I finished this in just one day when I don't have anything going on at college..can you tell how much I didn't study? (grins evilly) But I made it longer, a little detailed -hopefully- and sweeter, also hopefully. I'm on full swing with the horror story, clearing up any loopholes in the plot, explaining the what, where, when, who, and how, putting up the setting, the theme, characters, pairings and time. All in all, I'm about ready to list down the chapters and when I'm finish with that, and this story, be prepared for some hair-raising twists.
Horror is not my forte, please don't be too hard on me.
And this chapter will delve deeper about Misaki and his daughter, and the talk and comfort they give each other, hence the title. Sorry if Misaki is a bit off character, hormones change people you know.. Look at us girls when we have our period. Teehee~
Opening his eyes blearily, Misaki yawns and stretches his arms above his head as the piercing rays of morning sunlight filters through his bedroom window. He looks around for Saruhiko when he remembers that it's Monday, and that Saruhiko has a Strain-hunting mission with his unit today. The thought somewhat saddened Misaki, he had hoped to be pampered by the blue clansman today only to be hit by the sudden reality. Oh well, guess he can make me a full stuffed turkey meal some other day, the crow thought with a shrug.
Slowly, he pushes himself to an upright position and gets off the bed. At 33 weeks, his body looks as though being dwarfed by his large stomach. Due to that as well, he's having difficulties walking and sometimes couldn't even see the steps of the stairs when he wants to go down. Sometimes he'd be bumping into things too but luckily he had never bumped too hard to cause pain, only annoyance when anything he bumped onto fell to the floor, making it near impossible for him to pick it up.
By the time he reaches the stairs, Misaki has to make sure that he's feeling the steps one at a time or else he'd tumble downwards, and it's something he'd really want to avoid. His eyes clouded over when he remembered the time he lost Ryuu once. It won't happen again, Misaki thought fiercely and grips on to the railing tightly. "Stupid people never invent something for a pregnant person to go down easily, who makes up this shit?" the crow grumbles irritably as he slowly but surely goes down the steps whilst using his feet and toes as guidance. It nearly took him a full five minutes, but he managed to get downstairs safely.
Stretching his arms again, Misaki walks down the hall and towards the kitchen where he knows Saruhiko had cooked something. For a while now, the blue clansman had made it a habit of his to cook simple breakfast for Misaki since he doesn't want the crow to overexert himself by standing for too long. Misaki had found it annoying and somewhat troubled at first, but gradually accepts what Saruhiko made him and even thanked him for being so caring. Misaki's body felt like jelly the whole night because of that.
Peering into the kitchen, Misaki could see some juice and coffee sitting on the table, the coffee still lukewarm and the juice looks as though it's just been recently poured. In the heating dome are some chicken porridge, along with croissant, some cream-filled French bread and even a couple of toast with Nutella spread on it. "Stupid monkey made too much again, who's going to eat all this?" Misaki twitches a little when he saw the amount of food on the table. Sighing, he sat down and starts to dig in on the croissant and French bread since he knows those two would fill him right up. He could save the toast and porridge for later but it'll lose its heat and making it less tasty.
While he was thinking whether to eat or save the foods for late, the twins woke up and gave him a couple of strong kicks, nearly knocking the air out of him. "You guys, my insides aren't for vengeance," he cries out loudly whilst clutching his midsection. Even though he said that, he's quite pleased by the strength the two had given out, it shows that he'd been keeping them healthy by consuming enough food and nutrient for their growth. The twins then gave him a smaller, but still a strong kick as if to reply to him. "Alright, I'll eat the foods that your dad made, they're delicious anyway," Misaki continues and giving his stomach a loving caress.
Even though he doesn't eat much despite carrying twins, Misaki still wants his children to grow healthily if it means he'd have to forfeit his health. Pretty sure Saruhiko wouldn't want that, but he'd go to the extreme and would even die for the twins' sake.
Don't say that; please don't do anything reckless for us. We love you, and we love father, please don't leave us, either of you.
The voice caught him by surprise and it made Misaki look around for intruders only to find nothing but empty air. His heart races when the voice circles around his head, when he realizes that it's the very same voice he had heard in his dreams countless of times. The voice is similar to Ryuu's, only a touch higher and has a sweeter pitch to it; his daughter's voice. When Misaki figured it out, the voice giggled and simmered out of his head.
Smiling, Misaki pats his stomach and grins in a rather childish way. "You sure know your words; maybe you take after Saruhiko's brain. But I guess that's the one point he's strong at, don't want you to have his hideous, monkey-butt face," the crow huffs out as he takes a bite of his croissant and finishing it completely. At Scepter 4 headquarters, Saruhiko let loose a huge sneeze and scatters his finished paperwork all over the floor.
Misaki could almost see the pout on his daughter's face, thinking that she might be closer to Saruhiko. No matter how much Saruhiko is indecisive towards their daughter, he'd have to deal with it now that she's going to be attached to him. Who knows, maybe it'll make him gentler and softer, and actually finishing his work FOR ONCE, Misaki thought hotly when he remembers the countless times Saruhiko whines about his Lieutenant giving him extra work for the ones he didn't submit. The crow had told him time and time again to finish his work, but it's like his words goes in one ear and went out the other for Saruhiko.
Finishing up his breakfast, Misaki cleans up the dishes and heads over to the newly refurbished nursery room. Instead of the usual blue walls and black crows, the members of Homra and even some of Scepter 4 had worked together to repaint it with a sweet and beautiful combination of both pink and blue. The abstract combination took Misaki's breath away when he first saw it, and when the extra white crib Anna and Izumo had ordered came in and everything was put to place, the nursery is now the couple's favourite room. Anna had even put sweet, white, lily decorations hanging down the ceiling despite not being able to see the colour, enhancing the beauty and gentleness of the room.
Smiling upon entering the room, he unconsciously rubs his midsection and the twins somehow could feel his excitement so they've been kicking and punching around inside him the moment he entered the nursery. "Yeah, this is your room, you'll be seeing it soon enough," Misaki spoke softly as he caresses his stomach a little more. It's as if the more time he spends in here, the calmer he gets and yet at the same time, more excited to see his children whom he had carried with so much love and care all these times. He wants to hold them in his arms, to feed them, to play with them; he wants to know the feel of having a newly born baby's skin brushing against his.
Grabbing a baby book from one of the shelves, he makes himself comfortable on one of the rocking chairs and start reading. He didn't know when he got sleepy, or when he fell asleep, but he could see white all around him and the ever-present smoke barrier dividing him and the world in front of him. Misaki had called that world the Spirit Dimension, where children who weren't born yet or have yet to gain a body reside, playing to their hearts content until they greet the world. "You're here, and you're early," a voice calls out to him and Misaki snaps out of his reverie.
Looking down the barrier, he could make out the form of a child. By the voice, he could tell this child is around the form of a 5-year-old, but the body seems too small for a 5-year-old. His brows creased when he sees the silhouette and kneels down. "I know I'm small, but that doesn't mean that I don't know how to use my fist even through the barrier," the child spoke with such brashness; the crow was reminded of himself when he was younger. His mouth went agape when he could see the tiniest hint of Saruhiko's blue eyes looking at him, but the colour is a tad deeper and the glare is not so sharp, cute even.
This is his daughter, there's no mistaking the voice, this is the same voice he had heard playing with Ryuu. "You showed up," Misaki blurted out without thinking. His eyes welled up with tears when he sees the small form standing so near, yet so far from him. "For so long I heard only your voice, you showed up now," he continues and presses a palm against the barrier. Though he couldn't see her, he was really happy that she had taken the opportunity to finally meet up with him. And showing her eyes too, normally he'd only see the child being enveloped in light.
"Of course, I'm your daughter after all," she says gently and Misaki could sense the smile on her face. "But father doesn't seem to want me, I saw his dreams, I saw his thoughts, and I don't know how to respond to that," she continues and Misaki could hear the waver in her voice. He could even see her hung her head, and it nearly broke his resolve to just wake up, march down Scepter 4's HQ and slaps Saruhiko across the face. The blue clansman should have realized that their children managed to have life thanks to Megumi, so they're a little special.
And with Ayame's strings tying them all together, the twins are bound to pick up what either of the adults are thinking. Right now the little girl is having doubts whether to be born healthy, or as a stillborn and go back to the Spirit Dimension. Misaki could read it, and it shook his entire core. He had lost Ryuu once, and managed to get him back along with a sibling for him, Misaki's not going to lose her and will make Saruhiko change his mind.
"Sasaki..." Misaki calls out without thinking once more. The spirit girl perks up when she heard the name and the crow could sense the curiosity within her. Smiling, he stroke the barrier gently, his eyes soft with love. "Sasaki, that'll be your name. You may be small, but you're a blossoming hope. I lost Ryuu once, and got him back together with you. In a way, you brought me hope that not all things are impossible. When I lost him, I was devastated and took years to heal, and then he came back and to my surprise, you were there too. What I had lost, I got back twice over, and I've never felt so happy,"
The spirit only listens with happiness swelling up inside her. All these times she had thought her existence was only a hindrance for her parents, but at least now she knows that she's loved, and that Misaki will change Saruhiko's mind about having her. Sasaki smiles when Misaki kisses the barrier and stood up, she so badly wants to grab for his hand, but she knows her time isn't up yet. "Please take care over us until we're born, it won't be long now after all," she says before Misaki could ask her what she means. When he opens his eyes, Misaki realizes that he had slept the entire afternoon away, and that he hadn't had lunch just yet.
"Wonder what she could mean by that, 'won't be long now'..." he mused over as he puts the baby book away. Shrugging, Misaki guessed it must be her own sense of timing, since she couldn't wait to be born after all. He still have long weeks of pregnancy left, and it somehow bored him but when he feels the kicks and punches of the twins, he realizes that they'd have to stay in a little longer until they're fit enough to be born. Getting out of the nursery feeling rather irritated from the pressure on his back, Misaki decides to cook something nice for Saruhiko for a change.
You named my sister Sasaki, thank you.
Once again, the voice caught Misaki by surprise, but he realizes that it's Ryuu talking to him now. So far he had detected the children's traits; Ryuu was calmer and collected, Sasaki was brash and energetic, a good combination of both parents. Grinning, Misaki wished he could ruffle Ryuu's hair like how he would Saruhiko, and he could suddenly sense annoyance filtering the telepathic bond that they both shared.
"Oh don't be like that kiddo, she needed a name. We both couldn't call her 'our daughter' forever now could we?" Misaki replied verbally as he trudges towards the kitchen now that his feet start to cramp up. "And it's true what I told her, she really brought a blossoming hope. The 'small' part of her name was a whim, seeing how she'll be my height," the crow grumbles out a little. He's glad that he won't be the short one at least, but that also means that Ryuu might get to have Saruhiko's towering genes. Misaki could hear Ryuu giggling and a second voice joining in, albeit sounding a bit sleepy.
I'm not short!
Misaki laughs when he heard the defiant, shrill cry of Sasaki. He guessed that she must be sleeping inside him, seeing how he only feels one moving about all over and the other quite slowly. "Little girl, I saw you just now, you'll pretty much be my height. But I think petite girls are cuter, like my sister; Moe," he calms her down and thought of his younger sister. It had been a while since he saw her, but she's busy with her own growing family, and wouldn't want to disturb her as best as he can.
Sasaki calms down after that and Misaki assumed that she returned to her sleep, even Ryuu seems to have quiet down, both in his mind and his midsection. It shocked him to know that they could interact with him via a telepathic link, but wonders why they didn't talk to him earlier. Shrugging again, he thought it's best for him not to think too much into this matter, since not even Megumi knows, and she's the one who brought Ryuu back. Finally, the crow reaches the kitchen and starts looking around for what he can cook.
Standing for long is clearly not an option for him, so maybe he'd make some soup or broth and make it simmer down on its own, all the while Misaki can sit and not put too much pressure on his legs. While he goes about to fetch vegetables and other ingredients, he noticed Saruhiko had put everything up front from the fridge, making it easier for Misaki to grab it. That monkey's thought of everything, is he psychic? Misaki wonders as he pulls a cabbage out. Chopping it to fine pieces, he pours everything into the pot and turns the fire up; all he has to do now is wait.
While waiting, Misaki realizes that there are some leftovers that can still be eaten and all it needs is to be reheated. When the crow walks over to the microwave, only then he notices something odd about it. It's shiny, it's big, and it's untouched.
All in all, it's brand new. And Misaki have no idea how to use it.
Calling Saruhiko now is just a bad idea, he's probably still busy with work, Misaki thought ruefully as he puts the bowl of leftover on the table. Examining the microwave, Misaki could make out English words on it, and it only makes him more nervous. "Why the fucking hell is this thing written in English? What the heck is that stupid monkey even thinking, buying something like this when I'm the one needing to use it most," the crow curses out when he failed to make out the characters on it. He could see pictures of broth, chicken, vegetables, fishes, and others on the microwave; it's just that he doesn't know what it says.
The crow could feel his frustrations grew with every passing minute, if he can't use the microwave now, then the leftover would just be spoiled and they'd have no proper side dishes other than the soup he's broiling. Grumbling, Misaki decides to go all out and just turn on the microwave to whatever setting he thinks is right and hope for the best. Breathing a deep breath, he sets it up and puts the leftover in. Now let's hope I don't burn the house down, he thought in a depressed manner.
At Scepter 4, Saruhiko was just giving the last orders for the day to his team when Seri walks in. He leers at her when he notices the clothes that she's wearing. Instead of the usual, extremely short dress, this time she's wearing basically the same thing, just that her skirt is more loose and reaches down to her knees. Her usual boots are also replaced with simple, but exclusive flat and low boots. Somehow she managed to stay her usual cold self even though she's pregnant with her second child, and Saruhiko finds that quite impressive.
"Fushimi," she calls out in her usual commanding voice and Saruhiko clicks his tongue. "I think that's enough for today, you should go home and be with Yatagarasu," she says and Saruhiko narrows his eyes. She still calls him that even though he had told her to call Misaki by his first name, with or without honorifics is fine as long as it's not Yatagarasu. But then he realizes something, Seri just told him to go home, that in itself is weird beyond all reason.
Eyeing his superior weirdly, Saruhiko purses his lips. "Did you just tell me to go home, lieutenant?" Saruhiko asks sceptically, he just couldn't believe what was told to him. Normally Seri would find every chance she can get to give him overtime, but today was different. And it's not like her to do something like this. "Forgive my rudeness, but that's fucking weird," he continues. Seri only sighs and sits in her chair.
"I know how weird it sounds to you, but I just have a feeling that your other half desperately needs you right now, call it a woman's intuition," she says with a wave of her hand. Saruhiko eyes her for a moment longer until she glares back at him. "Go, or I'll change my mind," she threatens and Saruhiko bolts out of the room as if the Reaper was chasing after him. Seri chuckles a little at his frantic exit, but now she can go over Izumo's pictures on her own without anyone disturbing her. Such a cute bartender, she thought giddily while going through each of her picture file.
By the time Saruhiko reaches his home, he could smell smoke from up the front door, and his heart drops to his stomach. The only thoughts going through his mind now is whether Misaki and the twins are safe. Bursting the door open, he releases his aura around him like a shield and runs through the smoke fog without any problems whatsoever. When he reaches the kitchen, he could see Misaki frantically fans the smoke out the kitchen windows with a wet cloth pressed by his nose and mouth.
Breathing in relief, Saruhiko disperses the shield and sends a burst of air along with it so the smoke would go out completely. When he realizes it's from the microwave, he quickly turns it off and unplugs it before putting it by the window, only then Misaki realizes that Saruhiko was home. Nervous brown eyes met blue, as Misaki doesn't know what to say now that the new microwave is a complete mess. Saruhiko however, doesn't care about that. Walking over to Misaki, he plays with the crow's hair with a smile.
"Misaki," he calls out gently. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Are the twins ok?" Saruhiko asks as gently as he could so he wouldn't startle the crow any more than he does now. With every question, Misaki shook his head twice and a nod once, but he's yet to say anything regarding what just happened. "Were you trying to cook something?" Saruhiko continues again and caresses the crow's soft cheeks.
"Was just trying to reheat the leftovers," Misaki said timidly. Lately, Saruhiko realizes, Misaki's gotten real sensitive with his emotions and becomes shyer in a sense. He didn't know Misaki could be like this, but the blue clansman sure as hell finds it adorable. "It was in English, and I didn't want to bother you from work... Sorry I'm so useless..." the crow hung his head in shame and Saruhiko hugs him tightly to calm him down. It's out of character for Misaki to be like this, but his hormones have gotten the better of him lately, so Saruhiko couldn't blame the crow for anything. Better sensitive than more explosive.
Saruhiko shushes him and hugs the crow tighter before looking him straight in the eye. "Don't ever think you're useless. The twins are depending on you for survival, thanks to you they're living and healthy. Right now you're doing the most important job of all, so don't ever think you're useless. Your time, your body, your health, everything you did is for the twins, I can never top that, no father can," he continues before hugging the crow again.
The blue clansman could feel Misaki going lax in his arms, and he knows that Misaki's calm again. When he notices the completed broth in the pot, he smiles and ushers Misaki to sit down while he does the reheating and all. Misaki was hesitant at first, but is glad that Saruhiko is now home to give him a hand.
Best thing is, Misaki could also sense that Saruhiko has come to terms about their daughter, and is giving all his love to her. Sasaki giggled.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.
(laughs) I'm finally 19 today and here I am giving a present to you, wow. But all in all, I'm glad to have finished this chapter. Next up we'll have some heart-to-soul talk between Saruhiko and..two very awesome character. Well, one is flaming hot, the other is a gentle, sweet, and carefree person. I think you guys have an idea on who I'm talking about. (grins)
Just a few more chapters..a few more chapters until the twins are born..HNNNGGGHHH..