(A/N: Aaaand we're back. We had a massive bombshell dropped on our couple last time chapter, revealing that Shiori is actually six months pregnant with Ruka's child, and her weight gain wasn't a result of her stress eating, but of her baby growing. That's going to cause some serious complications. Seems our couple just can't catch a break on the drama. But let's see how they deal with this new development. This chapter as a double-meaning, as it's both figurative and literal. You'll see what I mean.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 16: Looking Inward

Rumors spread. Rumors spread because people talked. And of course they talked. Why wouldn't they talk? People always talked, about everything and nothing. The juicier the topic, the more it was talked about.

This included everything that was going on between Juri and Shiori. Whispers about a supposed pregnancy and their supposed engagement were circling around the whole school. Of course, no one knew anything for sure, but that didn't stop people from talking. And Shiori's still growing stomach only backed up the pregnancy rumors.

How people had found out anything for the rumors to start in the first place, Juri had no idea. There hadn't been any other students in the nurse's office when they had been told about Shiori's pregnancy or when Juri had proposed, but maybe someone had been passing by or had stopped in and had overheard.

Or maybe the nurse had been discussing the situation with another faculty member without mentioning any names of course, and perhaps a student had caught wind of the conversation or a follow up one with the faulty member the nurse had spoken to and either figured things out from there or simple guessed, thus beginning the rumors.

Regardless, people were talking. And at first Juri worried that Shiori would face more bullying because of the rumors, but it seemed that her protection of the violet-haired girl and the threat she had made against anyone who harassed her from before held up, as no one was giving her a hard time. And seeing as Juri was with her as much as possible, there was no way anything simply happened without her knowing.

That still didn't stop the rumors though. And at this point, Juri was simply waiting for the matter to be brought up at Student Council, because she knew it would be. And one day, it finally was.

"So, tell me, Juri," Kyouichi asked almost mockingly, "are the rumors true?"

Refusing to rise to the bait, she kept her expression neutral as she simply asked, "Which ones? You're going to have to be a little more specific."

It was Nanami who answered, and she did so with a scoff. "Which ones do you think? The ones about your girlfriend being knock up. It would explain why she got so fat."

Juri's eyes narrowed. "She is not fat, she's pregnant; there's a difference. So yes, the rumors are true. And the only reason I'm telling you all this is because there will be no hiding it soon. Ruka got Shiori pregnant. That's a baby bump she has; she isn't fat, Nanami."

Perhaps she surprised them with how she had just come right out and said it, because none of them had anything to say in response and had simply stared at her. Juri barely paid them any mind, acting as if none of his was a big deal to her.

"Well," Touga said, and even he sounded somewhat at a loss for words, "that's… an interesting turn of events."

Juri simply nodded. "Yes, I suppose so." She then gave him a suspicious look. "I do hope you and all your conquests are being careful so you don't have any 'accidents'."

A smile grazed Touga's face as he flipped his hair back. "But of course. I am chivalrous by nature, so obviously I would think about my partners." He gave her a pointed look. "You should know that I would be one to take precautions."

Juri felt her cheeks heat at his double-meaning, knowing he was secretly referring to the time the two of them had slept together. She said nothing on the matter though, choosing to remain silent.

But then Nanami spoke again. "Well, serves her right for being irresponsible."

Juri scowled and was about to retort, but Touga beat her to it. "Now, Nanami, Shiori is not solely at fault. The man should be considerate and use protection, or at the very least provide his partner with protection."

His sister stubbornly looked away. "Maybe so, but if the man doesn't, then it's the woman's responsibility to do so. Since she didn't, that's her fault. If one doesn't take precautions, then the other should, or both suffer the consequences. So they're both to blame."

The red-haired boy just sighed, as if he couldn't argue with her point. "Well, I certainly hope you'll remember that when the time comes."

"Big Brother!" Nanami exclaimed, blushing horribly and looking mortified.

Kyouichi swung his kendo stick, glancing at Juri curiously. "So, what are you going to do about this? Are you going to leave her?"

Juri gave him a look of disbelief. "Am I what? No, of course not. Why would you even think that?"

The green-haired boy just shrugged. "She's carrying the bastard child of another man. A man I'm pretty sure you hate."

Juri's hands clenched into fists and she stood up so fast that she knocked over her chair as she rounded on him. "Don't you ever, ever refer to our baby as a bastard, you son of a bitch! I'll never forgive you if you do."

He didn't seem bothered by her insult and simply raised an eyebrow. "Did you say 'our' baby? As in hers and yours?"

She glared at him. "Is that a problem?"

He scoffed. "If you want to throw your life away like that by taking on that responsibility at your age, then be my guest. It's no skin off my back."

Juri was very much tempted to point out that he was in no position to criticize anyone of 'throwing their life away' after the way his anger management issues had very nearly done that for him during the Dueling Game. He had only managed to get back to where he was before due to people in power helping him out.

Taking a calming breath, Juri picked up the chair she had knocked over and sat down. "Regardless what you think, I'm not throwing my life away, as you so elegantly put it. I'm embracing a future with Shiori, and our baby."

Miki had been silent up to this point, but after several seconds of silence, he finally spoke. "So then, what about the rumors of the two of you getting engaged."

Juri didn't answer for several long moments. Truthfully, none of this was any of their business, but then, they were her friends, mostly anyway; at least Miki was. And she had been unloading on them in regard to her relationship with Shiori. She supposed it only made sense that they'd be invested.

"They're true too," she admitted. "I proposed to her when we found out she was pregnant."

Silence once more. Juri wondered if they had expected that she would dismiss all this talk as mere rumors, not confirm the truth of them. But now that she was instead telling them that they were true, they didn't know what to say.

"Well now," said Touga, "that is quite a twist." He raised his teacup to her. "Cheers to you both then."

Miki, however, was frowning. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Juri? You didn't just propose to her to help her out, did you? That could have a negative impact in the long run."

She didn't get upset at him questioning her motives, knowing that he was just looking out for her. "I appreciate the concern, but that's not why I proposed to her. I already went over this with her since she had the same concern. I love her and want to marry her. The baby just gave me a reason to ask her now rather than to wait until we finish school."

"Hmm," Miki muttered thoughtfully. "Well, as long as it's what you both want, and you're doing it for the right reasons. I just want the two of you to be happy."

She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you for that, but don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Looking at Miki though, she found her mind wandering back to several weeks ago to the conversation she'd had with his sister. She couldn't help but wonder if Kozue had spoken to her brother about her feelings for him. She hadn't noticed a change in Miki's mood or behavior or anything, but it was possible that he was trying to hide whatever was going on between him and his twin. She briefly debated whether or not she should broach the subject with him later, but then decided not to. That was a private matter between him and his sister. And if Kozue hadn't spoken to him about it yet, then she didn't want to expose the blue-haired girl's secret.

She was distracted from her thoughts by yet another scoff from Kyouichi. "Yeah, well, enjoy it for however long it lasts."

This earned him another glare from Juri. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He just shrugged and went back to swinging his kendo stick. "All I'm saying is that people's feelings can be fickle. You never know if or when they may change and that person will leave you."

Juri's fists clenched again. The green-haired boy was really testing her patience today. And there was no need for him to tell her such things. She knew that people's feelings could change; though she was certain that hers and Shiori's never would, not after everything else failed to kill their feelings, even when she wanted hers to disappear. But all of life was full of uncertainties. You were hardly ever given guarantees in anything, but that didn't stop you from going after what you wanted. And while it was true that there were cases where couples didn't last, there were also plenty where they did. Kyouichi was just pessimistic.

"Is that why you were so obsessed with the Rose Bride?" she demanded, and watched as Kyouichi froze. "Because we thought she was just a living doll with no will of her own, and as long as you were the champion, she could never leave you?"

She watched as his knuckles turned white with how tightly he gripped his kendo stick. "You don't know what you're talking about," he growled out.

Touga set down his teacup. "She asked a fair question, Kyouichi. The rest of us prized the Rose Bride to obtain the power of Dios. You, however, seemed to simply want to possess Anthy, and became rather angry after Utena Tenjou won her from you. You claim you loved her, but such behavior is more akin to ownership. That is very different from love."

"Shut up!" Kyouichi snapped, pointing his kendo stick at him. "What would a womanizing playboy know of it?"

Miki stood up. "No, they're right. You say you love Anthy, but I love her as well, and I never saw her as property or something to own or be controlled, even if I didn't fully understand her plight. I don't see how you can want to own someone you love."

"Ha!" Nanami exclaimed mockingly at Kyouichi. "Sounds less like you loved her and just wanted to possess someone who couldn't leave you." She gave him a smug smirk. "Fear of abandonment much? I guess you saw Himemiya as someone who would always stay by your side since she could never leave, even if she wanted to."

Kyouichi angrily threw his kendo stick to the ground. "So what if I did!? Is that so wrong!? To want to have someone be by my side no matter what!? Is that really such a bad thing!?"

The others stared at him, somewhat surprised by his sudden outburst. And just like with Touga, Juri began to look at Kyouichi with new eyes. While she didn't know what had happened to him to make him be this way, perhaps he had a dark past of his own, or at least something hard that had happened to him. Nanami may have been mocking him, but maybe the green-haired boy did have a fear of abandonment. It would explain quite a few of his actions, particularly his near-desperation to keep Anthy by his side.

With this realization, she now found herself sympathizing with him. Of course, this was just speculation on her part, and she dared not voice her suspicions since it was clearly a sensitive subject that was prone to set him off. All the same, perhaps she had been judging people too harshly, and basing that judgment on too much of what was only seen on the surface. She'd been finding out more and more lately just how complicated people were and how many layers they had to them.

"Kyouichi," she began quietly, "you won't find what you were seeking with the Rose Bride. Having a living doll with no will as your companion, that's nothing compared to having someone who is with you willingly."

The green-haired boy just harrumphed. "I was perfectly fine before what's-her-name showed up."

"Utena Tenjou," Touga supplied.

"Right, her." He snatched up his kendo stick. "Everything was fine before she stole Anthy from me."

"You mean beat you fair and square in a duel," Nanami smugly taunted.

Kyouichi rounded on her. "Don't you ever shut up!?"

"Kyouichi!" Juri said loudly so he wouldn't direct his anger at the blonde girl. "You may think you were fine, but I really don't think you were. You were arrogant and mean all the time, not to mention always quick to anger. That doesn't seem like someone who is 'fine'."

She gave him a serious look, expecting a retort, but was somewhat surprised when he didn't respond. Rather, he was looking at her curiously, albeit with a scowl on his face, so she proceeded. "And I think that's because you weren't satisfied with what you had. You convinced yourself that this was what you wanted, but because you were still dissatisfied, it made you a bitter person."

A sigh escaped Touga. "I'm inclined to agree with Juri. In fact, you became much calmer and happier after your second loss to Miss Tenjou."

Kyouichi threw a glare at him. "You mean after my expulsion?"

"For wounding my brother," Nanami snapped. "I still haven't forgiven you for that."

"Thank you, Nanami," Touga said dismissively before returning his attention to his best friend. "Yes, during that time. You may have been full of regret and depressed over all you lost, but you also seemed happier and more at peace than I can remember you being in years."

Kyouichi crossed his arms. "And you would know this how?"

A somewhat cocky smirk crossed the red-haired boy's face. "Do you really think I didn't have ways to keep track of all the duelists, even you when you were expelled?"

Kyouchi didn't say anything to this. In fact, he seemed to be deeply considering his friend's words. Juri wasn't sure exactly what the green-haired boy had gotten up to during his expulsion, but there had been talk that he had been staying with one of the female students until he had gotten his expulsion reversed. She supposed Touga would be more informed than her, what with him having essentially been Akio Ohtori's lapdog back then.

"You know, he's right," Miki chimed in. "I noticed it to. Even after you returned, you weren't as bad as you were before. And now as well."

"Regardless," Touga continued, "whatever notions you may still be hanging onto regarding Anthy, you should let them go The Dueling Game is over, and she's abandoned her position as the Rose Bride. What more she's no longer the will-less doll she once was, so what you were hoping to gain from her is no longer possible. In any case, I think what you were really looking for has been right in front of you all along."

Glancing at him curiously, Kyouichi's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think Juri is right." He glanced at the orange-haired girl before looking back at Kyouichi. "The reason for your anger and bitterness was a result of you not being happy or satisfied from what you were getting from Anthy, even if you thought it was what you wanted. To the contrary, you were happier and better off when you unconditionally got what you actually wanted and needed from someone else, whether you realized it or not."

Irritation twisted Kyouichi's face. "Will you just speak plainly!"

Another sigh escaped Touga. "Very well. What I'm saying is that perhaps you should give some real thought to that Wakaba girl. She always stood by your side no matter what, even after the way you mistreated her. And despite your circumstances, you seemed much better off when you were staying with her. I think she was good for you. So maybe stop chasing an unsatisfying fantasy and start looking at what's been right under your nose for a while now, and you'll see just how much she wants to stay by your side."

He smugly flipped back his hair, as if he knew he had the green-haired boy pegged. "If you want someone who will never leave you, then quit dwelling on what you convinced yourself you wanted and look at what you already have or could have. That girl wants to be with you, just make sure to keep her happy so she won't want to leave you. She already loves you, but it's up to you to treat her right and be a person worthy of loving."

His words surprised Juri. She had been skeptical of how sincere Touga had been when he claimed he loved, what did he say her name was again, oh, right, Utena Tenjou, especially since he was still such a womanizer. But he really did seem like he had changed from who he was before he met Utena.

In fact, they all did. Her, Miki, Touga, Kyouichi, and even Nanami. They had all been… broken in some way, but it seemed that this Utena person had had a positive impact on all of them, helping them heal and helping them to become better people and to grow as individuals.

Yes, Utena Tenjou, seemed like such an amazing person. Juri just wished she could remember her; she thought they could be good friends, and maybe they even had been before she forgot about her. Maybe if Anthy ever managed to bring her back from wherever she had disappeared to, then all their memories of her would return, and any mentions of her would stop fading from their memories.

Looking back at Kyouichi again, she saw that he was seriously contemplating everything they had said to him. And, finally, he sat down in a chair, letting his kendo stick rest beside it as he crossed his arms in thought.

"Right in front of me, huh?" He let out a light chuckle, as if he were acknowledging his own foolishness. "Yes, perhaps you're right."

Juri certainly hoped he thought so. Whatever odd ends she had with the Student Council, including Nanami, she did consider them friends of sorts, or at least friendly acquaintances, and she really did hope everything worked out for all of them, in whatever ways it could.

But she had her own set of circumstances to focus on. Shiori and the baby, they were the most important things in her life. And unlike Kyouichi had with Anthy and Wakaba, she would never take either of them for granted.

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Shiori was nervous as she prepared for her ultrasound. After discovering that she was pregnant, something she still couldn't believe she hadn't figured out on her own much sooner, everything seemed to be happening so fast. From having to adjust her life to being pregnant and needing to prepare for the baby's arrival to Juri actually proposing to her. God, had all that really happened in a single day?

The latter part was something Shiori still couldn't believe. Not that finding out she was pregnant wasn't a massive shock as well, but that she was actually engaged. Engaged to Juri Arisugawa, the girl she had been in love with since they were children, even if she had refused to acknowledge her feelings for her. And while she had initially worried that the orange-haired girl had only proposed to her out of pity and a sense of obligation and duty, Juri had quickly put those fears to rest, ensuring Shiori of the sincerity of her proposal and her true desire to marry her.

The thought of actually getting married to Juri, it had Shiori feeling utterly euphoric. She had actually feared that Juri might break up with her once it was revealed that she was pregnant, but instead, the very opposite had happened. She had proposed to her, wanting to be with her forever by completely solidifying their relationship permanently, claiming that her pregnancy had merely pushed up her eventual plan to propose due to the incentive it gave.

Truthfully, Shiori hadn't given any thought to the idea of marriage. She knew that she wanted to be with Juri forever and saw no end to their relationship in sight, but for some reason, getting married never occurred to her. Perhaps because she had always just envisioned marriage between a man and a woman, despite knowing that same sex marriage was legal.

Which had been why she had been so against the idea of them getting married for any reason other than because they wanted to. If she and Juri got married, then she wanted it to be for no other reason than because they both desired it, not because they simply felt like they should or had to. And when Juri had expressed that desire, Shiori's heart had soared and she had accepted the proposal.

Naturally, their families would need to be notified. Shiori fully planned on putting that off as long as possible. How exactly her parents were going to react to discovering that she was pregnant with a dead man's child and planned to marry Juri, she had no idea, but she was not looking forward to finding out. She wasn't exactly sure how Juri's parents and sister would react to this news either.

On a more positive note, now that she knew that she was pregnant and not actually getting fat, she was feeling rather relieved, although being pregnant was its own mattered that needed to be addressed. She swapped her weight-losing diet for one meant to ensure she and her baby got all the proper nutrition. She also dropped out of the fencing club, fearing that the baby might get hurt if she kept it up. Instead, she filled her time with books on child bearing and new parenting; there was a lot of information.

The primary order of business upon finding out she was pregnant though was taking the nurse's advice and getting an ultrasound. So she had made an appointment as soon as possible. Of course, Juri had insisted on accompanying her, and had driven them both to the hospital for her appointment. And now, currently, Shiori lay propped up as the doctor smeared a cool jelly on her stomach.

After a series of examinations, the doctor had determined that both Shiori and the baby were healthy and fine, despite the intense dieting and exercising the violet-haired girl had done prior to passing out. That had been a major relief to both Shiori and Juri. The doctor had also addressed another really big concern they'd had. They had feared that since Ruka had died of a chronic illness that the baby's health and possible very life would be at risk.

It turned out that there was no cause for concern though, for upon examining Ruka's files for the cause for his illness and death, the doctor had assured them that there was nothing to worry about and that the baby would not only be fine, but would not be affected by what had afflicted Ruka. With that weight off her shoulders, Shiori had settled in for her ultrasound.

Juri stood right by her side, holding her hand. Shiori was grateful for it, as the thought of getting to see her baby for the first time had her feeling quite anxious. Both their attentions were on the static-filled screen as the doctor ran the transducer over Shiori's stomach. More static flashed across the screen, only now brief flashes of shapeless images began appearing.

"Oooook," the doctor commented as he watched the screen, trying to find what he was looking for. "We should be seeing something any moment now… Aaaaand… there were go. There's your baby, Miss Takatsuki."

Shiori inhaled as she stared at the blurry, static-y image on the screen, her eyes wide with wonder. She could just barely make out the shape, and the doctor helped her out by pointing out the different body parts on the screen. Shiori hardly heard him though as she focused completely on the monitor, her eyes filling with tears.

Her baby, that was her baby. Her and Ruka's child. No, not Ruka's, Juri's. Yes, Juri was this child's other parents in all ways that mattered. Ruka hadn't cared what had happened to her; he'd made that very clear, and so that indifference extended to their child. A biological tie did not make someone a parent, that had been proven countless times throughout human history.

The doctor said something to her, but it went in one ear and out the other. When he repeated the question while trying to get Shiori's attention, she was able to focus on him long enough to ask, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you would like to know the sex of the baby," the doctor repeated for the third time.

Shiori blinked, her attention having been drawn back to the monitor once more. "What? Oh, um, yes, please."

She had discussed this with Juri, and they had decided that they did want to know what they would be having rather than leave it as a surprise so they could prepare for it. It honestly didn't matter whether it would be a boy or girl, they would love it just as much all the same.

The doctor nodded and looked at the screen as he adjusted the transducer. "Ok, it looks like you're having… Congratulations, Miss Takatsuki, you're having a boy."

"A boy…" Shiori whispered, feeling more tears fill her eyes.

She stared at the image on the screen again. A boy. She was going to have a son. The thought made her heart swell with joy and love to the point that she felt it would burst in her chest. This life, this little miracle growing inside her, was the most precious thing in her life. She had already felt love for her child after the shock of discovering she was pregnant had worn off, but to actually see her baby like this, she felt her love for it grow exponentially.

A hand came up and touched the screen, but it didn't belong to Shiori. Her gaze followed the length of the arm the hand was attached to until she was looking up at Juri. The orange-haired girl was staring with wide, tear-filled eyes at the monitor as well, seemingly lost for words. Shiori saw motherly love shining in Juri's eyes for the child, even though Shiori was the one who was pregnant. It was the same parental love Shiori knew was reflected in her own eyes.

In that moment, any lingering concerns she carried of how Juri might feel about the baby vanished. Juri truly didn't hold any resentment towards the baby about the fact that it had been Ruka who had fathered it. To the contrary, she truly saw this child as her own, as if she were the one carrying it, regardless of the lack of biological ties. Tears of love and joy began to slide down Juri's cheeks as she marveled at the image on the screen. This somehow did the impossible by causing Shiori to fall in love with her even more.

As if sensing her gaze, Juri slowly managed to tear her eyes away from the screen and looked at Shiori. The same joyful tears also ran down Shiori's cheeks, and the flow only increased as she saw the level of love Juri held in her eyes for her and the baby. Then, like an unstoppable force had seized control of them, Juri leaned in and their lips met in a fierce and loving kiss. One of Juri's hands cupped Shiori's cheek as the violet-haired girl cupped both of Juri's with hers. They couldn't stop the public display of affection if they wanted to, the need to express their love for each other in this moment beyond either of their control.

The doctor had to clear his throat four times, each time louder, longer, and more exaggerated than the last, before he finally gained their attention. "I would like to remind you two that this is a hospital, not a love hotel. Please save it for when you leave."

But Shiori was too happy to feel any semblance of shame or embarrassment, and the same seemed to be true of Juri as well as she wrapped her arms around the violet-haired girl, doing her best to hug her in their current positions. She did manage to give the doctor a bashful smile and at least feigned some embarrassment.

"Sorry, doctor," she told him, not feeling sorry in the least. "We just got caught up in the moment. Won't happen again."

The doctor just shook his head and muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Horny teenagers" as he returned his attention to the screen. Juri and Shiori did as well, watching their child in blissful wonder.

"That's our baby," Shiori said to Juri as she squeezed Juri's arm around her.

"Yes," the orange-haired girl replied happily, resting her chin on top of Shiori's head. "We're going to have a son. I can't wait to meet him."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shiori and Juri had decided to take the doctor's advice on many of the things he had told her, including the part about saving their displays of affection for a love hotel. Unable to hold back their feelings and desires for each other, they had checked into one immediately after leaving the hospital, where they had enjoyed several rounds of love making until they were both satisfied and utterly spent.

Currently, they were lying in bed together, with Juri on her back and Shiori resting half on top of her, essentially using the orange-haired girl's breasts as a pillow. Juri's arms were wrapped around her as she absent-mindedly stroked her hair, a content smile on both their faces.

"What are you thinking about?" Juri asked.

Shiori opened her eyes, the small smile on her face widening. "Of how happy I am."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Seeing our baby, hearing his heartbeat, it was just… magical." She turned her head slightly to press a kiss to Juri's chest. "I know there's going to be hardships ahead, but right now, everything just feels perfect."

Juri's arms tightened around her. "They do, don't they."

A slight frown crossed Shiori's face though as a thought that had been nagging at her returned. "But there is something that I want to do. Please don't get upset though."

Juri stopped stroking her hair. "Why would I get upset? What is it?"

Feeling almost ashamed to say so, Shiori couldn't bring herself to look Juri in the eye. "I… I want to go visit Ruka's grave." She felt Juri go tense at her words. "It's just, I didn't go to his funeral, and the last time I saw him was when he broke up with me. I know he did horrible things to us, but… I have some things I need to say to him, even if it's just to his grave. I just need to get some closure on everything so I can truly move on."

She fell silent after that, waiting to hear what Juri would say. This had been something she had been thinking about for a while now, she had just never worked up the nerve to ask, both because it was painful in a number of ways and because she knew how much Juri loathed him for everything he did.

But it was as she said, she needed the closure, which she had never really gotten after he had publicly dumped and humiliated her. There were lots of things she needed to get off her chest that she hadn't gotten to say to him in life, but hopefully saying them to his grave would be the next best thing. And discovering that she was pregnant with his child just gave her all the more reason to say what she had to say to him.

But it wasn't just Juri's dislike towards him that had made her hesitate. She had also been worried that Juri was afraid that she still loved him, and possibly preferred him over her. It was true that she did still have some lingering feelings for him and still felt some heartbreak; it had been less than seven months since he died after all.

Perhaps she always would hold some love for the man who had captured her heart, despite the cruel way he had used, manipulated, and then discarded her. But what she felt for Ruka, even back when they were together, was nothing compared to what she felt for Juri. If it came down to a choice between the two of them, it would unquestioningly be Juri every time; it would have been even before Ruka had dumped her. It was always Juri for her, and always would be.

She felt the tension seep out of Juri and looked up at her. "I swear I'm just looking for closure, Juri. You're the one I love and want to be with. Even if he were still alive, I would still be with y–"

She was silenced as Juri placed a finger to Shiori's lips. "It's ok. it makes sense that you would want some closure. Things between the two of you didn't end well. They didn't end well between him and I either. Perhaps I could do with some closure too. So yes, Shiori, I'll arrange a trip to the cemetery where he's buried. We can pay our last respects and say whatever it is we have to say to get the closure we need."

She removed her finger from Shiori's lips and the violet-haired girl sighed in relief. "Thank you, Juri. I know things have been tough lately, but I really do appreciate everything you do."

"Of course, Shiori. You know I would do anything for you. And don't worry, whatever hardships we face, we'll get through them together."

"I'm not worried," Shiori replied, shifting more fully onto her stomach so she could look up at her lover. "Not as long as I have you. It feels like we can get through anything as long as we're together."

The orange-haired girl nodded in agreement. "We can. We've already been through so much. We've endured the very worst of each other, and yet we're closer than ever. In comparison, being teenage parents doesn't sound that difficult, especially since millions of teens have gone through this as well and have come out fine."

Not to mention both she and Shiori came from rich, influential families, but that was beside the point. Shiori truly was confident that even if they were broke nobodies that they could make it through whatever hardships life threw at them as long as they had each other. Being teenage parents while still being in school would indeed be difficult, but Shiori found that she wasn't really scared as long as she had Juri by her side. Nervous, yes, anxious, yes, but not scared.

"Speaking of which," she said as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "we have to start thinking of names."

She saw Juri's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, you're right, now that we know what we're having. Perhaps we should make a list."

"Ok, then how about this. We both write down a bunch of names, then we pick the ten we like the most, then compare our top tens. We'll see if any names we picked were on both lists, and if not, we'll go from there."

Smiling, Juri nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good idea." But then her smile faltered slightly. "As long as none of those names are Ruka or Touga."

Shiori giggled and pressed a kiss to Juri's chest. "I can understand not wanting Ruka, but I thought you forgave Touga."

Juri's eyes slid closed in bliss as Shiori moved lower, placing a kiss to her mid-section, just beneath her breasts. "I did, but I still hate that you had your first time with him. I would prefer not to think about that every time our son's name is said. Bad enough I already have to deal with that whenever I see Touga."

Another giggle escaped Shiori. "So possessive." She placed a kiss over Juri's naval. "Ok, no Touga or Ruka." A teasing thought suddenly occurred to her as she playfully poked her finger into Juri's bellybutton while placing another kiss above the triangle of orange curls between her legs. "What about Andou?"

At the mention of her ex and their childhood friend who Shiori thought Juri was in love with, the orange-haired girl grabbed Shiori and pulled her up her body until they were eye level. Then she suddenly flipped them over so she was on top and Shiori lay beneath her. A gasp of surprise escaped the violet-haired girl at the sudden change of positions as Juri glared at her hungrily with possession and lust blazing in her eyes.

"You're playing a dangerous game with me right now," the orange-haired girl told her.

Getting over her surprise, a mischievous smile grazed Shiori's lips as an excited thrill went through her at the reaction she had gotten out of her lover, and she felt a wave of arousal flow through her as she reached up to frame Juri's face with her hands, stroking her thumb over her soft lips.

"Or maybe I just like seeing you lose control sometimes," she suggestively replied.

Looking as if she wanted nothing more than to devour her, Juri smoothed back Shiori's disheveled hair before leaning down and claiming her lips in a passionate kiss. "You always make me lose control," she whispered against Shiori's lips.

Smiling, Shiori gave a light lick from Juri's chin to the tip of her nose before pulling her into a tight embrace and whispering in hotly in her ear. "Then show me."

And Juri spent their remaining time left in the love hotel doing just that.

(A/N: Another chapter done. If you didn't get the double-meaning of the chapter title, it was referring to both Shiori's ultrasound and Kyouichi reflecting. Things between him and Wakaba were never really resolved. I can't exactly say that I ship the two of them after how cruel he was to her in the first episode, but there's no denying that she's actually very good for him or how much she loves him, and he holds affection for her for sure. I did a deep psychoanalysis of Kyouichi, and I really do think that his obsession with possessing Anthy is a result of fear of abandonment, and since Anthy couldn't leave him as long as he was the champion, that was why he was so dead-set on maintaining the position, because he didn't seem that interested in the power of Dios. He just wanted someone who wouldn't leave him, but as Juri pointed out in this chapter, Wakaba could be that person if he gave her the chance, and he seems to be really contemplating that. So good for group therapy, I guess. But onto our main characters, it looks like Juri and Shiori are having a little boy, and there's no worry about Ruka's illness affecting him. I do wonder what his illness was, but it was never specified. Oh well, I worked with what I had. The next chapter will be dealing with Shiori's request to visit his grave for closure. It's going to be very dramatic, so stayed tuned for it.)