Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life Part 3

“WHAT! You can’t be serious Yukina!” Mr. Amagi was completely flabbergasted at his wife’s suggestion. “I am dead serious. I think Yu’s abilities aren’t up for debate anymore. I think it’s time to see if he’ll be able to make the adjustment to living here.” Mr. Amagi tried to speak up but Yukina pressed her index finger against his lips to stop him. “Don’t worry, it will be on an entirely trial basis of course. He can stay in the empty room next to the closet where we keep extra folding tables, on the south side.” There was more to it then just seeing how he adjusted of course, but she couldn’t let Yu know what she hoped to learn from this next experiment.

This calmed Mr. Amagi down a bit. That room was basically on the opposite side of the Inn from where they all stayed. The more distance between him and his little princess the better! He had to admit, Yu had been growing on him, but he couldn’t help but imagine, with Yu and Yukiko living under the same roof, that the boy would try something eventually. He would need to keep his eye on him 24/7! He didn’t yet realize he would have to keep his eye on his daughter.

“Mother please! That room is far too small.” Yukiko’s face beamed. She showed nothing but excitement at the thought of Yu moving in. It was one more step toward their goal. She already knew once he moved in, he was never moving out.

“You know…” Yukiko’s face grew flushed and she began shifting her weight around in her seat. Her more prominent behind not only started to bulge through the gaps in the wooden chair’s backrest, but also an inch or two of flesh had begun to creep over its sides. She began to nervously push her two index fingers together. “My room has lots of space, I wouldn’t mind him moving in with me…it would be like another test!” Both parents were surprised at their daughter's boldness, was it the hormones talking? “You know that is not going to happen,” her mother chuckled.

“But we can sleep in separate beds!” Yukiko pleaded, “And besides even if something did happen it’s not like it wouldn’t be anything we haven’t done before...” Mr. Amagi threw himself to the floor thinking about it. Yukina gasped, “Young lady! You're going to give your father a heart attack speaking like that.” Yukiko quickly apologized, “But I mean, we do have a few bigger rooms that aren’t so far away available, don’t we?”

Mr. Amagi pulled himself off the floor, “ABSOLUTLY NOT!”

Yu, who had been silent the whole time, place his arm on Yukiko shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m sure the room will be more than enough.” Yukiko’s pout slowly shifted to a smile, it may not be exactly what she expected but it was a start. Yu turned to Yukina and gave her a stern nod and said he could be ready to move in by tomorrow. Yukina quickly agreed, the sooner they could get past this the better.

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Everything Yu had brought with him to Inaba already fit in a suitcase before, and anything that he had acquired since then could easily be placed in the other one that Dojima had lent him, so packing took no time at all.

“Things aren’t going to be the same without you around,” Dojima lamented. Yu could only laugh, “Just imagine how you'd feel if I was going back home instead of just across town.” Dojima laughed as well, “Yeah, I guess your right.” He grew a little more serious, “They’re treating you right over there....right?” Yu nodded, “Yeah, they really put me through the wringer, but I understand why they pushed me so hard. Now that I’ve proven myself they have let up a bit. I even got some days off now which means I can come visit you guys.”

“Nanako will like that, she has been wondering why she hasn’t seen you around much with all the work you've been doing.” Yu added, “And hey, you two are always welcome to come visit me as well. Or even stay a night. I can’t give you a discount but I’m sure Yukiko could pull some strings.”

“A spring visit doesn’t sound too bad actually, my shoulder is still a little stiff from the accident. You told your mother right?” Yu gave a half nod, “I couldn’t get a hold of her, so I left a message.”

Dojima took a sip of coffee. “Yeah, that’s about the best you can do sometimes.”

It was a weird kind of goodbye to say the least. Like Yu said, he was only moving a few blocks away. In fact he would probably be back tomorrow to drop off the suitcase he borrowed. Nanako was still a little sad to see Yu all packed up, but she understood why he was leaving. “Living together is what married people do right?”

Dojima almost choked, “Married? Where did you get that idea?” Nanako grinned, “Big bro told me him and Yukiko were getting married and that she would be my big sister!” Dojima shot Yu a sideways glance, “I mean, I guess with a baby on the way it’s what the Amagi’s would eventually want, but isn’t it still a little early to be talking about that?” Nanako’s eyes went wide and with a loud gasp she shouted, “You guys are having a baby?”

Nanako wasn’t the only one learning about Yu and Yukiko’s coming child. The Amagai’s had informed the principal of Yasogami High about Yukiko’s condition in case there had been some kind of emergency, and with them being such an important family to the town, he had agreed to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. However, teachers were beginning to talk, and after consulting with her parents, he was given the o.k. to inform the other staff. They were all shocked to say the least. Yukiko was such a good student, to think she would go and do something like that!

Some of the teachers asked who the father was and the principal said he hadn’t been given that information because such a fact was deemed unnecessary to know. This didn’t stop some of the teachers from gossiping about it. Noriko Kashiwagi had her suspicions after remembering seeing a certain new hire at the Inn recently.

The teachers were sworn to secrecy, but it was unneeded. That next day, word got out regardless. At first, students thought Yukiko was simply getting lax in her dieting. Many girls found relief that the “most beautiful girl in school,” was getting a bit pudgy and were hoping that the same would soon happen to Risette as well. However, people began to notice that Yukiko’s growing potbelly didn’t hang like a potbelly should, and it didn’t bounce like one should either. As Yukiko made her way to class that day she was stopped by a small group. One especially brave girl stepped forward and came straight out with it.

“Amagi, your pregnant, aren’t you?”

“You guys! Hey, knock it off!” Chie shouted.
Yukiko was caught off guard by such a direct question. Her face grew beet red and she began stroking her bump. “Wha-What makes you say that…”

This was all the girls needed, her manner of speech and demeanor said it all. The group of girls began to giggle and took off down the hall. “OH MY GOD YOU GUYS…”

Chie almost ran after the group but stayed to comfort Yukiko. “It’s okay,” she said, putting on a brave face, “They would have found out sooner or later…”

Word spread around the school fast, and by lunchtime everyone knew. Whenever she was asked who the father was she would refuse to answer. She didn’t want Yu’s name dragged through the mud. He had enough things to worry about. It’s was least she could do for him.

Many of the shallow boys who had shied away from Yukiko because of her supposed weight gain were now upset because it wasn’t that the girl had let herself go, it was someone else had already gotten to her first.

“Who is the lucky bastard!”

“Damn it, I already laid out the rest of our lives together. My plan is ruined! This is some sort of trick, right?”

“I heard it was one of the teachers.”

“I’m going to kill whoever it was!”

“It’s probably someone rich, us normal guys never had a chance.”

“King Moron is probably rolling in his grave.”

“It’s a lie devised by someone who she turned down to get back at her! Amagi is pure!”

“Is Risette still available?”

The girl’s reaction ranged from support to outright cruelty.

“I thought she looked happier than usual.”

“I wonder who her prince charming is?”

“Do you think it’s a boy or girl?”

“It sounds so romantic!”

“It’s about time the boys move on from her.”

“She is already losing that prefect body already!”

“It’s always the quiet and polite types.”

“I saw her with like, three guys”

“Slut.”

“What about you Ebihara, total skank right,” a group of girls asked Ai as she walked by. “Hmph! Who cares, don’t you all have something better to do than to sit around gossiping like idiots?” The cluster of girls were surprised by Ai’s reaction, usually she would be all over something like this. It was true, she could be a bit of a “bitch” sometimes, and she didn’t particularly like Yukiko either, but she had a very good idea of who the father was. She had fallen for Yu Narukami, but after confessing to him, he revealed he was seeing another girl who she was able to quickly deduce was Yukiko. She still considered him a friend, so even if he had broken her heart, she couldn’t bring herself to talk bad about him or his “baby mama” either.

As luck would have it, Yu was approaching her from the other direction. As he stopped to wave at her, he only got one of her annoyed faces in response. However, as she passed, she whispered, “You better do something quick.”

Yu turned to her as she kept walking, noticing a small smile form on the girl’s face as she turned the corner. Yu was thinking the same thing. All day Yukiko was the subject of many foul rumors. She was bearing the brunt of it all and he couldn’t stand it. He was going to set the record straight.

A group of people were waiting outside Yukiko’s classroom when school ended. “Hey Amagi! Your looking bloated. Big lunch today?” One of the girls snarled. Chie stepped in front of her friend to defend her. “How much make-up did you put on today Okada? Looking to join the circus?” Another girl spoke up, “Hey! Maybe Satonaka is the father. She can certainly pass for a boy with that haircut.”

“Why you…” Chie got into an attack stance when Yukiko suddenly shouted it, “Knock it off. Leave her alone!”

“We’ll leave once we get the answers we want. Who’s the father? We all want to know.”
Yukiko’s eyes turned to the floor, “I can’t tell you that…”
Another one spoke up from the back, “Maybe she doesn’t even know who the father is!”

Yukiko was starting to get angry. It was none of their business! Clenching her fists, she was about to give the group a piece of her mind before she felt herself being pulled back off her feet and into a passionate kiss by Yu. She didn’t try to resist despite where they were, she couldn’t! Her body felt like it was made of jelly. She could just melt in his arms. After what seemed like forever the two parted, “Thanks for waiting up, are you ready to go home?”

The group fell silent, completely dumbstruck at what they just saw. It was abundantly clear who the father was now. “There! You all happy now?” Yosuke said while shaking his head in disgust. “S-sorry Narukami, Amagi….” the leader of the group sputtered out. Narukami was pretty popular with many of thre ladies, so having him see them act that way was a huge blow. The group began to disperse, not only out of shame, but also out of embarrassment at seeing such an intimate display. Yu paid no mind to the whispering going on around him. He wrapped his arm around Yukiko’s waist and pulled her close.

Yukiko gripped onto him tightly. She had completely forgotten about what had just happened with the other students. There was only one thing on her mind. Getting flustered, she replayed Yu’s words in her head over and over again. “Home” he said. Her home was now one they shared.

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It was difficult to think that way after the first night there though. He was allowed to sit at the Amagi's table but "only for tonight," as her mother put it. "You will take your meals with the rest of the staff. You may eat together at school. The same goes for fraternization." The two teenagers nodded knowing that it would be no use arguing. They were surprised when her mother gave off a small smile. "Yu, you may continue giving our daughter cooking lessons although I ask that you limit them to twice a week." What was even more surprising was that her father nodded. "Just...try and keep it professional," was all he said. They were so grateful for the small boon that they happily agreed. Quick little smooches and caresses could be done at school. Yukina turned to her husband. "Cover your ears, dear." He did so and made sure to shut his eyes as well.

"Now to the issue of the separate rooms. We can't have servants patrolling every part of the hall the entire evening so you might be tempted to think you can sneak around for a late night rendezvous." Yukiko looked especially guilty at this charge, Mrs. Amagi noticed. "Know this. Yu, if you're found sneaking into our daughter's room it will result in the immediate termination of your employment here." Yu voiced his understanding but he hadn't had any plans to do so anyway. As frustrated in multiple ways as he was, he wouldn't risk everything they'd been building together for that.

"Is this understood?" They nodded their heads although neither was satisfied with the arrangement. She tapped her husband on the shoulder. "Is it over?"

"Yes, we're done discussing what will happen if Yu and our daughter are caught in her bed together."

Fuyuhiko covered his ears immediately and cried out in distress. "You did that on purpose!" Yukina giggled happily which made even the two children crack smiles. Looking at them analytically she had to wonder if they'd exploit her loophole.

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Yukiko fell back on to her bedding with an exhausted sigh. This was starting to become a problem and it was only going to get worse now that they were actually living together no matter how spread out their rooms were. What she had sworn would be a one time thing, she had now just finished for a second time. Thinking about the way he swept her off her feet and declared in front of everyone that he was the father of her child was bad enough but then what had happened after sent her into a state of utter bliss all over again.

"T-thanks for saving me, but everyone knows you're the father now." She had let the statement hang in the air for a little bit to confirm it to herself. Everybody knew. "That never bothered me. I'd shout it from the rooftops if I could. In fact..." he grabbed her by the hand and ran up to the roof of the school with her while Yukiko couldn't stop herself from laughing and giggling with joy.

"Yukiko Amagi and Yu Narukami are having a child together!" They both shouted as loudly as they could. They lay out on their backs until Yukiko rolled over on to Yu's chest and began to kiss him. Luckily there friends followed after them and were able to interrupt before things went too far. Several hours later, Yukiko played the memory over and over again in her head along with many others just to reign herself in a little bit. It just wasn't fair. Surely, her mother knew how torturous this was. Sighing she decided to count her blessings. Yu was putting all of his effort that he normally split across the whole town entirely towards their future allowing him to skip right to his next step of training in only three weeks.

He was doing this all for them. For the sake of their family. He was working so hard. Darn it she was getting turned on AGAIN. Sighing, she slipped her hand between her legs once more. Hopefully she'd tire herself out this time.

At least they could indulge a little bit at school. With the identity of the father spreading like wildfire, no one directly confronted Yukiko again. Even whispering and gossip was kept to a minimum. This was a bizarre situation to be sure. There had been teen pregnancies before but usually the father would flake out and leave his baby mama to bear the brunt of the scorn and judgment. Not so here. The two were happily chatting like the best of friends right now before class started. It seemed less like a mistake to be mocked and more like a joyous event that they had planned for. In addition, Yu had requested a temporary leave of absence from his clubs and word was spreading about his employment at the Amagi Inn. It made some people want to cheer them on, it was like something straight out of a manga.

The intimate cuddly display that had silenced the group of girls was a regular occurrence for their classmates albeit slightly toned down. Right now they were nuzzling their noses together after Yukiko made a comment about her upcoming ultrasound. "Then when we know the gender, I can take up sewing again. Kanji's a great friend but it feels like cheating." Yu had called her precious and here they were.

Several of the students looked away with hot cheeks hoping Kashiwagi would show up soon. "Hey hubby."

"Yes Yuki."

"I was thinking we could start playing up our affection until the gossip stops."

Chie almost choked on her meat gum. She thought that's what they were doing already. Eventually, she and Yosuke were able to convince them that what they were doing was more than enough.

The memory of that day made Yukiko sigh in delight. They woke up together, had breakfast together, and then walked to school together for a certain value of "together." She longed for the day when they could finally greet the morning side by side

"Yukiko."

And she could finally satisfy this itch that had been-

"Yukiko!"

"What!?" She snarled with annoyance.

Chie held her hands up in a defensive motion. "Woah easy there girly. Don't take my head off!" Yukiko sighed. "Sorry Chie, it's just...oh I've just been so frustrated lately."

"Yeah, all those scum talking behind your back would get me wound up too." The girl nodded slowly trying to hide her blush. That wasn't quite right. "That's no excuse to snap at you though! Oh I'm sorry Chie. C'mere." The girl was shocked to find herself pulled into a deep hug. "I need to work on my temper. If I did that to the little one...oh I just can't bear to think about it." Chie awkwardly stroked Yukiko's back and assured her it was fine but the raven haired girl shook her head. "No it's not fine." After a moment of deliberation she nodded to herself and broke the hug. "What did you want to tell me Chie?"

The martial artist awkwardly shuffled from side to side. That hug made her feel all weird. She wasn't use to Yukiko being so huggy. Regaining her composure, she told her friend that the gym teacher had sent for her to talk about the future. The pregnant girl struggled to stand up for a second before quickly going on her way, making sure to thank her friend for her help. She walked off normally but Chie couldn't help but wonder just how long it would be until that turned into a waddle.

As Yukiko made her way through the halls, she passed by a group of girls who snickered a bit. "Moooooo." Yukiko did her best to ignore them which pissed them off even more. "Look at Ms. 'I got pregnant in high school' acting so high class, it makes my blood boil, right Ebihara?"

Ai sighed. What bothered her the most was that she knew if it wasn't for Yu's intervention she'd be joining right in. Whenever she got annoyed, she tended to act boldly and without thinking. "Hey Amagi!" She shouted loud enough for the entire hall to hear her. It was enough to make Yukiko turn around and the girls surrounding Ai started to snicker. This should be good.

"Y-yes?" Yukiko had never really spoken to Ai before but she had heard quite a few nasty rumors. Yu had vouched for her and she'd seen the two hang out but sometimes girls would treat guys nicer than they'd treat other girls. The events of a few days ago was proof enough of that. Plus Yukiko didn't like the way she was sneering at her, it made her feel like a juicy slab of meat. "Isn't it weird..." Ai couldn't hide the smirk on her face as she circled around Yukiko slowly. The mother to be wrapped her arms around her belly protectively. "I-isn't it weird what?" Her posse was still snickering, they couldn't get away with doing this, but Ai certainly could. Her family had just as much pull if not more so than the Amagi's. Ai grinned wolfishly. "Isn't it weird that we've never hung out?"

The shocked reaction of everyone who had been expecting some sort of cat fight was worth the wait in Ai's eyes. Yukiko looked surprised as well. "W-what?" Ai chuckled to herself. "Yeah, I mean we're both heiresses, we're both friends with Yu, we're in the same grade level. Why not, right?"

Now it was Ai's turn to be surprised. After a mere moment of deliberation, Yukiko clapped her hands together happily. "That sounds wonderful. I would love to. Oh but I have to work today. Here I'll give you my number!" Ai was honestly taken aback. She knew Yukiko had been getting more outgoing but she hadn't expected this. Watching the girl try to put her number into Ai's phone, made the blonde wonder why she had ever disliked Amagi in the first place. She put the other girl's number into her own phone. Questions for later.

"S-so I guess you can call me whenever you're free." Yukiko gave a thumbs up. "It's a date! Oh you can call me Yukiko if you'd like. I don't mind. I have to go now but I'm sure we'll have fun!" The girl happily sauntered off with extra pep in her step. Ai turned to the bewildered students. "What? You have a problem with a girl talking to her friend? Get lost."

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Yu's days had become much more calming now that he was under the supervision of Mrs. Amagi. His tasks were now geared towards the grace of an attendant over the working his fingers to the bone that Mr. Amagi preferred. They still ended up taking the same amount of time even though there was technically less to do. Trailing the rock garden, learning proper massage technique and trimming the bushes all required a degree of finesse that one would not have unless they were patient and deliberate. On slower days when customers were scarce, she'd watch him the entire time. She hadn't seen him even attempt to rush through a task. It seemed his claims of this being more important than anything else were quite true.

Right now, he was setting a tea cup in front of her. Yukiko had kept her word of helping him whenever she could and had went over the process months ago leading to quite an excellent "first attempt." But Yukina looked troubled.

"Your tea is...clouded. It means your heart is in turmoil and coated in doubt. What troubles you?" When she saw Yu's completely blank expression she just sighed. "You're really no fun. Not even a twitch of surprise." Yu just shrugged. "My heart is clear, Mrs. Amagi." She bade him to have a seat which surprised him. "I wanted to have a brief discussion about your parents. When should we be expecting a visit from them? Almost a month and absolutely no contact."

"They're hoping I'll change my mind on my own but their business in America should be finished by April so I'd say then. They'll most likely call me first but I'll be sure to inform you right away."

"I can see by your work today that you obviously haven't changed your mind. Your parents must be quiet upset." She peered at him over her tea cup carefully. Yu knew she was observing him for something but he wasn't quite sure what. This was the first time she'd ever really tried to talk to him without her husband there as a buffer.

"My father is furious but I don't think my mother's capable of getting angry. I don't think I've ever heard her raise her voice." Yu laughed a bit as Yukina stayed perfectly neutral. "I'm sure he would be, you did go against their plans for you after all. You can't begrudge them for that." The boy sighed which surprised her.

"I know. I was hoping to have a proper discussion about settling down in Inaba but things didn't go as planned." For the first time in this conversation, Yukina was surprised. Yu felt bad for thinking it but he could see why she tried to remain neutral. When she got startled by something, she looked even more delicate than usual. It wasn't conductive to the silk hiding steel look she was going for. "Are you okay ma'am?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine it's just...I was surprised to hear such a response." No complaining about a stifling destiny, no pleading with her, just a simple admission of error. If he was conning them, he was quite good. "I regret the way I handled our last conversation. I rose to his bait and got emotional. Next time, I'll handle it more maturely." Yukina stifled a laugh. "It's hard to imagine you getting upset. Whatever could he have said?"

Yukina knew it was a bit of an intrusive question but if he really was serious about wanting to be a family, he really shouldn't keep things like that hidden she reasoned to herself. His thought process was similar and he eventually answered. "He kept insisting that the only reason I wanted to stay was to spite him." It was quick, but Yu caught the slightly guilty shift of Yukina's eyes and sighed. "Oh. You too huh?"

The woman didn't know how to react to someone seeing through her neutral mask like that. All her preplanned questions were forgotten. "W-well that's not entirely the case, but it was definitely a concern." But Yu held up a hand. He wasn't angry but he did seem a little sad.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'd assure you that wasn't that case but that wouldn't really help, would it?" Seeing that she was waiting for him to continue, he did so. "Your husband told me a bit about your own relationship. I'm sure you got the same accusation leveled at you." Yukina winced as though she were struck, she almost dropped her tea cup. She remembered trying to convince her own parents and how frustrated she was they wouldn't just believe her. How she truly loved Fuyuhiko and wasn't just doing this to get out of some arranged marriage. It was the most distraught she'd ever been to have her feelings reduced like that. Was that what she was putting these kids through? Yu saw how troubled she was and immediately apologized but she just shook her head.

"No, you're absolutely right." The two sat in silence for a long time until Yukina spoke up. "I've never been very good at making friends. Fuyuhiko's always been the one who the everyone likes." She felt Yu place a hand on her hand. "I like you Mrs. Amagi." They both fell into a minor fit of laughter from the goofiness of the gesture. "You really are a nice boy. I wish I could trust you, I really wish I could."

"You will, in time. I'll prove to you my love for Yukiko is the real thing, mother."

"Eheheheh. You sound so confidant. It's almost enough to convince me already."

The two spent a little while just chatting long after the tea had run out. Bit by bit he was getting through her armor. She'd probably end up giving in no matter what but she hoped the little plan she had brewing would solve everyone's problems. Plus, it would be hilarious.

The two chatted for so long that before they both knew it, it was dinner time. Mr. Amagi had rushed from door to door looking for her when she didn’t turn up, afraid she had one of her “bouts of fatigue.” Yukina assured her husband she was fine, “I’m sorry darling, I just lost track of time, I’ll be right there.” Even though she felt fine, Mr. Amagi helped her out of her seat anyway. “Once you clean up here Yu, you better hurry to the staff lounge, you don’t want your dinner getting cold.” Yu gave her a nod and began to pick up their tea cups, but as Yukina moved to leave, her husband stopped her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something dear?” Mr. Amagi gestured over to Yu with his head. It took her a moment to realize what he was getting at, but once she got it her look of puzzlement turned to one of warmth. “Of course, how silly of me…”

Yu was surprised when he turned back around to see the two Amagi’s still in the room, heads hung low in a bow. After what seemed like forever, the two raised themselves back up and smiled. “We heard what you did for our daughter at school. We would have said something earlier, but we wanted to make sure we expressed our gratitude together.” Yu really didn’t know how to respond, scratching his cheek he stutter out, “It was nothing.”

“Oh please, we know how you children can be. I was a high school girl myself once. It had to have been hard to throw yourself out there in front of your peers and put your reputation at stake.” After processing Mrs. Amagi’s words for a moment, Yu shook his head, “It wasn’t hard at all, much easier than having to watch Yukiko bear it alone.” Yukina’s eyes widened for a moment before she settled down back into a gentle smile. “Right answer,” she thought to herself.

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After a few more moments, Mr. Amagi’s feelings of indebtedness began to fade. “Still though, how could you do such an intimate thing in public? And to my little girl too? The way I see it, you probably embarrassed her even more with such a display! She probably had everything perfectly handled herself. Why, I saAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY…” Yukina pulled her husband by the ear out of the room, “Come along dear, with the way Yukiko is eating now, if we leave her alone any longer there might not be anything left.” Yu chuckled at the thought of that, and after putting away the rest of the tea, went to have his own supper.

Second period the next day was one of the hardest class periods to sit through. Noriko Kashiwagi was at it again. As the biology teacher, she decided to skip the next few units and dive right into the unit on reproduction, human reproduction in particular. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. It was normal for students to not really learn anything of value during her lectures, but this was something else. Instead of focusing on the actual science and mechanisms of human reproduction, Kashiwagi was more concerned about certain other aspects, and didn’t hesitate to call on Yukiko as the “class expert.”

“That must have been so awful and disgusting for you. Feeling sick every mourning and puking your guts out,” Kashiwagi said with feigned concern. She was really enjoying this. "Little girls" like Yukiko or that famous idol were able to distract men from beautiful, mature, and more deserving women like herself because of their youth and petite bodies. It was satisfying to see being such a tease backfire on one of them. Yukiko had already begun to pork up! It wouldn’t be long before all the other boys realized their mistake in giving their affections to her, Narukami included!

Kashiwagi continued the lesson, “Our dear Amagi was most likely feeling sick because of an increase in hormones like gonadotropin, progesterone…”

Yu tapped his foot anxiously. He knew what Kashiwagi was doing and he hated it. He watched Yukiko intently. He didn’t want to embarrass Yukiko any more than Kashiwagi already was by making a scene, but if she gave a single glance his way he would come to her aid. By the way Chie nodded at him, she was waiting to join in as well.

“Of course, You can imagine the energy demands of all this, so the mother’s appetite increases to compensate. Speaking of which, that reminds me, Ms. Amagi, your uniform is looking rather tight, I think you should see about getting a size bigger or three,” Kashiwagi said with a smirk.

“Yes. Ma’am,” was all Yukiko could squeeze out. She looked down at her desk, her face red from feeling the entire class staring at her. All these side comments were getting a little much for even Yukiko to bear. Kashiwagi refused to let up. “How much more would you say you’ve been eating Ms. Amagi? I think it will give the class a good idea of what I'm talking about.” Yukiko was stunned at such an upfront question, Kashiwagi was really starting to get on her nerves. She even found herself wishing Mr. Morooka was still around. At least his criticisms wouldn’t be entirely centered around her body.

“I mean I noticed I’ve been eating a little more, but I don’t know if that would really help know-…” Kashiwagi didn’t let her finish, “Don’t worry, I’ll do you a favor. Given your condition, if you can’t wait until lunch, I’ll turn a blind eye and let you have a snack in class.” Kashiwagi's mocking tone made Yukiko’s hand shake in rage. The way she phrased it, “condition,” like she had some illness, really rubbed her the wrong way. Kashiwagi finished with one more snide comment. “Though I can understand if you don’t want to. All that junk in your trunk must be so embarrassing after being so thin.”

This was it. Even some of the other students who liked to rib on Yukiko felt Kashiwagi was acting immature for her age. For a moment, he thought Yukiko was going to lose her temper and slap the woman! While she may not have gone that far, Yukiko was going to give her a piece of her mind before her belly bump prevented her, in more ways than one. Forgetting about it’s prominence, her swollen midsection kept her from getting out of her seat like she wanted, and feeling it hit against the bottom of her desk reminded her of why Kashiwagi was coming after her in the first place. She was going to be a mother soon. She had to learn to control herself for their sake!

Reminded of the child now growing inside of her, Yukiko’s anger faded. Giving her stomach a tiny pat, she smiled, “Oh, it’s not embarrassing at all. In fact, I think it’s beautiful.” Kashiwagi raised an eyebrow. Never had she heard a woman say that gaining weight was beautiful. “It’s kind of like you were saying, all this is just my way of making sure this child of mine is provided for. Why should I be embarrassed about that?” Yukiko stopped rubbing her belly and smiled deeply, “I’m sure you’d understand if you had children.”

That last comment shook Kashiwagi to the core. Yu had a feeling Kashiwagi’s jealousy didn’t stop at just Yukiko’s popularity. It must be very hard to have a student who is well on their way to being a mother while you yourself are childless and single, especially at her age. Telling everyone to read on their own, Kashiwagi put her head down on her desk and kept quiet the rest of class. Yu wasn’t sure if Yukiko intended her words to be as hurtful as they were, as Teddie and Yosuke had learned she could be quiet cold, or if it was just because of her airheadedness she displayed sometimes. He was proud she was able to keep her cool though! Yu thought he was going to have to console her after class, now he might have to console Kashiwagi!

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“She was right you know. Look at that skirt! One more grain of rice and that thing will split right in half." Word had traveled fast around school about Kashiwagi’s class that day and after hearing about it, at lunch time, Ai sought Yukiko out. “You think so?” Yukiko said with a look of confusion as she placed a hand on her softer hip. Chie rushed to defend her friend “Well no one asked you Ebihara! Don’t make me hit you again like last time!” Ai just held her palm to Chie’s face without a word and continued conversing with Yukiko. Her and Chie did not get along at all, and even if she now found that Chie’s assessment of how she used to treat Yu was valid, she would never admit it to her.

“I’m guessing by the state of your uniform; your usual wardrobe isn’t faring much better?” Yukiko lowered her chopsticks from her mouth, “I guess I haven’t really thought about it is all…” That wasn’t entirely true. She was well aware of how constricting her clothes were becoming, she just hadn’t done anything about it because it served as a reminder of all the amazing things that were taking place inside her body. Ai let out a deep sigh that sounded slightly annoyed, “That won’t do. After school you and me are going shopping. Got it?”

Yukiko agreed almost immediately. “Okay! I’m off today. That sounds like fun!” Chie placed her hand on Yukiko’s shoulder and shook her, “What? You really want to hang out with this…THIS…” Chie struggled to think of a fitting insult. Yukiko turned to her best friend, “Did you want to come too Chie?” Chie began laughing nervously “I mean clothes shopping isn’t really my thing…”

Chie noticed just how strained the buttons on Yukiko’s sweater were now and knowing the rest of her clothes were just as bad, she couldn’t deny that Yukiko needed some new ones. “You better not try anything…” Chie snarled. Ai just crossed her arms with a huff and marched away.

“Thanks Ai.”

Ai turned around to see Yu, who had caught up to her, smiling before she quickly turned her back to him again. “I’m not doing it for you,” she said as she started to walk away dismissively. Yu only laughed, “I know your not, but that just makes it better doesn’t it?” Ai paused for a moment and continued walking. “You can really be annoying sometimes,” she thought to herself with a smirk on her face.

Ai’s knowledge of fashion came in handy. In a time that Ai wished that she could forget, she used to be quite the big girl. The other kids were very cruel to her, bestowing her with the name Piggy-hara and she faced a horrible rejection when she confessed to a boy she liked. After her father became rich, she decided to change herself and, as she would put it, she became the beautiful and stylish girl she was today. Her studying up on fashion while she was still dropping the weight made her an expert on what kind of clothes would best suit a girl of Yukiko's increasing size, and soon she had a sizable haul to try on. Many of the clothes wouldn’t be something Yukiko would consider buying herself, but she was having a good time and despite her signature scowl, Ai was enjoying herself as well.

“What do you think?” Ai shouted into the dressing room. Yukiko was checking herself out in front of a mirror, her body draped in a lavender and white sundress. “I mean, I do think it’s lovely, but I’m not sure. Do they have it in red?” Ai shook her head, that was Yukiko’s answer to anything she tried on that wasn’t red to begin with. Yukiko spun around one more time in front of the mirror. She wished Yu was here to get his opinion. Her eyes slowly wandered to her bulging middle and she started to rub it. “What do you think?” She asked. Then, almost as if it understood, the baby answered.

“UH!”

Ai looked up from her phone. "That sounded strange," she thought.

“AH!”

Ai knocked on the door, “Uh…are you okay in there Amagi?” At first she got no response, but after a moment she heard Yukiko yelp again. “Hey Amagi, your weirding me out! What’s going on?”

“Ebihara…I…the baby….THE BABY!” Yukiko sounded like she need help! Luckily, she didn’t bother to lock the door with Ai standing watch outside. Without a moment to lose, Ai burst into the dressing room only to find Yukiko holding her belly on the verge of tears.

“The baby. MY baby. It moved. I felt my it move!” Ai could only stare dumbfounded as the expectant mother caressed her belly. Before she had a chance to scold her for scaring her like that, Ai found herself in being pulled into the jubilant woman’s embrace, “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW HAPPY I AM! Wait until their father hears about this!”

Ai decided to let Yukiko have her moment, but it wasn’t long before her cheek felt…wet, against Yukiko’s chest. Pushing away, Ai quickly realized the wetness on her cheek was something Yukiko was producing. “Amagi! Gross! Your leaking all over the place!”

Yukiko was snapped out of her celebration and afte cupping her breasts, she laughed. “So I am…” Ai was in complete shock, “That’s all you have to say? I’d think you’d have a bit more of a reaction to spurting out milk like some sort of dairy cow!” Yukiko was far to excited to worry about something like that, besides, not only did the little relief in pressure feel nice but it had already happened before.

Ai started to chuckle, but it soon turned into full out laugher. “It happened before huh? Maybe getting turned down by Yu wasn’t so bad after all if that’s how I’d end up.” She would have been horrified if she were in Yukiko shoes, but Yukiko saw nothing but joy in it all.

“Well, get yourself cleaned up and let’s go pay for these,” Ai said while grabbing a pile of clothes. Yukiko turned back to the mirror, “I still don’t know if I should buy this one. Is it really me?”

Ai couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “With the stains you put in it, I don’t think you have a choice.”

Yukiko's eagerness to tell the baby daddy brought an abrupt end to the little excursion although she made sure to deck herself out in her favorite purchase before leaving. It was quite different from what she normally wore, blue, calm and flowing all around her but something about it spoke to her. Like it's the kind of thing that she should be wearing. Their was the concern of milking through this one as well but Yukiko had a hunch that Yu would probably just praise her if that did end up happening. Before they parted ways, Yukiko eagerly assured Ai that she'd be up for this again. Ai was about to make a snarky remark about Yukiko's over excitement, but looking into the other girl's bright happy eyes and eager little grin, all Ai could do was smile back. "Sure thing, Ama- Yukiko." For years, she had held a resentment for the Amagi girl and Ai could never quite pinpoint why.

The answer was obvious now. Yukiko's well manicured hand gently stroked the growing bump pressing against the white fabric of her new dress. She was glowing not just from the beauty of her skin but the natural easy smile she wore on her face. The dress flowed off her supple curves, accentuating them without making them look unflattering. In Ai's opinion, Yukiko honestly still looked beautiful, and she didn't even have to try. But that didn't matter anymore, Ai thought to herself with a smirk. All that mattered was the future.

.......................................................................................................................................

Yu had been allowed to work more closely with the other staff now that he was dining with them. Currently, he was busy pouring for some of the guests. As always, his form was without any fault that Yukina could see. The middle aged man for whom he was pouring let out a laugh. He had a pretty good idea of who this boy was with the way the Okami was watching him. "Your parents must be very proud. So young and already so well versed in how to treat a guest. Gahaha. You'll make a fine owner one day!"

Fuyuhiko blanched at this but breathed through his nose to calm down. Freaking out in front of the staff was all well and good but there were guests here after all. If only the boy wasn't trying to marry his daughter then everything would be perfect. The staff had taken well to him as well. Right now he was in close collaboration with the kitchen staff in order to serve the guests with expert timing throughout their meal. "Thank you sir. I hope to see you again when that day comes." Mr. Amagi almost shot up from his chair but his wife placed an arm against his chest. "He's saying that so he doesn't have to explain what actually happened. We wouldn't want you to faint in the middle of dinner after all."

"R-right. Of course I knew that!" He sighed deeply. He hadn't thought of that but Yu had. Right now the man he was serving asked him to stay and talk awhile about his time at the inn. The details he gave were enough to pass as someone who'd lived there all their life especially to a layman. Like he had hung on to every word Yukiko told him and every part of his training. It was enough to make Fuyuhiko slump on to his arm in sadness. A hand soon touched said arm.

"What's the problem darling?" His wife asked concerned. "The problem is that there is no problem." Yukina had to try and hold back a snicker at that. It sounded silly but she knew exactly what he meant. "My little snow pea is getting snatched right out from under me and there's nothing I can do about it."

"He hasn't completed his training yet. Let's not be too hasty now." Fuyuhiko wiped the tears from his eyes and thanked his wife happily. She always knew just what to say to make him feel a little bit more calm. Her easy answer hid her more emotional thoughts on the matter, however. Time passed and eventually the servants were allowed to eat. Normally, the two Amagi's would have retired but they were waiting for their daughter to get back from her little pow wow.

"So the major arcana represent forces outside of human control. For example, the Priestess, represents inner wisdom and indicates a need for introspection." The workers surrounding Yu watched with keen interest as he flipped through the tarot deck he had brought with him. "Think you could do my fortune, Narukami?" Yu just shrugged and chuckled a bit. "I don't see why not. I'm a little rusty though. I haven't done this since February." The small town servants were utterly enthralled by the big city boy and his storied life at only 17 years old. But it was more than that. He treated them just as he would treat anyone else. Just like any of the other countless people he had helped in the past. It was hard to sit down and talk when there was so much work to do but once they could sit down and eat, he was perfectly willing to use up his break time to chat with them. The only thing that took absolute priority was of course...

"Everyone! Everyone! I felt it! I felt it move!" The young mistress rushed in completely out of breath. Immediately everyone rushed to their feet and surrounded the girl. "Are you quite sure?" Yukina asked. Yukiko nodded her head so excitedly that some of the crowd worried it might fall off. "Yes!" She pushed out her belly to the gathered staff and family to proudly present her progress. "It was like a little flutter that went straight to my heart! Oh it was so wonderful! I wish you all could feel it!" Yukina just smiled at her daughter. "Only you can feel it this early on. It's a bit too early for it to start kicking. At least I think so."

"Think of it like a special bond that only you and the baby can share. It'll make you even closer." The crowd turned as Yu spoke these words and slowly walked forward. Yukiko rubbed her bump contemplatively and smiled. "I can live with that. A little gift only for momma." She was almost about to start crying all over again when Yu noticed her new dress for the first time. No one wanted to interrupt.

"You look great." They stared at each other for a few moments before Yukiko's father spoke up. "He of course means that as platonically as possible. Now, I want you to tell me all about your little play date. Yu, I believe break time is over." Yukiko breathed deeply through her nose. "Daddy, I'd like to have my second lesson of the week with Yu now."

"W-well alright but no canoodling of any kind! Last time I saw you two kissing a magazine and passing it back and forth! Even if your lips don't touch, it still counts!" He stormed out as the two made their way to the kitchen. "Don't you want to drop those off in your room first?" Yu said referring to her haul. "I wanted to get your opinion on them. This is our only real chance."

"I think you know my opinion already. I think you just want to tell me how motherly you look in that sundress. How it shows off your bump. How hot I think you are in it." Yu couldn't hide the slight tinge of arousal that coated his voice. She looked the picture of an expectant mother. All that was missing was a baby suckling on her breast while she knitted something in a rocking chair. Yukiko lit up brightly; she was caught red handed. "I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to fish for compliments I just like when you-" but Yu shushed her. "That's okay. I'm greedy for your praise too. Why do you think I enjoy your massages so much?" That made her feel a lot better, as per usual. More fuel for her nightly indulgence she sighed inwardly. Yu briefly peered into her bag. "Lavender? I'm surprised you went for that."

"Oh I didn't want to but I had another accident with my-" She stopped when she noticed Yu's raised eyebrow. "Sorry. I mean I lactated again at the store and soaked through it. I think the bow on the front's a little much but I kind of like it." The two didn't want to risk losing their kitchen privileges that had been so graciously provided so they made due with simply blowing kisses at each other on the way in.

"Narukami makes, everything he bakes, satisfying and delicious." Yu mumbled to himself while taking a tray out of the over. Yukiko began to snicker. "Are you *snrk* singing *pfthaha* to yourself?" For the first time in a while, she caught Yu blushing a bit. "Sorry. It's a habit. I picked it up when I was a kid." Yukiko began to laugh even harder and Yu could honestly feel himself growing the slightest bit self conscious as he awkwardly rubbed his arm. "Hahahahaha *snrk* little Yu in a chef's hat! Hahahaha it's too hohoh big hehehehehe." She couldn't get the mental image of a tiny Nanako sized Yu in a too big apron and toque combo. Yu had to smile as she howled with laughter. One thing he noticed though is that even as her body bobbed and swayed from her laughter, she never took her hand off of her bump. In fact, this entire time she had been doing everything possible to keep one hand constantly on her bump absentmindedly rubbing it as if it was glued there. "Want to tell me what that's about?" He eventually asked.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and caught her breath. "Well now that the baby's moving, I don't want to miss the moment when he starts kicking! I have to be constantly vigilant, I can't move my hand for a second!" Yu wanted nothing more than to kiss her deeply right then but he made do with the next best thing. "So we feed each other on the count of three?" Yukiko nodded. They each popped a spoonful of the respective pastry they were working on into the other's mouth although in Yu's case he made sure it was a nice plump eclair she got to eat. Yukiko's reaction was par for the course, mewling with delight as he gently pushed the pasty between her lips. Yu's was a little more surprising.

"Damn. This is good pudding, Yukiko." He felt a spoon whap him on the arm and looked up in surprise. His fiance looked at him with a scowl on her face. "Don't curse in front of the baby." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Right, sorry."

"Here, I'll make it up to you." He slid the other five eclairs over to her and she immediately pulled back her greedy wiggling fingers. "A-are they really..." Yu just smiled. "Yep. All for you. Enjoy." That's all Yukiko needed to hear as she opened her mouth obediently to be fed. The baby was important of course but she and Yukiko both knew she was enjoying the chance to just eat and eat and catch up on all these wonderful flavors. "Nothing weird about this. Just doting on my pregnant wife. She's eating for two and she needs thick luscious thighs to support herself. I hope the cream plumps up her breasts...for the baby of course." Yu was being a bit less honest with his feelings. He wasn't some kind of weird deviant. That was Yosuke and his nurse fetish. He was Yu Narukami and he definitely didn't want to watch his girl balloon into a proper fat baby mama. "Hey Yuki, what did you do with the old clothes?"

"Oh I kept them around. I'll start wearing them again once I have the baby."

"If you can even fit into them," he thought to himself but immediately shook his head. Just curious.

Yukina was listening from just outside the hall. Even she could tell the feeding was more of a substitute for sex than anything with the way her daughter was moaning into the pasty and Yu's breathing was picking up. A comforting filling activity shared with the one you loved, what could be better? The mother sighed. She wanted to let Yu in but she kept going around and around in circles in her head until she made herself dizzy with doubts. Usually Fuyuhiko would help her through but he was emotionally compromised on this issue. And she was too. But the deadline was fast approaching and she wouldn't let her daughter be dishonored at any cost. She walked to her office and began to dial. "Hello. Yes this is Mrs. Amagi. I wanted to call about a marriage license."

.......................................................................................................................................

"Hello," Dojima said wincing into the phone.

"Good, you picked up. Now would you mind explaining to me why I haven't been updated on the status of my son? There was a serial killer in the same town as him and he was left without a guardian for a considerable period of time. Not only that but he managed to impregnate a girl under your watch and not just any girl, the heir to the Amagi Inn who I might add he's been seeing since August without you ,a detective, even realizing. I can't help but think that if something bad did happen to Yu I wouldn't have heard about it until now. I get that in the past you had me to worry about that sort of thing but I would have thought now that you're not only an adult but a family man as well you would have become just a bit more responsible but I can see now that I was mistaken. Yu may be mature for his age but he's still a teenager and now look what happened after you left him alone. My husband specifically warned you about this happening, yes I know for a fact he did because I was in the room with him when he did and yet still you allowed it to happen anyway. The worst part of it is that even still you haven't come forward and taken responsibility. I tried to give you a chance on account of your hospitalization but the only one who accepted his share of the blame so far has been my eighteen, no, seventeen year old son. So Ryotaro I just have to ask in order to be clear, when exactly were you planning on telling me?"

Dojima felt dizzy after all that but he managed to recover before she could start a new spiel. "W-well sis, I thought Yu already took care of everything so I thought-"

"It shouldn't have to fall to my son to be his own guardian. Were there phones in the hospital?"

"W-well yes but-"

"Well alright then. I'm truly sorry about what happened. You have my deepest sympathies but that's still no excuse to slack on your duties. You should have informed me immediately. I hope you're doing better at least."

"T-thanks sis." Dojima was legitimately touched. He hadn't meant to keep it from her to hide everything. He just didn't want to cause more stress for her on top of her already demanding life. Trying to address everything she said point by point he started with the easiest one. "I honestly thought you knew about the killer. It was all over the news."

"I can confirm it was not on Tokyo 5 during the hours in which I was up." Dojima seemed perplexed at this. "No I mean it was all over the Inaba region news. For the whole year." There was a bit of a pause. "I...haven't been checking that."

"Not once? Really?" Dojima's incredulous tone touched a nerve in Mizui. "I thought if something important came up I could rely on you or my son to inform me about it but you never did so I assumed nothing had happened. It's Inaba, Ryotaro. It's only logical to assume nothing out of the ordinary would happen. That's why we sent him there."

"Bad day at work? You're more verbose than usual." Mizui just sighed. It had in fact been a very bad day. These Americans were sloppy, lazy. No wonder they'd sent her husband in to organize the branch. "I believe you are trying to change the subject Ryotaro." He awkwardly stuck a finger into the neck of his shirt even though she wasn't in the room with him. "Look, I just didn't want to worry you! I know how busy you are and I thought I could handle it!" He knew he was getting a little emotional but was it so wrong to expect a bit of slack? Besides, it's not like she'd have done any better but he kept that thought to himself. "If there's a problem, why wouldn't you tell someone? It just doesn't make sense to me. That way, you can work towards a solution that much quicker." Dojima rubbed his hand across his face. "Look, Mizui. I just didn't want to put any more burdens on you. It might not make sense to you but it does to me because I care about you. I do the same thing with Nanako and I know she does the same thing for me."

There was a long period of silence on the other end of the line. "Mizui? Sis, you there?" Just as Dojima was about to hang up, he heard a small voice.

"I...I have to go. I have some thinking to do. Tell your daughter I said hello." Before he could ask what was wrong, she hung up. Huh, lucky break. He was honestly expecting her to lay into him more. Part of him was hoping Yu's confession would have let him slide but he should have known better. But now he was going to be on edge for the next couple of weeks expecting a proper call back.

Later, Mizui found herself replaying Yu's message about moving into the Amagi Inn. She knew what they had him doing couldn't be easy especially on top of school work and with a baby on the way but he truly sounded excited. Should she call him and ask? No, that could wait until he called. He was just giving her a status update, they could speak later. Besides, she wouldn't even know how to ask that question right now. If her son was having a problem, wouldn't he come to his mother? The answer to that question terrified her and she decided to take her mind off of it in the best way she knew how.

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"Thank you, Ai. I really do mean that."

The glamorous heiress scoffed. "Shut up already. I told you it's fine. Besides, it's nice to have another mirror around." For Ai, this was the highest compliment she could give to a person. A way to see how her progress was coming, a truly good person to help her take stock of herself. "You can tell her I said that too. I kind of...like when she hugs me. Except when she's leaki-" She rolled her eyes from the glare Yu gave her. "Fine. 'Lactating.' But anyway you should go talk to Kou. And I mean now. He won't stop pestering me about details." Yu immediately agreed. He had been meaning to update everyone on his situation but he had wanted to wait until after the news was broken on its own. He hadn't used one of his days off yet and he could still be back before dinner.

"Man, I should have known you would be the one to win the Amagi Challenge. But man didn't I tell you, women are nothing but trouble, I remember-" Yu drowned out Daisuke's ramblings for a second. He had honestly completely forgotten about the Amagi Challenge. He wondered how people would react if they knew she was the one to confess to him technically speaking. Yu was beginning to ponder if maybe Fuyuhiko went through a similar process when Kou slugged Daisuke in the shoulder. "Man that happened in middle school, get over it already." He turned to Yu smiling a bit awkwardly. "You seem pretty happy so I guess we should congratulate you. I kind of feel bad that the basketball team's losing two of its best members in the same year though."

Yu was honestly surprised they were taking this whole thing so well. He knew they wouldn't turn their backs on him but they weren't yelling at him at all. "Oh by the way, before we forget."

"Dumbass." They both said at the same time as they clapped him on the shoulder. "You're really lucky they're just making you work at the inn, if that were my daughter I'd probably kill you. But...you took responsibility and I think that's awesome. I think you'll be a great dad." Yu smiled at Kou. These days, that compliment really meant a lot.

"Yeah any guy who's willing to scrub floors for their kid is cool in my book. Maybe you should get girls to do that for you huh Kou?" The normally calm boy began to think and then he began to blush. At his house, there would be no kimono's but proper maid uniforms. If it was his bride to be, perhaps he could get a custom one 'maid' just for her. He couldn't think of any girl suited to the manual labor of a maid in his huge house. Except for one. "How 'maid' I be of service master?" Chie said with a wink and a pop of her bare leg.

"I think he's out of it," Yu said while waving his hand in front of Kou's face. Classic Kanji syndrome.

Naoki had called him a blockhead and a dumbass but he had a smile on his face the entire time. "I have to admit, I'm glad you'll be able to pop into our store from time to time." Yumi was a lot more threatening. "If you turn out to be a lousy father, I'll hunt you down myself!" But she smiled up at Yu. "I have a feeling you won't be though. You know, I feel a bit better about you turning me down now since there was someone else in the picture. Another life maybe *sigh*."

"I was surprised at first but now that I think on it, it's not really all that weird. I guess that's two women you've made mothers." Yu looked around a bit worried hoping no one had overheard what Eri had said. "If it's a boy, I'll be sure to save some of Yuuta's hand me downs for you. Maybe some of his Phoenix Ranger dolls when he outgrows it." Yu looked at her puzzled. You could never outgrow Featherman. The kids gave great sadness at his departure but it had to be done. He wanted to put all the attention and care he gave to these kids entirely into his own child. No daycares for his kid.

"Any advice?" The fox merely gave off a howl that almost sounded like laughter as she nuzzled closer to her own children. He had to wonder if anybody else he knew was pregnant.

The young man received quite a surprise on his way back through the floodplain. An old woman who he thought he might never see again. Hisano explained she was just visiting her grandkids for the week. "Are you making her happy?" Yu never realized until now how wonderful it was to be able to answer yes without hesitation to that question. "We're having a child actually. It's due sometime in the summer."

"I'll make sure I'm here for it. No matter what." The old woman gained a bit of a sly smirk. "My husband and I couldn't just stop at one and as long as you're taking my advice on relationships I'd have to recommend the same." Yu joked that it was really up to Yukiko but she hadn't said no.

"How many kids did you have, Mrs. Hisano?"

"Oh we only had four. We were never all that wealthy. But you...oh my. I don't suppose you have a limit with the family you're marrying into." Yu chuckled a bit. He'd like to wait a bit before having more certainly and he said as much to the old woman. He needed to see if he was capable of being a father before having more than he could handle. "Well it's a good thing you started young then." All he could do was smile. It seemed he had touched people more deeply than even he had realized. This thought warmed him as he fell asleep on his cold bed, alone in body but not in spirit.
.......................................................................................................................................

The lives of the young couple continued on this way for the next week. They could barely contain themselves around each other at this point with Yukiko growing more and more lovely by the day and Yu continuing to work hard for their future. His Yuki had kept her promise to have one hand constantly on her belly, rubbing and checking for even the slightest of kicks but so far no luck. Yu's alarm went off five minutes before he was supposed to wake up. The reason for that became clear as Fuyuhiko slowly cracked the door open and was disappointed that he was awake. The first night Yu had stayed here, the man had nearly given him a heart attack by clapping loudly right next to his ear. Unfortunately for Yu, he was quite a heavy sleeper.

As long as he played along and allowed the man to think his prank was still working, he wouldn't try waking him up even earlier. "Ah geez sir. Can't you cut me a break?"

"Should have thought of that before procreating with my precious princess. But don't worry, tomorrow I might not do it so rest easy." He was totally going to do it and it would be great.

Yu had long since adjusted to the early mornings. He'd just wash his face in the kitchen and would be as good as new. His room wasn't big enough to contain it's own bathroom, or much furniture of any kind. His bed was at least sizable, big enough for two.

He sat down at his usual place, only full time workers were allowed to eat at the inn and that mostly consisted of the kitchen staff and the attendants finishing the early morning work. Conversation was much more stilted in the morning as the focus was on eating as quickly as possible before the guests awoke. As Yu still had school, he wasn't responsible for much in the mornings beyond food preparation but it was quite a welcome opportunity to make Yukiko's bento while working.

She had insisted over and over again that he didn't need to do that and she could make her own food when he had pointed out that she made his lunch for him. "W-well you work so hard and I just want to show you how much I appreciate you." She had blushed heavily at the pointed glare. "O-oh that's right. I guess you feel the same way." She knew it was tearing Yu up inside to not be able to do everything he could to tend to her needs so from that moment on Yukiko had never once protested

"You sure you can't give some of these younger guys lessons?" the head chef jokingly pleaded yet again. "It's the only time Yukiko and I have. So if you wanted to put in a word with the Amagi's..." that made a couple of the chef's laugh. "But to be serious, I'd have no problem doing that in the future." If only Monsieur Yves could see me now, he thought to himself.

The funny thing about the conflict over the cooking is that Yukiko ended up eating most of it anyway. She had taken to leaning back on one hand while the other caressed her nice full tummy. She couldn't wait for the day it started to touch the desk. "Tomorrow's the day I was supposed to move back you know." Chie and Yosuke looked up in surprise. They'd become so used to the idea that he was staying they'd forgotten he was supposed to be leaving. "Oh yeah I guess that's true, huh? Any special plans to celebrate?" Yu was at a loss. "Not that I can think of. I don't want to celebrate too soon."

He smiled a bit. What the heck? "How about we all have a get together later today. We could meet up at headquarters, for old time's sake." The other two readily agreed and began to text the rest of the group. "Yuki, you have rice all over your face. Let me get that for you." He began to delicately pick the grains off from around her mouth one by one while Chie and Yosuke buried their faces into their phones.

"She's lucky weight gain slows down in the third trimester," Yu mused to himself on the walk home. 20 pounds in 20 weeks was just on the high side of normal once again. It seemed she was indulging just enough to land right on the borderline by the end of this pregnancy. Her thighs were starting to shake and jostle a tiny amount when she walked and her belly had gained a smooth coating of slight squishy give no longer the perfectly stiff sphere of days past. Not enough to really sink your fingers into but enough to shift around the softness just a bit. Like touching the surface of the water

She had taken to a slow relaxed pace with both arms cradling her bump. Yu offered to carry her book bag just so she could do so. Already her new clothes, while not tight were looking a bit snug. It seemed she didn't want to just abandon her perfect way to take stock of her slowly expanding body and it also meant more shopping trips with her new friend! Entering the inn, they found quite a lot of chattering going on by the entrance.

"You're so cute!"

"You came all the way here just to deliver a letter? How adorable!"

"See? I told you he was good with kids. No wonder Yuki wanted one with him."

They entered and saw Yukina looking a bit bemused. She slowly shifted her eyes towards the surrounding group of maids all fussing over a little girl in the center. As soon as Yu announced their arrival, the child rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Big bro! I'm so happy to see you again!"

"You're welcome to come and visit any time, Nanako."

Eventually, Nanako let go. He really was here to stay. Others may have forgotten what tomorrow was but Nanako never did. "There was a letter for you today. Don't worry, I did not open it." Yu couldn't imagine her doing anything of the sort. "That's very helpful. Thanks Nanako." He began to pet the top of her head and the happy chirp she let out was enough to make some of the surrounding people "aaw" in delight.

"It is odd though. I've updated everyone I know about my new living arrangements. I wonder who it could be from." Yu opened the letter and walked off to a corner to go read it. The young girl's attention quickly turned to her second favorite person in the house. "Wow, you're getting so big!" Yukiko beamed brightly at Nanako's praise. "Oh you're so sweet. I'm halfway along sweetie er Nanako." Where had that come from? Fortunately, Nanako seemed to not have noticed and tentatively approached Yukiko's growing maternity swell. She cautiously moved her hand forward but pulled it back just as quickly while the older girl just laughed. "You can touch it, I don't mind."

"Really?! Oh wow!" Nanako began to pat and move her tiny little hands all across its surface. The black haired girl looked around for any customers and not seeing any lifted the front of her red sweater a bit to fully display her pale pregnant predominance. She had taken to wearing her skirt and stockings underneath her belly. She was all for tightness to gauge her progress but she preferred to let it bulge out as much as possible. Besides, her lower wardrobe slid down the bump as the day progressed anyway.

It looked like a milky white basketball and Nanako couldn't keep her hands off of it the moment she saw it. She really was just like her big bro. The child's cool little hands sent a pleasant tickling sensation throughout Yukiko's body that did more than just make her giggle. "Oh Nanako, the baby's saying hello to you!"

"I don't feel anything."

Then, the little girl did something that surprised Yukiko. She pressed her cheek up right against the baby bump as closely as she could. The older girl instinctively wrapped her arms around Nanako as she did so and began to stroke the back of her head. "It's not big enough for that yet sweetie. But it will be soon and I'll call you when that happens. Would you like that Nanako?" The girl happily nodded her head making Yukiko giggle a bit from the tickling sensation. It was true, what had started off as a faint fluttering of butterfly wings had turned into the gentle pawing of a small animal. It wouldn't be long now until others could feel it too.

Feeling this sweet little girl against her belly asking when she could feel it kick, Yukiko came to a realization. "I'd like to feel this one more time, with my own child." Yu said he was willing to have as many as she wanted but she knew in that moment one would not be enough. She just needed to prove herself as a mother first. "I can't wait!" Nanako was overjoyed at the prospect. "C-can I call you big sis?"

"I'd be sad if you didn't!"

Yukina watched the display with surprise. She hadn't expected her daughter to take to being pregnant this much but that might just be her own biased perspective talking. The strange thing was, Yu hadn't moved from his corner the entire time. "Yu dear is something the matter?" The boy spun around quickly and seeing the worried expressions of everyone around quickly shot them all a confident smile. "Just a letter from my old sensei. Guess my parents must have told him the news."

He gave Nanako a big kiss on her forehead and turned towards Yukiko. "We should probably have that little get together right about now. Before it gets too late." His tone of voice was even but she could see the slight urgency in his eyes. Since today was a day off, they texted the rest of the team as quickly as possible while going down the mountain path.

.......................................................................................................................................

Adachi's letter led from one lead to the next until eventually the team had unmasked the conductor of the whole operation. Izanami, or at least a cognitive perception of her, had retreated into the TV world and the group quickly followed so nothing like this incident would ever happen again. There was just one problem

"Should Yukiko really be fighting in her condition?" Naoto was the only one who was willing to broach the issue although several of the others were thinking a similar thing. "She helped us rescue Marie, didn't she? Is there really a difference?" Kanji didn't really see the problem with it. If she'd come along before, what was the problem?

"She's much further along now than she was a month ago. Her condition is much more delicate and I think it would be best if she stayed behind to guard Rise." The group argued among themselves with Chie insisting she would protect Yukiko if anything went wrong and saying it wasn't fair to leave her behind. She'd been one of the first members and had a right to see this to the end after all. Yu didn't know what to do. As a wild card, no member of his team was truly irreplaceable but could he truly-

"I'll stay behind." Everyone was shocked that she had agreed so readily without a fight. She had absolute confidence in Yu's ability to protect her but she didn't want to focus their attention all on her. That wasn't her role. Besides, she wasn't quite as quick on her feet as she used to be and what if she started milking again? "I can be useful in my own way back here. Besides, once the way is cleared I'll be right there with you."

"Yuki...that's very mature of you." Yukiko looked right at Naoto and Yu. "Oh no not at all. It just makes sense. If our leader knows I'm safe, he can do his best!" Yu had to chuckle. That was quite true. "Yeah don't worry Yukiko senpai, we'll keep him safe and sound just for- gah!"

Kanji was interrupted by the two locking lips passionately as he looked away in panic.

After they broke apart Yukiko gently caressed her fiance's face. "Now go annihilate that false goddess. We'll be right here for you when you get back...my husband." After she said that, the rest of the guys had to pry them off of each other. "Okay everyone, let's go." It was a little hard to take him seriously with the lipstick smudges covering his face.

.......................................................................................................................................

Izanami covered the battlefield in a thick fog that even Rise could barely see through. Teddie, Kanji, Yu, and Chie disappeared from sight. When Rise began to cry out in shock and fear, Yukiko's faith began to waver. First, Teddie, then Kanji, and finally Chie all seemed to fall at the hands of this unstoppable monster. Eventually, it seemed that even Yu had fallen

The expectant mother's heart dropped. The world grew silent around her and she sent out a desperate plea for him to just get up. This can't be the way it ends, she thought to herself while she cradled her belly.

It felt...hazy. Yu could feel himself on the verge of slipping into unconsciousness. Maybe he deserved to, he had led his friends to their deaths and failed utterly. Perhaps Izanami was right...perhaps he had overreached.

"Get up. You are not someone allowed to fall here."

That voice, it sounded like Margaret. Before he could wonder how that could be, she spoke again. "Surely you must know by now. The true nature of bonds. What bonds give to you. Here, listen closely." Slowly, Yu began to realize she was right. He couldn't beat a goddess on his own but with the help of everyone he had influenced he could show her why she wasn't needed anymore. Her comforting lies would be uprooted by the true potential of humanity he had awakened in himself and others. One by one, everyone he had helped flashed through his mind, giving him words of encouragement and thanks. Even people he wasn't entirely sure he had influenced all came to say their piece.

"If you fall here, I will personally drag you back from hell! I was just starting to really like you and you'd just abandon me like this? How cruel! Besides, it would break Yukiko's heart and I can't allow you to do that! I've been far too worried about my own heart recently anyway."

"If you want a family as badly as you say, then fight for it. I can't abide someone who does things in half measures. Although lately I've been wondering if that describes me more than you. I say I want to evaluate you as a husband and yet I don't let you get close to my daughter or myself. Surely I can't be that cowardly?"

"I've been so terrified of calling you recently. Everything logical in me is telling me to just ask why you never told me anything was wrong but I'm terrified to find out the answer. I'm worried I'll lose you forever if I don't act and yet I can't. So please, don't leave before I can collect my courage."

They were all surprises but the biggest one was the one that came last. A small child's voice piped up. It was quite young but had a slight masculine tint to it.

"Dad, what are you doing on the ground? This isn't like you at all. You said you'd support me in anything I do but how can you do that if you die here? I was hoping to get to know you a little more before you went. You and mom and everyone else."

Even if the last one was the only one he had heard, Yu would have been filled with enough power to topple Izanami. But everyone played a part in his complete destruction of the goddess of the fog. Impressed by the power the young man had scrounged up, the goddess vowed to never return from the cheers of the rest of the team who had been restored back to life. In the middle of their celebration, Yu felt himself pulled back into a familiar blue room.

"Welcome back."

The figure greeting him was not Igor, nor Margaret but instead Marie. She explained her role and what would happen to her as well as expressed her gratitude.

"I'd like to bestow upon you my blessing. May you live a long and happy life." Yu nodded in acceptance thinking it was more of a symbolic gesture than anything. He felt a warmth wash over him and blinked. Before he could ponder what had happened, he was greeted by the usual members of the Velvet Room and with the happy reunion of his party and the TV world becoming a vibrant lush landscape he honestly forgot all about the minor feeling just like he had the first time he received a gift from a goddess.

The once again whole Izanami chuckled to herself. It was better if he didn't know quite what her little gift did. Her blessing gave him increased luck and favor in whatever he wished to succeed in and when combined with his new power of The World it might become even more potent. While she wasn't as cynical as she was mere moments ago now that Marie was once again part of her, she did know how humans worked. Even extraordinary ones like this would be happier with their lives if they believed everything turned out well on its own.

.......................................................................................................................................

As wonderful as it was to have Yu back, and as many kisses as she covered him with, Yukiko couldn't help but be troubled. For one moment, for one absolutely terrible moment she had thought he was gone forever. This was different from Adachi. Yu didn't need to risk his life, Izanami would have left their little group alone while she conducted another experiment elsewhere. He could have hidden the letter he received, he could have pretended nothing was wrong and lived out the rest of his life in peace.

But he didn't. For the sake of others, for the sake of the future, for the sake of their child, he had chosen to do the right thing and they had followed him as always. He had led them into the depths of Yomotsu Hirasaka and brought them all out safely but one wrong move and that could have been it. He had almost died today saving the town once again and right now she wanted nothing more than to hold him tight and never let go.

Yukiko sat at the dinner table with her parents that evening. Her father was going on about one of his soap operas that was on today but Yukiko wasn’t really listening. The events of the day just replayed over and over in her head. Even after everything Yu had done, not just for her, but for the entire town, Yu was still forced to eat with the staff that evening. She had tried to be patient and let her parents come around on their own, but it was becoming unbearable at this point.

“Is something the matter dear?” Yukiko snapped out of her reflection and turned to her mother, “Huh, what?”

“Your food dear. I thought you would have asked for seconds by now. Don’t be shy, I had the chefs prepare a little extra just for you.” After looking down at her dinner for a moment, Yukiko picked up a nice big helping of rice and popped it in her mouth. Despite her feelings, she couldn’t deny that she wasn’t starving after today. Actually, lately she found herself becoming more peckish before dinner at earlier and earlier times. After finishing her bowl, Yukiko spoke up.

“When do you think we can’t start having dinner as a family?” Mr. Amagi gave his wife a confused look and after giving a quick glance around the room said “What are you talking about sweetie? You always have dinner with your mother and I.” While her father might have been oblivious to what she meant, her mother certainly wasn’t. Letting out a sigh Yukina tried to assure her daughter, “Listen, I know your not happy about all this. Your father and I just want to make sure this boy is the right one for you.”

“But what more does he have to do? He has excelled at everything you’ve thrown at him. The staff likes him, the customers like him, and I haven’t heard either of you complain once about his work, but he doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. You two are just dragging your feet!”

“YUKIKO!” her mother said with a nasty look. Yukiko quickly apologized for her outburst. Yukina could understand where her daughter was coming from. Honestly, she was dragging her feet a little. On the surface, Yu was almost perfect. If Yukiko were at the age where she had to seriously consider marriage, she would have never even dreamed about finding a candidate as suitable as Yu. Even in face of all this, Yukina still couldn’t put her faith in him entirely. She always reminded herself that the boy was still in high school and he could at any moment, change his mind, pack up, and leave. She wasn’t just protecting Yukiko from that despair, but her entire family.

Her facial expression softened, “I promise, we will make our decision soon.” These types of talks about Yu were becoming a lot more frequent and she knew by Yukiko’s increasingly frustrated behavior that it wouldn’t be long before she did what she was expected to do. Then she would know for sure.

Mr. Amagi did his best to lift his daughter’s spirits. “Would you like some dessert honey?” Yukiko rubbed her belly and even though she was still pouting, mumbled: “I guess so…”
As Yukiko ate her ice cream, her pout slowly turned to a devious smile. She had a sudden epiphany. It seemed what Yukina was banking on happening was going to happen a bit sooner than she thought.

.......................................................................................................................................

Late that night, Yukiko slipped on her pink kimono and slipped out the door. It was a long walk to Yu’s room on the other side of the Inn, and her heavier footsteps sure didn’t help her trying to be quiet, but she couldn’t help but find what she was doing exhilarating. Sneaking about for a late-night rendezvous with her forbidden lover, how fun!

She knew she was out of danger of being caught en route once she reached the hall where Yu’s room was because of the small amount of people staying in that part of the Inn, but even so, her heart rate wouldn’t slow down. It was increasing! So much so that she had begun to fear her parents would have been able to hear it on the other side of the Inn regardless. She waited a moment to try and collect herself, and after re-adjusting the sash on her kimono, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Yu jolted awake the moment he heard the door open, almost fearing that Mr. Amagi had come to try and pull some sort of late night prank. The figure that stood before him in the doorway was obscured by the darkness, but given the silhouette’s more than ample curves, he had a very good idea who the intruder was.

Yu whispered, “Yukiko?” Yu pinched his arm to make sure he wasn’t dreaming when she stepped into the light cast by the moon shining through the tiny window above his bed. With her standing in front of him, he instantly recalled the night at the ski lodge and how beautiful she looked. Now she gave off a motherly glow that made her look even more angelic than she did back then.

Yu picked himself out of bed, but before he could ask Yukiko what she was doing at this time on night, she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. “I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry! After being forced apart by my parents for so long and after all that happened in the TV world and almost losing you, I just couldn't sleep. I needed to come. I needed to see you. I just couldn’t bear it!”

The frantic Yukiko pulled him down buy the collar of his pajamas and kissed him. Yu knew the danger of her being in his room, but for that split second, he ignored all the warning sirens blaring in his head and just enjoyed himself. Finally after a few more seconds, he placed his hands on Yukiko’s shoulders and pushed her away.

“You know you can’t be here, what if your parents find out? You heard your mother.” Yukiko started to fidget with her fingers, “I know, I know! But we will just make sure they don't find out! Besides, I realized that she said that you were forbidden to come to my room. She never said anything about me coming to you…”

In Yu’s mind, it didn’t make much difference. If they were caught he couldn’t imagine such a flimsy excuse working. There was no way someone like Yukiko’s father would accept his daughter had come to see him entirely of her own free will no matter how true it may be. He felt they were so close to their goal, he couldn’t stand the thought of screwing up now keeping them from reaching it.

Sensing Yu’s reluctance, Yukiko relented, “Your right, this was a mistake, forgive me.” Yu’s heart sank from Yukiko's expression when she turned to leave. What the hell was he doing? She had risked sneaking here to see him, to be with him, and he was just going to turn her away? They were planning to get married. In Yukiko’s mind, sometimes, they already were married. Too hell with the consequences! He had a duty to her. She needed him and admittedly, he need her.

“It’s been hard…” These words gave Yukiko pause and before she knew it, she found Yu’s arms snaking across her bloated middle and pulling her back towards him. “I try not to show it in front of everyone, but the fact I can’t be as intimate with you as a want has been tearing me up inside.” Feeling his breath on the back of her neck, Yukiko began to sweat. “I’ve had dreams like this you know, you and me together like this. Now that you’re here, what kind of man would I be to turn you away now?” Yukiko had to stop herself from moaning as Yu rubbed soft circles into her belly. “Yeah, we might be caught. But we got to where we are now by acting recklessly and it’s worked out so far hasn’t it?”

It had more than worked out for the both of them. Their child had already brought them so much joy and it wasn’t even born yet. Yukiko turned around to look at her “hubby,” and with the sincerest expression, Yu pleaded with her. “So please, stay here a little while longer. For your silly husband’s benefit?”

Yukiko choked out a heartfelt chuckle. “Well, if you want me that badly…” The two shared another kiss, longer than the one shared when she first arrived, but as it dragged on, the two began to rub each other. As their rubbing got more intense, the kiss became more fierce. Fervent. Passionate.

Yukiko broke the embrace by pushing herself off his chest, leaving both gasping for breath. Yukiko took a step back, leaving Yu wondering what she was about to do. “You’ve done so much for this town. They will never fully appreciate just how much they owe you. You’re a hero!” Yu grew a bit bashful. He never considered himself a hero. Yukiko smiled, “After showing that false goddess whose boss, I think you deserve a reward…”

With that, Yukiko pulled her sash loose and let her kimono fall to the floor, revealing she was wearing absolutely nothing underneath. Yu took a massive gulp. It had been a while since he had seen Yukiko completely exposed like this. Comparing how she looked back then to the girl he saw now, it was the first time he could fully appreciate how much she had grown.

Minding her tummy, he carefully picked her up and laid her down at the foot of the bed, her legs dangling off the side. Yukiko cooed as Yu slowly took off his pajamas. She would slide a hand under his shirt at school or catch glimpses of it occasionally, but like Yu with her, this was the first time she could really soak up all the changes he had went through as well.

All the recent romps in the TV world coupled with the yard work he did had given him a rock-hard body that lit a fire under her. Yu’s small, improperly insulated room may have been chilly, but Yukiko was red hot.

“AAAH!” Yukiko let out a yelp which she quickly tried to stifle. When Yu first inserted into her, she curled her toes as she was hit with a strong wave of euphoria that rocked her body to her core. He had barely gotten started and she already felt ten times the pleasure she experienced the entire time she tried doing this by herself. The fact she had to try and keep quiet as Yu did his work made it that much more exciting.

As their love-making continued, she was reminded of all the times she had to rely on the comments of other people and her imagination in order to get off. Now that she had the real Yu with her, she was going to make sure she satisfied her itch.

“I’ve -MMM- been doing -UH- everything you said for the baby! Trying to reLAAAX. Eating enough. -AH- Does it show?”

Yu could see Yukiko’s eyes were hungry for praise and played along. “Of course I’ve noticed. -RUH- You grow more mOOtherly by the day!”

“My butt -OH- has gotten a lot bigger…” Yu noticed the way she said this wasn’t like how a regular girl her age would have said it, like as a complaint. Yukiko admitted it with a sense of pride. She was really getting into the whole pregnant thing.

“Soft and round -MMM- extra padding to keep you and the -UMF- baby sitting comFORTably as you grow.” Yu continued, “Annd these thighs, grOWing -HA- nice and thick to support your -HUH- heavier frame.”

Yukiko’s hair stood up on end as Yu stroked one of her inner thighs. She couldn’t get enough. “My breasts! -AHH- what about them?” She pleaded.

“More than a handful. -HUH- Already producing! So swollen with milk. Ensuring our child -HAA- doesn’t go hungry. Like a good mother should!”

Yukiko was frantic. “My -OOOHH- hips. They gotten SOOOOOO wide now.

Yu picked up the pace. “You’ve always had -UGH- a nice pair -NUH- of birthing hips. It’s like you were desTINED to be a mother." Yukiko’s head was swimming. She wanted to kiss Yu so badly for his words, but her pregnant belly kept her from sitting up to reach him, and that just turned her on more. Being told that she was not only growing into being a great mom, but that she was already so naturally gifted at being one was almost too much.

She wasn’t the only one struggling to keep it together. His talk about Yukiko’s body made Yu really take a closer look at her, and he was finding that his baby mama’s increased heft was arousing him greatly. The way her plumper ass spread out as it pressed into the mattress, the way her chunkier thighs quivered slightly with each thrust, and the way her fattened breasts jostled and bounced so much she had to hold them down to keep them from hitting her in the face, it was driving him crazy. He found himself even appreciating the slight blubber coating that enveloped her orb of a belly. He prided himself on his stamina and always the gentleman, he always had made sure Yukiko reached climax first, but these new feelings had pushed him to the brink and he didn’t know if he could hold out. He said his next words without thinking, “Keep it up -MMM- you still got a ways to go.”

“OH I WILL! I WILL! I’LL DO ANYTHING. FOR THIS CHILD AND ANY MORE TO COME!”

Yu could feel himself reaching the limit. Was he actually getting excited at the prospect of Yukiko getting bigger? In a desperate attempt to spur the mewing Yukiko along, he took hold of her very sensitive breasts. Yukiko had to quickly grab a pillow and bite into it to keep herself from awakening the whole town. The tingling sensation she felt was the same as at the movies and the clothing store.

It felt like her milk producing mammaries were trying to leak again, but having already done so recently while shopping with Ai, her stores were spent and nothing came out. She didn’t know whether to curse this or be thankful. Yu had never actually seen her do it before and not knowing how he’d react, she didn’t want to spoil the mood.

A final fluttering from deep within her belly pushed Yukiko over the edge. Griping the sheets, she wrapped her legs around Yu and held him as tightly as she could while she orgasmed. On reflex, Yu moved his hands to her hips and pulled her toward him, hard, penetrating as deeply as he could before finishing. This was the sensation Yukiko longed for. After feeling her hubby tense up and the distinct twitching as he flowed into her, she was hit with a second, even more powerful orgasm.

Yu found himself trapped. It took a good five minutes afterwards for Yukiko’s legs to release their grip on him and allow him to pull out. It took another 20 for both of them to catch their breath. After they were confident no one had heard their passioned screams, Yukiko began to put her kimono back on to leave before Yu stopped her.

“Wait! Lay with me. A little while longer.” Yukiko didn’t offer any resistance. The two laid in Yu’s bed, facing one another and engaged in pillow talk for a good long while. The two sharing a bed together seemed so right to the both of them. This contentment was their undoing, and soon the smiling face of their partner was the last thing they both saw before they drifted into a blissful sleep.

.......................................................................................................................................

Yukina rushed for the small room on the other side of the Inn. She had gone to wake Yukiko up like she normally did, only to find her not in her bed. The fact her bed wasn’t made either tipped her off that she hadn’t woken up early. She had gotten up in the night and hadn’t returned. That could only mean one thing. Opening the door to the room, she thanked the stars her husband was slow getting up. He would have had a heart attack if he had come to Yu’s room and found Yukiko lying with him. She felt a bit uncomfortable as she stepped over the discarded clothes on the floor, knowing the two were naked together under the covers. She had expected Yukiko to awake right away when she first came in. Lately the tiniest floor creak would be enough to have her jump out of bed. However, neither of them had made a single peep even with her looming over them. She couldn’t help but notice on the pillow between them, rested one of each of their hands, fingers intertwined together. To Yukina, they looked...peaceful.

-30 minutes previous-

Fuyuhiko snickered to himself as he moved through the halls. Even though Yu still seemed surprised by his human alarm clock routine, the man knew he couldn't let his potential future son in law grow complacent. He needed to mix it up to keep the boy on his toes. Plus, while he had been surprised, he never quite reached the actual panic of the first time Fuyuhiko had done it. Frankly, he hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

But laughing was the last thing on his mind when he slowly cracked the door. He nearly dropped the cymbals he had brought to wake up Yu. He was so shocked he couldn't even vocalize. The man merely stood there gaping like some kind of fish as he stood there soaking in his daughter and her lover and all their clothes scattered about the room. He had to flip around and lean against a nearby wall to collect his thoughts almost not believing what he had just seen. Yu must have figured that his wife had only said he couldn't come into his daughter's room and immediately thought of some loophole like the crafty malcontent he was. What trickery would that interloper have to use to get his daughter to commit such an improper act!? He almost didn't want to think of it. Because as much as it pained him to admit it, he knew the answer was none.

"Mmm...Yu." The murmuring of his daughter made him force himself to peek his head around the door into the room. She hadn't awoken but she was stirring in her sleep. And she had a warm smile on her face. That's when he noticed their hands intertwined on the pillow. He had no doubt in his mind that Yu was the one who had coerced her here. And yet she had still come. Fuyuhiko was no fool, he knew about the Amagi Challenge all too well and all the boys who she had turned down. How she'd never even kissed a boy before this one, much to his all too temporary relief. How shy she had been. Yet somehow, this boy made her bold enough to do something so brazen.

"Just like I did with Yukina," he thought to himself

Another thing he'd never noticed was how banged up the boy was. There were nicks and marks across his upper body. A big one on his shoulder looked particularly bad almost like a burn mark. Yet somehow he was so kind with everyone. It never really struck him until just this moment how young the boy really was. When he was sleeping gently like this, he wasn't the calm confident man who he presented himself as. He was just a seventeen year old boy peacefully sleeping side by side with his daughter.

Their peaceful expressions calmed his emotions a bit and he was able to be a bit more rational than normal. He began pacing outside in the hallway rubbing his chin. Yu was a cunning boy. Why would he fall asleep with his daughter if all he wanted was her body? Why would he risk intimacy if all he wanted was carnal gratification? No this was clearly a crime of passion. Two young lovers forbidden from seeing each other by her parents meet secretly in the night and take such pleasure in themselves that they lose track of time. If it wasn't his own child, he'd support them unquestioningly.

It was a hasty mistake that could cost them dearly. Yu could very easily be kicked out of the inn for this crime of...loving his daughter too much. He peered into the room one more time and took note of Yukiko's smiling face again. This was the chance he'd been waiting for, to finally get Yu away from his daughter and to have her back nice and safe with him. Then they'd have to give away the baby that she cooed and smiled over every single day. He recalled the conversation earlier. Yukiko had never talked to them that way about anything before. And that was just over being kept apart for a month. Her frustration at not being able to be with him. Fuyuhiko could have his daughter all to himself, all he had to do was break her heart.

He chuckled to himself. It seemed his decision was made for him.

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Yukina was brought out of her musing by the sound of an alarm and decided to do what she did best, stand perfectly still without being noticed.

The young couple fluttered their eyes open and smiled at each other remembering the events of last night before a look of panic washed over their faces. Yu reached over to his alarm and quickly shut it off. Inwardly he was worried, but as always he made sure to never show it. Yukiko had shot up allowing her plump teardrop breasts to jostle fatly from the movement. With a dozen extra pounds or so that belly of hers would make a nice shelf for them. It just needed to swell a little upwards into a proper maternal shape. He caught her peaking at his own chest and met her eyes making them both laugh a little bit. Clothes would definitely be the first step.

"Okay. We still have five minutes until your father comes to wake me up." Yu said while throwing on his shirt. "If you duck into the empty room next to here, I'll help you get your kimono back on..." Yukina smirked a bit as he detailed exactly how they could get through this with Yukiko nodding and hanging on to his every word. It was a well thought out plan, it almost made up for his blunder of oversleeping. Almost. "Ahem." The two turned rapidly over to the open door which they hadn't noticed in their rush. "There's no need for all of that. Just come into our office as soon as you're ready, I'd like to get this whole unpleasant situation resolved before breakfast. Yukiko dear, please show him the way." With that, she spun around on her heel and walked off at a leisurely pace. A large blush crept across her face after she turned the corner. The way they had been looking at each other, oh my!

The two teens stared silently at the floor for a little while. Her mother hadn't seemed too angry but she was never one for showing her true feelings when she could help it. Suddenly, Yu felt a delicate hand wrap around his own. "I won't let them throw you out."

He gazed deeply into her beautiful brown eyes and cupped her chin. "This wasn't a mistake, okay? All we have to do is make your parents understand that. The first step to convincing someone is believing it yourself, so this will be no problem." He gave her maternal mound a pat and smiled. "C'mon, let's go start our family." She threw her arms around him much to his happiness and sighed. Her heart that had been pounding so hard out of anxiety was now perfectly normal. At that moment, with her belly pressed between them, they had the same thought. This made sense. This was how things should be.

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Something had been bothering Yukina since she had woken her husband up. Before he had ran into the bathroom to make great dole and thrash about making exclamations about "that despicable city boy and his enthralling expression," but it had seemed almost halfhearted, like he didn't really mind as much as she was expecting. Maybe she'd just gotten used to it. She sat across from the younger pair with her husband and gave them a measured look. With everyone sitting perfectly straight and the surrounding bookshelves it felt more like a business meeting than a family gathering.

"I believe I made myself very clear when I instructed you two to stay far apart until Yu's evaluation was complete."

"W-well mother, actually what you said was Yu couldn't come into my room, you never said anything about...me coming..." she began to trail off as her mother continued to stare at her realizing how flimsy the justification was. Yukina just sighed. "I suppose I did say that didn't I?" Her father grimaced a bit at Yukiko's admission that she did this under her own will but quickly calmed himself which was actually more frightening to the two.

"I assumed you two were intelligent enough that you would understand the point, but clearly not. How can I trust either of you two to inherit the inn if you can't even follow simple instructions?"

"We were." Yu's little comment made her raise an eyebrow. It wasn't filled with attitude, it was just a simple neutral statement that gave her pause which was probably his goal. "Oh?"

"It's not healthy for an expectant mother to go so long without having sex. It's a good method of stress relief and it lowers blood pressure. I was concerned about their health." He gestured towards an upset looking Yukiko. The way he said it made it sound so clinical, so lacking in intimacy but she knew it was probably the best way of appealing to her mother. "I should have consulted with you first," he said while bowing in apology. "Forgive me, it was my idea, I talked Yukiko into it."

"Yu, don't..."

Yu turned to his fiance and smiled. "It's okay Yuki. You don't have to cover for me." He bowed again to her parents, deeper this time. "I'll accept any punishment you choose to give me but everything I did, I did for my child and their mother." Yukina had a wry smirk on her face. He really knew how to play to the crowd. She had no doubt that if he was speaking to her husband, he'd phrase his apology quite differently. "You'd like me to believe that wouldn't you? That everything was perfectly planned and under control, but that's not true is it?" Yu grimaced when he realized what she meant. Why would they allow themselves to get caught if everything had been carefully planned? "No this was brought on by two teenagers who couldn't control themselves, despite my strict instructions. That was a good attempt on your part though Mr. Narukami. You almost had me fooled."

The woman stood up and moved towards her desk as if searching for something. "Not only did you two break my rules but then you saw fit to try and lie about it. That's not good, not good at all. I'm going to have to keep the two of you separated for quite a long time. Until you can learn to behave in a dignified controlled manner. Mr. Narukami, for the time being I believe you should return to the Dojima's..."

Before anyone could react, Yu got on to his hands and knees in a begging position. "You said you want to evaluate me as a husband? So please, let me be a husband." Yukina merely shifted her nose up. "We're already doing that. Besides, we'll still be evaluating you, you just won't be living here. Don't worry, your employment still stands and when you've matured, you'll be allowed back."

Yu pleased her greatly by shaking his head. "None of that matters. Look at your daughter ma'am. She's growing heavy with child. Our child. I need to be there for her and it kills me inside that I haven't been able to do that. I know we broke your rule but please, I beg you, let me make it up to you. Let me show you how much I love your daughter. How important this is to me." Yukiko looked like she was about to cry. He shouldn't have to get on his hands and knees and beg for the chance to love her. Especially since she was equally responsible. This was unfair. This was ridiculous.

"If it was really as important as you claim, you wouldn't have broken my rule. Now seeing..."

"Mother! You're being ridiculous!" Yukina turned to her daughter trying to hide the smile on her face. "Yukiko dear, you're out of line." But her daughter shook her head. As usual, her hand rested firmly on the top of her stomach but her face didn't have her usual beaming smile that had become almost permanent lately. "No I am not. You're punishing Yu when he didn't do anything wrong. For heaven's sake mother, he just wants to help me. Just like I want to help him."

"He broke the rule."

"Yeah well...your rule is...stupid." Immediately Yukiko covered her mouth with her hand but quickly recovered. "I'm sorry for the harsh language but it is. You say you want him to prove himself but how can he do that if we're kept apart? Isn't my evaluation of him important as well? How can you say you're looking out for my benefit when you won't listen to what I have to say?"

"So what do you have to say then?"

Yukiko bent down to the best of her ability which was starting to become slightly difficult much to her delight. It made her helping Yu to his feet that much more triumphant for the girl. "I love my husband. I love him even more than I did before, so much that I snuck into his room just to be with him." Her voice was perfectly calm as she said it. It had been calm throughout her whole speech. This wasn't the emotional outburst of a child, it was the well reasoned arguments of a woman. With her arms wrapped around Yu's chest and a fierce glint in her eye, to Yukina her daughter had never looked more like a matured young woman.

"That's all I needed to here."

The other three people in the room turned to Fuyuhiko. He had been awfully quiet this entire time only deciding to speak now. "I'm sorry, what was that dear?" Everything had been going as expected for Yukina. In fact she was planning on dragging it out for a little while longer. "You're okay with this?" The man pulled his collar a bit. "Well...not entirely. I'm still not completely comfortable with your...nightly activities." He slammed his fists on the table and stood up. "B-but that doesn't matter! I may have been loathe to admit it, but Yu isn't a bad guy. In fact...we're kind of the bad guys right now Yukina."

"W-what?"

"I mean, if we keep pressing they'll end up running off and eloping! Isn't that right snow pea?" Yukiko blushed a little bit. It wasn't untrue that the thought had crossed her mind as a last resort. "They're even sneaking off to meet under the cover of darkness. Oh it's so romantic." He recovered from his swoon and regained his serious composure. "But what's really important is that my daughter loves him very much. Think about it darling, when has our daughter ever fought us this hard over something? I certainly can't remember. I might not trust Yu completely yet, but I trust my daughter. Sorry it took me so long to realize that."

"So what are you saying dear?"

Fuyuhiko took a deep breath and smiled. "If Yu's that important to Yukiko, then he's important to me too. And I don't think we should keep them apart anymore." It was a good thing he was standing up because otherwise he would have been knocked over by Yukiko rushing into him. "Oh daddy. Thank you thank you thank you. I just knew you'd come around!" He laughed as his face was covered with kisses. He attempted to pick his daughter up and twirl her around but struggled a bit. "Getting...a bit heavy there...princess." This just made her smile even brighter. "I know! Isn't it great?"

Yukina was at a loss for words. She had a whole speech planned out in her head to give the kids since they'd both passed with flying colors but her husband had basically taken the words right out of her mouth. The two more stoic persons in the room stood side by side watching father and daughter take great joy together. "This was a test wasn't it?" Everyone stopped to turn towards the silver haired boy as he gave Mrs. Amagi a measured look. "That's why my bed was so big. That's why you didn't check on Yukiko during the evenings to make sure she stayed in her room. And that's why you brought us in here." Yukina chuckled a bit.

"Very perceptive. Too bad you didn't realize it earlier, you might not have had to beg. But I'm glad you did. Our daughter moved my husband, but you moved me. I know that wasn't easy."

"Actually ma'am it was the easiest thing in the world." She smirked but noticed her daughter glaring at her. "That's not nice mother. Tricking us like that. You've been pregnant. Surely you know how terrible this month has been." Yukina nodded. "I know and I'm sorry. But I had to make sure it was a lasting relationship. A lack of intimacy causes one formed solely on that basis to wither and die whereas one such as yours only burns more brightly. So brightly that you went against my order on a slim hope."

It seems as though Fuyuhiko wasn't the only one to appreciate the arts Yu reflected as Yukina wiped a tear from her eye. She took her daughter's hands in her own and sighed. "I'm sorry for putting you through this. I just had to be sure." Yukiko merely shook her head. "I know and I understand. But I hope you'll start trusting my judgments more. My husband and I will be inheriting the inn after all."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yukina shot a sympathetic look towards her husband. "Oh sweetie you know you tend to...overact. You would have blown our cover immediately." He raised his hand as if to argue but placed it down. "Yeah. I do do that don't I?" The woman suddenly looked a bit awkward. "I um I actually had a feeling you would pass. So I took the liberty of setting some things up. For the wedding." It was hard to talk over the sounds of joy emanating from Yukiko and Yu's excited laughter as they embraced but the soft spoken woman tried her best. "Now it's only the location and permission from the mayor but if everything goes well, it should happen around late June. And of course that means that yes, you can start living together." She was given the same treatment that her husband was given earlier except this time her future son in law joined in on the hugging. "C-careful. I'm not as built for hugging as the rest of you." But she had to smile. She was honestly excited to start a proper evaluation. Everyone was becoming so friendly now.