Author's Note: Welcome to the last halo of 2022. It's a little bit better than the match in Pink Stockings. We focus in on Anri and the aftermath of finding out she's pregnant. Plus, there were a couple of ideas that I have been sitting on for a while in here. Not the best halo but I think it's because Christmas took so much. But I pulled it off. I already know what I am going to write for next year. For now, see you in 2023 and enjoy this week's halo.

Halo Twenty-Three: Anri:

I don't know what to do. I stared at the pink plus sign on the pregnancy test. I really am pregnant. The Saika children were talking about my baby. I looked down at my stomach. Mikado doesn't know yet.

I picked up my phone by my bed.

"Hello?" Mika asked on the other line. I gulped as I shut my eyes.

"I'm pregnant," I said. There was a pause on the other line.

"I will be right there," Mika said. "There's something I have to tell you. Do you remember when I told you things on your birthday?"

"Yeah…" I said uneasily. She paused for a moment. My stomach turned.

"There is so much more that I have to tell you," Mika said at last.

"Mika…" I said.

"I will see you in a few minutes," Mika said. She hung up before I could say a word. I stared at my phone. I remembered back to dinner on my birthday. Mika did tell me everything, but she still had some things that she had left out. I'm guessing she couldn't say it before Seiji was there. What else did she have to tell me?

-Kine-

I don't know what to do with her. Right now, she's playing with Akane-chan in her room. I've been looking after this little girl for a few days now. She's been eating up everything in my house. That's not the main problem, however.

She's such an odd child. She barely says anything. She barely makes any eye contact. I'm starting to think that she might be brain-damaged. (I probably should take her to a doctor or something.) I all but gave up on talking to her. But there seems to be something familiar about her.

This kid is missing her left eye and has a giant scar on it. Her hair is just as red as… his hair. That's when it donned on me. But… How is this even possible? There was only one name that came to mind.

"Aka-chan."

Suddenly, that little girl paused over her plate and looked up at me. She stared at me with her good eye.

"Aka-chan?" I said again. The little girl stared intently at me. Okay then…

"Aka-chan," I said one more time. It just stuck from there.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I told Mikiya said.

"Thank you," he said. We looked up the stairs.

"Why did you bring her here?" Mikiya asked. I can't tell him my theory just yet. I doubted that he would believe me.

"She just had to see Akane-chan for some reason," I said. "She wouldn't tell me why." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Who is she to you?" he asked. "And don't lie to me." Mikiya isn't an idiot. But was he really going to believe me when I said it? There was only one way to see.

"Have you noticed anything off about Aka-chan?" I asked.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like her eye," I said. I traced his fingers over my right eye.

"Yes. What about it?" Mikiya asked. I looked around for a bit. I leaned in close.

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" the PI asked. Mikiya gave me a strange look.

"What are you saying?" he asked. I pointed at the stairs.

"I think that little girl is a reincarnation of Akabayashi," I said. I waited for him to respond.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mikiya said.

"I wish I was," I said. "I don't have any other reasons. It's that scar and her hair." He looked at the stairs.

"So why a little girl?" he asked. I shrugged and shook my head. I didn't have any answers from there.

-Anri-

I paced around in my room. What was I going to do? I couldn't raise this baby alone. What about Mikado? He went out of his way to not get me pregnant. Something must have come over him on my birthday. I'm starting to remember that this already happened. That's not the only thing on my mind, however.

Saika's children have gotten quiet lately. I don't know how long that is going to last. They stopped after I took the test. Honestly, I don't want to think about what's going to happen next. That wasn't the only thing that is going on with Saika and me. I noticed that Haruna has gone missing. Her dad went to the police. I don't know why I looked into it. But I felt something wasn't right.

I looked up when I heard my door buzz. I ran over to take a peak. Mika stood outside, trying to look inside.

"So good to see you," I said as I opened the door. I reached forward and hugged her. She hugged me back. Mika had a serious look on her face. Almost like she had gone to a funeral. I let her inside. We sat in my room.

"Have you told Mikado yet?" she asked. I shook my head.

"You have to tell him," Mika said.

"I know," I said. I clenched my fists in my lap. I wasn't going to enjoy what she was going to say.

"Am I going to die?" I asked. I looked up to see Mika staring at me.

"We're not going to let happen," she said. I wanted to believe her.

"There is so much that I still have to tell you," Mika said. "But you have to promise me that you will stay calm if I do." I lowered my gaze.

"Okay," I said. Mika let go of me and took a breath.

"Okay," she said. She broke down and told me everything. I sat listening quietly the whole time.

Aka-chan has a mission. It started to come to her in a dream.

She found herself in a dark room. There was a tall mirror on the other side of the room. Something about the glass them to be calling out to her. The voice was faint but she could still hear it. The child slowly walked up to the mirror. A man in a nice suit appeared in her reflection. He leaned on a cane and had his right eye missing just like hers. The child stared up at him in wonder. The man started to speak again.

"Hey. Hey, kid. Hey. Hey. Hey."

The little girl stared up at him. Could she hear him? Would she be able to understand him?

"Can you hear me?" the man asked. The child slowly nodded. She stared up at me with doe eyes. The little girl tried to reach out to the mirror. The man began to relax.

"Oh good," he said. But this wasn't a time to celebrate. The man cleared his throat.

"Okay, I am going to need you to listen to me," he said. The child stared up at him. Could she understand what he was saying? He was going to have to try.

"Listen to me," he said. "You used to be." The child stared for a moment.

"I used to be you?" she asked. So she could talk.

"Yes," the man once called Akabayashi said. "There isn't much time to explain. You need to listen closely. You have to get to Akane-chan and Anri-chan. You will know how to get there." The child still stared up at him. He knew that she could hear him. Was she getting all of this? He broke it down the best that he could. Akabayashi was going to have to go with it the best that he could.

"Stay by them," he said. The little girl looked serious. She nodded once.

"Very good," Akabayashi said. He still had his doubts.

-Anri-

I think Mika's made things even worse. She didn't spare me the details. I sat there, silent. When she was finished, I was trembling.

"Are you okay?" Mika asked as she shook me on the arm. I've died before? Mika promised that she wouldn't let that happen. That doesn't help with the memories coming back.

I was laid up in a hospital bed. Only… It's not a hospital. I'm in like a basement somewhere. There are many machines around me. I have tubes coming out of my arms. There's beeping in the air. It feels like I am being drained. I think a machine is breathing for me.

I trembled as I shook my head.

I have to tell Mikado-kun. He has to know. I looked at my phone in my hand. No, calling him won't work. I have to tell him in person. However, I feel like I am not alone. I turned and looked around.

"Hello?" I asked. There was no answer but I still didn't feel safe. Saika started to come out of the palm of my hand.

"Come out now!" I shouted. I drew out Saika and held her out. Still, there was no one in sight. I don't like this. I don't think it's a good place to stay in my apartment for a while.

I packed up a bag for the night and headed out the door.

Anri isn't the only one dealing with pregnancy.

Itori sat back on the couch and frowned. She's become entangled in Yukio again. He keeps sinking in deeper. She doesn't know how to push him off. It doesn't help that everyone around them keeps pushing them together.

She drew her knees to her chest.

"I don't understand it," she said. Saori turned her head.

"Hm?" she asked. The other tadpole looked up at the ceiling.

"It's the same thing," Itori said. "He could have all of the girls he wants but yet he chooses me. Sometimes I just think it's because he misses Satomi."

"Don't say that," Saori said.

"But sometimes I can't help but think that's true," Itori complained.

The tadpoles are encouraged to form bonds with each other. But sometimes she just wanted to be alone. Itori could understand how Norio felt. Still, Yukio wouldn't let her go.

"Kiss me," Itori said aloud three days before Halloween. Yukio looked confused at first. Itori looked into his eyes.

"Kiss. Me," she said again. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Itori surrendered into the kiss. She couldn't help but feel a slight hint of disappointment. He didn't even ask her why. Yukio was just happy to show her his attention. She reached up and grabbed onto his shirt.

Itori replayed that afternoon in her head. His hands felt so good all over her body. They hadn't slept together for quite some time. There was just something always in the way. Was he using sex as a way to distract her?

Now, she might be paying the price.

Itori sat on the toilet with a pregnancy test in her hand. It's been three minutes already. The woman could already sense something within her body. Just like when she senses other tadpoles nearby. Itori started to sense it just two weeks ago. That shock would race up her spine but no else would be around. Itori couldn't figure it out. That's when a thought crossed her mind.

Itori hoped that she was wrong.

The tadpole took one look at the test in her hand and her heart sank. One pink little plus sign.

-Anri-

I knocked on Mikado's door in the middle of the night. I couldn't back down from this. He had to know the truth. I lifted my head when the door opened. Mikado had a pale look on his face. Did he already know?

"Anri!" he said. I gulped.

"I'm pregnant," I said. Mikado sank to his knees. He started trembling and mumbling to himself.

"Mikado-kun?" I asked.

"No… No… No…" he said over and over to himself. Mikado started to bite on his thumbnail.

"Mikado-kun?" I asked again. I reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Don't!" Mikado shouted. "Just… don't." I could hear him sobbing. Mikado-kun looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered. I helped him to his feet and walked into the apartment with him. He didn't even try to resist.

Across the city, Tomoya, Yamato, and Shuichi made it back to their hideout from another night of tracking their prey. They found Sur standing outside with a serious look on her face. No, she looked rather concerned.

"Sur? What's the matter?" Tomoya asked.

"Your mother's here," she said.

-December 15th, 2015-

Kaori danced around in the streets. Her siblings were out on their own in the early hours in the morning. Stirring up their own mischief, no doubt. This death seemed to have given them permission to crank up the chaos. Kaori couldn't wait to join them. She just needed one more thing…

Suddenly, the girl paused and turned around. She broke into a huge angelic smile.

"Oh good, you're here," Kaori said. "You're just in time for the show."