A/N: YAY, ANOTHER ITA-KISS ONE-SHOT! Hopefully this one will be better than "Result of Their Love". O.o It sure is MUCH longer, though!(:
This fanfic takes place almost a month after the Irie family and Aihara-san find out Kotoko is pregnant. So she's ~4 months pregnant. (:
But I had lots of fun writing this one(: I hope you guys like it! Sorry if I wrote lots of "time" things wrong; I was never good at math.
This story is rated T for a teensy bit of cursing, and a little bit of content inappropriate for small children. Don't worry, though, nothing is, like, rated M.
I do not own Itazura Na Kiss. Or Naoki's sometimes-hidden compassion for Kotoko. Unfortunately.
If You're A Good Little Girl...
"Ah-choo!" Kotoko sneezed gently, rubbing her bright red nose as she slowly rose from her and Naoki's bed. She turned to see Naoki's spot empty and yawned, knowing that if he was out of bed already, then she had to get up too, otherwise he'd leave for the hospital without her, not listening to her reasons later on when she would try to explain why she hadn't gotten up early like he did.
"Wait, no, he wouldn't!" Kotoko thought, smiling lovingly as she looked down at the slight bump on her stomach, rubbing it affectionately as she felt the little being move inside of her under her pajamas, "It's been almost a month since the doctor said those magical words- '3 months'." She giggled at the memory. "There's no way Irie-kun would leave the house without his pregnant wife!"
She squealed with joy as she thought of the words "pregnant wife" and started to daydream, her bright brown eyes lost in her wide imagination. "Hai, Irie-kun!" She whispered to herself, giggling as her mind projected an invisible Naoki in front of her eyes, who was asking her fondly if she needed anything. "Your beloved pregnant wife would like some cold water! With ice in the shape of hearts!" She laughed, twirling around as the thought of Naoki lovingly presenting her with water with heart-shaped ice made her ecstatic. "Your beloved pregnant wife would like some chocolate! Hai, the kind with caramel swirls in it!" She placed her hands on her face happily, continuing to laugh as her daydream continued, "Your beloved pregnant wife would like some beautiful red roses! Your beloved pregnant wife-"
"Oi." A familiar voice interjected, and Kotoko blinked as it continued, "What are you doing?"
She slowly turned around and saw Naoki in his dark blue suit that he often wore to the hospital, as if he'd gotten out of the shower, watching her with a raised eyebrow. She scratched her head, hoping he hadn't seen her previous acting. "I-Irie-kun!" She smiled, and Naoki shook his head at her, his bright sandy hair swishing from side to side as he did. "You were daydreaming again, weren't you?" He asked, and she admitted defeat, a small sweatdrop appearing on her forehead as she laughed weakly. "Y-Yeah." She nodded, and then sneezed, her nose a bit more redder than when she woke. Naoki turned to her, his eyebrow raised again, and she shook her head, waving her hands. "It's nothing! Just a little sneeze! I think it might be a-ah...AH..." Kotoko's mouth widened and raised up her pajama-sleeve-wrapped arm to cover it, "AH-CHOO!" She sneezed again, and sniffed, shaking her head back and forth a bit, "allergies." She finally finished, her brown eyes bright.
"Are you all right?" He asked, and her face immediately brightened at his question. "Are you worried about your beloved, pregnant wife, Irie-kun?" She asked half-hopefully half-dramatically as she clasped her hands together, and he shook his head, hiding his smirk from her shocked expression. "No, I just want to know whether I'll get a moment's peace, for once, for the day."
Before Kotoko could respond, the door burst open and there stood Naoki's mother, who was surprisingly in formal work attire, her dark brown eyes searching around the room and finally landing on Kotoko's slightly flushed face. "Kotoko-chan!" She exclaimed, and ran over to her, resting her hands on her shoulders and shaking her gently. "I heard you sneeze! Are you okay? Onii-chan!" She turned to Naoki, her expression furious, "WHY aren't you taking care of Kotoko-chan? She's pregnant, and may be sick! Aren't you going to do something?" She demanded, and Naoki sighed, turning to Kotoko. He laid his icy palm against her warm forehead, and she slightly shivered, which wasn't ignored at all by Mrs. Irie's very observant eyes. "Kotoko-chan! You may have a fever! Onii-chan, do something! Save your wife!" She commanded, and he smacked his forehead with his palm. "Ma, will you calm down? It's not like it's a life-threatening situation-"
Kotoko held up her hands, trying to prevent the heated argument from getting worse. "Oka-sama, Irie-kun, please stop-"
"LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION?" Mrs. Irie shrieked loudly, "Onii-chan, what if this fever hurts her or the baby? Huh?" Her fists were clenched, her eyes glaring at her eldest angrily.
"A-Ano, can I say something-"
"You're over-reacting!" Naoki shot at her, "Flus are harmless-"
"I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!" Kotoko yelled, and both Naoki and Mrs. Irie immediately shut up, turning to her as they both blinked at her, surprised by her sudden loud demand. After a moment of awkward silence, Mrs. Irie broke it, asking kindly, "What is it, Kotoko-chan?"
"I'm feeling fine," She told to the both of them, and Naoki gave Mrs. Irie a little I-told-you-so look as Kotoko smiled at them as she walked towards the door. "I'm going to go shower now, and-" She immediately paused, her eyes sliding in and out of focus. "E-Eh?" She whispered, confused as she watched the blues or Naoki's suit, the yellows of the rising sun from the window and the reds from Mrs. Irie's blouse mix together like blobs of paint and blur her vision.
"Kotoko-chan?"
"Kotoko?"
Kotoko raised her hand to her heating forehead, forgetting which foot she was putting forward and fell forward before she felt two strong hands catch her and someone start to call out her name.
~o*O*o~
"100.3° Fahrenheit," Naoki stated as he slid the thermometer out of Kotoko's mouth, and Mrs. Irie smugly returned the I-told-you-so look he had on his face earlier as she gently stroked Kotoko's head. He ignored it by setting the thermometer on the table on her side of the bed-which was already crowded with the tissue boxes and cough drops Mrs. Irie brought for her daughter-in-law-as a way of mentally reminding himself to clean it before he left for the hospital. "It's probably the common cold that has been going around lately. You should be fine by tomorrow, but you'll have to stay home today, Kotoko."
"Okay." Kotoko simply replied in a bit raspy and quiet voice as she lay sandwiched between the two thick blankets Mrs. Irie ordered Yuuki to bring after she fainted, watching as Naoki rose from their bed and walked over to the bathroom to wash the thermometer. "Have a good day, Irie-kun!"
"Wait!" Mrs. Irie said, getting up from the bed, her expression in a scolding pout, "You have to stay with Kotoko-chan, Onii-chan!"
"But, oka-sama, Irie-kun has work-"
"No buts!" Mrs. Irie said, crossing her arms as she walked over to the confused Naoki, shaking her index finger in a scolding gesture, "I have to leave to help Papa with his work today since his secretary left for vacation," She muttered something about Papa's secretary being a lazy idiot, and then looked back up at them, "and Yuuki has an exam today that he absolutely," She stressed the word, "cannot miss!"
"What about the patients he has?" Kotoko asked, "He can't just cancel out on all of them, oka-sama!"
"But-"
"It's all right, oka-sama," Kotoko smiled weakly, her bright brown eyes expressing her fatigue. "I'll be fine alone. If I need anything, I can just call Papa to come take care of me." She snuggled deeper into the sheets and her pillow, closing her eyelids as she did, "Besides, those people need Irie-kun to cure them, and I just have a simple cold. I'm a nurse, too, so I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself." She yawned a little bit, her mouth stretching into a small, curvy "O" as she rubbed her tired eyes, "I also don't think Irie-kun would want to spend the whole day with a sneezing, sick-"
"I'll take the day off."
Mrs. Irie's mouth pulled up high at the corners, her expression joyful as Kotoko's eyes blinked open in confusion as she tried to believe that the words just came out of Naoki's mouth. "What?" She asked, and untangled herself from the blankets she was squished in, trying to protest, "But, Irie-kun, what about-"
"I'll get someone else to cover for me. And besides," He walked over and sat next to her, stroking her head gently as he grinned, "I have to worry about my beloved, pregnant wife, don't I?" He asked, using her exact words as he gently mocked her in a high-pitched voice, and she blinked in surprise, her already-flushed cheeks turning a deep red. "Irie-kun..." She half-whispered, ataken back by his sudden decision.
Mrs. Irie's expression sparkled with joy as she watched the couple, her face suggesting that she wanted to take a picture immediately with her-as she called it-"Naoki-Kotoko-chan-Camera". But instead she let out a happy squeal. "Well said, Onii-chan!" Mrs. Irie exclaimed, and then turned to the clock, her dark brown eyes widening. "Wah! It's almost 7:30!" She ran over to Kotoko's bedside, patting her gently on the head and then waving to Naoki as she rushed out the door. "Feel better, Kotoko-chan! Onii-chan, take care of your wife!"
"Have a good day, oka-sama!" Kotoko tried to yell out, but her voice broke into coughs, and she covered her mouth with her arm as she tried to clear her throat. Naoki took the blankets she had thrown off of herself earlier and put them around her, surrounding her almost like a thick caterpillar. She leaned back, smiling lightly. "Arigatou," She breathed, and he nodded, fixing her pillow behind her back.
Kotoko suddenly remembered back a month ago and when she thought that Naoki was cheating on her because he was suddenly acting so nice to her ever since they found out she was pregnant. She laughed lightly, remembering how she scared poor the young nurse, Yukie-chan, out of her wits with her jealousy, and then regretted it later. It was a good thing the two were on good terms now, though.
"Well, you should take rest now," Naoki said, turning away from her, "I'll leave you so you can sleep, and make you food later."
"Wait, Irie-kun!" Kotoko said, trying to not yell too loud, and he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"I was wondering..." Kotoko blushed a bit as she fidgeted with her fingers, "Could you stay here with me?"
When he raised an eyebrow, she added, "Please?" in a begging tone and wide, puppy-dog eyes, and he sighed, walking over to her. "Fine," He said, and Kotoko's expression brightened, "But you have to take rest." He added as he sat next to her, and she pouted, however nodding in agreement.
Kotoko snuggled further into him and the blankets, feeling warmer than before with Naoki next to her. She could feel the baby inside her moving and smiled, remembering that ever since that wonderful day a month ago, the baby would never move when Naoki put his hand on her stomach. "Maybe the baby is just scared of Irie-kun!" Kotoko thought, and smiled, almost giggling.
She looked up at Naoki, who was laying beside her, reading a book he had lifted from the table on his side of the bed, his grey eyes focused solely on the object as they scanned a page from it from left to right. She couldn't help but feel as if she were dreaming at the moment. It was like a fantasy.
It had been almost three years since she had (at least attempted to) confessed her three-year long love to Irie Naoki, the number one genius in their school and he had rejected her, and then she moved in with him. Much had passed, and now it had been about a year since he had, as he worded it, told her that he "fell for her", and ever since, she had been his wife. His wife. The wife of the Irie Naoki she had adored for six years. Every moment she had spent with him felt magical, like she was imagining it, and that it wasn't real. But no matter how hard she would blink, how hard she would hit her head to check, it would turn out not to be a fantasy. It was reality.
And now here were the two of them, her carrying his child.
"That confession was so long ago..." Kotoko thought, not taking her bright brown eyes off of Naoki, hoping that he wouldn't realize that she was half gawking at him. "And yet I still love him so much...maybe even more than I did before."
Naoki felt Kotoko staring at him and he half-turned at her, raising an eyebrow at her actions. She blinked in surprise, a bit astonished that he had known she was watching him, and her pale cheeks started to tinge a dark peach color before she felt her nose starting to feel a bit ticklish. Her mouth slowly opened and she quickly covered it with her arm, which prevented her from sneezing all over Naoki. She then sniffled, clearing her nose, and then took a tissue to blow her nose.
"What is it?" He asked her, turning back to his book.
Kotoko wondered how he remembered that she was staring at him. She turned and threw the tissue into the trash bin his mother had placed by their bed. "I-I was just remembering about how long ago it was since that whole love-letter incident, a-and how we're both together...now..." Kotoko's cheeks flushed a deeper scarlet, her whole heart-shaped face turning tomato red. "Oh no, I'm probably boring him!" She bit her lip, trying to think quickly of something to talk about, "I must change the subject! What to ask, what to ask...ah-ha!" She cleared her throat as she brought her fist to her mouth, coughing at the same time, "A-Anyways, I was wondering what ever happened to that love letter!" She said, now trying to remember where she had last placed it.
A small smile curled on Naoki's lips. He knew exactly where the love letter was, but he didn't want to tell her, knowing that she'd continue to get excited, which was not good for her current condition. Not to mention the fact that if she got worse, he would feel like a failure of a husband, and then his mother would probably have his head on a plate for dinner that night as well.
He just idly turned the page of his book, still not turning to her. He knew he shouldn't have continued speaking, but he couldn't help telling her. "I don't know; I may have an idea of where it is."
Kotoko blinked, and she looked up at him, her mouth dropping. "Really?" She asked raspily, shocked, and she wiggled a bit out of the thick blankets that surrounded her, but then quickly settled back into them as he watched her. "Sorry." She whispered, but decided not to give it up. She lightly placed her hand on Naoki's arm, gently shaking it. "Ne, Irie-kun!" She said, her voice a bit raspy as she spoke, "Tell me where it is!"
"No." Naoki took the blankets and re-covered her, "You have to take rest." He gently poked the tip of her nose as he set his book down back on the table. "And I promise if you're a good little girl and take rest, then I'll..." He tapped on his chin, starting to think at what he could offer her.
Kotoko's eyes brightened. "Will you give me anything I want?" She asked in a rather seductive tone, her bright brown eyes sparkling at him as her small fingers crawled onto his shoulder.
Naoki lightly chuckled, pulling her hand away from him. "No, I'll tell you where the love letter is."
Kotoko pouted, looking away, but then thought about it for a moment, her expression turning into one plunged into very deep thought, which Naoki secretly thought was rather cute. "Well...okay!" She agreed, and then heard a deep rumbling noise. The two turned down to look at her heavily wrapped stomach under the covers, which was noisily screaming for food. Her cheeks turned bright pink in embarrassment and he turned to look at the clock. "It's almost 8:15. My 'beloved pregnant wife' is probably hungry, isn't she?" He said in a high voice again, and smirked at her as he got off of the bed.
Kotoko pouted again, crossing her arms, and she stuck out her tongue at him as he walked towards the door. "You don't have to keep mocking me!" She told him. "I bet you do this all just to drive me crazy!" She put on a flat face, "Hmmm!" Her voice had deepened, and Naoki paused to watch her imitation of him. "What can I do to drive Kotoko crazy? Hmm! Maybe I can mock her!" She turned away, sulking. "Hmph!"
Naoki could not help but smile. "Then do you want me to call you something other than my 'beloved pregnant wife'?"
Kotoko blinked and then turned back to face him. "N-Now I didn't say that!" She sputtered, shaking her hands, "I-I'm just saying..." She scratched her head- which was full of rather disheveled brown hair -trying to remember what point she was trying to make across to him. "...I forgot."
Naoki shook his head and started to walk out the door as she started to cough a bit. "I'm making you an omelet." He said, and Kotoko clasped her hands together happily. "Really?" She exclaimed, and was about to excitedly jump out of the bed before Naoki reminded her to stay back. "Remember- you need to take rest." He said, and she sighed, sulking into the sheets, mumbling about how she wasn't having so much fun.
"Well at least consider yourself lucky," Naoki told her as he walked down the hallway, "At least you get to eat good food and stay with someone. Imagine how Non-chan felt when he was in the hospital for a long time."
Kotoko remembered Non-chan, the sweet little black-haired boy they had met in the pediatrics when Yuuki was admitted into the hospital. His kidneys were in a terrible fix, and even when he was 16 now, he was in a bad condition.
"But my beloved Irie-kun cured him!" Kotoko thought happily, clasping her hands together. "He really is amazing!" She sighed in complete happiness and bliss, not believing that she had married such a wonderful man. "But, like he said," She giggled, sighing again, "He had given into me!"
"AH-CHOO!" She sneezed again, rubbing her already-red nose.
A few minutes later, Naoki had appeared in the doorway of their bedroom with a plate that carried a yellow, circular object on it. It's scent filled the room, making the area smell like eggs, and Kotoko sniffed the air, filling her lungs deeply with the smell. "Mmm...it smells delicious, Irie-kun!"
Naoki set the plate down on her lap and her eyes gleamed at it, happy that he had actually cared to make something for her. Kotoko took the fork and scooped a small piece, raising it up to her lips and placing it in her mouth as he sat next to her on the bed again, continuing from his forgotten spot in his book. She started to chew and could feel the baby inside her moving as the food traveled down her throat. "That's right, you love Papa's food, don't you?" She thought happily, and, before she knew it, had finished the whole omelet in less than two minutes.
"My, my, someone was hungry." Naoki said, not looking from his reading. Kotoko looked up at him, her expression extremely grateful towards him. "Irie-kun..." She half-whispered, and raised up in her spot, pecking him on the cheek. "Arigatou! Even the baby likes the food; I can tell!"
"Well it certainly doesn't seem to like me." Naoki said, turning a page of his book, "Everytime you say they're moving and I check, they stop moving."
Kotoko giggled. "Maybe you're just scaring her."
" 'Her'?" Naoki asked, raising an eyebrow as Kotoko set her empty plate on her bedside table. "How do you know if it's a 'her' and we haven't even checked with an OB/GYN?" He asked.
Kotoko pouted, crossing her arms. "Mothers have instincts!" She said simply in a rather scratchy voice, and Naoki scoffed. "You've been wrong about everything that's happened ever since I met you, Ms. Instincts."
"What do you mean?" She demanded. "I was right that I was going to marry you and only you!"
"What about all the events other than that?" He asked, setting down his book and turning to her. " 'Irie-kun will coach me in the tennis club, and we'll be the most admired couple ever!'" He said in a high-pitched voice, and Kotoko grimaced, yet he went on. " 'I'll marry Kin-chan and you'll marry Chris!'"
"Okay, okay, you can stop!" Kotoko said, gently hitting him on the arm. "But there are some things I've done that you thought I couldn't!" She told him. "Like, I made it onto the top 50 board!"
"That was with my help."
"Well, I still had the determination that was needed!" Kotoko shot at him, rolling up her sleeves proudly. "I mean, I became a nurse! Most of all," She leaned in, pecking him lightly on the cheek again, "I managed to trap you all for myself."
Naoki shook his head. "How much longer are you going to continue repeating that? I swear-"
"But it's true!" Kotoko slammed her fist against the bed as she sat up, her eyes filled with determination. "I managed to la- ah...Ah...AH-CHOO!" Kotoko sneezed, her nose starting to turn a dark red. Naoki sighed and gently pushed her down so that her back was laying against the pillows and blankets again. "You need rest." He softly said to her, "If you take rest now like a good little girl, then I promise I'll tell you where the love letter is."
Kotoko "hmph"ed. "Why do you keep calling me a good little girl?" She demanded as she snuggled further into the comfy bed, eyeing him in an annoyed way. "I'm 26 years old, not a four year old!"
Naoki rolled his eyes, "You sure act like a four year old."
Kotoko glared at him, but sunk into the sheets, closing her eyes and drifting off to dreamland.
~o*O*o~
Kotoko smiled gently at the laughing child in her arms, and could feel her heart lift up as it started to beat extremely fast.
The little baby girl was completely perfect- her dark brown hair resembled her own, as well did her laugh and facial features, but she seemed to have Naoki's intelligence, catching on quickly as Kotoko whispered to her, asking for her to say simple words such as "Mama" and "Papa". She could feel that the small child had so much love, and she felt so happy that the child was perfectly healthy and hers only. She couldn't even believe it was the result of her and her precious Irie-kun's love. She loved it. Seeing this small child was a need for her. She needed to see it, hold it, touch it, kiss it.
"Can you say 'mama'?" Kotoko cooed to the small bundle of joy in her arms, poking her gently on the lips lovingly, "Can you try to say 'mama'?"
"Ma...ma...!" The little child started to laugh happily, and Kotoko joined in as well, feeling extremely joyous.
The child, happy to have caused the merriment, started to giggle harder, clapping her tiny fists together, her brown eyes sparkling with enjoyment and her small brown pigtails leaping up and down with every bounce she made in Kotoko's arms.
Suddenly, a large green fog started to swirl around her and her beautiful baby, and her small bundle started to cry as it started to slowly disappeared from her arms, fading into nothingness.
"No..."
Kotoko's eyes widened and she started to turn frantically around, looking for her lost small joy, who was gone, but her cries still rung loudly in her ears. Kotoko fell to the ground, feeling totally helpless. "No!"
"No..."
"You are not worthy of your baby..." A voice boomed, and Kotoko started to sob, not knowing or caring where the voice came from; she just wanted her child back. The voice continued on, "As a result, you will never see your child again."
"NO!"
Kotoko screamed and sat up with a jolt, tears streaming down her face and falling onto a spot on the sheets on her lap. "N-No!"
"Kotoko, what's wrong?" Naoki asked her, but even his voice wasn't soothing enough for her at the moment.
"I-Irie-kun, we have to save her!" She said, and started to take off her blankets, getting out of the bed.
"Save who?" He asked, starting to follow her to find out what was wrong with her. "Kotoko, what's-"
"We have to find her, okay?" She shot angrily at him, heading towards the door leading to the hallway, and Naoki blinked. He had never seen her this angry and upset since the whole Keita situation.
"For God's sake, who?"
"Our child, you baka!" She said obviously, and he stared at her incredulously. "W-What...?"
Kotoko then paused in her tracks, her mind slowly re-collecting the moments that had just happened. "O-Oh." She whispered, and felt the small being inside her stomach moving once again. She slowly raised her arms to her side and placed her hands gently on her stomach, feeling the baby moving inside her. "I-It's still..." She didn't bother to finish her sentence and felt more tears- this time of happiness -cascade down her cheeks as the little fetus inside her continued to kick gently against the walls of her stomach. "I-Irie-kun, she's still here!" She said, and he raised an eyebrow, still confused at her actions.
Kotoko rolled her eyes, annoyed, and grabbed his hand impatiently, placing it on her stomach.
Naoki felt a small tingle against the tips of his fingers, and his eyes widened as he felt his child for the first time still inside the womb. "That's-"
"Our little baby." She nodded, her voice choking a bit at the last word, "Irie-kun, I was so scared!" She sobbed, and fell into his arms, crying. "I had a dream that she left me forever! I don't want her to go!" She sobbed, and he lightly patted her head. "It's all right, it was just a dream."
Kotoko sniffed and nodded, backing away from him as she sneezed. He took her hand and led her back to the bed, helping her back in. "You know, since it's about 12 P.M. already," He rested his palm against her forehead, mentally noting that her fever had gone down, walked over to his work suitcase, setting it on the bed, "And your fever has gotten better, so that means you've been a-"
"Good wife!" She interrupted for him, and he smirked at her. "Good little girl," He completed his sentence, and opened the suitcase, rummaging through it, "I'll show you where the love letter is."
Kotoko inhaled a low gasp as Naoki slowly pulled out the familiar envelope on which, in big black letters, the words, "To: Irie Naoki" were written. She swiped it from his hands, her brown eyes large with excitement. "How did you find this?" She asked excitedly, "I thought I lost it! And why is it in your suitcase? And..." Her words trailed off as she inspected it from different angles to make sure that it was, indeed, the love letter.
"I keep things that are special to me in my office," He said simply, shrugging, "But I keep things that are especially important in my suitcase."
Kotoko smiled at him and held it up in the same position she had when they first met and she held it out to him. He smirked and turned away, putting on a mock annoyed look. "I don't want it."
Kotoko slumped back, her facial expression defeated. Naoki leaned back into his pillow, raising his book back up to his face, but seeming not to even read it. " 'Dear classmate Irie Naoki, I'm Aihara Kotoko from Class 4-F-'"
"No!" Kotoko leaped forward to him and clamped her right hand over his mouth, shutting it tight. "Don't repeat it!" She told him, and he raised a coffee-colored eyebrow as his grey eyes looked below where her hand was covering his lips. She was laying directly on top of him, her right hand placed in between his chest and shoulder blade. Her cheeks tinged a bright pink and she clumsily staggered off of him, her heart starting to beat quickly. "S-Sorry!" She mumbled. Even after all these years of being together, she still felt rather shy whenever she would accidentally do that.
"If someone were to walk in right when you did that," Naoki returned to reading his book, hiding his tiny smile from her as he raised it up to his face, "They would've assumed you were attacking me or something."
Kotoko's face fumed tomato red as he finished the sentence, remembering that one night a few days before summer vacation ended, and she sneaked into his room to find his homework to copy. His voice had been so low and seductive as he had grabbed me down, but he was joking around and even pretended to attack me! I still get angry about that even now!" She thought bitterly, not believing his actions that night.
She looked down at the love letter again, and a grin crept onto her face. "I can't believe he actually kept it, though..." She thought, and a large hand reached out and took it from her own.
"Eh?" Kotoko asked and looked up, seeing Naoki taking the love letter and putting it back in his suitcase. "B-But you said y-you didn't want it?" She asked in confusion, scratching her head with a confused look, and he smirked at her silly expression as he locked his suitcase, putting it away. "Baka. I said I didn't want it. That doesn't mean I don't need it." He said, and Kotoko's expression brightened, her bright brown eyes shining. "I love you, Irie-kun." She whispered softly.
Naoki smiled slightly and then got up, and Kotoko secretly felt disappointed. She knew Naoki wasn't very expressive of his feelings and that she wasn't expecting an "I love you too, Kotoko", but it would've been nice.
She watched as he walked over to her side of the bed and taking out the familiar cloud-white bottle. "It's time for your medicine." He said, and Kotoko blinked, her eyes suddenly filled with concern. Her eyes immediately glanced down at her stomach, which had a slight bump, and she rested her hands on it lovingly and protectively as she looked back up at him. "B-But..."
He sighed. "It won't hurt the baby, Kotoko."
"You don't know that!" Kotoko shot at him, and started to feel her love melt into fury. She couldn't quite explain why, but she felt as if she couldn't have much control over her emotions. "What if it hurts the baby?" She demanded, grabbing the bottle from him and looking over at the label. "Look at what it says! 'If you are at least five months pregnant, see a doctor.' I mean, that could be dangerous!"
"But you're four months pregnant! Not five! And in case you haven't noticed," He took the bottle back from her, "I am a doctor!"
Kotoko turned away, facing the opposite direction of the room, not looking at him as she crossed her arms over her chest fiercely. Why on Earth was he being so impossible? Didn't he care about their baby? "I'm not having one single tablet!" She told him sharply, "And there's not a damn thing you can do about it! It's like I'm the only one who's concerned about our child here, Irie-kun!"
Naoki smacked his forehead with his palm, groaning irritatibly. "Damn it, Kotoko, of course I care, but it won't hurt the baby! Stop being such so difficult and take the tablet! It won't hurt-"
"You don't know that!" Kotoko repeated in a half-screaming voice, and then turned back to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Y-You don't k-know that!" She started to cry, and Naoki's irritated expression started to soften. She sniffled and curled up into a ball-like position on the bed, the sheets curling in with her. She wondered if the baby could feel her anger and confusion as she started to cry softly. "I-Irie-kun, you don't know what it's like," She cried, "to have this small, little wondrous being inside of you!" She started to cough and sniffle at the same time, and Naoki sat beside her. "I-I mean, it feels so..." She tried to search for the right word as she rubbed her stomach, her love completely transferring to the child within it, "...beautiful and exciting, like y-you're going to have something that's completely y-yours!" She took a tissue and blew on it, "Papa told me before that he and Mama were going to have another child before they had me, b-but Mama l-lost it, and she was devastated for months! It was only three months old!" Kotoko started to cry harder, her body now starting to shake, "I don't want to lose this child!" She said, looking up at him, her bright brown eyes filled with small, transparent crystal tears. "I-I don't want t-to-"
Kotoko's words were cut off as Naoki leaned in and kissed her gently on her forehead, brushing her bangs away. She stopped crying, and he cupped her face softly in his palm, raising it up so she could face him. "Do you think I'd do anything that would hurt our child?" He asked her as he raised a finger to wipe away her tears, and her brown eyes widened. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. "I-I-"
"I love this child too." He said, gently wiping her eyes to dry her tears, "Maybe not as much as you do, but I love it too. I know how much you love it as well, and I will never try to hurt it."
Kotoko's eyes widened further. "I-Irie-kun..." She whispered, and she started to cry again, burying her face in his chest. "He does care..." Kotoko thought to herself, wondering why she had doubted him before.
Naoki wrapped one of his arms around her back, hugging her tightly, and started to pat her head gently with his other. "Gomen, Irie-kun!" She apologized shakily, "I-I didn't know, and I-I was s-scared, and-"
"Shh," He told her, his soothing voice calming her down and stopping her from shaking, "It's all right."
"At first I thought I was the only one to care about this child," Kotoko thought as he hugged her tightly to his chest, "But I guess Irie-kun does care about our little bundle. He loves it as much as I do..."
Kotoko let herself completely relax into his arms and felt herself starting to doze off. "Irie-kun..." She started to yawn, "I-"
He lightly chuckled and closed her eyelids with two of his fingers. "Go to sleep now. You need the rest."
"I wish you'd stop interrupting me." She grumbled quietly, and Naoki laughed again, lightly laying her down onto the bed, his arm still around her and the other pulling the blankets over to cover her as she slept.
Five hours later, when Mr. and Mrs. Irie came back from a loud, chaotic day at work to a surprisingly quiet home, Mrs. Irie tiptoed over and peeked into the room of her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
There, on the bed, were the two of them laying down, completely wrapped and covered by the thick blankets, sleeping silently and peacefully as they held each other close in each other's arms.
Mrs. Irie giggled and was about to rummage through her pockets for her camera, but then decided to leave it and walked back to the living room, where her husband was complaining about their day at work.
~o*O*o~
"Ah-CHOO!" A loud, booming sneeze echoed throughout the halls of the Irie household the next day, and Mrs. Irie walked into the bedroom again, where a concerned Kotoko sat on the bed next to a stuffy-and-red-nosed Naoki, who was blowing his nose noisily on a tissue and had a thermometer sticking out of the gap between his lips. Kotoko reached forward and slid the thermometer out of his mouth, checking the label. "100.4° Fahrenheit." She told Mrs. Irie in a clear voice, who sighed. "Onii-chan, you must've caught it from Kotoko-chan!" She shook her head, waving her index finger in a scolding manner, yet her facial expression was excited as she raised an eyebrow sneakily. "Did you two do something that made you-"
"Ma, we sleep in the same bed. That's the only reason I caught this cold from Kotoko. Nothing more." He told her in a raspy voice.
"Well, I need to go back to work with Papa." She said, patting the shoulder bag that hung from her shoulder. "Onii-chan, I don't want to leave you alone at home..." Her mouth turned into a reluctant twist. "Hmmm..."
Kotoko's brown eyes brightened. "I'll take care of him, oka-sama!" She said happily, and Mrs. Irie clapped her hands happily, jumping up and down. "Kawaii! You two, taking care of other like two beautiful lovers!" She squealed.
Naoki shook his head. "No," He said, his voice rather scratchy, "I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself."
Mrs. Irie both pouted sadly. "But it would be so cute!" Mrs. Irie protested, and then gently patted Kotoko on the shoulder and Naoki on the head, heading towards the doorway. "Well, I'll let you two take care of it! Kotoko-chan, fight, fight, fight!" She cheered, and then rushed out the door.
Kotoko waved to her mother-in-law, and then turned back to Naoki. "But Irie-kun!" She sat next to him, poking his arm, "You took care of me yesterday, so it would only make sense if I take care of you!"
"I'd never get better if you took care of me." He muttered, and Kotoko pouted, sticking out her pink tongue at him. "No, you'd get better speedy quick!" She exclaimed. "And I'm a nurse, remember? So I'd know what I'm doing! Besides," She leaned in close to him, her lips brushing against his ear, "If you're a good little boy, then I'll give you anything you want." She whispered seductively.
Naoki's grey eyes literally popped out of their sockets as she popped back up to look at him, waiting for his response and he sighed.
He knew he shouldn't have taken care of his beloved pregnant wife.
A/N: YAY! FINALLY FINISHED! WOOT!
Soooo? Whaddya guys think? :D Hope you liked it ^_^
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