Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2 ❯ Information and Issues ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: See endnotes for special disclaimer.

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"X" Spoken words

'X' Thoughts

LIME CONTENT WARNING!!

Love Hina

Aftermath: Loss and Redemption 2

Chapter Two: Information and Issues

By: hawker_748

The following morning, a surreal atmosphere enveloped Hinata House. When the regular residents roused themselves from slumber, more than one wondered if they hadn't simply dreamt that Keitaro and Motoko had returned the day before. Nothing seemed to have changed, and the idea of them returning after so long seemed absurd, never mind Motoko being pregnant with Keitaro's child.

When everyone gathered in the changing room for their morning bath, no one raised the subject of their return, and the idea of it all being just a strange dream became all the more likely. All of the girls were chatting amiably, and it looked like it was just going to be another normal day at the residence.

Until everyone went outside and discovered Tsuruko enjoying an early soak in the hot springs. The sight of her lounging in the hot water shattered any lingering hopes that the return had all been their imagination, and forced everyone to realize that life at Hinata House had once again been turned upside down.

As everyone stood there staring, Tsuruko casually stood up, stretched, proving that beauty ran in the Aoyama family line, picked up a towel, and headed for the exit. As she passed the residents, who were standing there with their mouths open, looking like freshly landed fish, Tsuruko bid everyone "Good morning!"

Mutsumi quickly returned the greeting, followed by Su and Sarah. After a moment, Shinobu bid her "good morning" as well. Tsuruko nodded in response, and walked into the changing area to get dressed. She either didn't notice, or just didn't care, that Naru and Kitsune were both staring daggers at her as she walked by them.

'How dare she!' Naru thought silently as she immersed herself up to her chin. 'She admits to destroying my relationship with Keitaro, and then she just stays around like she owns the place!' Naru was gripped by a feeling of impotent rage, for she couldn't really do anything to Tsuruko without further upsetting her relationship with Keitaro and Motoko. Even if that hadn't been a factor, Tsuruko was out of her weight class regardless.

The emotionally scarred young woman was experiencing a tempest of emotions; anger at Tsuruko's meddling, sadness at being reminded yet again of the loss of Keitaro to Motoko, regret at her hostility towards them the day before, and finally, hope that she'd be able to work things out in the end. Their return had opened old wounds that she'd thought were healed over, as well as making a few new ones. But she didn't want to stay angry at them, only Tsuruko was deserving of that. Keitaro and Motoko had been friends, and maybe they could be again, but Tsuruko was fair game.

Stewing, in both senses of the word, physically and emotionally, Kitsune's thoughts weren't as charitable as Naru's. Unlike her, Kitsune blamed all of the Aoyama for Naru's slide into depression after Keitaro had made his choice. While she no longer considered him to be the devil incarnate, being civil to him was an exercise in restraint. She wanted to lash out at him, make him and Motoko hurt the way Naru had been, but she was reluctantly following her friends' request to be civil, at least for now. 'Hell, maybe I'll even try to make up with them as well,' she thought. 'But probably not.'

For Kitsune, the only person whose feelings mattered to her in this situation was Naru. She didn't give a rat's ass what the others felt like, and she believed that she'd be angry at Tsuruko, Motoko, and Keitaro for the rest of her life. 'But Naru would like it if I was on good terms with them again.' She sighed in frustration as she struggled to balance her friends' wishes with her own feelings. 'I'll try for your sake Naru, but I wouldn't hold my breath.' Kitsune spent the rest of her time in the bath trying to convince herself to open up to the Aoyamas, but she wasn't certain how successful she would be in this endeavour.

As she relaxed in the hot spring, Mutsumis' main point of concern was that all of the residents would get along, and that nothing would interfere with Motokos' pregnancy. Although she hadn't shown anything on her face, she was deeply troubled by the disharmony that now permeated Hinata House, and she felt that she had to do whatever was necessary to eliminate it. 'The best way to do that,' she reasoned, 'would be to try to help Kei-kun, Motoko-chan, and Naru-san get along.' But she didn't know how to do that. She decided to just think about it for a while, and when she came up with a plan, she'd put it into action.

While feeling the hot water work out the kinks from sleeping, Shinobu briefly recalled her unrequited love for Keitaro, and how difficult a decision it had been to let him go. Objectively, she had known that she never had a chance with him, but hope springs eternal, especially in first crushes. The pain she had felt in accepting his loss had been replaced by fond memories of the time that she'd had with him, and how he had always tried to be there for her, even though he hadn't felt for her the way she'd felt for him.

Because of her acceptance of the futility of a relationship with him, she'd had an easier time than Naru after Keitaro had left. It had hurt for a while, but with time, and some talking with Naru, the pain had eventually gone away, and Shinobu had grown up a little as a result. She was glad to see Keitaro and Motoko again, thrilled that they were expecting a child, and unlike Naru, she hadn't had any relapses of her feelings for him. He was now like an old friend that she hadn't seen for a long time, and the love she felt for him was the love for an older brother.

Koalla Su and Sarah McDougal were both glad to have Keitaro back, although Sarah wouldn't have admitted it under torture. They both felt that things had gone dull after Keitaro and Motoko had left, and with Keitaro back, their favourite 'playmate' had returned. While they had both worked hard trying to raise Naru's spirit after the young couple had left, she wasn't as much fun as Keitaro. Besides, you could hit him with anything and he'd just get back up again. Having a toy that bordered on indestructible was every child's dream.

After everyone was finished with their ruminations in the bath, they all got dressed and went down to the kitchen. Shinobu was the first to enter the kitchen and she stopped cold upon discovering that Tsuruko was putting on the finishing touches on breakfast. Not knowing what else to do, she sat down at the table and waited to be served.

Naru and Kitsune arrived in the dining room and were taken aback at the sight of Tsuruko setting food on the table, and Shinobu sitting down, looking like she wasn't sure what to do. Gradually, they took their seats, noticing that there were settings for everyone, and waited. Mutsumi, Su, and Sarah didn't even raise an eyebrow at the sight of Tsuruko preparing breakfast, they just took it in stride.

Kitsune took a bite of her meal and was annoyed by the fact that it was quite good, almost on par with Shinobu's, which meant she couldn't even complain about the quality. As they all sat there eating, gently probing Tsuruko about what Motoko had been like when she was younger, and answering her questions about Keitaro, they all wondered where the two of them were.

XXX

Keitaro and Motoko were currently still in bed and in each others arms, enjoying the rest after the hectic times that they'd had the day and night before. Motoko woke up first, and she experienced the same emotions that she'd become accustomed to when she awoke in Keitaro's arms. Love, security, comfort, and closeness were all feelings that she was accustomed to having, and she was always thankful that Keitaro had chosen her. But on this morning, like the previous weeks mornings, another feeling was making its presence known, nausea.

Motoko swallowed once heavily, all of the while feeling her stomach churn in a way that was by now depressingly familiar. She sat up abruptly, waking Keitaro in the process, and making an effort to hold on until the nausea passed. Feeling the gorge rise in her throat, she realized she'd failed once again. She grabbed her hakama hurriedly, put it on like a robe, and bolted out of the door in a mad dash for the bathroom. Keitaro, who had snapped awake as soon as he'd realized what was happening, threw on his own hakama and followed closely behind.

With seconds to spare Motoko made it to the bathroom, dropped to her knees, lifted the lid and like many, many expectant mothers before her, underwent the experience known as 'morning sickness'. As she knelt there, vomiting and silently cursing the reproductive system that proscribed such indignities onto its participants, she noticed that once again Keitaro had followed her into the bathroom and was holding her hair up for her so that none fell into the bowl. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the heaving stopped and Motoko gratefully accepted the glass of water that Keitaro handed her. She took a sip, rinsed out her mouth and spat the water into the bowl, repeating twice in an attempt to purge the foul taste from her mouth. She then stood up and took a look at herself in the mirror, dismayed at the bedraggled face that she saw there.

"Feeling better now, Mo-chan?" Keitaro asked softly.

Motoko gave her husband a look that was half annoyance and half misery. "Why is it that only mothers go through this?" she asked bleakly.

"Because they're the ones carrying the baby?" Keitaro replied in a weak attempt at levity.

Keitaro's attempt to raise her spirits succeeded enough that she didn't clout him upside the head for that remark. With a sickly smile she said, "God, I'm hideous aren't I? I'm a mess!"

Keitaro took hold of Motoko's shoulders, pulled her into an embrace, and in a soothing voice replied, "No Mo-chan, you're beautiful. You're just going through something very big right now."

"I know, I know. Doesn't make it any more enjoyable."

"Do you want to see a doctor today? It'd probably be a good idea to start seeing one regularly, just to be sure."

Motoko considered what Keitaro had suggested for a few moments before replying, "You're probably right." She then pulled herself partially out of his embrace, looked down into his eyes and asked, "Will you still love me when I look like I've swallowed a watermelon?"

Smiling warmly in response, Keitaro said, "Yes. Like I said, I'll always love you, I promise. Do you feel up to breakfast?"

"Yes, I feel better now. I'm actually quite hungry."

"Of course, you're eating for two."

"That's true. Let's get cleaned up after we eat, okay Kei-kun?"

"That's fine with me Mo-chan."

XXX

Back at the breakfast table, everyone had heard Motoko's uncharacteristically heavy footfalls during her sprint for the bathroom, and most had grimaced in disgust at the sound of her purging her stomach.

"What's going on up there?" asked Sarah, a concerned look on her face.

"Morning sickness," Mutsumi replied casually.

"What's that?" asked Su curiously.

Naru pursed her lips as she considered how to answer that. She then replied, "When a woman is going to have a baby, they throw up a lot during the first months of the pregnancy." This seemed to satisfy Sarah and Su, and the two of them resumed eating.

Realizing that this was going to be a regular occurrence for the next little while, the others made an effort to keep eating as well. When Keitaro and Motoko entered the dining room a few moments later, their appearance was unusual enough that it took most of the residents by surprise.

During the time that they had trained together, Keitaro and Motoko had almost always worn identical kendo outfits, and were always impeccable in their appearance. The sight of the two of them in old shorts and t-shirts, with bleary eyes and 'bed-head' came as a complete surprise to everyone. Their completely ragged appearance caused Shinobu to blurt out, "What, what happened to you two?"

"We. Hate. Mornings." The two of them replied in unison.

More than a little worried by the fact that her younger sister more resembled a ghoul than a human, Tsuruko asked, "Shouldn't you two be practicing?"

"We practice after breakfast now," replied Motoko, taking a seat at the table, with Keitaro sitting next to her a second later. Mutsumi passed the both of them a plate that they both accepted with grateful nods and then started to eat.

Deciding that the time and the circumstances were ripe for teasing, Kitsune remarked, "You know, the two of you don't seem to be so motivated to practice anymore. Is it possible that your skills are slipping Motoko?"

With chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth, Motoko looked straight at Kitsune. For a brief second her eyes narrowed and flashed menacingly, before a smile that didn't come close to her eyes appeared on her features. When she responded, her voice was sweet, but dangerous to the core; a blade dipped in maple syrup. "OUR skills are quite sufficient, Kitsune. Would you like a demonstration?"

Kitsune was shaken by the sheer level of threat in that friendly sounding offer. It also angered her, and she was about to reply when Naru subtly shook her head at her and frowned disapprovingly. Remembering her promise to be civil, Kitsune bit back her reply, put her head down, and resumed eating.

"She may have a valid point," interjected Tsuruko. "You always used to get up early to train when you were growing up."

"Yes, I remember," replied Motoko. "But over the last year or so, I've noticed that we both started doing better when we extended our training at night, rather than getting up early. When you sleep later you feel more rested, and you're better able to learn."

Tsuruko considered that for a few moments before responding with, "That seems to make sense, and you did say that Keitaro was doing quite well."

Keitaro's ego grew a little upon hearing that comment.

"If someone as uncoordinated as Keitaro could do that well, perhaps there's some truth to that theory," Tsuruko continued.

With an almost audible 'hiss', Keitaro's ego was deflated once again.

Any further comments were aborted when Tama-chan, who had been resting on Mutsumi's shoulder, took to the air and ended up landing on Motoko's shoulder. All of the regular residents froze, waiting for Motokos' normal display of panic whenever Tama-chan came too close to her. But this time, something unexpected happened. Motoko not only started tickling Tama-chan under the chin, she even picked up a morsel of food to hand feed the hot springs turtle.

The collective surprise was captured perfectly by Sarah, who cried out, "What's goin' on? You always used to freak out when you saw turtles."

Motoko briefly took her attention away from feeding Tama-chan and replied, "I guess you could say I've learned to… appreciate… flying turtles."

Keitaro found that his cheeks were warm at that comment.

"Yeah, I heard," Kitsune muttered under her breath.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Mutsumi.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" babbled Kitsune, who was blushing so heavily she looked like she'd fallen asleep in a tanning booth.

A pregnant pause followed Kitsune's remark until Naru, who didn't want to do anything that would widen the gulf between her and her former friends, made an obvious, almost desperate attempt to change the subject. "Is everything all right Motoko? You sounded terrible up there."

Grateful for the opportunity to bypass Kitsune's intemperate remark, Motoko replied, "It's just morning sickness, I believe. It wasn't much fun."

"Yeah," Su piped up. "You sounded like Keitaro the first time you made him run!"

"Su!" Shinobu cried out, looking slightly ill at the present topic of conversation.

"I'm still going to have to live with it for a while," Motoko remarked resignedly.

"How are you feeling Motoko-chan?" inquired Mutsumi, her usual good cheer firmly in place.

"Excited… and scared."

"You're scared Motoko?" asked Su curiously. "I thought you were only afraid of turtles."

"Terrified actually," replied Motoko. "This, this is the biggest thing I've ever done, I'm mortified of doing something wrong."

"Nobody's perfect Motoko," Kitsune interjected. Her expression darkened as she found herself replaying unpleasant memories. "Especially most parents," she added quietly.

"You won't be doing it alone," Keitaro said softly, tenderly squeezing Motoko's hand. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Then why weren't you throwing up?!" snapped Motoko. A stricken look came over her as she realized what she'd just said. "I'm sorry Keitaro! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," he replied sincerely. "You're under a lot of stress, I understand. Believe me, I wish I could do more for you than provide support."

A look of gratitude replaced the stricken look on Motoko's face. With a tangible level of thanks in her voice, she said "Thank you for being so understanding."

"It's nothing, I'm nervous too. The first time I hold our son in my hands I'll probably-"

"Daughter," interrupted Motoko.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm going to have a beautiful baby girl," Motoko replied confidently, rubbing her stomach gently and smiling beatifically. "I can feel it."

An indulgent look came over Keitaro's face and he patiently replied, "Sorry Mo-chan, but I'm certain that we're going to have a strong, healthy son."

"Kei-kun," Motoko responded sweetly, "I'm the one carrying her, she's a girl."

"Mo-chan, it's the man who determines the sex of the baby. He's a boy," he insisted.

"She's a girl, Kei-kun," Motoko replied forcefully.

"He's a boy!" Keitaro snapped back.

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

By now, all other conversations at the table had ceased, as everyone started watching the argument in a state of incredulous disbelief. Keitaro and Motoko were raising their voices at each other, their 'discussion' reminding the residents of the verbal sparring that Keitaro and Naru used to do.

Things came to a head when Motoko stood up suddenly, drew her sword, despite the fact she hadn't been carrying it and had no place to conceal it, and levelled it at Keitaro. "I challenge you to a duel! If I win, the baby will be a girl. If you win, it will be a boy." The twinkle in her eye belied her tone of voice.

Keitaro looked into his wife's eyes, saw the glint of amusement, and knew that he wasn't going to back out of this one. "I accept," he replied, a gleam appearing in his own eyes.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" shouted an exasperated Kitsune.

Motoko was beyond hearing. "Annex roof," she declared with a smirk, to which Keitaro nodded, and the two of them headed out of the dining room, leaving the stunned residents and an amused Tsuruko behind. After a few moments of complete silence, Tsuruko stood up and walked towards the door, closely followed by Mutsumi.

"Um, where are you two going?" Shinobu asked hesitantly.

"To watch," the two of them replied, sounding as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

The prospect of Keitaro and Motoko duelling caused Su and Sarah's eyes to light up, and the two of them zipped out of the kitchen, leaving turbulence in the air behind them as they ran. Shinobu, more concerned about Motoko somehow hurting herself or the baby, followed a moment later, but nowhere near as fast. Naru and Kitsune looked at each other, shrugged in a 'why not?' manner, and made their way to the roof.

After a few moments, all of the residents made it to the roof and discovered that the duel was now underway. The sharp ringing of steel striking steel reverberated through the air as the Aoyamas took 'domestic discussion' to a whole other level. Or more accurately, Motoko was making all the arguments, via her blade, while Keitaro was desperately trying to defend himself. Motoko was circling around Keitaro, almost toying with him when she struck, while Keitaro did everything he could to deflect her blade.

Motoko owned this battle, and the observers noted that Keitaro was so busy mounting a defence that he hadn't been able to go on the attack at all. Still, the most experienced warrior present was impressed by Keitaro's ability and improvement. From what she'd observed, Keitaro would probably be able to hold his own against a lesser opponent, or even Motoko, if she held back a little. "Good show Keitaro," Tsuruko remarked to herself.

Because she'd been standing so close to Tsuruko, Shinobu was the only one to hear her admission. "What do you mean? Sempai's losing."

Tsuruko looked down at Shinobu and smiled warmly. "Shinobu, do you observe how fast Motoko is attacking?"

Shinobu returned her attention back to the battle. Without looking back at Tsuruko she replied, "She's like a whirlwind."

"Correct. Now think, how fast must Keitaro move to defend himself?"

Shinobu scrutinized the sword battle for a few more moments before she realized what Tsuruko was getting at. "Hey, you're right, sempai IS blocking all her strikes!"

Her exclamation caused the other residents to belatedly notice that Keitaro had gotten much faster in a year. Mutsumi made an additional observation and raised a question to Tsuruko. "Why isn't Kei-kun moving more?"

"I would guess to compensate for his lack of coordination. The less he moves the better."

As it happened, Tsuruko's assumption was the right one. While Keitaro had gotten better at handling the sword, he had not made as much of an improvement on his footwork. He'd eventually come to the realization that his best strategy was to stay in one place and use a purely defensive style, and hope that Motoko would get careless. On the rare occasions that it happened, he'd go for broke and press an attack. On even fewer occasions, when fortune was smiling upon him, he'd managed to defeat Motoko, but he could count the number of times on one hand and still have fingers left over.

But today would prove not to be one of those times. While pivoting to face the whirling dervish that was Motoko, Keitaro's feet got tangled up, and he fell on his ass. Motoko rushed forward to press the advantage, bringing her sword down in an overhead strike which Keitaro was just able to block. As they held their position, neither sword moving, held there only by Keitaro's strength, Motoko asked him sweetly, "Do you yield?"

"N, no…" he gasped out, the exertion on his face testament to the effort he was making to stop Motoko's sword. While he was breathing hard, he was far from being exhausted. He looked like he'd be able to go on much longer, the fact he was effectively pinned down not withstanding.

"Finish him!" chortled Sarah.

"Excuse me! This isn't a video game!" Keitaro shrieked, while struggling to keep Motoko's blade from finishing it's journey.

"You're no fun," Sarah pouted.

Motoko kept up the pressure for a few more seconds, before she eased up and placed her weapon back into its scabbard. "Well, it seems that we will have a beautiful daughter, right Kei-kun?" Motoko asked sweetly. For his part, Keitaro merely grumbled a response. She then held out her hand and helped Keitaro back to his feet. "Well sister, what do you think of my favourite student?"

Applauding politely, Tsuruko replied, "I have to admit, I'm impressed. You've both done well in a year."

"Thank you, but I couldn't have done it if Kei-kun hadn't worked as hard as he did." Motoko beamed at her husband as she made the comment, causing him to blush in an 'aw, shucks' manner.

"If you'd needed to get back into our school, that would have been enough. More than enough," Tsuruko remarked truthfully.

Bowing in response to the high praise, Motoko repeated her thanks to her sister. She then looked at Kitsune and asked sweetly, this time without any undercurrent of menace, "Do you still believe our skills are lacking?"

Uncomfortable at being put on the spot, Kitsune responded, "No, no. Sorry, just a bit of a joke."

Motoko took that at face value, before she turned to Keitaro and declared, "That was a pretty good practice, but I think it's time for a bath now. Would you care to join me Kei-kun?"

"Of course."

An ember of latent jealousy in Naru flared up spectacularly. "Hey! You two can't take a bath together!"

"Why not?" Motoko asked plainly.

"Because… because…" Naru trailed off. 'Because I still love your husband, and I wish that I could be the one bathing with him.' "You're right, there's no reason you can't," Naru continued in a resigned air. But in one last show of defiance she stalked up to Motoko and quietly hissed, "But don't do anything perverted in our bath!"

Motoko appeared to be taken aback. "We would never do such a thing in the bath," she replied indignantly. Mrs. Aoyama then smirked and added, "We've found that it's far more fun to do that AFTER the bath." She found Naru's rattled expression to be most entertaining. The young swordswoman then took Keitaro's offered hand, intertwined her fingers with his, and the two of them headed for the springs.

As she watched the two of them walk away, Naru found herself silently cursing the continuing feelings she was having for Keitaro, as well as a bit of regret that things hadn't worked out between the two of them. 'This may be harder than I expected,' she silently contemplated. Dealing with her loss had been easy when he wasn't there, but seeing him again had dredged up bittersweet memories. 'Am I going to have to get over him yet again? Oh well, maybe the third time's the charm,' she thought to herself with gallows humour.

XXX

"Ooohh, Kei-kun…," cooed Motoko.

"Yes Mo-chan," Keitaro replied, struggling to concentrate on what he was doing.

"Right there, once more…, Aah, that's it…," Any further comments were forgotten as Motoko luxuriated in the ministrations of Keitaro's hands.

Keitaro let out a lengthy breath and took a moment to consider the results of his efforts. "You know, sometimes this is a lot of hard work."

"You're the one who suggested it."

"What would the others think?"

"That's unimportant," Motoko replied dismissively. "We both enjoy it, it doesn't matter what the others think about it. I love that you enjoy washing my hair."

Keitaro smiled at that. "Did I rinse all of the shampoo out?"

Motoko slowly ran her hands through her hair. "Yes, that last bucket did it."

Their washings complete, the Aoyamas walked over to the hot spring for a morning soak. Keitaro sat down first and then Motoko sat down and leaned back against him, her back against his chest, at which point he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Motoko considered where she was for a few seconds and smiled to herself as she recalled what would have happened if Keitaro had tried something like this over a year ago. 'I would have tried to kill him, and Naru would have cheerfully helped,' she mused. She shook her head in wonderment; it was now inconceivable to her that she had once acted like that to the man she loved. 'Well, they sat you always hurt the one you love, but that was ridiculous.'

After morning sickness, a rather tense breakfast, and the rooftop battle, Motoko was relishing the chance to just relax in the bath with her husband. The hot water was calming, and it soothed muscles that were sore after the activity on the roof. As she lounged there, feeling Keitaro's heartbeat next to her, she allowed herself to try to forget the pregnancy and all its potential difficulties. Keitaro unknowingly helped her out when he slid his hands up her stomach until they were supporting her breasts and kissed her on the nape of her neck. "Hmmm, no fooling around in the bath, remember?" she asked half-heartedly.

"I know, I know, I'm just being affectionate, that's all." Keitaro replied.

"Oh really?" Motoko teased, reaching down with her right hand, her eyebrows rising when she made a discovery. "Either you brought your sword into the bath, or you're real happy to see me."

"I told you, damn thing's got a mind of its own," Keitaro replied sheepishly.

"I know. Besides, it's not like you're in the mood every morning."

"No, that's your job."

Motoko playfully smacked Keitaro for that. "Is there something wrong with me enjoying the physical part of our marriage?"

"'Enjoy' isn't a strong enough word, but no there isn't. I always thought it was the husband who was supposed to be the perpetually aroused partner."

"Are you disappointed at the way things are?"

Drawing Motoko closer to him, Keitaro embraced her tightly and replied, "Not on your life. It's 'different', not 'bad'." In truth, Keitaro was starting to get aroused by the intimacy and closeness of the situation, but they'd promised not to, and Keitaro was also thinking about when they'd see the doctor later that afternoon.

About fifteen minutes, and a few more heart-felt kisses later, the Aoyamas reluctantly got out of the bath and got dressed. One last deep kiss, and the two of the opened the door and walked out of the changing room and into the hall. Quite unusually, there hadn't been a single interruption while they'd bathed, and this was partially due to the sign on the door that read:

WARNING!

THE AOYAMAS

ARE CURRENTLY BATHING!

STAY OUT!

A bigger reason for not being disturbed was the fact that the note had been stuck to the door with a tanto, thus backing up any implied threats.

Now back in their familiar outfits, the two of them bid their goodbyes and left for the appointment with the doctor. Once again, they held hands as they walked, but there was no conversation, not even small talk, for as they walked they were both lost in thought, still trying to come to grips with the impending reality that they would be parents in the not too distant future.

They arrived at the doctors' office, registered, and while Motoko filled out the myriad selection of forms, Keitaro tried to pass the time by reading the current magazines. 'Current' meaning 'having been published during the Reagan administration. When news that was almost two decades old wasn't able to hold his interest, he ended up sitting and fidgeting, until the nurse called out, "Motoko Aoyama?"

"Yes?" Motoko replied nervously, her cramped wrist testament to the sheer volume of paperwork.

Taking the forms, the nurse continued. "Come with me, the doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse then handed Motoko a specimen jar and said, "Please provide a urine sample, and I'll take a blood sample when you are finished."

"Why?" asked Keitaro.

"Just routine," replied the nurse.

Motoko looked at the specimen jar, grimaced, and then proceeded into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back out, entered the observation room, and sat down at the table. She silently lifted up her sleeve and allowed the nurse to take a sample of her blood. After completing this task, the nurse thanked her, and Keitaro and Motoko waited for the doctor.

Less than two minutes later, the door opened and the doctor, a striking woman in her mid-thirties with bluish tinted hair walked in. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, I'm Naoko Akagi, your doctor. I understand that you're expecting your first child?"

"That's correct," replied Motoko.

Dr. Akagi smiled warmly at that. "Congratulations you two! Now, how can I help you?"

"What's going to happen?" Keitaro and Motoko blurted out in unison.

Chuckling slightly, Dr. Akagi replied, "There's a lot to explain, I need to ask you some questions. First of all, how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

While looking at a clipboard and making notations on the chart, Dr. Akagi continued her questioning. "Do you drink?"

"Only socially, maybe Kei-kun and I would share a bottle of sake, or we'd have some wine with dinner. But I haven't taken a drink since I found out I was pregnant."

Nodding in approval the doctor continued. "Very good, you mustn't drink AT ALL during pregnancy. Do you use any illicit drugs?"

"Absolutely not!" responded Motoko, insulted at the very suggestion.

"Sorry, please don't take this personally, I have to ask," she apologized. "Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Are you regularly around people who smoke?"

"Yes, but Haruka hasn't smoked near me since she found out I'm pregnant."

"Good, good, second hand smoke isn't healthy for anyone, especially pregnant women. Do you have any pets?"

A little confused by this question, Motoko replied, "Um…, yes, a flying turtle."

Dr. Akagi stopped cold and looked up at that. "A what?"

"Er, a hot springs turtle," interjected Keitaro. "We call it a 'flying turtle' because it's front flippers are big, they look like wings."

"I see…"

"Doctor, why did you want to know about pets?" inquired Motoko.

"It's cats specifically. Cat dander can cause respiratory problems in newborns. I always recommend that any expectant mothers get rid off any pet cats," explained Dr. Akagi.

"I understand," replied Motoko. "Well, there aren't any cats in the house."

"Enough of my questions, what would you two like to know?"

"What, what can I expect?" Motoko asked nervously.

"You're six weeks along, correct?" When Motoko nodded, Dr. Akagi continued. "First of all, you're probably experiencing the joy of morning sickness. You're likely to have that for the first three months or so."

"Why?" Motoko asked bleakly. "I hate having to throw up in the morning."

"I know, I didn't like it either," Dr. Akagi replied knowingly.

"Oh, you have a child too?"

"Yes, a daughter, Ritsuko. As for why, there are a few causes; hormone imbalances, too little vitamin B6 or too little glycogen, that's one of your bodies natural sugars. As well, emotions or strong smells can also cause nausea."

"Is there something I can take?" Motoko asked hopefully.

Dr. Akagi shook her head. "No, no medication is recommended. I'd suggest chamomile tea, or dry toast in the morning. As well, some women find that spearmint aromatherapy eases nausea. While we're on the subject of food, you should try to follow a healthy diet during your pregnancy. Lay-off spicy or rich foods, eat sensibly, follow a pregnancy diet, and be careful of following cravings. If you have a craving for something sensible, follow it, but if you're craving something like cheeseburgers, try to find a healthier option. Fortunately, the cravings usually disappear after the forth month."

As the Aoyamas sat there and absorbed what the doctor had told them, the doctor continued with her roll call of pregnancy issues. "You may also experience tiredness, headaches, a feeling of faintness, bladder problems, specifically a constant need to urinate, and breast swelling."

"Breast…swelling…?" repeated Keitaro.

"Yes, as your wife's pregnancy continues, her breasts will prepare to manufacture breast milk, and they'll get bigger as a result. She may find that she needs to get a bigger bra."

"But I don't wear a bra," protested Motoko.

"You might end up needing it for support, as the pregnancy progresses," Dr. Akagi replied. "It can help reduce the possibility of stretch marks forming."

"What about physical activity?" asked Keitaro, thinking about their daily exercise regimen.

"Don't go overboard with it. If you were healthy before, then exercise shouldn't be a problem, as long as it isn't too strenuous."

Motoko winced slightly at that. Her worst fear, that she'd have to start taking it easy when practicing, was coming true. "Can, can you define 'strenuous'?"

"Some activities that should be avoided are sprinting, jogging more than two miles a day, skiing, contact sports, and any callisthenic activity not designed for pregnancy, such as anything that uses jumping, lots of bending, sudden changes in direction, that sort of thing," the doctor replied.

Motoko sighed in disappointment as the prospect of a life without kendo, even if it was only temporary, sank in.

Keitaro, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to ask Motoko to lay of the kendo for a while, since the doctor had done it for him.

Thinking about exercise caused Motoko to suddenly consider something else she and Keitaro did that could be considered strenuous. "What about sex?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"What about it?" asked Dr. Akagi. "Sex during pregnancy can be even more enjoyable than before. There's no pressure to produce a child, no worrying about protection, you can both just enjoy it."

"But, can't it harm the baby?" asked Keitaro.

"Absolutely not," answered the doctor. "That being said however, if it causes pain or bleeding, you should stop and come to see me. In some rare cases, sex during the entire pregnancy is impossible, but only in a small number of cases," she continued reassuringly.

The Aoyamas both considered the prospect of year without lovemaking and cringed in perfect synchronization.

"That's depressing," admitted Motoko. "I feel like I need a hot bath after hearing that."

"No, you don't," interjected Dr. Akagi suddenly. "Warm baths only when you're pregnant, anything over 100 degrees Fahrenheit can harm the fetus."

"But, but we have a hot spring," stammered Keitaro.

"Then stay the hell out of it," the doctor replied. "From now until the birth, warm baths or showers only."

Motoko looked almost as stricken at this notion as she'd been with the possibility of a year of chastity. Sensing her disappointment, Keitaro told her, "I'll quit using it too. If you can't use it, I won't either." Motoko found that she was unable to reply to that heartfelt gesture, so she simply reached over and embraced him.

"These are just the physical effects," Dr. Akagi added. "The mental effects can be even more difficult. The hormone influences can cause mood swings, and you have to be willing to forgive each other's snappiness at times. But seeing you two, I'm certain you'll be able to get through this together."

"It's just…we've been through a lot together. I was hoping that this would be an easier time for us," Keitaro replied softly.

"You'll do fine, all first time parents are nervous," the doctor said reassuringly. "Listen, I'll give you some pamphlets, you should also get a few books for expectant parents, and come back to see me in a month. You'll have a better idea by then, and you'll know what's coming. But if you think something's wrong, don't hesitate to see me, and I'll try to make sure that everything will be fine."

"Thank you Dr. Akagi," Motoko responded gratefully. "We'll see you then." With that Motoko and Keitaro got up and walked out of the room, confirmed the next appointment with the receptionist, and exited the clinic.

The two of them walked in silence, arm in arm, until Motoko asked, "Kei-kun, would you mind if I picked up some of those books myself? I think I need a little time alone, to consider what the doctor said."

"No, I don't mind," responded Keitaro. "Will you be all right?"

Motoko gave her husband a bemused smile. "I'm pregnant, not made of glass. I'll be fine."

"Okay Mo-chan, I'll see you later. Love you."

"I love you too, Kei-kun." She kissed him goodbye and went on her way.

Keitaro watched Motoko walk away for a few moments before he turned around and resumed walking back to Hinata House. Walking through the city, he took note of his surroundings and was surprised at his disappointment that nothing had really changed in his absence. There were a few new shops here and there, but by in large everything had stayed the same. He supposed that it should be comforting that nothing had really changed, but it made him feel out of sync, as he had experienced a dramatic shift while he was away.

As he mulled over these thoughts, Keitaro continued his journey back to Hinata House. Quicker than he expected, Keitaro found himself at the bottom of the stairs of the house, and he realized that he was hesitant to climb them alone. Knowing that he would have to get used to living back here, he forced himself to go up and re-enter the residence. "I'm back," he called out to no one in particular.

"Hello Keitaro," replied Kitsune from her spot on the couch. She looked up and noticed that he was alone. "Where's Motoko?"

Remembering Kitsune's hostility from the day before, Keitaro replied, "She wanted some time alone to take care of some things."

Kitsune recalled what Naru had told her about her attempts to make peace with the Aoyamas and decided that perhaps it was a good time to talk to him. 'No time like the present,' she thought grimly. "Can I, can I talk to you Keitaro? In private?"

"Sure," Keitaro replied. His tone made it obvious that he wasn't that enthusiastic about it. "Where?"

"Your room, I guess."

Keitaro couldn't think of any reason to object to her choice, so he nodded and gestured with his head for her to follow him. The two of them went up the stairs and entered his room, Keitaro making sure that the door was closed behind him.

"Would you like some tea?" he offered, making an attempt to be a gracious host.

"No," Kitsune replied. She took a few seconds to figure out how to begin, before she decided to just cut to the chase, being mindful of not being too hostile. "Why did you two come back?"

Keitaro sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't expected this to be pleasant, and he felt some perverse satisfaction at having successfully anticipated Kitsune's first question. "I told you last night, we needed-"

"No, that isn't what I meant," interrupted Kitsune. "I meant, why would you be willing to put Naru through the wringer again?"

"I didn't expect that it would be that hard for her. Honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd feel after so long."

"Well, it's not like you were here to check up on her," Kitsune replied curtly.

Keitaro felt his own hackles rise at the thinly veiled insult. "Do you really think that I should have stayed after I chose Motoko? Do you think that that would have been better?"

Kitsune bit back her intended barb and took a deep breath to try to calm herself. "No, it probably wouldn't have been," she grudgingly conceded. "But since you raised the point, why'd you make your choice in front of everyone? Couldn't you have done it in private?"

"And everyone wouldn't have listened in?" Keitaro replied sceptically.

Annoyed that Keitaro once again had her range and coordinates dialled in, Kitsune replied, "Well, you could have tried to break it to her gently."

Shaking his head sadly, Keitaro remarked, "Someone was going to be hurt that day, no matter who I chose, or how I did it. I figured that it was best to get it over with. If there'd been a better way, I didn't know what it was."

Nothing further was said for a few minutes, until Kitsune asked, "Couldn't you have come back to visit earlier? I mean, nothing for nearly a year, and then you're both here, big as life, and pregnant to boot."

"Would we have been welcomed earlier?" Keitaro asked sombrely. "Would it have really bothered everyone if we'd never come back? Quite honestly, I'm not certain we'd have come back if it wasn't for the baby."

"Did you plan the pregnancy so you could come back?" inquired Kitsune.

"No, we didn't plan on this," Keitaro replied truthfully.

"So it was a mistake." As soon as the words had left her mouth, Kitsune winced as she belatedly realized the implication of that statement. She noticed that Keitaro had frozen at her words, but that his expression was changing to something she'd never seen on him before. His eyes seemed to flash briefly and his fists clenched tightly at this sides. The look of cold fury on his face was uncharacteristic for him, and Kitsune actually felt a pang of fear for her own safety.

Through tightly clenched teeth, Keitaro softly, methodically, and dangerously rasped, "Don't you EVER refer to our child as a 'mistake' again." No threat was given, but Kitsune was able to clearly read between the lines.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was a horrible choice of words," Kitsune babbled. "I meant that it was unexpected, that's all. But shouldn't you have expected this sooner or later?" Kitsune experienced a physical sense of relief when Keitaro's expression softened.

"Lucky shot," he murmured softly.

"Excuse me?"

"We didn't plan on having children, at least not now. We'd even taken measures to reduce the possibility of pregnancy."

"You mean Motoko was on the pill?" Kitsune speculated.

Keitaro shook his head in response. "No, I used, um, protection. I didn't use it at first, in fact we didn't use anything for the first two months. Frankly, as often as we did it, I'm amazed that we didn't get pregnant then."

A mild twitch manifested itself on Kitsune's eyebrows. Talking with Keitaro about Motoko and his sex life wasn't why she'd come into the room. With morbid curiosity she asked, "So what happened?"

"Motoko thought she was pregnant once, and we sweated it out for three days until, uh…her cycle resumed," Keitaro replied uncomfortably. "After that, we realized that we weren't exactly ready to have children, so I started using condoms."

"I see. So what happened, did one break?"

"No, but about two months ago Motoko and I were duelling in the forest, we got into a close exchange, one thing lead to another, and the next thing you know we were up against a tree and…" Keitaro broke off abruptly.

A distant look came over Keitaro's features, as he found himself reliving that afternoon. The still, sultry air, the blazing sun, the few degrees of relief afforded by the shade of the trees.

Motoko and him in an all out duel, exertion etched onto their faces. Sweat soaked clothing, clinging to both of them, making them itch.

Swords knocked away, both combatants resorting to hand-to-hand combat. A clench. Stalemate, neither side able to move.

A look into each others eyes, seeing the emotions there.

Intensity.

Competitiveness.

Love.

A hunger not borne of food.

An intense, almost desperate, kiss.

The scarcely remembered shuffling over to a tree for support.

Frantic hands tearing at clothing.

Animalistic desire.

Unabashed, unashamed, passionate cries shattering the silence.

Keitaro found himself blushing, as he recalled the heat and intensity of that encounter, and forced himself to not smile at that memory. He didn't entirely succeed. "Never mind. Let's just say that in the heat of the moment, we both forgot."

That had been way too much information for Kitsune, and she now felt completely frazzled. Desperate to regain her composure and refocus the discussion she asked, "Do you have any idea of what Naru went through after you two left?"

"No. What happened?" Keitaro replied quietly.

"She didn't come out of her room for days, she isolated herself completely. It took us two weeks to get her to something approaching normal." Kitsune's voice was rising in pitch as she spoke and she was gesticulating wildly with her arms. "What am I supposed to think when you come back and give the knife another twist?!"

Once again, Keitaro sighed. "Do you know how I feel about Naru?" he asked.

"I haven't really thought about that since you left," Kitsune replied.

"I, I, I actually did love her," Keitaro admitted. "In a way, I still do, but it's not the same as it once was."

"Oh really?" Kitsune spat. "Then what's it like now?"

Keitaro pondered the question for a few minutes before he gave his answer. "I'd say it's like the love for a sister, or a very dear friend. I think it started changing to that about a month after Motoko and I started training, but it took me while to realize that."

"If you once loved Naru, why did you fall in love with Motoko?" That question was the one that had been bothering Kitsune since Keitaro had made his choice nearly one year earlier.

"Being with Motoko, and training with her allowed me to see a side of her that no one else knew was there. -I- didn't know it was there. Over time, I grew to know her, and I eventually realized that while I would anything for either of them, I loved Motoko, right down to my soul, for reasons that are between her and I."

"But Tsuruko manipulated you!" Kitsune protested.

"So what? However it happened, I still love Motoko. Naru will always be special to me, and I never wanted to hurt her, but my heart belongs to Motoko. Now and forever."

Taking note of the sincerity in his eyes, Kitsune found herself being uncertain of how she felt about Keitaro. He may not have been a saint, but maybe he wasn't the bastard she'd once thought of him as. Not knowing what to say, she excused herself and started heading for the door. But before she reached the exit, Keitaro called out to her. "One question before you go Kitsune."

"What?"

"Why the 'I heard' comment this morning?"

Kitsune paled. "You heard that?" she asked weakly. When he nodded, she attempted to use her indignity to her advantage. "Yeah, I heard you two last night, and Naru may have heard you too. Neither of you are that quiet." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Even if I hadn't heard, all you have to do is walk in here to figure out that something happened."

Keitaro blushed in embarrassment at Kitsune's declaration, but he managed to respond with some determination. "We ARE married, and it is our house. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but we won't be stopping."

"Fine," muttered Kitsune, as she placed one hand on the door to open it.

"But, did you just happen to hear us, or were you eavesdropping?" inquired Keitaro.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me, were you trying to spy on us?" Keitaro repeated. He then decided to see if he could rattle Kitsune's cage with a little teasing of his own. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were jealous or something."

Kitsune didn't respond verbally to that, she just gave Keitaro a glare hard enough to shatter diamond. She then threw the door open, stalked out, and slammed it shut.

'What was that?' a startled Keitaro wondered.

Outside in the hallway, Kitsune stomped into her own room and locked the door. She grabbed a bottle of sake and pounded it back, not even using a cup. Finished, she slammed the empty bottle down and laid down on her futon.

He hadn't realized it, but Keitaro's comment had hit closer to home than Kitsune liked. One of the emotions that she kept buried deep inside her was loneliness. She had friends of course, but she'd never really had any luck with boyfriends. It secretly upset her that Motoko was only nineteen and she was already married and expecting a child. At twenty-three, Kitsune hadn't had a single relationship that had lasted six months.

She'd made excuses about stresses from her job, not finding the right guy, and that she wasn't interested, but she longed to find someone to share her life with. 'Oh wait, there are some men I've had long term relationships with,' she thought bitterly. 'Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, John Jameson…'

Very rarely, Kitsune found herself wondering if she took too much solace from alcohol. However, over the past year those times were increasing in frequency. Once again, she dealt with this feeling the way she always had, by getting another bottle of alcohol. Booze may have been empty comfort, but it was still comfort. As the burning liquid coursed down her throat, she felt the familiar beginnings of intoxication start to affect her. The first inkling of eventual oblivion started to make all of her cares and worries fade away, and her problems didn't seem so daunting anymore.

So why was it that she was having a harder time than usual forgetting how lonely she was?

End Chapter Two

Sorry this took so long. Prereading was done by dennisud, crossedeyedbutterfly, and UndeadAnimeFan267. Any mistakes are mine, not theirs.

Disclaimer: Love Hina is the property of Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, TokyoPop, and probably enough lawyers to sink an aircraft carrier.

Dr. Naoko Akagi and any other related characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion are the property of Gainax, and their pack of lawyers.

This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be distributed for profit. I'm not making any money off of this; I am doing it just for personal enjoyment. Please don't sue.

I am not making this a crossover fic, I just needed a physician. I was too lazy to create one of my own, so I just poached one from another series. I promise that no other EVA characters will put in an appearance.

SPECIAL MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: While I have researched pregnancy for this story, it is not intended to be used as a guide for pregnancy. If you are pregnant, or even if you think you are, see your doctor. I make no promises on the accuracy of the information in this story.