It had been a week since Tohru's discharge from the hospital and she was both physically and mentally better. Yuki and Kyo had been helping her out with housework; Kyo did the cooking while Yuki stuck with chores that had nothing to do with the kitchen. Both boys tried their best to minimize the arguments for Tohru's sake and it worked, at least for the time being.
Tohru was told to go back to the hospital for a check up on her condition, as well as the condition of the baby. The rice ball was nervous; she had never had an ultrasound before and she didn't want to hear any bad news about the baby. Yuki had already made an appointment for Tohru at the hospital she stayed at when assaulted by Akito.
The matter of Akito was settled. Hatori smoothly talked the doctors out of calling the police, avoiding legal trouble. The situation would have been worse if police were involved, with the potential threat of the Sohma secret being revealed.
Tohru, being the sweet girl that she was, agreed to not speak of Akito's sudden attack. The rice ball understood the zodiac god's sense of losing someone important. Akito has his own troubles, she thought to herself.
The brunette got ready for the hospital check up. The check up would be a good opportunity for her to uncover more information about when she got pregnant. It was still a mystery to her; she knew she wasn't the type of girl to easily lose her virginity. In fact, Tohru wanted to wait until marriage for that special person. Plus, Yuki and Kyo would never try to force her or trick her into doing anything. Nothing added up with the one vague memory Tohru remembered before.
"Honda-san, it's time to go!" yelled Yuki from the bottom floor.
"Coming," replied Tohru. She had agreed to let Yuki and Kyo come with her. Since one of them could be the father, she figured that they should be able to see the baby.
The rice ball headed downstairs and found Yuki and Kyo waiting for her at the door.
"We'll have to walk there," said Yuki. "It'll take about 15 minutes... so please tell us when you need to stop and rest."
The brunette nodded. "I'll be fine."
"Let's go already," said Kyo.
Tohru let out a small "eek!" as the cat abruptly grabbed her wrist and led her outside.
"Wait for me, you stupid cat!" yelled Yuki as he jogged to catch up to Kyo and Tohru.
"Your test results indicate that you're in good condition, but you should still be a little careful with your body," said the nurse to Tohru, who was sitting on an examination table at the hospital. "Now, would you please follow me to our maternity wing? Your friends may come into the room if you'd like them to see the ultrasound."
Tohru nodded and followed the nurse to the other side of the building. Yuki and Kyo followed close behind the rice ball, both anxious and excited to see the baby for the first time.
"Here we are," said the nurse, ushering the trio into the dim room. "Dr. Yamamoto will be here shortly. Until then, please sit in the chairs and wait quietly for there are other patients in the hallways."
"Okay," replied the trio simultaneously. The nurse smiled and left, closing the door behind her.
Unexpectedly, a murderous scream was heard through the walls, followed by loud curses. The scream was definitely a woman's. A few more angry shouts were heard, scaring the trio.
"What the hell was that?" asked the tensed up cat, poking his head out the door to find the source.
"Whatever it was," said Yuki. "it didn't sound like the woman was happy. In fact, it sounded like she was in a lot of pain."
Tohru was still a bit shaken from the incident. "Y-yeah. I w-wonder what was going on in t-there."
A few minutes later, a muffled wailing was heard.
"It's a baby's," said the cat, relieved that it wasn't a woman in danger. "Wait, was the woman screaming from having a baby?"
Tohru was visibly terrified. "She sounded like she was going to die... is it that painful to give birth?" Am I going to be in that much pain? I'm scared...
Yuki held Tohru's hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze as if to say that she would be okay.
After a waiting a little while longer, the sliding door opened and a woman with a stethoscope around her neck entered the cozy room.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Yamamoto. You are Honda Tohru, correct?" asked the woman, holding out her hand as a gesture to shake it.
The Onigiri nodded, shaking the woman's hand.
"You look very young," said Dr. Yamamoto. "How old are you, Honda-san?"
"I'm 17," replied the rice ball, embarrassed to be in the maternity ward at her age.
The doctor was taken by surprise. "O-oh. Are you sure you're here for an ultrasound? This is usually for pregnancies."
Tohru nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."
"I see," said the doctor, trying her best to hide the shock in her voice. She looked around and saw Yuki and Kyo sitting on the rigid chairs. "May I ask which one of you is the father of the child?"
The cat and rat looked at each other, unsure of what to answer.
"Well, it's either one of us," said Yuki, his face heating up. He finally understood the shame Tohru felt all the time.
"Honda-san, do you know which one is the father is?" asked the doctor, her level of disbelief rising.
"N-no, I don't," answered Tohru truthfully, reliving the embarrassment she felt with Akito and Hatori.
"Whatever you're thinking," interjected Kyo. "it's not like that. Tohru's not like that."
The doctor nodded understandingly. This wasn't the first time she had seen cases like this one, but each case surprised her, despite her experience.
"Okay, then let's get started with the ultrasound," said Dr. Yamamoto, prepping the ultrasound machine.
Tohru laid down on the bed, jittery from the nerves.
Kyo and Yuki were just as uneasy, awaiting to see their potential child.
The doctor lifted the rice ball's shirt, revealing her flat stomach.
"This will be a bit cold, so please bear with it," said Dr. Yamamoto as she squeezed a cool gel onto Tohru's stomach, making the brunette squirm.
The doctor took the machine and placed it onto the rice ball's abdomen, moving it around. A loud, repeating whooshing sound was heard through the machine.
"That sound you're hearing is the baby's heartbeat." The doctor paused and looked closely at the monitor. "Hmm...?"
Tohru became worried. "What is it, Dr. Yamamoto?"
The doctor pointed at an unidentifiable figure on the monitor. "It seems like there are two fetuses there... let me take a better look."
Tohru held her breath. Two fetuses? Does that mean two babies?
The doctor shifted the machine around Tohru's stomach again. "My suspicions are confirmed. There are two babies there, Honda-san. No wonder the heart beat sounded irregular; there were two of them."
Both Yuki and Kyo's jaws dropped to the floor. The trio was silenced by the sudden blow.
"Honda-san, the scan indicates that you're about seven weeks along in the first trimester. If you look here," said the doctor as she pointed to the monitor. "you will see the head, back, and legs. The same for baby number two."
None of the information was registering after the news of two babies. Tohru seemed frozen in place.
"You're estimated due date is March 25. Would you like ultrasound pictures?" asked the doctor as she wiped off the gel from Tohru's stomach.
Tohru nodded, staring blankly at the monitor, trying to understand the concept of being pregnant with twins.
"Alright, then I'll be right back with a couple of copies," said Dr. Yamamoto, leaving the room.
"There's two," mumbled Kyo, recovering from the shock. "What are the odds of that? God, it's like the universe is just set against us."
The prince walked over to Tohru, taking her hand into his. "Are you okay, Honda-san?"
Tohru nodded, fighting the urge to cry. Kyo's right... why me? I'm already scared with one child, but two? How can I be a good mother to both? I'm not even capable of taking care of one baby.
"We'll be alright," assured Yuki, partly to comfort Tohru but also to comfort himself. "Kyo and I will be here to raise the babies with you. Don't worry about it, Miss Honda, please."
"I won't," said Tohru, taking her eyes off the now blank monitor. "Two babies just mean more to love, right?"
Yuki nodded, unconvinced by the lack of conviction in her shaking voice.
Dr. Yamamoto came back in with several copies of pictures. She handed two to each person.
"I marked each picture with the letter of each twin. I wish you guys luck. Honda-san, please come back if you need any more information. Also, here is a brochure about the parenting classes held at the daycare a couple miles from here," said the doctor, handing the colorful brochure to the brunette.
"Thank you, Dr. Yamamoto," said Tohru, getting up from the bed and giving a small bow of appreciation. Kyo and Yuki got up to do the same.
The doctor smiled. "You're welcome. Please come back once you reach 12 weeks for further check-ups."
"We will," answered Kyo, putting emphasis on the "we" part of his reply. The three of them left the room with the weight of the new information.
Back at home, Tohru tried to piece together the mystery alone in the living room as she wiped the coffee table clean. The doctor said I was seven weeks along... that means the babies were conceived around the beginning of July since it's almost the end of August now. The beginning of July... I was in school around that time. I don't remember what happened...
The cat entered the living room and sat on the sofa, watching the absent minded girl clean the same exact spot on the table.
"Tohru, you've been wiping that same spot for the past couple minutes," said Kyo. "What's bothering you?"
Tohru looked up at Kyo. "Sorry, did you say something, Kyo-kun?"
The orange-haired boy sighed. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just thinking about when I got pregnant," explained Tohru. "Something's just not adding up. Did we do something or go somewhere around the beginning of July?"
Kyo leaned back on the couch, thinking about any possible events that occured.
"Wait a minute," started the cat, concentrating. "Didn't we all go to Chiba Kosuke's party? He invited our entire class, remember? Although, I'm not exactly sure what the party was for."
Tohru stopped wiping the table, thinking about what Kyo just said. "I remember going there because one of the girls in our class convinced me to go. She said that Kosuke-kun needed someone to help prepare food, and I offered to do it. There's no way that anything could have happened there... although, I don't remember much of the party except feeling extremely uncomfortable the entire time."
"That's the only thing that I remember going to with you and the rat. I'm not sure why I can't remember anything," said Kyo, scratching his head in confusion.
"Maybe we should ask Yuki-kun if he remembers anything," suggested Tohru.
"Do what you want. I'm not asking him," muttered the orange-haired boy, closing his eyes to take a nap.
Tohru left the room to find Yuki, who said he would be organizing his minefield of a room.
"Yuki-kun," called Tohru, knocking on the rat's door.
The door immediately opened. Yuki smiled at the rice ball.
"Hello, Honda-san. As you can see, I've successfully organized my room," said the proud prince, pulling the rice ball inside.
"Wow, it's extremely clean! Good job, Yuki-kun," praised the Onigiri, surprised at how spotless the room was.
"Anyway," said Yuki, putting the finishing touch to his now gleaming desk. "is there a reason why you were looking for me."
"Ah, yes. Do you remember anything about Kosuke-kun's party in July?"
"Hm? Chiba-san's party? I do remember going, but I'm not exactly sure why or what I did there. Why do you ask?"
"I just thought that it might have something to do with my pregnancy," said Tohru. I wonder why we all can't remember... maybe I'll find out more once school starts.
"I remember hearing things here and there while we were in school, though."
"What did you hear, Yuki-kun?"
"I heard that someone spiked the drinks and that no one can really remember what happened. No one is confessing that they did it."
That has got to be the reason... there's no other explanation.
"That must be the reason why we can't remember, right?" asked Tohru.
The rat nodded. "I don't even remember how I got home, honestly. I remember talking with a couple of classmates and the next thing I know is that all three of us were home. Something was definitely strange, now that I think about it."
If no one remembers anything, how can I be sure that either Yuki-kun or Kyo-kun is the father? It could be anyone.
"Yuki-kun, do you remember how many boys were at the party?"
"From what I remember at the beginning of the party, there were mostly girls there since our class this year only has four guys including me and Kyo."
Tohru bit her lower lip. "Then isn't it possible that one of the other boys is the father?"
Yuki grew concerned. "It was Chiba-san's party, so he was present. Ito Takumi didn't show up because he said he had to study. I heard Chiba-san say that he woke up outside, lowering the chance that he's the father. It is a possibility though."
And all this time I only thought of Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun, thought the Onigiri, feeling dizzy from the new revelation. Now Kosuke-kun is in the mix. Mom, what do I do? I feel so lost... it can't be Kosuke-kun, right?
"I'm feeling a bit light-headed," said Tohru, taking shaky steps towards the door. "I'm going to rest a bit."
Yuki took Tohru's arm to give her support.
"It's alright, Yuki-kun," said Tohru, pulling her arm away from him. The rat saw that she was trying her best not to cry.
"Honda-san... please, don't cry," begged Yuki, his own feelings mimicking the rice ball's.
"I've been crying a lot, haven't I?" asked Tohru, her voice quivering as she spoke. She put on a smile, but the strength of her sadness was too much to bear. She buried her face into her hands, each muffled cry paining the prince emotionally.
"It's going to be okay," assured Yuki, pulling the rice ball close to his chest and caressing her long brown locks. The hug lasted a few seconds before a puff of smoke revealed a small white animal in the hands of the rice ball.
Tohru opened her eyes to find the rat staring back at her with an upset look on his face. She held the rat close to her chest, feeling consolation from his presence.
"I know I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself," said the brunette between sobs. "but I can't help but feel alone during this... you and Kyo-kun have been helping me a lot, but I still feel hopeless."
"Honda-san, please be strong. Neither Kyo or I could understand what you're feeling, but we will try our best to help you."
Tohru nodded, trying her best to stop her crying. "I'm such a mess. I'm sorry that I'm showing you this side of me. It must be the hormonal changes."
"Don't worry, we'll get through this together," assured the rat.
"You're right, Yuki-kun. If I'm going to be a mother, I have to be strong for my kids."
The rice ball placed the rat onto the floor, a puff of smoke filling the air immediately. The naked prince emerged out of the smoke, causing the brunette to turn away blushing.
"Sorry, Miss Honda," said Yuki as he pulled on his clothes.
"N-no, it's fine! In fact, I should be used to the transfor-"
Tohru stopped mid-sentence, a faded memory coming back to her.
"Uh, Honda-san? Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine... I just remembered something from the party."
Yuki's countenance turned serious. "What did you remember?"
"I vaguely remember the room I was in. The bed had a floral pattern, I think. The lights were dim. The walls were either blue or green."
Yuki's brows furrowed in thought. "You can't remember who you were with?"
Tohru shook her head. "I just remember a few details about the room," explained Tohru. "Oh, wait a minute... I remembered something before about the person I was with."
"What about them?"
"It was definitely a guy... He had a smooth, gentle voice and warm touch. He said something to me that made me blush, but I'm not sure exactly what he said."
"A gentle voice?" questioned the rat, thinking about the possibilities. "I don't think it can be Chiba-san. His voice is husky and gravelly, probably from his habit of smoking."
Tohru lit up. "Really? I clearly remember the voice being smooth! That means it can't be Kosuke-kun!"
Yuki smiled, relieved that Chiba Kosuke wasn't the father. Kosuke had a reputation for being a womanizer and academically challenged; Yuki couldn't let someone like that near Tohru or her babies.
"That narrows it down to me and the cat," said Yuki, a bit embarrassed for being so happy. "Honda-san, I hope you understand that neither Kyo or I would wish for something like this upon you. I'm sorry for making you suffer like this."
"It's alright, Yuki-kun," said Tohru, giving the rat a reassuring smile. "Mom always told me that everything happens for a reason. I'm just not sure what that reason is yet. Fate sure is a mysterious thing, huh?"
The rat gave a small smile. Perhaps it was destiny that brought Honda-san and I together. If that's the case, then I am thankful for this mysterious fate.