Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ A Sohma Family Christmas ❯ Babies, and Hatori's Surprise ( Chapter 9 )

Shigure gently laid Akito on their futon and pulled the covers over her; he had already taken all her furs off. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered to her sleeping form, "Thank you, my love." He left her to sleep and Hatori met him out in the hallway, the unknown bundle still in his arms.

"You forgot something when you left the car, Shigure." He handed the small bundle (that turned out to be a baby) over to Shigure, bowed respectfully, and left. The proud father gazed down at the sleeping child in his arms, then over his shoulder to where his wife lay sleeping. Just then, the baby stirred and began crying. Shigure embraced the child a little tighter and began to sing to him softly, the song he had sung to Akito in her youth during rainstorms and fits of nightmares,

"Come stop your crying, it will be alright. Just take my hand," he stuck out his finger, and the baby took it, "Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you, I will be here don't you cry." The child immediately calmed down and soon after, fell back asleep, still gripping his father's finger.

 

~&~

 

Hatori entered the room/ apartment that he shared with Mayu. The first thing his ears were met with was the sound of his wife losing her lunch in the bathroom. He knocked on the door, "Mayu? Are you alright? Should I examine you?" He heard Mayu's voice on the other side of the door as she weakly and hoarsely replied,

"No, Hatori, I'm fine." He thought that she sounded like she had been crying for a while as well and this concerned him. He didn't have time to think much about it, because moments later he felt warmth envelope his midsection as his wife snaked her arms about his body in a tender hug. He returned the embrace and drew her closer into himself. He could feel her shaking in his arms, obviously crying.

"What's the matter, Mayu?" He asked her; he grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger and made her look at him; he was right, she was crying. She sniffed,

"I'm just...so happy, Hatori...But with that happiness also brings worry."

"Worry? About what?" She looked back at his chest and nuzzled his shirt; he stroked her hair gently and waited for her to answer him in her own time.

"I'm...pregnant, Hatori. I found out this afternoon, shortly after you sent me to Shigure's office to save Miyi. The hospital phoned me with my test results and apparently I'm one month pregnant. But..." she inhaled a choppy breath, "There was something I didn't tell you that I should have...that contributes to my pregnancy...possibly."

"And that is?" Hatori was starting to get worried.

"I was raped about a month ago..." A new wave of tears spilled over and she was openly crying and hiccuping in his arms, "So, this baby (hiccup) might not be yours. I'm so sorry Ha'ri."