Kimiko's Fear

(Note: If you haven't read 'The Child That Never Was,' it's recommended you do so now as this takes place about a month or two after the events of that story. So, pretty much, here are the character ages. Kimiko - 6, Kaito - 7, Nariko, Mai, and Riku - 9, Minato - 10, Ren and Ann - mid thirties)

A few months have passed since Ann's miscarriage with her and Ren's third child Hikari, and the Amamiya Family has moved on the best they could. It still hurt them to think about it every now and again, but they knew that nothing good would come from dwelling on it. They accepted any help they received from friends and family with grace and dignity, and prayed every night that the unborn Hikari had gone on to a better place. Ren and Ann had even started to have their morning coffee sitting by the tree that they had planted in the baby's honor, and Morgana had started taking naps beneath it.

Even though they never met or knew Hikari, they could still feel his/her presence, almost as if he/she was looking down at them.

The Amamiya children, Minato and Kimiko, were very happy to see that their parents had moved on from this tragedy about as well as they did. But one day, the younger of the two siblings, Kimiko, wasn't so sure about that.

On this particular day, Futaba and Mishima's children, Riku and Mai, invited the Amamiya children, as well as Shiho and Daisuke's children, Nariko and Kaito, over to the arcade for an afternoon of merriment. The Amamiya and Mishima children hoofed it to the arcade while Shiho dropped her kids off there.

The group of six had an absolute blast. Among the games they played, Minato and Mai squared off against each other in Immoral Combat (Mortal Kombat), Kimiko and Kaito raced against each other in Marco Cart Arcade GP (Mario Kart Arcade GP), and Riku and Nariko teamed up in Tempo Calamity (Time Crisis) to get a high score.

A fun time was had by all until they started to grow peckish, meaning it was time to take a break from playing and grab some ice cream sundaes from the concession stand. They paid for their treats and grabbed a table so they could chat.

"Thanks for inviting us to your arcade outing you guys," Nariko said, taking in a spoonful of her sundae.

"Anytime, Nariko," Riku said with a blush, "You're always fun to have around."

His sister Mai leaned next to him and teasingly sang in his ear, "You like Nariko. You like Nariko," causing Riku to shush her.

"I've got to say, Nariko," Minato began, "I'm surprised your folks let you and Kaito go out without them supervising you."

"They figured that as long as we'd be with you guys and not by ourselves, then it should be okay," Nariko said.

"Safety in numbers," Kaito chimed in, "That's one of the Watanabe Family adages."

As Kaito ate his sundae, he turned his attention towards Kimiko, who he had a crush on ever since they were babies.

"So, Kim," Kaito began, "How are things? You know, since…Hikari…you know."

Kimiko could tell how uncomfortable Kaito was becoming when mentioning the death of her would've been younger sibling. He didn't want to risk opening up old wounds for her or her brother.

"Kaito, it's fine," Kimiko answered as she took another bite from her sundae, "Hikari's gone and we've moved on with our lives."

"That's right," Minato chimed in, "I like to think that we and our parents have become better people because of this experience. We're all alright. We're all going to be okay."

"Are you sure that all of you are going to be okay?" Riku asked.

"What are you getting at?" Kimiko asked.

"I'm just saying I heard somewhere once that married couples who have gone through a miscarriage, i.e your parents, are more likely to go through a divorce," Riku answered.

Upon hearing the word 'divorce' leave Riku's mouth, Kimiko got a little nervous. Ever since she learned about the idea of a divorce a few weeks ago from a classmate whose parents split up, she would have occasional moments where she would wonder about what would happen if her parents broke up. She didn't care if a divorce meant two Christmases. Kimiko loved seeing her parents together more than any material object.

"That's a load of baloney," Minato snapped, "Our parents love each other unconditionally! They'd never split up!"

"Yeah, Riku, you're way off base," Kaito chimed in, "If anything, the death of Hikari would've brought Uncle Ren and Auntie Ann closer together, not pull them further apart."

"I'm not saying they will or they won't break up," Riku said, "But what I am saying is that Minato and Kimiko should prepare for such a possibility. Haven't you ever seen that animated short 'Should Something Bad Occur, I Love You' (If Something Bad Happens, I Love You), where a couple is in absolute discord after the loss of their daughter."

"Yeah, I saw that short," Minato said, "And the parents ended up making up and getting back together in the end. They didn't break up so why should our parents?"

"Unfortunately, life isn't always what's depicted in the movies, my boy," Riku said.

"Riku, you're drunk on ice cream again, shut up," Mai said bluntly.

"Trust us, Riku, the day our parents call it quits on their relationship is the day Uncle Sojiro's curry stops tasting amazing," Minato said, "In other words, it ain't gonna happen, right Kimiko?"

"Huh?" Went Kimiko, her brother having snapped her out of her thoughts, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"You're not seriously thinking that your parents will get a divorce, are you Kim?" Nariko asked, "Don't you know how much they love each other?"

Kimiko said nothing, the words Riku just spoke having genuinely bothered the girl.

"I'm suddenly not feeling all that hungry," Kimiko said as she pushed her sundae away, "Anybody want my ice cream?"

"Dibs!" Nariko said as she took the sundae.

"Glutton," Kaito teasingly said to his sister.

Once everyone finished their sundaes, everyone went back to playing some more arcade games for another hour or two. While Minato, Nariko, Kaito, Riku, and Mai continued playing with nothing but a carefree attitude, Kimiko was thoroughly distracted, disturbed by the thoughts Riku had put in her head. Once the six kids ran out of tokens, they took that as a sign that it was time to head home.

As Minato and Kimiko walked home, the older of the two children couldn't help but notice that the younger one was still looking rather troubled.

"You're not seriously still thinking about what Riku said, are you?" Minato asked.

"I don't know," Kimiko said, "I want to believe that he's wrong…but what if mom and dad do decide to throw in the towel on their marriage one day? What's going to happen to us? Are they going to split us up with them?"

"Kim, relax," Minato replied, "You're worrying about something that's probably never going to happen. I mean, come on, don't you see how much mom and dad love each other. Don't you see how every time dad comes home from work mom gives him a big hug and a kiss? Why else would they send us to one of our friend's places whenever they need some 'alone time.' I don't know what they do when they're alone, but I'm sure they spend a good amount of time telling each other how much they love each other. I'll say it over and over until I'm blue in the face, our parents love each other!"

"But what if it's all a front?" Kimiko asked, "What if they pretend to love each other just so we don't have to worry?"

Minato only groaned in reply to these questions, "I don't know what else to tell you in order to make you feel better about all of this, but all of this worrying is going to give you a peptic ulcer."

Kimiko said nothing, looking down on the ground as she walked.

"Come on, sis, I hate seeing you like this," Minato said, "Where's that cute, cheerful girl who always has a smile that can light up a room?"

"She's away on an extended vacation," Kimiko said bluntly.

As they continued talking, Kimiko and Minato finally made it home. They walked up the driveway and up the front steps towards the front door.

"Just trust me, Kim," Minato said as he placed his hand on the doorknob and began to turn it, "Mom and dad will love each other forever and for always, and we're going to see that when we go through this door."

Unfortunately, what they heard upon entering their home was this-

"I can't believe you went and did something this foolish Ren," they heard Ann scolding Ren for something in her office, "Seriously, what is wrong with you?! Are you insane?!"

"Oh no!" Kimiko began to worry.

"Go up to your room, I'll go check it out," Minato said.

Kimiko ran to her bedroom as Minato made his way to his mother's office to see what the commotion was about. It was a rare day whenever Ren and Ann argued about something. So on the off chance the two of them got into a tiff, Minato was quick to sneak up on them to see what it was about. When he poked his head into Ann's office, all he saw was Ren presenting a fur coat to his wife, who, despite being passionate about fashion, didn't seem all too pleased with what her husband was giving her.

"How could you forget that I'm against fur coats, Ren," Ann protested, "Not only is the production of them bad for the environment, and not only is it an awful form of animal cruelty, but they're super expensive! The money spent on that coat could've been used for something more reasonable!"

"Geez, sorry, Ann," Ren frowned, "I just thought I'd get you something nice."

Ann looked at the deflated expression on her husband's face and realized that she had been too hard on him just now. He bought that fur coat with nothing but good intentions in his heart only for her to reject it in the same manner a spoiled child would. She walked up to Ren and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry, Ren," Ann said, "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"No, I'm sorry," Ren replied, "I should've remembered you don't like fur coats. I just saw how pretty it looked in a store window on the way home from work and thought that it might be something you'd like. I'll try and pay better attention to these kinds of things."

"And I'll try and manage my temper," Ann said as she hugged her husband again.

"Ahem," Minato said as he walked into the office, catching both parents' attention, "Did I miss anything?"

"No, son," Ren replied, "Your mother and I just had a brief squabble, but we're alright now."

"That's good," Minato smiled as Ren and Ann gave him a hug.

"How was the arcade?" Ann asked.

"Very fun," Minato answered.

"Where's your sister?" Ren asked.

"She went upstairs to her room when we came home," Minato said.

"Well, go get her and tell her to help set up for dinner," Ren said as he and Ann headed for the kitchen, "Your mother and I will whip up a delicious supper in no time flat."

As his parents left for the kitchen, Minato did what he was told and he went upstairs to go get Kimiko. Once he made it to her bedroom door, he knocked on it three times before his sister finally answered. She opened the door to see her brother there.

"What is it, Minato?" Kimiko asked.

"I just wanted to tell you not to worry," Minato said, "Mom and dad weren't fighting over anything serious, and the argument ended about as quickly as it started. Bottom line, they still love each other and they're not going to split up."

"Or maybe they saw you and they had to put on a loving front just for you," Kimiko responded.

"I highly doubt that," Minato said, dismayed at his sister's sudden lack of faith in the current status of their parent's marriage.

"For your information, brother, not everything can be cotton candy and rainbows," Kimiko said, "Sometimes life sucks."

"Well I'm here to tell you that life isn't as doom and gloom as you think it is," Minato said, "I already told you a thousand times, and I'll tell you a thousand more if I have to, mom and dad are never going to split up! So drop this whole 'sad sack' schtick and come downstairs to help set up for dinner!"

"Fine, you don't have to yell at me, you jerk!" Kimiko snapped as she trudged out of her room and went downstairs with her brother.

At suppertime, Ren, Ann, and Minato were smiling and happily eating their dinners as they talked and laughed like a loving family. Kimiko, however, just watches them as she pushes her food around with her fork, unsure if Ren and Ann are truly happy or if they just slapped on some fake smiles for her and her brother.

"If only I were a mind reader," Kimiko thought to herself as she continued to observe her parent's behavior.

"Hey, Kim," Ren asked his daughter, causing her to snap out of her thoughts, "You hardly touched your dinner. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, daddy, I'm fine," Kimiko said as she took another bite from her dinner.

"If something is wrong, you shouldn't be afraid to tell us, sweetie," Ann said.

"Nothing's wrong, mom," Kimiko said, "I promise."

Unsure if they should believe that everything is okay with their daughter, but also wanting to give her space, Ren and Ann continued eating.

After dinner, Ren and Ann took the dirty dishes into the kitchen for cleaning, leaving Minato and Kimiko alone in the dining room.

"Why didn't you tell them about your worries, Kim?" Minato asked, "I'm sure they would've sufficiently put your fears to bed."

"Because then, on top of them hating each other, they'd also have to worry about me," Kimiko said, "I don't want to give them more stress than they can handle."

"For the last time, mom and dad don't hate each other," Minato loudly said as he looked up at the ceiling, "What do I have to do to convince you otherwise?"

Kimiko said nothing as Ren and Ann re-entered the dining room.

"Is everything okay in here, kids?" Ren asked, "We heard shouting."

Minato looked like he was about to say something before he looked at Kimiko, who was shaking her head rapidly. He looked back at his parents before answering.

"Yes, dad, everything is fine," Minato answered.

"You kids are acting strange tonight," Ann said, "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Look, mom, when something is really wrong, we'll tell you," Minato said.

"If you say so," Ann replied.

Minato and Kimiko then got up from their seats and headed into the kitchen with their parents to help them clean up.

After everything was all cleaned up, the family of four, along with their pet cat Morgana, headed into the living room to watch some television together before turning in for the night. Everyone got dressed in their pajamas and retired to their respective rooms. Minato went to his room and Ann went to the master bedroom while Ren tucked Kimiko in and read her a story. After the story was read, Ren kissed his sleepy daughter on the forehead before turning off the bedroom light and going to his and Ann's room.

Not long after he left Kimiko started to nod off, her mind wandering into a series of nice dreams…at least they started off nice. Because somewhere in the middle of the night, due to the day's events, Kimiko's mind wandered into an awful, sorrowful, dream.

In this dream, Kimiko ran downstairs, a big smile on her face. Once she made it downstairs, she took a deep breath to take in a wonderful aroma that was wafting through the air. She followed the scent into the dining room where she saw Ren getting the table set for breakfast. He had just brought out platefuls of pancakes, bacon, and a bowlful of fruit. Kimiko was so excited to see all of this food that she didn't even notice that the table only had two chairs as opposed to the four that it usually had.

"Oh boy!" Kimiko exclaimed, catching the attention of her father.

"Well good morning," Ren smiled, "Come have a seat, your breakfast is getting cold."

Kimiko ran up to the table and took her seat on one side of the table while Ren took his place on the other side.

"Go ahead, sweetie, dig in," Ren said as he took some pancakes, bacon, and an apple and put them on his plate. This was when Kimiko finally noticed that there were only two chairs and that Ann, Minato, and Morgana were nowhere to be found.

"Uh, dad," began Kimiko, "Shouldn't we wait until mom and Minato get here?"

She looked in the corner of the room to see that Morgana's cat food bowl was missing.

"And where's Morgana's bowl?" she continued.

She looked back at her father, whose smile had disappeared as a look of remorse and sorrow replaced it.

"Oh, Kimiko, did you forget?" Ren answered.

"Forget what?" Kimiko asked, "Daddy what's going on?"

There was a moment of silence before Ren answered with, "Your mother left, Kimiko. She left and she took Minato and Morgana with her."

"Wha-What do you mean she left?!" Kimiko exclaimed, becoming emotional.

"She realized that things weren't working out between the two of us and she took off," Ren explained.

"But why did she take Minato and Morgana with her?!" Kimiko shouted, "Why did she have to separate me from them?"

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Ren answered, "But we can still have good times just the two of us."

"I don't want it to be just the two of us!" Kimiko cried, "I want my mom, brother, and Morgana back!"

"Now, Kimiko, calm down," Ren said.

"No, no, you've got to be pulling my leg!" Kimiko said, "They're just hiding somewhere. They didn't leave, they're only hiding."

With that, Kimiko ran all throughout the house in search for the other three members of the family. She looked in every room, searched every closet, looked under and behind every bit of furniture, but didn't see any sign of Ann, Minato, or Morgana. The three of them completely disappeared without a trace.

As Kimiko stood in the middle of the living room, Ren came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The little girl looked up at her father as he stared back at her, tears in his eyes.

"It's no use, Kimiko," Ren somberly said, "They're gone forever, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"No," Kimiko cried, "It's not fair. You and mom were happy. You two loved each other. Why did you two have to split up and ruin this family? Why? Why? Why?"

"Why?" Kimiko mumbled in her sleep, "Why? Ah!"

Kimiko woke up from her nightmare to find herself back in her room. She looked at the clock to see that it was a few minutes past midnight. She placed a hand over her heart, grateful that what she had seen was only a terrible dream. Or was it? Kimiko had to be sure.

She hopped out of bed and quietly crept down the hall and into the master bedroom.

Once inside the master bedroom, she walked over to the canopy bed where her parents were sleeping. She looked and let out a quiet sigh of relief to find that both Ren and Ann were present and sound asleep. Kimiko prepared to make her leave, but she wasn't looking where she was going and stubbed her little toe hard on the nightstand, causing her to yelp in pain, which caused their parents to stir.

"Huh?" Ann murmured.

"Who's there?" Ren asked as he put on his glasses and turned on the lamp. When the room became illuminated, they saw Kimiko sitting on the floor holding her toe in pain, "Kimiko? What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"I stubbed my toe on your nightstand," Kimiko winced.

"Aw, my poor baby," Ann frowned as she and Ren got out of bed to tend to their daughter, "Let's see it."

Kimiko removed her hand to show her parents her stubbed toe, which was starting to swell a little bit.

"Don't worry, it's an easy fix," Ren said, "I'll be right back."

Ren left the master bedroom as Ann helped Kimiko into a lounge chair that sat in the corner of the room. Ren returned moments later with an ice pack.

"This ice pack should reduce the swelling," Ren said, "Your toe may feel a bit cold at first, but it'll certainly feel better than it does now."

Ren put the ice pack on his daughter's little toe, causing her to shiver a little. But, true to his word, her toe started to feel a lot better.

"Thank you, daddy," Kimiko gratefully said.

"You're welcome, Kim," Ren smiled.

"Now, onto more important matters," Ann said, "Why are you in our room?"

"I just wanted to check on you guys," Kimiko answered.

"Check on us?" Ren asked, "Why?"

"I had a nightmare where you and mom weren't together anymore," Kimiko replied, her voice becoming shaky as tears welled in her eyes, "Mom left us and she took Minato and Morgana with her."

"You had a dream where your mother and I were divorced?" Ren asked, surprised that her daughter dreamed of such a thing.

"Mmm-hmm," Kimiko nodded, "I'm afraid of you guys splitting up, and breaking this family apart."

"Why would you think that?" Ann asked as she stroked her daughter's hair, "What brought this on?"

"At the arcade," Kimiko sniveled, "Riku mentioned how couples who have gone through a miscarriage have a higher chance of splitting up. I was afraid that since we lost Hikari, you guys wouldn't love each other anymore. And then I heard you two arguing when we came home and…and…"

Sensing how Kimiko's emotions were becoming out of control, both Ren and Ann brought their daughter into a hug as she began to sob in their arms.

"Please don't split up, you guys," Kimiko sobbed, "Please don't take Minato or Morgana away from me. I love this family and I love you two. Just, please, don't break up."

Ren and Ann continued to hold and console their daughter as she cried, finally releasing all of the stress that has been building up in her throughout the day.

"Oh, sweetie, you shouldn't let what Riku said bother you this much," Ren soothingly said, "What does he know about stuff like that?"

"But he sounded like he knew what he was talking about," Kimiko whimpered.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Riku has a tendency to be a bit of a know-it-all," Ren said, "Take what he says with a grain of salt."

"You mean you guys still love each other?" Kimiko asked.

"Of course," Ann said, "I love your father just as much, if not more, than he loves me. Don't let what one person said change your outlook on the status of our relationship."

"But what about that argument you two were having when Minato and I came home?" Kimiko asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

"The fur coat argument?" Ann asked, "I already forgot about that."

"Yeah, me too," Ren chimed in, "That argument really didn't last long, and your mother and me made up immediately afterwards."

"But if you two really loved each other, you wouldn't be arguing at all," Kimiko said.

"This may come as a surprise to you, but people who love each other get into arguments sometimes," Ann said, "Not everything can be all smiles all the time."

"Perfect example," Ren chimed in, "Do you remember last week when Minato accidentally spilled fruit punch on your favorite shirt?"

"Yeah, I got mad at him," Kimiko answered.

"But you still love him, don't you," Ann asked.

"Of course," Kimiko answered.

"Just because two people get mad at each other doesn't mean they don't love each other," Ren said.

"And one little tiff doesn't mean your father and I have fallen out of love," Ann chimed in.

"Bottom line, your mother and I will always love each other, and you too" Ren smiled as he ruffled his daughter's hair, causing her to giggle, "There's that smile. This family isn't going to be breaking up anytime soon."

"You promise?" Kimiko asked.

"Promise," Ren and Ann said in unison as they both kissed their daughter on the cheek.

"Feel better?" Ren asked.

"A little bit," Kimiko answered.

"Would you feel better if you slept in our bed tonight?" Ann asked, causing their daughter to nod.

Kimiko removed the ice pack from her toe, which has stopped swelling and feels much better, before getting in bed with her parents.

"Comfy?" Ann asked her daughter.

"Yeah," Kimiko replied with a yawn.

"Go to sleep, sweetie," Ren soothingly said, "We're not going anywhere."

As Ren stroked his daughter's hair, he hummed a familiar lullaby to her. It was the same lullaby that he used to hum to her when she was a baby. A pleasant smile grew on Kimiko's face as her eyelids started to grow heavy.

As he continued humming, Ren got a flashback to more than five years ago when Kimiko was a baby. She was crying in the middle of the night and it was his turn to take care of her. He walked into her room to give her a fresh, clean diaper, before putting her back in her crib. With a Jack Frost plushie in hand, baby Kimiko was lulled back to sleep by the same tune that Ren was humming at this very moment.

Back in the present day, happy tears welled in both Ren's eyes as he and Ann watched their daughter go back to sleep, hopefully into much more pleasant dreams. Once Kimiko was fast asleep, Ren and Ann looked at one another and blew a kiss towards each other.

"Goodnight, Ann," Ren said.

"Goodnight, Ren," Ann replied.

They both then looked at their daughter, sleeping in between them and smiled.

"Goodnight, Kimiko," Ren and Ann whispered as Ren shut off the lamp and he and his wife went back to sleep, happy they were able to quell their daughter's fears once and for all.

THE END