• CHAPTER 168 - A SURPRISE WORTH WAITING FOR

    It's been forever. It's nice to see a familiar face or two again.

    When the ride back home wasn't even half over, I ended up falling asleep in the car. I was so exhausted; the stress was still getting to me, even though I had managed to cheer myself up a little more. Perhaps the side effects were just a tad late for me. While I was sleeping, my right hand was linked with Kai's left hand and we kept it that way. I felt as though I had to be in constant skin contact with Kai; I hated seeing him wince in pain whenever I would touch him.

    "Arisa," I felt Kai nudge me after he called my name softly. "Arisa, we're almost home."

    Home. That was a word I loved to hear him say. I loved hearing that I had my own home--two of them, really--since my parents died. I thought I never would anymore. As we were approaching our house, I spotted a taxi in the driveway. I looked over at Kai with a puzzled expression.

    "Why is there a taxi in our driveway?" I frowned. "We live in the middle of nowhere."

    Kai never answered; instead, he pulled into the driveway next to the taxi. I saw two silhouettes and a smaller silhouette exit out the other side of the taxi. The taxi backed away and drove off to reveal Miku, Takeuchi and little Toshihiro standing on the driveway. I squealed, barged out of the car and attacked Takeuchi with a hug. He swung me around while laughing and I turned to give Miku a tight embrace as well.

    "You guys are here!" I exclaimed.

    "Matsuda and Orihime bought us tickets to come back for another month or two," Takeuchi smiled while Miku handed Toshihiro to me. "We wanted to surprise you."

    "You did a good job," I grinned. "I was just thinking of you guys."

    "It's also a better place for me to be since the full moon is coming soon," Takeuchi stretched. "It's more spacious here."

    Miku smiled at me, "Toshihiro missed you,"

    I bounced Toshihiro on my hip, "You're growing too fast," I smiled. I turned around to face Kai. "Kai, did you know about this?"

    Kai nodded with a small smile, "Everything. They've been planning it for a couple of weeks."

    "So I'm told you and Kai did the deed?" Takeuchi barged in.

    The atmosphere fell silent until my face flushed to a dark red. Takeuchi burst into laughter and cheering as Miku tried to hold in her laughter from Takeuchi's laughter. I looked at Toshihiro and he merely stared at me blankly, chewing on his fingers of his right hand.

    "I thought the day would never come," Takeuchi pat my head. "I was border-line ready to make a documentation about you."

    "You know, teenage sex isn't the epitome of your life," I beamed at him. "There are forty-year-old virgins out there." Of which I would have been one of them, had I never met Kai.

    "Shall we go inside?" Kai invited, trying to change the subject.

    "Indeed," Takeuchi grinned and pat my head again.

    We entered the house with me oogling over Toshihiro and nuzzling my nose to his. He giggled and his eyes shifted from a dark navy to a bright green. I love Toshihiro so much; he was adorable and loveable. Every time I would hold him, I would want to run off with him.

    "Soon enough, maybe you and Kai will be ready to start making your own little Toshihiro's," Takeuchi boomed in laughter. "Not that you haven't already started!"

    "We're not up for kids yet," I laughed, rubbing my cheek against Toshihiro's fuzzy head. "I'll stick with Toshihiro for now."

    We went into the living room and everybody sat on a chair or a couch except for me. I sat on the ground cross-legged with Toshihiro plopped in front of me and I was seated between Kai's legs, leaning against the couch. Toshihiro reached for the thing nearest him--in his case, a candle from the end table--and was about to much on it until I swiped it from him. Candle wax wouldn't kill him, but it sure as Hell would taste nasty for him.

    "He chews on everything" Miku frowned. "He's too much like Takeuchi."

    "So how long has it been since you two committed the impossible?" Takeuchi grinned, trying to hold back his laughter.

    My face turned red again and I glared down at the ground, "Three weeks,"

    "Kira told me he walked in on you two today," Takeuchi raised an eyebrow.

    "We weren't doing anything!" I panicked. "I-Kai was giving me a massage." That was probably the wrong thing to say to somebody like Takeuchi.

    Miku elbowed Takeuchi in the kidney, "It's nice to know you two finally committed to each other," Miku smiled. "I thought you were waiting until marriage, though."

    I froze where I was; Miku and Takeuchi didn't know the contract was taking over, did they? I bit my lip and looked away, completely confused as to what to say. Kai gripped my shoulders gently and took over for me, "Engagement is plenty,"

    After we conversed for several more minutes, I dismissed myself to start dinner--Kai suggested to help me but I opted to do it myself. I handed Toshihiro to Kai and went into the kitchen with a grin on my face; I was so happy that Miku and Takeuchi were back for another month or two. Would they be staying with Kai and me or with Matsuda and Orihime? Probably Matsuda and Orihime; they knew how much Kai and I needed our privacy now.

    I looked into the living room as I was preparing the dinner and my heart simply melted; Kai was willingly playing with Toshihiro, sitting him up and pretending that Toshihiro was hitting himself. Miku barked at Kai for doing such a thing but Takeuchi merely laughed. Kai really was good with kids; he probably learned to adjust when Ai came into the house. He said he had always avoided kids...but he didn't seem to mind them much so more. He would be a great father if he ever had kids.

    "Make me a sandwich, woman!" Takeuchi shouted at me.

    I frowned at him and grabbed the Febreeze, spraying the back of his head. He hacked and sneezed repeatedly, covering his mouth. I laughed triumphantly, "Eat it, mutt,"

    "I smell pretty!" Takeuchi grinned and pressed his head against Miku's face. "Smell me!"

    "And you call yourself a dad," Miku hissed.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    "I loved having you guys over," I smiled and embraced Miku tightly. "I missed you guys so much."

    "We're so happy to be back," Miku chirped. "Toshihiro missed you more than we did."

    Takeuchi handed Toshihiro to me and I snuggled with him, giggling. Toshihiro giggled as well and clapped his hands together. He was only three months old and he was already learning a lot. I handed Toshihiro to Miku and I embraced Takeuchi, who of which picked me up once more.

    "I missed you!" he held me a little too tight. "I missed you more than my own kid!"

    "Ow," I winced and Takeuchi put me down. "When will I see you guys next?"

    "Whenever you want to, of course," Miku laughed. "We'll be with Matsuda and Orihime."

    "We better get going so you two can get to business," Takeuchi winked and nudged Kai with his elbow, grinning.

    "Farewell," Kai pushed Takeuchi out the door and Miku left as well, entering the taxi that came back for them.

    As soon as the taxi left, Kai scooped me into his arms from behind and kissed my neck. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his torso as he kissed my cheek. Kai laid me on the couch and slipped one hand up my shirt and I pulled his hand out as he kissed me.

    "I need to clean up dinner," I rejected him. "And I'm not in the mood."

    Kai chuckled, "Not surprising,"

    "I would love to, but I'm tired," I sighed. "I need a vacation."

    "Done," Kai declared.

    I furrowed my eyebrows together, "What do you mean?"

    "I'll arrange something with Matsuda and Orihime," he sat up. "They have a vacation home in the mountains up north; we could vacate there for a week."

    I blinked a few times, "They have a second home?" I was never told.

    Kai nodded, "They built it about five years ago. They haven't used it much."

    I smiled and locked my arms around his neck, "That sounds great,"

    "We can leave in another week," he suggested, "so you can rest up and get better."

    I sighed lovingly and leaned against Kai's torso. A vacation; it sounded wonderful. And in the mountains, no less, but how far up the mountains? And I never knew Matsuda and Orihime had a second home; they had never been gone the whole time I had been with the family. It would really help me to unwind and give Kai and me the privacy we needed. Not that we truly needed any more than our own home.

    "I'm so glad Takeuchi and Miku are back," I smiled. "And Toshihiro."

    "You hold Toshihiro as though he were your own," he smiled back at me. "You're obsessed with that child."

    There was one question in particular that was buzzing through my head like mad; did Takeuchi and Miku know about the activation of the contract, or would they ever know?