Chapter Text
Knock. Knock.
“Ritsu, I’m so glad you could make it.” Tohru happily greeted Ritsu at the door.
“I’m so glad you invited me. Thank you so very much! I’m so sorry if I’m late!” Ritsu calmly started to say before spazzing.
“Oh, Ritsu; you’re not late. Come in.” Tohru happily let Ritsu inside.
“It’s about time you showed up, Ritsu.” Shigure teased Ritsu.
“AHHH! I’M SOO SORRY! I DON’T DESERVE TO GRACE YOU WITH MY TARDY PRESENCE!” Ritsu immediately panicked, running around, screaming.
“Oh, no. Ritsu, I’m so happy you came. I’d be so sad if you hadn’t come.” Tohru sincerely insisted.
“Yes, we’re happy you’re here.” Momiji cheerfully insisted.
“Why must you do that?” Hatori questioned, annoyed, walking over to the small group.
“Really? You mean it?” Ritsu questioned, sniffling a little.
“Yes.” Tohru and Momiji happily answered.
“Thank you for inviting me, then.” Ritsu thanked Tohru with a small smile.
“Come on. Everyone’s in the living area, waiting.” Kyo grumbled, waiting by the door. He wasn’t too thrilled about everyone being in his home. But he would put up with them as long as Tohru was happy.
“Is everyone here now?” Rin questioned, annoyed.
“Uo and Kureno aren’t here yet. And neither is Kagura.” Tohru answered.
“Arisa and Kureno are unable to make it; they’re in the hospital. Don’t panic. For the most part, they’re fine. Arisa ended up passing out in the middle of a grocery store; she became overheated and dizzy. They say she and the baby are fine, but the other doctors want to keep her overnight for observations, but she should be able to come home tomorrow. Kureno has decided not to leave her side, so he’s staying with her. And that’s where I’m heading now; Kureno wants me to be the one in charge of Arisa.” Hatori explained.
“Ok. Will you be back?” Tohru softly questioned.
“No, probably not. Kureno is incredibly frantic and is becoming increasingly so by the second. You all have fun, and I will see you later.” Hatori insisted before heading out.
“Kagura just texted; she’s going to be late. She met someone at the store, buying ice cream and other goodies. Just go ahead and start without her—as long as there’s something for her to eat.” Haru informed Tohru.
“Ok. What do we want to do while we wait?” Rin questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I know. Let’s play Rich Man, Poor Man.” Tohru enthusiastically insisted, getting a pack of cards.
“Sounds like a plan.” Yuki and Haru replied.
“Yay! Rich Man, Poor Man!” Momiji excitedly exclaimed.
“Yay. Let’s play.” Kyo and Rin faked cheerfulness and sat down.
“I’ve never played Rich Man, Poor Man before. Could I just watch you play first?” Kisa softly requested.
“Oh, of course.” Tohru cheerfully replied.
“I’m sitting with Kisa.” Hiro plainly answered.
“I think I’d like to watch as well.” Ritsu nervously requested.
“That is just fine. You do whatever you want.” Kyo plainly responded.
“You kids have fun. I think I’m going to sit out back for a little bit.” Shigure spoke with a smile.
“Gure, wait for Mine and me!” Ayame called, following Shigure, hand-in-hand with Mine.
Fifteen minutes later, they could hear Shigure, Ayame, and Mine moaning, howling, and screaming.
“Perhaps we should move upstairs. Come on, you two.” Haru firmly suggested, standing up. He then ushered Kisa and Hira upstairs, not giving them a choice.
Everyone there strongly believed that Kisa and Hiro didn’t need to hear that.
“I’m back! Where are you going? What did I miss? Oh. Never mind. I’ll meet you upstairs.” Kagura announced, walking inside. However, she became confused when she saw everyone heading upstairs. After a few seconds, she understood why when she heard Ayame, Mine, and Shigure. Before rushing upstairs, she put the ice cream in the freezer and everything else on the counter.
Two Hours Earlier:
With Kureno & Arisa:
“Is everything ok, Arisa?” Kureno questioned, concerned. He thought Arisa looked pale.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired and warm. I just need some water before we head out—or maybe a cool shower. Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. I’ll be out in a few minutes. If I’m not out in fifteen minutes, come check on me, but I’m sure I’ll be just fine.” Arisa replied before mumbling to herself. And after seeing Kureno’s overly concerned face, she told him she’d be fine, but he could check on her if she weren’t out after a certain amount of time.
“Ok.” Kureno replied, unsure.
“I promise I’ll be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll leave the bathroom door open. That way, you’ll be able to keep an eye on me—from afar. Then when I get out, we’ll go grocery shopping, bring all that home, and then we’ll go to Tohru’s slumber party.” Arisa insisted, watching Kureno.
“Ok.” Kureno replied, feeling a little better.
“Thank you. Love you.” Arisa thanked Kureno by gently kissing his cheek.
‘God, I really do love the man, but damn; he’s been hovering far too much since we found out I was pregnant. It’s become a bit suffocating.’ Arisa thought to herself, stripping out of her clothes as she waited for the water temp to be where she wanted it.
Once in the shower, under the cool water, Arisa leaned face-first against the shower wall, and just the water hit her.
The moment she shut her eyes, memories hit her like a ton of bricks:
Meeting Tohru and Kyoko.
Meeting Hanajima.
Starting high school—something she thought would never happen due to her being in a gang.
Meeting Kureno and falling in love.
Giving her virginity to Kureno.
Finding out she was pregnant.
Her father.
Her mother walking out on her when she was a child without so much as a goodbye or a reason why.
That memory seemed to linger more than the others. And it got Arisa thinking—way more than she ever wanted to.
How many children would she and Kureno have?
Would she be a good mother to their child or children?
Would she cheat on Kureno and leave him like her mother did her father?
Would she get up and just leave like her mother did?
Why did her mother leave her in the first place?
She knows she got a new boyfriend, but why didn’t she take her with her?
Did her mother regret having her?
Would she regret having children too?
All these memories and thoughts started to make Arisa feel sick. She didn’t have time to get out of the shower, so she threw up down the shower drain.
Once she finished puking, Arisa stood up straight, finished in the shower, and got out.
“Are you ok?” Kureno questioned the moment she stepped out of the shower.
Despite feeling like she was in the shower for over an hour, Arisa had only been in there for ten minutes.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just some of that morning sickness crap—and some memories of my past that got me thinking. But for now, I don’t want to talk about it. And yes, one day, I promise to tell you—just not now. Because if I tell you now, I’m going to be sick again. But other than all that, I’m feeling much better. So, let me get dressed and we’ll head out. And I promise to be careful and stay by your side at all times—unless I have to rush to a bathroom to throw up again.” Arisa honestly answered, looking Kureno in the eyes the entire time.
“Ok. I love you.” Kureno told Arisa, hugging her.
“I love you, too, Kureno.” Arisa replied, hugging him in return.
‘No, I will never leave Kureno like that woman left Dad and me. I will never be like her. I don’t know how, but I’ll make damn sure I’m nothing like her.’ Arisa determinedly thought to herself, leaning against Kureno before she went to change.
When she came out, she was wearing one of Kureno’s favorite sun dresses she owned. It was brown with yellow trim and little birds spread out throughout.
“Ready?” Kureno inquired, watching Arisa. He thought she looked much better than just a little bit ago.
“Ready.” Arisa replied with a smile.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
Arisa and Kureno were in the produce part of the store when she started slowing down.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Kureno quickly became concerned with how pale she was again.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Arisa replied.
Who was she trying to convince? Him—or her?
“Kureno, wait.” Arisa stopped Kureno after another few steps.
“What is it?” Kureno questioned, incredibly concerned now. She never asked to stop in the tone she spoke now—not once since he knew her.
“I think—I think I need to sit down.” Arisa replied, feeling dizzy.
“Ok. Ok. Hold on.” Kureno instructed before finding her a place to sit where there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic.
“Any better?” Kureno questioned.
“Uh-huh.” However, after she replied, Arisa ended up passing out.
“Arisa? Arisa? Hey, wake up. Help! Somebody help!” Kureno desperately called, frantically looking for his phone.
An ambulance bound for the Sohma family hospital arrived ten minutes later and took her to the hospital.
Kureno wasn’t allowed to go along with her; he had to drive behind the ambulance and hope and pray she’d be ok. He was panicking the entire time; it was amazing that he wasn’t speeding.
An Hour Later:
“Where-where am I?” Arisa was dazed and confused.
“Arisa! Thank God!” Kureno emotionally cried, hugging Arisa.
“Where am I?” Arisa asked again, looking around.
“The family hospital.” Kureno answered.
“What happened? How long have I been here? Tohru’s slumber party!” Arisa questioned before exclaiming.
“Please, calm down. You passed out in the store. Remember? I called for an ambulance, and you’ve been here for about forty minutes give or take. The doctor said the baby’s fine, but you were severely dehydrated and have a fever of 101.5. I haven’t called Tohru yet. I haven’t called anyone yet; I’ve been too worried about you. But I will get a hold of Hatori in a few minutes; I’m sure he’s at Tohru’s right now. The doctor wants to keep you over night to keep an eye on you, so I’ll let the others know somehow you’re not going to be able to make it to the slumber party. You know Tohru and the others; you know she would rather you were in the hospital, so that you can feel better faster. I know Tohru will understand. Please, just do what the doctors say.” Kureno explained, watching Arisa before pleading with her.
“Fine. And I’ll do whatever the doctor says, but I want a second opinion from Hatori.” Arisa determinedly replied, not giving up.
“Of course. I’ll call him now.” Kureno replied with a smile—now that he could breathe easier.
Elsewhere:
Half an Hour Ago:
With Kagura:
Kagura was in charge of getting ice cream and toppings for it. She had just gotten to the store and was heading into the frozen food aisle. As she turned to head into the aisle, she bumped into somebody.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kagura frantically apologized, embarrassed that she had bumped into someone.
“It’s ok. I’m the one who should be sorry; I should’ve been watching where I was going better. But I will say, it’s not every day that I get to bump into someone as pretty as you.” The person, a male, calmly replied.
The person being male didn’t help Kagura’s embarrassment. Nope.
It only worsened, especially since she thought he looked like a hunk.
“No, it was totally my fault. You even dumped your coffee because of my stupid clumsiness.” Kagura argued, spazzing out.
“Hahaha. You really are cute. My name is Fai Daitaiyo. What is your name?” The guy, Fai Daitaiyo, laughed a little before introducing himself.
Fai Daitaiyo was tall—Kagura guessed between 5’11 and 6’1. He had short, messy dark brown hair and dark gray eyes. He wore a black and orange bandana over his forehead, making his bangs almost fall over his eyes. He wore a light red shirt with an orange vest and red shorts. What struck Kagura as a little weird was that he was wearing dark blue socks with black tennis shoes and a weird silver necklace.
“My name is Kagura Sohma. What’s the dark blue socks with the red and orange outfit?” Kagura answered before questioning; she just couldn’t help herself.
“Hahaha. I didn’t think anyone would be looking at my feet. Honestly, I just grabbed them. That’s what I always do; I don’t care if my socks don’t match my outfit. Hell. I don’t even care if my outfit matches most of the time. I only care if I have to go somewhere nice. And because I noticed you staring at my headband and necklace: I always wear them. I have dozens of different headbands; they’re one of my favorite accessories. The necklace was my mother’s. Along with some pictures, this is one of the few things I have left of hers. My older brother and sisters pretty much cleaned her stuff out after she passed away from breast cancer a few years ago. They ended up selling most of it. Only my younger brothers and one sister cared enough to keep some things. So, I always wear the necklace as a reminder. I only not wear them when I sleep. Sohma, huh? I have a cousin who is a Sohma.” Fai explained, causing Kagura to become emotional.
“I am so sorry.” Kagura apologized, holding her tears back.
“It’s ok. All that matters is that she’s no longer in pain.” Fai replied with a smile that made Kagura melt.
“How many brothers and sisters do you have? What about your dad?” Kagura questioned as they walked up and down the frozen food aisle.
“I have one older brother, one older sister, two younger brothers, and three younger sisters. However, I only talk to one of my younger sisters. My father was a mean drunk who slapped mom around for no real reason. He’s in prison for initiating a bar fight and killing two men there. He then proceeded to run out of the bar, get into a car that didn’t belong to him, drove away, injured eight people and killed three more after driving the car into a busy restaurant. And then my stepfather—the father left with his four children—the youngest four.” Fai answered.
“I’m sorry.” Kagura emotionally apologized for the umpteenth time. However, this time, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“Thank you, but it’s not your fault. I still keep in contact with my stepfather and younger sister. My younger brothers were big time mama’s boys. I mean, I guess so was I. But I wasn’t near as bad as those two.” Fai replied.
“Oh, shoot.” Kagura cried after seeing the time.
“What is it?” Fai questioned, concerned.
“I’m supposed to get ice cream and toppings for a slumber party with my family tonight. I’m supposed to be there in five minutes. Hold on, please.” Kagura explained, digging out her phone.
Kagura -> Hatsuharu:
I am soo sorry.
I’m going 2 b late.
I met a guy @ the grocery store & we got 2 talking.
I lost track of time.
I should b there within half an hour.
Plz let Tohru know.
Hatsuharu -> Kagura:
Sure.
Will let her know.
Kagura -> Hatsuharu:
Thank u!
Ur a lifesaver.
C u soon.
Hatsuharu -> Kagura:
Yep.
Have fun. 😊
& b safe.
Use condoms
😁😙😜😝
“Oohhh… He is so gonna get it.” Kagura couldn’t find the words to say as her face turned three shades of red.
“Boyfriend?” Fai questioned with a smile.
“No. God no. It’s just my cousin, Haru. He’s being stupid. I should probably get going before everyone starts wondering where I am.” Kagura answered before huffing a little.
“Oh, wait. You said you had a cousin in the Sohma family. Who is that? Maybe I know them.” Kagura questioned, remembering him saying something earlier.
“Yes. My cousin’s name is Jun.” Fai answered.
“Oh, him. Yeah, I know him. I mean…” “No, it’s fine. He can sometimes be a lot, but he usually always means well. Or, at least he does when it comes to family or those he cares about the most.” Fai interrupted Kagura’s rambling.
“Honestly, I think he’s a little creepy.” Kagura admitted, getting a few things of ice cream:
Chocolate
Vanilla
Strawberry
Mint Chocolate Chip
Rocky Road
“Hahaha. Yeah, he can be a little creepy. But everyone has their own little quirks. Wouldn’t you agree?” Fai replied, laughing a little.
“Yeah, I suppose.” Kagura replied, pushing her little cart to the front of the store to check out.
“Has he been mean to you?” Fai inquired, carrying his basket of junk food.
“No. He’s been a little cranky, but never mean—not to me anyway. I don’t know about the others.” Kagura answered.
“Hello. Did you find everything ok?” A cashier asked Kagura when she started putting everything on the conveyor belt.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Kagura replied.
“Well, that’s good. That means he likes you. Though, if he does ever get mad at you, he may just be having a bad day. As long as he’s nice to you the rest of the times you’re around him, you’ll know he doesn’t hate you.” Fai insisted as Kagura paid for her stuff.
“Did you find everything you needed?” The cashier questioned Fai.
“Yes. And more.” Fai replied with a smile.
“And what do I do if he does become mad at me?” Kagura questioned as Fai placed his stuff on the conveyor belt.
“If he likes you, Jun will rarely become angry with you. Also, I doubt you’ll see him as much as you think you will. After so long, once he gets to know you and anyone else he wants to get to know, you’ll rarely see him. You’ll most likely only see him on family occasions.” Fai explained with a smile.
“Good to know.” Kagura replied with a slight smile as Fai got his bags.
“Oh, wait. Take this.” Fai stopped Kagura from leaving, handing her a piece of paper with his information on it.
“What is it?” Kagura inquired, taking the piece of paper.
“My name and number. I’m hoping you’ll keep it and call me some time.” Fai answered, making Kagura blush.
“Thank you. Ummm… Hold on a second. Ummm… Can I borrow your pen?” Kagura requested, looking around.
“Sure. Do you need a piece of paper as well?” Fai questioned.
“Nope. Hold still, please. I hope you don’t mind.” Kagura replied, taking his arm.
“Not at all.” Fai replied as she wrote her name and number on his arm.
“So, I’ll see you around.” Kagura spoke, watching Fai.
“Oh, most certainly. Have a good night. Have fun at your slumber party.” Fai replied before they went their separate ways.
“That went well.” Gilly spoke, appearing next to Fai.
“What do you want, Gilly?” Fai demanded, annoyed.
“I’m just making sure all is going well. This has to be perfect for Chihiro and Sophia.” Gilly replied.
“Everything is fine. I know the plan. I also know it’s to help Hatori and Kazuma’s daughter, and the rest of us as well. I’m very well aware who we’re all meant to be with—that we’re all reincarnated.” Fai replied, walking away.
“And don’t you forget any of that.” Gilly warned Fai.
“And don’t you forget this: I’m also very well aware why you’re involved. I know Jun doesn’t know either. You’re just as conniving as he is. And who really knows what Jun knows or does not know. But a few of the others and I know exactly what you’re planning. So, don’t you dare threaten me because I will tell Jun or Chihiro what your end goal is.” Fai threatened Gilly, causing her to back off.
“You can’t just threaten me like that. I’ll go and tell them you’re misbehaving or something: Chihiro will erase your memories.” Gilly threatened Fai.
“Ha. Gilly, you’re only Jun’s most trusted assistant. I’m biologically related to him—just like the others. If he does anything to compromise our memories, it won’t end well—for anyone, including you. Think about that. You may be his most trusted assistant, but for how long will that last when he puts his family first no matter what? Chihiro is the only non-family member who is his family by choice. Well, him and Sophia. Besides, you don’t really believe you’re his only confidant, do you? He has more, and you know it. Goodnight, Gilly.” Fai firmly told Gilly, causing her to back down because she realized he was right. Fai was one of Jun’s biological family members that he cared about.
With that, Gilly transformed and took off into the night…