(2014/11/09) ***Important for my lovely and supportive readers:
I sincerely apologize for being very late for my update. The truth is that I've been falling behind in my classes and also having a LOT of trouble with my laptop, until last week. My original intention was to upload chapters 33-35 on the SAME day, as a gift for supporting me and celebrating the first-year mark since I posted the first two chapters together, but I sadly couldn't due so. Currently, chapter 35 is in production and a future 2-parter chapter is in pre-production, (a still-standing habit of mine...). So instead of the 'triple-upload feature' it is going to be a 'double-upload feature'. I decided it wasn't fair to keep making the readers wait any longer. I apologize and thank-you from the bottom of my heart reading. I hope this 'double-upload feature' will somewhat compensate for making you wait all this time.
I don't own or have any affiliation with Sword Art Online. I apologize for any grammatical and/or spelling errors and/or missing words that were made into the official text.
Chapter 33: Dual Disclosure
Late October, 2033 | Rika and Mikado's Apartment
After spending some time apart from each one another, the group of former high schoolers had come togehter at last after months, being held in the New York style living residence to celebrate Rika's baby shower.
"Will you tell us what your having already?" Kirigaya Asuna practically begged her close friend. The mother of two was wearing a navy blue blazer with two golden brass button, ontop of her black and white stripped shirt and dark blue jeans. Her light purple scarf was worn on her neck in a wrap and tie styled fashion. Her strawberry blonde hair was in worn in a high ponytail. She was in the her second-year of as a middle school home economics teacher.
"Do you have any idea how it hard was to find an appropriate present for you?" Kirigaya Suguha grumbled. Her black hair was fashioned in an asymmetrical bob style. Her clothing including a pink coloured wrap around shrug top, a gold heart pendant on a gold chain around her neck and a of light grey skinny jeans. She was currently in her second-year working as a financial analyst.
"You guys think your upset about all of that? I live with them and I still don't even know." The complaint came from Ayano Keiko. Her wardrobe included a white tanktop underneath a brown fake leather jacket with a pair of light blue pre-ripped jeans with matching black socks. In the meantime, her light brown hair was customized in a waterfall braid style. The optimistic young woman was currently second year as a veterinary school student while working at part time job and is moving in with Shino in her own apartment.
"Are you having more then one?" Asada Shino questioned the future mother noticing that her swelling abdominal area had appeared larger then average for a woman entering her thirth week of pregnancy. Shino was wearing an opened long sleeved checkered plaid shirt with a pale grey and blue colour patterning, a red tanktop and a pair of simple black jeans. Her black coloured hair was made in a braided crown fashion. She was in her second year of employment at a local police force under the ranking on a constable.
Shinozaki Rika turned to her husband and gave him a gamesome flutter of the eye. The second-year mechanical engineer was dressed in a long, casual blue dress with a red satin bow tied in the front ontop of her inflating stomach. She ran her fingers over her dark brown mid-length hair until reaching the tapered ends.
"Are you going to tell us or not?" Suguha couldn't hold in the suspense any longer.
"We paid for those presents so you owe us, especially me." Keiko narrowed her eyes directed at the mother-to-be.
Rika blushed while stroking her enlarged bump. "Let's just that things haven't been easy since I have four legs kicking me all the time." She teased the crowd of guests.
"Why? Is your kid a mutant?"
Rika angrily grabbed Kazuto by his shirt collar.
A fierce look was spreading in her dark brown eyes like a wild forest fire even when they were covered by cyan coloured wide squared prescription eyeglasses.
Kazuto oddly thought about that time he had mistakenly broke her best-made sword during their first encounter in her self-made armoury shop that was located on the fourty-eighth floor of [Old Aincrad]. Then those few times she should threaten him with her mace during the course of the [ALfheim Online] when [New Aincrad] was patched into the game.
"What did you say about my daughters?" Rika slowly gruffed in a rough, low pitch.
A gasp came from the other apartment occupants.
"We're having two girls?" Mikado asked his wife after he help her get away from Kazuto.
"Wait a minute, she's having twins but didn't bother to tell us until now?" Asuna handed one-year-old Sachi to her husband.
She rested her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow in the direction of her friend. "Does your trolling ever take a holiday?"
Rika rubbed her stomach and playfully grinned. "Nope."
"And you." Suguha pointed her finger on Mikado's chest. "It would have been nice to know that bit of information before going shopping for the party."
"But then it wouldn't have been as fun." The civil engineer gave a sly grin. "In my defense it was all her idea. If there's any consolation, I didn't know what the genders are until right now."
"I didn't even know you were having twins and pay rent every month since i lived here." Keiko crossed her arms defensively.
All eyes were focusing on the woman whom the party was being thrown for.
"How did you come up with this little plan of yours?" Shino asked.
"In my defense, eight years ago, a certain nameless person introduced us to a certain older sister figure, fully aware of her medical condition and didn't even mention her, not even to his girlfriend or sister, until that night."
Kazuto gave his youngest daughter back to his wife. "I told you it was a surprise we made a deal so she could bring that cake that night and she didn't tell me about...it until I met her."
"But in my defense, I already told him how many I was having, and I would've bought that cake anyway." Rinko lightly tapped on Rika's head with her finger and giving her a congratulatory hug with some comforting stroking on her back.
Mikado sat beside using his left hand to hold her right cheek. "Did you say that we're having twin girls?"
Rika's eyes began watering. "Sorry."
"Are you kidding? I don't know which one to hold first." He placed the same hand on her stomach.
"I was thinking maybe the one that's born first." Rika took a tissue and blew her nose.
"You love me that much that your giving me two daughters at the same time?" He wrapped his arms around her.
"I thought it would be faster that way." His martial partner sniffled.
"Wait, so that means there's going to be two more people with your DNA?" Kazuto blurted out while tapping his chin. "God help us all." The father of two placed his hand on his heart.
"I can't believe we didn't figure it out from before." Suguha sighed.
"So much for women's intuition." Kazuto commented in a snarky tone of voice.
Klein covered the black haired man's mouth while Agil assisted in holding him back.
"Don't you know you just can't insult one of the most powerful forces in all of existence in front of them." Klein whispered.
"In some ways your not the same guy from back in those days." The cafe owner remarked about his red headed friend.
"Hmm...mhmmm...hhmm." Kazuto muffled.
"Oh right, sorry." Klein apologized letting go of his younger friend's mouth. "What was that?"
"I said, yeah but his drinking sure is still the same." Kazuto smirked.
"Which reminds me, your tab is due next week." The cafe owner reminded a frowning Klein.
Asuna had brought her youngest child over to the couple of elementary schoolgirls who were together in another room watching television.
Eleven-year-old, sixth-grader Yui was holding her younger sibling, Sachi who was still sleeping, while eight-year-old, third grader Yumeko was quietly sitting beside her, observing the oldest child's pure, doting innocence and fondness that was being given to the infant.
Yui was lightly petting Sachi's black hair then, she was gently pushing her nose on the small face. and covered it with soft-hearted kisses on both of her cheeks. "I love having my very own sister."
She's very good at it. Yumeko blinked her emperor grey eyes.
Asuna momentarily sat in between of the fastly growing children, running her slender fingers down Yui's long shining hair and then her honourary niece's.
Upon the mother request, the pair of primary students came out into the living room to be with the rest the abundant league while she was holding her one-year-old in her arms.
Maybe now I can find out what all of the commotion about earlier. Yumeko then heard her 'special' companion's voice saying that finding out about it might make her feel amused.
"What was that noise about earlier?" The third-grader calmly questioned the group of adults.
"You'll never guess what we found out, Himeko-chan." Suguha answered excitedly.
"Guess about what?" Yui asked with curiosity written on her face.
Rika came up to the couple of of schoolchildren and brushed both their heads. "I'm having twins." The future mother softly whispered.
The eight-year-old among the two took a small step backward. Her mysterious pair of doe, dark medium grey eyes widened in a state of feeling mild astonishment by her honourary aunt's unanticipated fact even when they were being covered by her red squared glasses. Did I hear right? She heard the soft laughter of her 'unique' friend. Why you I always hear my friend laughing at me? Yumeko blinked, bringing her mind back into her present reality surroundings.
"What are twins?" Yui asked with wonderment and a strong desire to know was extending in her bright, black irises.
The girls were sitting with their nominal relative.
"They're when two children are born on the same day. Some look the same, but some don't." Kazuto briefly explained to his first daughter.
Asuna's voice followed. "You see Yui-chan, twins are very special...presents for their parents, but are more extra work."
"What kind are you having?" Yumeko asked.
"Both of them are girls." Rika warmly smiled as a light bubblegum pink tinge appeared on her face.
"We're going to have to find more gifts later." Shino sighed feeling less than joyful.
"Maybe we could go find something after I sort some things out of my room." Keiko helped herself to some of the non-alchocolic drinks that were displayed on the sparkling, marble kitchen counter.
"Look's like I have some more boys to beat up." Yumeko kindly rubbed the swelling bump with the advice from her invisible friend.
"Which reminds me." Rika wore a teasing smile. "How many hearts did you break, Himeko-chan?" She winked.
Yumeko swallowed. That question again... "Are you taking about so far or this month?"
There was a short, momentarily pause inwhich no sign of any sound flooded through the stylish condominium.
The four men who were serving themselves at the lovely buffet of lasagne, tossed salad with different dressings, drinks, baked potato chips, mini burgers, hot dogs, fruit and nut platter alongside assorted donuts brownies and muffins that was ontop of a white tablecloth, however paused as soon as they happened to overhead the question.
Inside a manga, Kazuto and Mikado's eyes would briefly have been replaced with blank white eyes with bold black circular boards surrounding them as their mouths were a pink rectangle. At the same time, Klein's could been be depicted as as a group of wavy dark blue lines, radiating from upward his head and shoulders similar to a battle aura. In the midst of their reactions.
However, Agil looked he was enjoying the show as well as the food on his plate.
"What kind of question is that to ask to a little girl, who in a few years could be considered a registered lethal weapon?" Klein spatted out.
Rika raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry."
She patted the black haired girl's head on the other side of her. "What about you, Yui-chan? How many hearts have you broken so far?"
The rest of the women chuckled.
"Hey, don't get mine into this." Kazuto grumbled, stroking Yui's head as he came to her 'rescue'. "You don't have to answer that." He narrowed his eyes on the dark brunette female.
"What? She's eleven, last time I checked that's older than eight." The expecting mother half-smiled.
"How do you manage to live with her?" Kazuto asked Mikado.
"That's funny, since I was going to ask your wife the same thing later." Rika interjected.
"Well, uh..." Asuna uttered while holding her sleeping child.
"You're actually answering that?" Kazuto's black irises widened.
His wife weakly chuckled in response.
Kazuto slumped his shoulders and patted the Mikado's back. "My respect for you just went to a whole new level."
Agil and Klein second the notion.
The dark burnette, dark-blue eyed civil engineer chuckled.
After eating a lunch, that nearly cleaned out all of the display dishes on the table, Yumeko and Yui who was holding Sachi went back to the other room.
The five women were sitting around Rika making conversation with one another.
"You really grow since the birthday party last month." Rinko remarked.
"What's your biggest craving?" Shino asked.
"Ice-cream and cinnamon buns." Mikado clarified for his spouse with an glass dish with layered neapolitan ice-cream with pieces of vanilla wafers, pieces of strawberry, crushed chocolate-chip cookies and mini marshmallows topped with honey.
Rika covered her face her hands and sounded like she was weeping.
The women instinctively began attempting a hand at consoling her, making Mikado not knowing what do expect for awkwardly, slowly stepping backward.
"Thank goodness the kids aren't here to see this." The mechanical engineer blew into a tissue, then grabbed the half-emptied box. "I'm sorry it's just been so hard on me lately. I'm always hungry and now I'm fat. I can't get any sleep or work done in peace because of the constant kicking. I keep forgetting things and I can't even try to remember what my feet look like, but I know for a fact they're getting bigger. My ankles are killing me...and...and the worst part is that I can never wear a binkini without worrying if I can ever look good in it again."
"I've never seen her like this...around this time I'm either at the library or at work." Keiko whispered to the rest of the female bunch.
"I did ever act like that when I was pregnant?" Asuna question the others slightly bewildered.
Her sister-in-law moved her head left to right and when close to Asuna's ear. "I guess it helped because of your tea craving."
After some minutes later of Rika asking to sit by herself, her husband placed an assorted plate that was covered with a glazed cinnamon roll, medium-sized chocolate chip strawberry cookie, strawberry shortcake muffin and a sugar powdered donut. A steaming mug of hot cocoa was sitting next to it.
Mikado was also removed her cyan-coloured eyewear and was holding a hairbrush smoothly gliding the object ascending and descending until the bristles reached the tapered ends over his overwhelmed spouse's mid-length hair.
He pressed his lips and applied firm pressure on her neck somewhat relieving tension while Rika's head was hanging down and her ring hand was covering her eyes in a sideways manner. The massage moved over to her shoulders, rubbing his thumbs in circles on the shoulder blades. It wasn't the first time he had seen her react in this sort of hormonal state of mind and it wasn't the first time he felt upset or guilt about watching her go through of all of that change.
The hair was removed to the left side, making room for his chin to rest on her right shoulder, stroking his knuckle on her right cheek.
The couple's breathing rates were slow, making the female half relax and feeling less strung out.
"I'm sorry you not happy right now." He whispered while his right hand was going around in a comforting and satisfying continuing, rotating bodily motion.
Mikado softly kissed his hard lips on her shoulder and then downward her arm.
After the relieving session, Mikado treated the other remaining men to some drinks at the lounge bar in the condominium's main lobby.
The lounge was a huge and spacious room with a luxurious design.
There were old-fashioned arcade style machines in one corner, however still didn't take the attention away from the nearby wall attached flat-screen television set and the five pool tables on the other side of the room.
The center had clear, glass tables with black leather seating neat the assorted colourful and very expensive looking bottles that were behind a curved wooden counter.
They settled down to their seats and newer surroundings with their drinks, a conversation was forming in the midst.
"No offense, but what is a guy with your employment status doing living in a building like this?" Klein was laid-back in his chair, holding the glass containing a bronze liquid.
"It was a deal I made with my parents. They paid for the wedding and half of the price for the condo. I tried to negotiate, but my mom wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. I guess it has something to do with me being the youngest and I getting married first." Mikado finished explaining, reclining while his clasped hands were resting on the back of his head.
"Do they know about the twins?" Agil contributed into the talk.
The civil engineer nodded. "I told her the day of, but Rika told her the genders."
"Was she excited?" Kazuto's drink was almost emptied.
The dark brunette male half-grinned before the answering the given query. "Yeah, she told my dad as soon as she hung up the phone. She always wanted girls in the family."
"What about you?" Klein took interest in the topic at hand.
"I couldn't be more thrilled...or nervous. We just had our first wedding anniversary in May. Now I'm having drinks in the lounge with a bunch of guys while my wife is upstairs opening presents." Mikado paused, sipping what amount of liquid was left in his tumbler. "Two years ago, I was just an intern fetching coffee and blueprints while trying to get used to the family firm operations, then one day a smart, beautiful grad student and she asks the interview room was, suddenly a week later, we start dating. Two years later, I have a smart, beautiful wife whose going to be the mother of my two twin daughters." The young man had a drunken hiccup. "I guess you could say, two is my lucky number."
"You could say that again." Agil refilled their glasses.
Mikado's word began to slur. "I'm am happy about...all of this...uh, c-coming together...but I'm still really nervous...like...like that time I was studying for my-certiification exam." He started to drum his fingers on his knees and put his head down on the transparent table.
"Don't sweat so much. You'll be a good dad." Klein gave the expectant father an ecouraging pat on the back.
The reciever of the gesture and comment with a muffled, tired-sounding 'thank-you'.
Agil straightened his own posture. "You sound kind of out of it."
Mikado rubbed his face. "Kinda hard to get sleep with the constant snoring, I can't wake her up or she'll never get any rest."
"And they call it first year sleep deprivation." Kazuto alongside the man on his right."
"The first year is always the roughest." Klein groaned.
"Expect for me, Sachi's barely gets fussy." Kazuto smiled.
"I dunno how I'm gonna handle everything. Parenting is tough, but so is work." Mikado chugged down the bronze liquid substance like it no tomorrow.
"If you got each other, you don't really have a lot to worry about, you're overthinking. It happens to all of us." Kazuto gave him a little smile.
Klein refilled all four tumblers.
The quadrumvirate raised the drinking glasses, making a toast.
Back in the apartment upstairs, the quintuplicate of devine, accomplishig grown women were sitting around, each one involved in the conversation.
"How did it feel like finding out your gonna have twins?" Suguha took a bite out of the powdered sugar donut that came from the same plate inwhich Rika offered her guests after having a 'morning' sickness episode.
Rika tried satifying and relieving herself by indulging in the ice cream dish, cinnamon bun and hot cocoa given by her martial partner. "At first I couldn't believe it, until I saw the ultrasound photo."
"What was his reaction?" Shino asked.
Rika blushed. "He kept staring at it for an hour. When we made it back, he hugged for a while. We haven't spent that much time together since the wedding."
"What about his parents?" Rinko added, taking pleasure in the strawberry shortcake muffin made by her and her own daughter.
The pink tinge continued to stay on the pregnant women's face. "They've been spoiling me, especially my mother-in-law. She's been taking us out to lunches, shopping and even a destination spa. She even helped out with the registry. My father-in-law even gives her his credit card, no questions asked, since it's for me mostly. Plus, since we all work in the same building, we eat in the head office some days in the week. The rest of the time it's just me and Mikado in the cafeteria or some resturant." Rika rubbed her stomach, feeling some kicking.
"Are you having identical or fraternal?" Asuna squeaked out of a state of contentment while eating the medium-sized cookie she brought for the party.
"Fraternal."
"Are you going to put them in matching clothes?" Keiko teased the future parent.
"They won't look the same but maybe..." Rika pondered the idea.
"Have you thought of the names?" Suguha queried.
"We decided on some names being nothing's officially set in stone, but there are some that sound nice with the family surname."
"It wasn't so hard to for to me to set my daughter's name in stone." Rinko teased and playfully stuck her tongue out.
"You only needed to come up with one name, onee-san." Rika frowned.
That's what you think... "So what do you have planned for the nursery?" The 'elder sister' rubbed the growing bump.
"Everything onee-san. As soon as Keiko gets out this week, the delivery men are supposed to drop of the furniture."
"Nice to know how much I'll be missed." Keiko muttered under her breath.
Rika lowered her head, biting her lips until they turned white and trembled slightly. "I'm really scared about becoming a mother."
The rest exhanged glances.
"I'm not even a good wife."
"Don't say that your going to make yourself feel worse." Rinko laid her hand on her hair.
"I honestly think I'm going to screw up one way or another." Rika's voice was tremoring. "I could barely cook or clean even before I got pregnant, if I can't do those simple things. What good would I be even when I'm not anymore, and I'll have two more people to rely on me?" She wiped her damp eyes. "I will never be a good mother. I can feel it in my bones."
The rest of the group looked concerned as they weren't unable to decipher if this was another hormonal episode or her actual timorousness and unassertivensess in regards of her impending entry into set-in-stone, irreversible journey of motherhood.
"What make you think you'll be a bad one?" Rinko broke the minutes-long silence.
"I've only been the role of an aunt for almost for almost a decade now. I know nothing about being something so much more than that."
Rinko held the younger woman's hand. "Well, you were just a bunch of kids way back then, and my Yuyu wasn't in the most greatest of health conditions either, but you all pulled together to make sure she would recover as quickly as she could. For that, there's nothing I could ever do repay you all in return."
"You don't have to onee-san." Rika's speech pattern had returned to the average tone, clarity and speed.
The others nodded in agreement.
"We weren't forced in her life, we wanted to be it. We love like she's our own blood." Suguha added resting her hand on Rinko's right shoulder.
Rika exhaled, rubbing her stomach. "I wonder how much I'm going to love my own girls."
Asuna touched her close friend's knee. "More then you'll love yourself. Trust me." She winked.
The front door handle jiggled and the entryway had widened.
What was being seen, astonished the inside occupants.
The sophisticated and dignified civil engineer was stumbling in his apartment while the other men were behind him.
"I don't believe it." Rika covered her mouth at the sight.
"Klein-san isn't drunk." Keiko couldn't hold the comment back.
"Isn't the one paying usually the least hammered." Shino added.
Mikado managed to make his way to the large comfortable sofa.
"Rri-ka." He slurred her name, laying his head on her shoulder.
"Yes?"
A goofy grin came on his face. "I-I know that... Your nervous about this whole thing, but you're not the only one." He hiccuped and nicely stroked her arm. "I promise y-ou for...for the whole time I will be there, holding your hand, t-two hundred percent." He brushed finger on her left cheek. "I'd kiss a-and hug you but I know that certain smells are bugging you right now. Ssooo, I'll do it before we sleep tonight...but only when your c-comfortable." He softly clasped his right hand into her one.
When the afternoon soiree had reached its timely denouement, the twosome's botheration and disquietude were provisionally alleviated.
This is the first of two of a double upload special in honor of (a belated) commemoration the first-year mark for this story. Thank you for reading this chapter! Leave a review if you want!