I'm sure he just needs more time to get better."

Oi, oi, don't just dismiss me like that, the blonde thought irritably, and then wondered why exactly he was so irritated.

"Obaasan said she heard that you had to carry him home from school this afternoon," Tokine added, a combination of confusion and concern. "What was he doing at-"

Finally, gaining control of his own limbs again, Kagemiya scaled the gate of Karasumori and dropped to the ground on the other side, running down the path toward the sound of their voices. They would know someone had entered the perimeter by now.

Sure enough, the girl never finished her sentence, and when Kagemiya burst out of the trees, both kekkaishis were facing in his direction, waiting for the appearance of the intruder.

Their reactions upon seeing him were both startled, but rather varying in levels of intensity. "Kagemiya?!" Yoshimori squawked. "What are you doing here? I told you not to come tonight!" This earned him a disdainful glare; Tokine stared at the blonde in surprise.

"…Sen-kun," she murmured. "Yoshimori said you were…"

Hands clenched into fists at his sides. A short breath drawn.

"I- I can explain that," Kagemiya said, hoping she wouldn't hear the way his voice was shaking. The dark ghost dog hovering over her head started, wearing those same too-knowing eyes that Yoshimori's phantom companion had.

"Ah, Honey-" Hakubi began, but Madarao cut him off.

"Hush, puppy," the white-hued apparition said condescendingly. For once, shockingly, Hakubi obeyed, shooting Madarao a sharp look in question.

"Kagemiya, what are you doing?" Yoshimori repeated, stepping toward him. "I thought-"

Kagemiya blushed, looking away. Something about the look on the other boy's face made him want to… Why is my heart beating so fast? "Idiot," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So I changed my mind, alright? You…you're the one who kept saying that she'd understand, and it wasn't a big deal."

The dark-haired boy's eyes widened. "Yeah, but-"

The half-ayakashi faced the Yukimura girl, who was watching them with a frown on her face. Looking into her dark eyes, he quailed, having a feeling that maybe she hadn't really been buying any of the excuses from the beginning anyway. "Ah… The truth is…"

Heartbeat.

"He knocked me up."

Spoken in an off-handed tone, with a short gesture in Yoshimori's direction; the young kekkaishi looked like he'd just been struck by lightning.

Kagemiya thought idly that it was strange for his hands to start shaking now, after he'd finally spilled the beans.

This was almost worse than having Yukimura Tokiko find out on her own. This time, he was the instrument of his own destruction.

And he wasn't ready for it.

Silence.

"Ketsu." A negligent wave of Tokine's index and middle fingers, and a kekkai shot out sideways, smashing into Yoshimori's head. The other kekkaishi sprawled on the ground, seeing stars. Long brown ponytail swished as the high school student turned back to Kagemiya, who vacillated between gaping at Yoshimori's prone body and staring at her in trepidation; her face was expressionless. "You…want to run that by me one more time?" she inquired.

His hands wouldn't stop shaking. "Yoshimori and I-" You bastard, why are you on the ground while I have to do this all by myself?! "-We had s-s-s-sex-" Damn, can't even say it without stuttering- "-And I got p-pregnant. Chief says that apparently half-ayakashi males have the ability to reproduce." He released a breath; at least that much was over. Looking up, he found those dark eyes studying him shrewdly.

"Aha," was all the young woman said, her voice absent. Kagemiya cringed. He knew better than to think that would be her only reaction.

It's strange, it's unnatural, it's wrong-

"Tokine-" Yoshimori began dazedly, staggering to his feet. She summoned a kekkai around him without batting an eye, trapping the middle schooler inside. "Oi, Tokine!"

"You're been irresponsible and impulsive again, haven't you?" she said sharply, the weight of her frown falling on her childhood friend. Yoshimori grimaced, rubbing the back of his head abashedly.

"Eh…" He pursed his lips in a pout. "We didn't know this was going to happen," he mumbled. "Anyways, let me out of here!" She waved her hand, and the kekkai vanished. Yoshimori blinked, as if startled that she'd actually done it so easily. He brushed himself off, wiping away dirt from his previous encounter with the ground, and walked over to Kagemiya. "Aniki brought him here to stay with us for a while," the teen said. "Just like I said… I wasn't lying to you, Tokine."

"I thought something was funny about Sen-kun coming to visit," Tokine said, head tilted to the side. "Just being sick didn't seem like a good enough reason, and Masamori-san didn't have any specifics, and then Obaasan saw Sen-kun this afternoon…" She shook her head ruefully. "You're not very good at keeping things secret, you two."

Kagemiya stared at her. That's…that's it? That's all she's going to say? She's just going to accept it, just like that?!

"Come to think of it, I think I remember Obaasan talking about something like this, a long time ago," the female kekkaishi said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her index finger. The two boys gaped at her, their thoughts racing in harmony: She knew something like this all along?! The brunette looked back at Kagemiya. "So…you're really not sick, then?" she ventured, her voice vaguely questioning.

Kagemiya blushed. Again. "Not unless puking up my guts every morning counts," he muttered. Yoshimori made a face.

"Yeah, that part doesn't seem to be going to so well," he said in commiseration. "But maybe it'll get better, like the doctor said. You're three months along, after all."

Tokine's eyes widened. "Three months…?" Residual shock, it seemed. Her brown eyes drifted down to the blonde's midsection, searching for evidence. Yoshimori's face brightened.

"Yep, three months!" the dark-haired teen said excitedly. "Look at this, Tokine!" Before Kagemiya knew what was happening, Yoshimori and Tokine were bent over in front of him; Yoshimori grabbed the girl's hand and planted it against the blonde's abdomen. "Our baby's in there!"

Our baby…

Kagemiya stiffened, less than pleased with the invasion of his personal space. "Yoshi…mori," he managed, flushing to the roots of his pale hair. "What the hell are you doing?!" They ignored him, of course. Grr…

Tokine's mouth formed a small 'o'. "It must be so small right now," she murmured, rubbing her hand over the bump. She looked up at Kagemiya, her face eager. "Can you feel it move yet?"

"N-no," he stammered. Realization crashed in on him, stealing his breath. She's not running away, she's not looking at me in disgust, she's not screaming, or ketsu-ing and metsu-ing me…

Why? Why is it just like Yoshimori said? How did he know…?

This can't be happening. Yoshimori, Shuji-san, the Yukimura obaasan, now Tokine… None of them react the way I thought they would.

None of them walked away…

"Sen-kun? Are you alright?" Tokine's worried voice sounded very far away, for some reason. "Yoshimori, he's really pale. I think he's going to-"

I just don't get it.

"Kagemiya!" Two pairs of arms wrapped around him, lowering him to the ground; two faces hovered over him, two pairs of concerned eyes staring down at him. He wondered idly why the amounts kept doubling suddenly, turning into four faces and four pairs of eyes. It was a little disconcerting. "Ah- no, no, no, no more passing out! Take a deep breath, okay?" That was Yoshimori's face right above him, Yoshimori's panicked gaze.

…Which meant it was likely Yoshimori's lap that Kagemiya's head was resting in, but the blonde couldn't even muster a blush at the thought. His body felt so heavy now, as if he'd run for miles, or fought a whole bunch of ayakashi single-handedly. And he hadn't, he knew that much.

"What's wrong with him?" he heard Tokine ask.

"The idiot probably wore himself out again," Yoshimori grumbled in response. "He likes to forget that he can't go leaping all over the place like he did before." Kagemiya felt a hand lightly stroke his hair. "…And I think he was expecting you to run away or reject him or something."

Tokine sniffed. "Why would I do that?" she demanded.

"I don't know!" the middle schooler said defensively. "I told him you wouldn't, but he wasn't convinced…"

"You know I'm still laying right here," Kagemiya interjected, his voice hoarse. He'd finally stopped seeing double, thanks be to kami. It'd been making him feel nauseous. Yoshimori smiled down at him warmly, clearly relieved; for some reason, that smile managed to banish most of the blonde's irritation.

"Tokine, will you go get my backpack?" the dark-haired boy requested. "I left it by the front door." The young woman nodded, rising to her feet and disappearing from Kagemiya's line of sight. "Are you feeling better?" Yoshimori ventured, still worried. "You really need to stop doing this, you know. It's not good for you or the baby if you pass out at least once a day."

"I know that," the half-ayakashi snapped, trying to sit up. It didn't work so well. "Damn it," he whispered.

"Whoa, easy," Yoshimori said, alarmed. "Just rest for a sec, okay? You're not supposed to push yourself so hard, remember?" He gave a dark frown. "What did you do, go jumping across the city again, twice in the same day? Why would you do something like that?"

"I-" The blonde chewed on his tongue, cursing internally. "…I needed to see you. And I needed to explain all of this, just so I wouldn't have to worry anymore."

Yoshimori huffed in frustration. "Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean you had to put yourself at risk to do it!" he protested. "It's not like I was going anywhere!"

For some reason, those last words seemed to pierce right through him, like the stab of a knife. Not going anywhere… Can I really dare to hope that you'll stay with me through all of this? And afterwards? An ache resonated through his skull; Kagemiya closed his eyes tightly. Kami…what am I going to do if he ever leaves me, even for a little while? I can't do this if he's not here…

He might think I'm strong, but I'm really not.

"Kagemiya?" Yoshimori whispered his name tentatively, as if afraid to interrupt the blonde's inner musings. It was the faint uncertainty in the dark-haired teen's voice that forced Kagemiya to open his eyes and look up at the worried face hovering over him. "I- I'm sorry," the kekkaishi blurted out. "I didn't mean to hurt you or anything…"

"You didn't hurt me," the half-ayakashi said shortly. His head wouldn't stop pounding, and now he felt nauseous again. He was beginning to think that Karasumori itself was having an adverse effect on him. "…Kami…"

"What is it?" the other teen demanded, instantly on-edge. Tokine returned with the yellow backpack in hand; she gave it over to Yoshimori, eyeing Kagemiya with some level of concern. "Thanks, Tokine," the former said hurriedly, rifling through the backpack's contents in search of something. He gave a faint grunt of satisfaction, pulling out a water bottle and unscrewing the cap. "Here, have some of this," he said, holding it close to Kagemiya's mouth.

The blonde groaned. "No thanks." The thought of having anything in his stomach, even liquid, did nothing to improve his nausea.

"Come on," the male kekkaishi insisted, gently propping the other teen up towards a sitting position. "You're probably dehydrated or something; just take a little bit, okay?" He held the bottle to Kagemiya's lips, his hand surprisingly steady as he poured some water down the blonde's reluctant throat. The half-ayakashi gritted his teeth, willing his stomach to settle; puking from drinking water was just so pointless. And he was not going to be sick in front of both Yoshimori and the Yukimura girl. No way. "…You look like you're about to throw up," Yoshimori remarked worriedly after a moment.

Kagemiya grimaced. "I'm not…going to," he managed, closing his eyes again. "I'm fine."

It was highly probable that Yoshimori would have had a retort for that comment, but he never got a chance to deliver it.

The two kekkaishis stiffened simultaneously, and Kagemiya's eyes flew open. They could all sense it. An ayakashi had crossed over the boundaries into Karasumori.

"Damn," Yoshimori swore, looking down at Kagemiya frantically. "Maybe it's a small one."

"Honey!" Hakubi floated over to Tokine's side, vaporous tail twitching in anticipation. "Three of them have entered at once!"

"Enough to go around," Madarao observed, tossing his head.

"What do we do?" Yoshimori demanded, turning to Tokine and ignoring the ghost dogs.

"I can take care of myself," Kagemiya snapped, ignoring the fact that he didn't think he could even stand at the moment. There was no point in bringing that up now, not when he already hated himself for being so weak. The next six months were going to be the suckiest of his life…

"Like hell you can," Yoshimori countered with surprising strength. "I'm not going to put you or the baby at risk, even if it's just some little-league ayakashi." The fierceness in his eyes was strangely warming, and Kagemiya could think of nothing to say in reply. The dark-haired teen ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Stay here, okay? I'll put a kekkai around you. Hopefully that should hold. Tokine and I will try to keep them away from this area too." Kagemiya gave a slight nod, straightening. Somehow, he didn't think any further protest would go over very well at this point; truth be told, he wasn't that inclined to argue.

At least he still had a fragment of sanity left…

Maybe.

Yoshimori pulled the blonde to his feet, helping the other maintain his precarious balance, and led him over to the base of a tall tree. "This spot looks good enough," the kekkaishi murmured, raising two fingers to create his signature barrier around the pregnant teen.

And suddenly Kagemiya was flashing back to that night, and Yoshimori was standing between him and the ayakashi, and the ayakashi's pincer came slashing down, blood spurting into the air-

"Wait!" Kagemiya's hand flew out and grabbed Yoshimori's arm before the young kekkaishi could summon a kekkai. The middle schooler blinked, surprised; he opened his mouth, likely to ask what was wrong, but Kagemiya shook his head, cutting the other boy off. "Just…" He gritted his teeth, searching for the words. "…Don't let yourself get beat up or anything," the blonde mumbled finally, blushing and looking away. He released Yoshimori's arm, leaning back against the tree trunk. Damn it, stop freaking out all the time. It's embarrassing.

He heard a murmured "Ketsu," and glanced up, finding the world tinted in blue. Yoshimori grinned at him through the kekkai. "Don't worry," the dark-haired teen said cheerfully. "I'll be careful." Calling for Madarao and Hakubi, the legitimate successors took off in pursuit of the ayakashi intruders.

Kagemiya watched the pair disappear from sight and released a breath, sliding down the tree trunk to a seat on the ground. The tree's bark was rough against his back, the grass slightly damp beneath him, and everything cast in that pale blue of Yoshimori's kekkai…

Never mind. I am going insane.


A/N- Sorry this chapter kinda ends in a weird place; the whole scene is actually much longer but I decided to split it into two chapters because otherwise it would have been way longer than normal. Anyway, hope ya liked the big reveal! Because of course it was Tokine's opinion that mattered most all along :P 'Til next time! Please review! Thanks! -OA