Lightning Crashes

Maybe it was the new-found Spring, but Aurora was in a great mood that morning.  The weather was mild, the sun was out, and there was a slight clean breeze in the air.  Aurora's hair was freely flowing around her as she went through the department store.  She use to love shopping, and now that it was close to time she could browse her normal sizes.  She hated the maternity clothes and would soon be done with them.  She could finally go back to wearing cute clothes.  Today wasn't too bad, a light green dress.

"Hey, do you like green on me?" she suddenly asked while filing through a rack of the same green blouse.  "It's Spring now right?  So I thought green for now, brighter colors later."  She wasn't necessarily expecting an answer from Mamouru, and just kept talking whether he answered or not.  "Oh, what do you want for lunch?" she suddenly added to the topic.  Her appetite surged into her thoughts.  She didn't just find her hunger, though.  It had always been there.  She just suddenly had a craving for something really sweet.  And salty.  And cheesy.  And melty.

Mamouru only grunted when Aurora began to speak. He had barely been paying attentio n to her. Really, he hadn't been paying much attention to much of anything lately. His thoughts had been consumed by the tiny baby growing inside of Aurora's big belly.

It still didn't seem real that he was going to be a father. Or that he was married or... anything... But now Aurora was going to burst at any moment and then what? He wasn't a very good boyfriend. He felt like he hadn't been a very good husband. He'd stayed with Aurora, of course,and it felt like the baby had brought them together in ways that he couldn't have imagined, even when they had dated before... but he didn't think he was ready for this. He still had a lot... to do...

"Green is a good color, Aurora-chan." Mamouru said finally, smiling at his wife. He had just told his mother about a month ago that he was married with a child on the way. At first the he thought she might kill him but then... all she had been doing lately was houding him about it... He had avoided Aurora's family, thankfully. And some of the other land mines he had placed in his life as well...

It was all too much...

Mamouru sighed. "Whatever you want, Aurora-chan." He said, taking her hand.

Aurora stopped for a moment as Mamouru took her hand. It didn't seem all that heartened, but it was something. Many months ago, when she had told him she was pregnant she made it clear there was zero obligation on him from her end. Yet here he was. And it wasn't even like the marriage was her idea, it was his, and although she had been a little apprehensive about it he was right. If they were going to raise a child together, they needed to be married.

But as happy as Aurora was about everything, there was always a cloud hanging over Mamouru. She could imagine why, but she had hoped over time it would fade. As he took her hand, Aurora squeezed it back. "Hey...everything alright?" she asked in the middle of the aisle.

"Huh?" Mamouru snapped out of his daze.

"Oh, yes." he bowed and smiled politely. "Of course, Aurora-chan." He didn't want to talk to her about his problems even though she was his wife. Although she wasn't totally responsible, she had been involved in them.

"I'm just not sure... about ... this..." He said and motioned to Aurora's bulging stomach. "I'm happy, of course, but it's... such an unknown thing. Who knows how it will change our lives. it's already affected us so much." He smiled again. "Please... don't think I have made a mistake. I am happy, really. I wasn't sure if we could be together, but we seem to be doing well and, I truly love you, Aurora-chan. You're going to be the mother of my child. If because of that and only that, you'll always be in my heart but... it's more than that. I've just got a lot on my mind. I didn't really want to tell anyone. I just wanted to have the child and..."

Mamouru sighed. "How are you doing? How is the baby doing?"

Aurora nodded along as Mamouru spoke. He was nervous about everything that was unraveling in his life. It was overwhelming at times. Less than a year ago, she was in the best shape of her life wrestling on the grand stage in front of millions of fans. Now, she was eating ice cream late at nights. She hated pickles, but the salt and vinegar chips seemed to be vanishing by the truck load around their home.

"I love you too," she said with a small smile. "And don't worry~" she tried to reassure him with another squeeze of the hand and pulling him in for a hug. "Things will work themselves out. You're never truly ready to have a kid but it happens anyway." She then pulled away. "And she and I are doing just fine." Part of her understood not wanting to tell anybody. She didn't want to deal with his family. And he didn't want to deal with hers. It seemed like a fair trade but...

"Who have you told about us? I admit I hadn't the heart to tell Talia that...well I told her I was pregnant and married but...you know."

Mamouru felt Aurora's big belly push into his stomach as they hugged. It felt a little reassuring. Whatever problems they had had before, her becoming the mother of his child smoothed things over quite a bit. He was sure she was always kind, but something seemed different. Better.

"My mother." Mamouru said simply. "If I didn't tell her, then our child would have no father to raise them. I'd be dead for sure." He said, smiling. "And Junichi-kuna as well. So, most likely the rest of my family knows." He said, specifically referring to Taylor and not to his uncle or cousin.

he then turned away. "I don't know who else knows after telling them. I haven't told my father." He said with a sneer on his face. "I'd like to think finding out he is going to be a grandfather might make him happy." He started to say. "But, I really could care less. I'm sure my mother will feel obligated to tell him. Maybe he'll even call or show up. I don't really care."

Mamouru turned and looked at Aurora. "I'm sorry that things are bad between your sister and I. I wish I could make things right... for your sake. However, I don't think I can ever forgive her. I hope that you don't hold it against me too much." It was probably the only thing stopping them from truly being one and it was a point of contention Mamouru wasn't willing to cede yet.

Aurora's smile slowly shifted. From Johnny...to his father...and finally to Talia, Mamouru seemed entirely apprehensive about what the others thought. That shouldn't have mattered, but it really did. The last thing their child needed was to grow up in an environment of people constantly arguing with each other, obviously or subtly. She looked away from him after the last bit about her sister. "I know...but...okay." She wanted to tell herself it was just the time Talia hit him in the back of the head with a pipe. Then she could imagine he was just being petty and move on from that train of thought to something else.

But it wasn't just that. And the fact that it still bothered Mamouru made her bite her lip and start to walk away. At first she didn't say anything as if giving him the cold shoulder. But eventually she did turn and wave for him to follow. "Come on, let's get lunch-" she started to say before something stopped her. She looked down under her dress at the ground where there was now a small puddle. She had never felt it before, but instinctively she knew what it meant. "Mamouru..." she muttered as if it wasn't obvious what was happening. "I-it's time!"

Mamouru frowned as Aurora walked away. The cold shoulder was the least he deserved and he accepted it. But then she turned around and..

"What?" He said, almost dumbfounded before his heart began to race. "Shimata!" He cursed and instantly began to take out his phone. He grabbed Aurora's hand and began to lead her towards the door as he rapidly began to speak Japanese into his phone while trying to motion at some of the clerks to help him out. His tone was hard and he looked like he was panicking. They didn't even have their things ready and they just had to go!

Mamouru was taking deep breaths in between his rushed Japanese while he tugged Aurora on.

"Hang in there," one of the nurses calmly said to the cringing, groaning, nearly frantic Aurora.  They were moving her to the delivery room as the time had come.  "Breaaaath," she added, which caused Aurora to snap, "I AM breathing!" back at her.  The nurse was a professional, though, and didn't pay any mind to it.  "Where's Mamouru, get Mamouru!" she called frantically, unaware if he was even already next to her.

Mamouru was in scrubs, standing right next to Aurora, holding her hand tightly and trying to stay out of the way of the nurses. He was sweating as he stared down at his wife. She looked like she was in so much pain. It was making him shake on the inside.

His heart was beating rapidly and he just kept thinking over and over that everything must go perfectly.

"I'm here, Aurora-chan. I'm here. You're doing great. You're doing great." He repeated and reached out to brush a lock of hair from her face. "Just think." He smiled under his mask. "Soon we'll be parents..." Even he couldn't believe it!