Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life Part 2

It grew a little awkward for Yu and Yukiko toward the end of their baths in the hot springs. Both could tell their respective group of friends were restraining themselves, or in Teddie’s case, being restrained, from asking a few more personal questions. Mainly about how “it” happened and how “it” felt. The team knew that they were the only ones aware of Yukiko’s condition so far, so they tried to avoid talking about it while at the Inn, but when the group started to disperse for their respective homes, Rise couldn’t help but give Yukiko’s belly a small pat and wave her developing child goodbye. With all the attention Rise had given her since she found out, Yukiko was beginning to feel a lot like Yu when Rise couldn’t keep her hands of him! It wasn’t a put down on their friend’s ability to keep a secret, but Yukiko and Yu knew with such a big group knowing about it, it was only a matter of time before someone else found out. There was no backing down, tomorrow they would have to come clean to Yukiko’s parents and Dojima.

The next day was Valentines day so before the reveal, So after school, Yu and Yukiko rode out to the same beach where they had visited earlier in the year with their friends. Yukiko was a bit dispirited when she handed over her massive box of valentines chocolates. The Inn staff had noticed her trying to make them, and they all couldn’t help themselves from lending a hand so she said it felt like it was more of a gift from the Inn then from her. Yu could only laugh, it was the thought that counted. “Besides,” he explained as he grabbed one of her hands and placed his other on her midsection, “You’ve already given me all that I ever need.”

Yu suggested they eat the box of gourmet chocolates together as they watched the sunset. The people at the Inn really knew their stuff because the chocolates were delicious. Yukiko really enjoyed them as well and puffed her cheeks out when she realized there were none left.

Yu didn’t want to say anything, but more than half of the chocolate ended up in his fiancé’s growing belly. The rest of their time together was spent talking about their future. Yukiko felt more and more blissful as Yu spoke about things like coming back here someday with their little one in tow. About how they would have a little picnic, play in the sand and make sandcastles, go swimming. It truly was a future to look forward to.

The sun had almost dipped below the horizon when the two decided to pack it in. It had been a wonderful afternoon, but both knew they were in for a rough evening. Both wished each other good luck and after another passionate kiss, split off from each other.

Even though he had psyched himself up beforehand. Yu was having a hard time gathering the courage to tell his uncle what he had done. Nanako was watching one of her shows while he and Dojima sat at the table and discussed the skiing trip. “Well, I’m glad you all were able to enjoy yourself, sounds like you made some great memories to take back home with you,” Dojima said when Yu was done talking.

Yu curled his fingers into a fist, it was now or never. “Actually Dojima-san, about that. I don’t plan on going back.” Dojima was surprised at what he thought was Yu being childish, “Listen, I know it feels like you just got here, and it’s hard to leave after you made so many new friends, but you knew the deal. Remember what I told you, your welcome to come and visit anytime.”

Yu became more increasingly nervous, “That’s not it. When you and Nanako were in the hospital and I was here by myself, my girlfriend would come over to give me some company.” Dojima’s smile started to slowly fade from his face, he knew what came next couldn’t be good. “She really helped me get through that tough period of time, and well you see, one night when she came over, we started….uh….kissing…”

Yu would have gotten a bit flustered if he didn’t feel Dojima’s gaze narrowing in on him “…you know how it is, one thing led to another and…umm…by our calculations she is due around late August or early September.”

Yu could hear the air shooting out of Dojima’s flaring nostrils as his breathing became more forceful. He might as well had painted a target on his chest. Dojima wanted to believe this was some kind of prank, but Yu refusing to make eye contact with him and the way he was slouched over in his chair told him it was the truth. Yu could sense what was about to happen but before Dojima had a chance to raise his voice, the detective felt a small tug on his sleeve.

“Dad, you look really scary, are you two fighting?” Dojima’s facial expression softened. “Uh, no sweetie, we were just talking about Yu going back home and I was surprised by something is all.” Yu thought Nanako had rescued him a verbal lashing, but it was then that Dojima pulled out his wallet. “Listen, why don’t you run to the corner store real quick and pick up some ice cream for the three of us?”

“Really!? YAY!” Nanako cheered as she grabbed the money and scampered out the door. Yu knew he was in trouble now. With Nanako temporarily out of the house, Dojima was going to come at him full force.

What happened next was about what Yu expected from someone who interrogated criminals, lots of yelling. “What were you thinking?” “How could you let this happen?” “I thought you were smarter than this!” There were lots of insults being thrown around, “stupid,” “irresponsible,” “dumb,” “reckless,” and all their other friends. Yu thought Dojima was going to tear his hair out. Quiet frankly, it was the biggest beatdown he had ever gotten, even his own parents never gave it to him this severely. As it went on however, Yu realized that Dojima’s reaction just showed how much he really cared.

The screaming ceased when Nanako made it back home. Yu knew it wasn’t over. Once he helped put Nanako to bed, he went back to the kitchen to see Dojima pouring himself a drink. He wasn’t as angry as before and him getting all the shouting out of his system allowed them to finally talk about it.

“You really screwed the pooch this time.” Dojima looked up from his pouring, wishing he had used a better expression. “Sorry about that,” He placed the bottle down and took a sip out of his glass. “I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend. Goes to show how good of a job I’ve been doing watching over you. So, who is it? It isn’t that red-headed girl always clinging to you is it?” Yu shook his head, “No, it’s Yukiko.” Dojima let out a pained groan and began rubbing his temples. That was just as bad if not worse than getting a famous idol pregnant. The Amagi’s were a very well-respected family in Inaba and owners of the town’s “crown jewel,” the Amagi Inn and the hot springs that sat under it.

“I talked to them a few times during the case, not sure how they will appreciate a young hotshot from the city coming in and getting to their daughter.” Dojima chuckled, “Though even if you wanted to leave, they would probably hunt you down and drag you back here kicking and screaming. Why do you want to stay anyway? Did you promise the girl?”
Leaving was never a thought that had even crossed his mind. “I love her, and she is carrying my child. No force on earth could keep me from being here for them both. “

Dojima poured himself another drink. He could sympathize, being a father himself. He could never dream being separated from Nanako. Dojima sighed, “I understand where you're coming from. I just think you’re too young to be having children, though I guess it can’t be helped now. I’m guessing since Yukiko’s parents aren’t knocking down our door you two haven’t told them yet?”

“She is probably telling them as we speak, divide and conquer, you know? Haha. Um, speaking of parents what about mine?” Dojima chuckled again, “I don’t have enough alcohol in the house to attempt to tackle that mountain yet.” Yu rubbed the back of his neck, Dojima looked terrified at having to tell his sister what had happened. “You know Dojima, with the case and the Adachi thing, and you and Nanako being in the hospital, I don’t think she can really blame you…”

Dojima cut him off, “HA! You should know no excuse would fly with her. We will get around to telling my sister she is a grandmother now eventually.” The two continued to talk into the wee hours of the mourning until the both could hardly keep awake.

“I’m sure Nanako will be thrilled if you are indeed staying. I may have been a pretty lousy father recently, but I’ll try to help you out as much as I can.” As Yu got up to go to bed, Dojima stopped him a final time. “You know being a father isn’t easy, and at your age, your in for a rough time.” Yu smiled, “But it’s worth it right?” Dojima couldn’t really argue with that, “Yeah, I guess your right.” Yu pumped his fist, “Me and Yukiko will handle whatever comes our way as a team.”

Dojima froze momentarily from Yu’s last declaration. He couldn't help but see a bit of his younger self in his nephew. The way Yu talked about his relationship with Yukiko reminded him of the one he used to have. Most of all, it reminded him of how much he missed Chisato. He smiled weakly, “You know, if you continue to talk like that, and are able to put it into practice, I think you'll turn out fine.” Dojima’s face became stern again, “You're still an idiot, however!”

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"-urp- Ohhh too much chocolate." Yukiko covered her mouth again as yet another burp bubbled to the surface. Lately, they had been becoming more and more frequent especially as her eating increased ever so slightly. Another side effect of her pregnancy. She had complained to Yu about it being embarrassing and had apologized several times. "Why ?" He had said eventually. "It just means the baby's growing and your body's changing accordingly." She had blushed in happy embarrassment at that comment. "It's not gross to you? You really don't mind?" He simply told her it was no different from her chest growing or her belly swelling. Just a natural part of having a baby. "Besides, I think it's cute." She hadn't needed any further assurances.

She did have to get all of them out of her system before going inside. The last thing she needed was a big belch right in the middle of her big announcement. "The kitchen staff told me you made chocolate for all your friends at school. That's very nice of you pumpkin." Yukiko winced a bit at her father's good-natured praise. He wouldn't be quite so happy in a minute. Plus, part of the reason she'd made chocolate for everyone was to deflect suspicion until she was ready for everything to come out. Yu had minor difficulties finally working up the nerve to Dojima, but for Yukiko it wasn't quite so easy. "I'm glad you've been making so many new friends. They seemed like a fun group. Especially that Tatsumi kid, he reminds me of myself when I was his age!." This was a chance for Yukiko to probe a little bit. "What did you think of some of the others?"

Her father spoke favorably of all her new friends, for the most part. "Some of those boys need to learn to settle down a little bit. And that Risette, she was a beut...objectively speaking of course haha." Her mother spoke up with a bit of a smirk. "That silver-haired boy was quite handsome as well...objectively of course." Yukiko giggled a little as her parents bickered.

Her mother smiled at her husband and he smiled back. Yukiko had been looking a little down today so they were glad their bickering routine still worked like a charm to cheer her up. "You would like him, you both need to learn a little more smiling wouldn't kill you. And that blue haired boy with the hat, he could learn that too." Her mother had returned to her more natural neutral expression. "They understand the value of silence. Yukiko dear you've hardly touched your dinner." Yukiko meekly explained she wasn't very hungry today. Her mother tried to pry a bit more, however. "How odd. You've been eating so much better lately too. And now all of a sudden you're not hungry" But her husband placed a hand on hers. "Come on Yukina, there's no need for that, sometimes you're just not hungry." He grinned at his daughter and took her plate. "But if you don't want it, then don't mind if I do." Her mother apologized and returned to eating

Yukiko couldn't take it anymore. She felt so bad that her father was standing up for her when she was lying right to his face. And her mother was looking guilty as well when she was completely correct. Not to mention Yu had probably already finished his part in starting their new family and here she was hemming and hawwing about it. She looked around the room to make sure it was just them and touched her stomach. "This is for us. All of us." She thought to herself. Unfortunately, her desire to make up for her earlier hesitation resulted in tearing off the band aid a little too quickly.

"Mother! Father! I'm pregnant!"

"W-what *cough* *ack* *cough*" She probably should have waited until after her father had finished chewing. Her mother just rolled her eyes. "Come now Fuyuhiko, don't be so melodramatic." Yukiko was the one now in shock. "Mother, you knew!?"

"I had my suspicions. Actually, I was beginning to think they were misplaced but it appears I just needed to wait." Her father had now finished pounding his chest.

"Have you finished?" Her mother asked her father. He surprised both of them by slamming his fist on the table which made Yukiko jump back with a yelp. "How can you be so calm!? Unless...this is a joke! Hahaha that's it, it's a joke right. You and your mother are always freaking me out like this, good one sweetie haha...ha...ha." But Yukiko's dejected expression let him know everything he needed to know. "Oh!" He wailed. "My beautiful baby girl." He made great sorrow out of measure. "I think I might just die!"

"Oh hush, you're fine," but then her mother turned to Yukiko with narrowed eyes. "Which is more than I can say for you. How could you be so foolish!? We raised you better than this!" Even though she had been preparing for this for months, the words still stung greatly. She could count the times her mother had raised her voice on two hands. "What on Earth would possess you to think this was a good idea?" Yukiko tried her best to answer but her voice came out wavering. "I-it wasn't on purpose. It just...happened."

Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a deep sigh. Yukiko looked like she was about to cry. Shouting would just make things worse. What they needed now was details. "How far along are you?" Her mother asked, her look of anger replaced with concern. "F-fifteen weeks last Sunday." Yukina did a bit of math in her head and let out a small smile. "Part of me was thinking it was some scheme to get out of inheriting the inn but I guess that's not the case. At least you aren't completely foolish." Yukiko perked up a bit. That was one of her mother's usual terms of endearment so she knew most of the anger had faded. Unti. her father choose now to slam her fist on to the table.

"Dammit it all! I knew we should have talked to her about this stuff! Then she wouldn't have been taken for a ride by the first guy who comes around!" Yukiko gasped in shock. "Daddy, it's not like that! We're both equally to blame. I wanted it just as much"

Her father let out another sorrowful wail. "Oh please don't say that. You'll break your dear old dad's heart." His baby girl admitting to such a thing was almost too much for him to bear. Yukina sighed again, a common practice when he was excited. Her husband thought he was a Kanji Tatsumi, intimidating and cool, but he was more like that blonde boy with the white dress shirt, excitable and far too dramatic. He calmed down a little bit though and clasped his hands together in a begging position. "Please tell me that it wasn't the Junes boy. Oh please god." Yukiko shook her head. "No, of course not. He's never even asked me out before. It was the boy with the silver hair." This relieved her parents a little. That meant that the father hadn't ran out at least and they seemed to still be on good terms. "Does he know?" Yukiko informed them that not only did he know but he was informing his guardian Dojima right about now. "He's probably already finished assuming Dojima didn't kill him." She chuckled but it was not a genuine one, merely one to try to hide her nerves.

So not only did he know, but he was also willing to take responsibility. Yukina had to begrudgingly give him points for that. Albeit small ones. "Of course he says that now," her father groused to himself. Yukiko clasped her hands pleadingly. "Oh daddy, just give him a chance. You'll like him, I promise!" Yukiko's plea echoed in both of her parents minds. Memories of a time long ago when Yukina had made a very similar request of her father to give the young man without money or land just one chance. "What's his name?" Her father finally asked. This was it. With this answer, her fiance's life would officially be set. "Yu Narukami."

"Do you love him?" Yukiko nodded firmly, her earlier nerves now gone. This question was easy. "Yes, very much. He's strong and brave and kind and he's helped me so much." Her father snorted. "That's just the honey moon phase talking."

Yukiko pouted. "But we've been dating since August." Even her mother was surprised by that. "M-my little princess has been fooling around with some boy since August and nobody told me! I can't even trust my own staff!" His wife merely shook her head. "And this is why." She let her husband lament some more to give her time to think. They couldn't terminate the pregnancy. Not only would word get out, not only was it expensive, but from the way Yukiko talked about her boyfriend and the way her hand kept touching her stomach, Yukina had a feeling she wouldn't be so willing. "Honestly, this might save us quite a bit of work later on." Her husband ceased his newest round of conniptions and turned towards her. "What do you mean?" Yukiko was at a loss as well.

"As the sole heir to the Amagi Inn, Yukiko would need to acquire a husband and produce a child regardless. If this boy is everything she says he is, perhaps it's not such a bad thing after all." Yukiko's eyes shone brightly. "You mean..."

Her mother nodded. "We will give him his chance to prove himself." Before Yukiko could get too excited and her husband could get too upset, she quickly raised a hand. "However, he will only have one chance, and if he should fail the relationship will end right then and there and we shall give the child up for adoption. In addition, your father and I will pick your future husband and you will assent to our choice without complaint. Do we have a deal?"

Her father looked overjoyed by this turn of events. If they gave the boy a chance and he failed, no one could accuse them of being unfair. It wouldn't be his fault if he couldn't handle a little responsibility. Besides, he thought remembering his own grueling trial, it was nice to see things from the other side. "Sounds perfect my dear. You have my assent." But both parents were shocked by Yukiko's reaction.

"I accept. He'll show you both why I fell in love with him just like he does for me every single day."

Fuyuhiko nervously gulped. His wife and daughter were glaring at each other with that competitive gleam they both got sometimes. "I must admit Yukiko, you've gotten me excited. I hope he doesn't disappoint." Yukiko assured her mother that he wouldn't. "We shall discuss the terms with him later this week. I hope he's aware he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Not unless he wishes to have his name dragged through the mud."

"Even if he didn't know that, he'd still stay with me...and our child." At this, her mother smiled once again. Yukiko hadn't spoken this highly of someone since Chie and in her their daughter had found a lifelong friend. Maybe she wasn't so foolish after all. "If he succeeds your father and I will do everything in our power to help you two. Right?" She sent a dangerous glare towards her husband who rolled his eyes. "Of course. But that's IF he succeeds." He leaned over to hug his daughter who returned it eagerly. "I just don't want you to get taken advantage of."

"I know daddy. Thank you for caring so much." She broke from the hug and gave an equally big one to her mother her gasped in shock. "You too mother." Yukina allowed herself another smile as she stroked her daughters hair. Her husband joined the hug once again. It had already happened and the only thing to do was to go forward and to help their daughter as much as they could. Even if that meant breaking her heart and even if that meant entrusting her to someone else.

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Yu nervously drummed his fingers on the table. The Amagi's hadn't called today so it appeared as though they were going to give him a day to prepare himself for their meeting. Or maybe they were just busy. Either or. Yukiko could barely contain her excitement that morning at school, he had to remind her good naturedly to keep her voice down she was so excited. His training hadn't even started yet but listening to her talk, it was like he'd already succeeded. "I'll help you as much as I can," she had assured him. As much as Yu didn't like to lean on others too much, he was definitely going to make use of that offer. Their family was at stake after all. But eventually, her excitement got to him too and he couldn't resist gripping her hands and hopping up and down along with her to the embarrassment of Yosuke and Chie.

The happy memories slowly faded as he remembered where he was. There was the slight nerves that came from knowing the Amagi's could call any minute but that wasn't the main reason. "Either you call them or I will," Dojima had said before going off to work that morning. He knew Dojima was right, he was cutting it close as it was. They could have a big discussion about it later but right now he needed to at least tell them. Nanako was looking at him strangely, she'd never seen her big bro so pensive before. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" Nanako's worried face was the final push Yu needed.

"No, I was just thinking about what to talk about. I'm about to call my mother. Would you like to talk to her?" Nanako's happy gasp brought a smile to Yu's face. He knew the two had never actually met but Nanako was excited nevertheless. "Yeah! I've never talked to Aunt Mizui before. Is she nice?" Yu nodded. She tried to be at least. As much as he dreaded calling his mother, he dreaded his father's reaction even more. His father was most likely busy anyway. Steeling himself, he picked up the phone.

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Mizui Dojima now Mizui Narukami sipped her coffee with one hand while typing with her other. Her husband was in a mid morning board meeting so it was her job to handle things while he was gone and fill him in on even the most minute details when he got back. They'd gotten the practice down to a science over the years with it being more of a function now than a thought process. But this is what she did best, if you gave her a task she'd see it through to the end, he gave the orders and she followed them to the letter. The phone rang slightly bringing her out of her autonomous state. She wasn't brought out fully when until the number registered in her brain. The executive secretary had been about to let it go to voice mail before realizing it was her own son calling. He never called. She managed to pick it up on the last ring but didn't speak into it.

She looked around the office debating if it would be proper to take a personal call. "It might be an emergency, your productivity will fall if you don't make sure." And with that, she finally answered. "Hello, Yu."

"Hello mother." He responded. The two sat there in silence for a little while before his mother nervously coughed. "How are things? Are your grades still high?"

"I'm the top of my class."

"Good, good." Another pause. "How is your uncle?" Yu grimaced a bit. He had never quite noticed how terrible at small talk she was. "He was in the hospital for a bit but he's fine now. Auto accident." This gave Mizui pause. She hadn't known her brother had been in an auto accident. No one had told her that. Well, something to mull over later, she would have to send him a get well card and maybe some flowers. "And his daughter, Chisato?"

"Nanako." Yu corrected her. "R-right. Chisato is his wife."

"Was." Yu corrected her again. She cleared her throat again. The memory had come back to her she had just forgotten is all. "Nanako's here right now actually, would you like to speak to her?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know-" but Yu didn't give her a choice in the matter. "Hi Aunt Mizui!" Nanako excitedly chirped into the line. "Hello there dear." Mizui replied a bit uncomfortably. She wasn't used to so much energy all at once. She needed time to adjust but here she was thrown into the deep end. "So...how old are you now?"

"Seven," Mizui raised her brow in surprise. That old already huh? Time sure flew when you weren't paying attention to it. "Oh. I see. Um have you...started school?" That was a mistake. Nanako began to excitedly tell her aunt about all the wonderful and fun classes she was taking and how great school was and it was clear she intended to make up for lost time. Mizui checked her watch, she didn't really have the time to be doing this and the hyperactivity was making her quite dizzy. "That's wonderful dear. Could you put your cousin back on? I'm in somewhat of a rush this morning?"

"Oh, okay." The dejected tone in her voice made Mizui feel terribly guilty. She hadn't meant to be so dismissive but she really was quite busy. "We can talk some other time, okay?" Nanako quickly perked up and agreed. "Yeah, you should come here!" The woman sucked in air through her teeth hoping the girl didn't notice. She hadn't been in Inaba in years, or spoken to her brother for that matter. Not since their parents died. "Well tell your father I said hello." Nanako didn't notice how she side stepped the question and happily agreed. She handed the phone back to her big bro and returned to her TV. She couldn't wait to meet her aunt!

Yu made his way to the privacy of his room. He had told Nanako he didn't want to talk over her show which she had thankfully bought. Now it was just him and his mother. "Well son, if that's all I'm afraid I must be going. It was nice speaking to you." Well looks like his hand was being forced again.

"There's actually one more thing." She had been just about to hang up when those words reached her. "And what would that be?"

"Well...while I was in Inaba I met this girl. She's an absolute joy to be around and..."

"I'm happy to hear that dear but I don't see why you had to call to tell me."

Yu cleared his throat. "Long story short, I got her pregnant." He heard the sound of clattering on the other end, she must have dropped the phone in shock. In fact, that's exactly what happened. She quickly scrambled to pick it up but let it just hang by her ear for a while ignoring her son's inquiry of "mother?" How could this have happened? He'd never shown any interest in girls before or at least none that she'd seen. She honestly didn't have the first clue on how to approach this especially considering the circumstances around his own birth. "Yu...this is quite the problem."

"I know mother."

"Your father is not going to be happy about this and frankly I'm not either. We really don't need a scandal right now." Her husband was so close to getting that coveted senior VP position and his son going out and getting girls pregnant could jeopardize that. He'd always been so well behaved, why was he suddenly being difficult now? "It wasn't intentional," he assured her, "it just sort of...happened." Mizui became a bit more understanding upon hearing this. "This is a problem, this is a problem," she muttered. "Did Ryotaro know about this? How could he let this happen?" Yu quickly lept to his uncle's defense explaining that he was laid up in the hospital when it had happened. "He already gave me a lecture about it. Please don't hold him responsible."

She let out a sigh. Perhaps she could cut her younger brother some slack just this once. "Well how much is she asking for?" Yu was perplexed by this question. "What do you mean?"

"To keep quiet. How much does she want?"

Now it was Yu's turn to let out a sigh. He should have known this was coming. It would be even worse with his father. "She doesn't want money. She wants to raise the baby, with me. And I do too."

"It's the right thing to do and I love her. Even if I didn't she comes from a wealthy family and I don't think they'll let me leave." Mizui was beginning to bite her thumbnail. The right thing to do. She had spoken those same words so long ago, but there was something else. "Yu, your voice...something's different about it." Yes it was filled with passion and energy far different from the perfectly agreeable tone he normally took with her and her husband. "I'm quite serious mother." She could tell he wasn't going to budge on this and she really didn't have the time or the energy to persuade him. "Wealthy family, you don't mean the Amagi family do you?"

"Yes. It's the daughter of the owners." He could hear the deep sigh through the speaker. "This is a problem, this is quite a problem," she began to mutter once again. Not only did they have the influence and the reach to spread the word far and wide but a bribe would have to be quite hefty. Plus, she remembered, they were old fashioned and honorable it might take more than a simple buy off. "I'm very disappointed in you. I thought we raised you better than this. Oh this is going to be such a headache." Yu sighed. "You don't have to do anything you know, you could just let things be." There, his voice she caught the slightest hint of a plea. Could he...have wanted this? First her brother's car crash, and now her son's sudden surge of passion towards someone she'd never even met. He had said he loved her. Mizui had some thinking to do. "W-well we need to inform your father at any rate. He's quite busy today and there's the time zone difference and everything."

"Mother, the Amagi's want to call me in for a meeting. Could my talk with father wait until afterwards so I can fully explain their terms to him?" The woman pursed her lips in thought. That seemed quite logical and frankly she wanted to put off having to tell him as well. "Alright but I expect you to notify me as soon as it's over."

Yu offered his assent and was ready to hang up the phone when his mother spoke up one more time. "Yu, I have a bit of free time in my schedule next week...I'd like for you to tell me more about your year in Inaba." Her request surprised the both of them and she quickly added. "If you have time of course. I know you're quite busy as well."

"Sure. It's been a pretty great year." She could feel his smile through the other end of the phone and gave a genuine smile of her own. "I'm...happy to hear that Yu. I have to go but please don't get into any more trouble." He chuckled a tiny bit and said he'd certainly try his best. She hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair wondering what other things she had missed.

"Hello dear." Her husband held out his hand expectantly and it was automatically filled with the forms he needed. Even his greeting was part of the automated process he had developed. He was brought out of it by his wife informing him that their son had called. "Oh I see. How are his grades?"

"He's the top of his class."

Her husband nodded. "That's good news. That'll make his college interviews easier. I might not even have to bribe them." He let out a small laugh. He was quickly on his way. Normally that would have been it, but today wasn't normal for Mizui

"Sorano."

He turned to face his wife surprised. "Do you ever worry that maybe we haven't done enough for Yu?" He snorted. "He's been given everything a child could possibly need to succeed. Honestly we spoil him too much. We paid for those cooking classes he wanted." She was about to point out that had been years ago but to her husband the conversation was clearly over and she dutifully followed him along saying no more.

Yu ran his hands over his face. That had gone better than expected honestly. Now all he could do was wait. Well that wasn't true. "Hey Nanako, let's go to the park." No, waiting passively was for the old Yu. And the old Yu never would have seen Nanako's face light up.

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The next day, Yu made sure to be within an arm’s length of the phone at all times. As the day rolled on, Yu was beginning to think he would have to wait yet another day to hear from the Amagis when the phone rang. The phone hardly started it’s second ring before Yu swiped it up, “Dojima residence, Yu speaking. How may I help you?”

It was a woman on the other line and she sounded tired. “Yu Narukami I presume?” Even though the women was only talking to him on the phone, Yu stood up as straight as possible with his one arm at his side as if she were here in person. “Yes, this is him speaking.”

“I assume you know who I am and what this is about?”

“Yes Mrs. Amagi, I do,” Yu answered.

“I apologize for having called you so late in the day. The Inn is very busy this week, it being the week of Valentines day in all, and we haven’t had a chance to call you until now.” Yu told Mrs. Amagi he understood. “Me and My husband would like to meet with you. Today if possible.” Yu had cleared up his schedule for the entire week waiting for this moment, “Today, is fine for me ma’am.”

“Good, come by the Inn at 5 o'clock sharp. We look forward to seeing you. My daughter speaks very highly of you, don’t disappoint.” For one quick moment, Yu felt a twinge of fear creep up the back of his neck after that last line, the fear of failure. That fear quickly disappeared however, when he began to laugh after he heard Yukiko’s voice in the background excitedly attempt to tell him something, only getting out the words “Yu! I can’t wai-“ before her mother hung up the phone. Yukiko didn’t have a care in the world. To her, this meeting wasn’t one that would decide whether the two could be together, she already knew he was going to be able to win her parents over. To her this was just the first of many family get togethers at the dinner table.

Yu pumped his fist. Yukiko was already acting like a wife, believing in him. He just had to be the man she knew he was, that he knew he was. Since coming to Inaba, he had never failed in forging a bond with anyone. Even he and Adachi had come to some sort of understanding. Yukiko’s parents would be no different. Channeling a bit of Yukiko’s confidence, Yu corrected himself. “I mean my In-laws will be no different.”

“Maybe this will go bad enough that we won’t even need him to work around here for us to make our decision,” whispered the father as the family waited outside the Inn for Yu to arrive. His wife gave him a quick thwack on the arm, “Shush! You better behave yourself.” Just then, the family saw Yu turn the corner, right on time. Yu took notice of the family, standing in a row, as he approached. The mother had a stern look on her face but Yu didn’t sense she was trying to intimidate him or anything. On the other hand, the father DID look like he was trying to intimidate him but was failing completely. Even if Yu hadn’t steeled his resolve, he was no where near as scary as Dojima was or his own father. Yukiko couldn’t contain herself. She bounced up and down on her tippy toes wearing a huge grin, giving him a quick wave as he bowed to the group of three. “Thank you for having me.”

After exchanging greetings, the parents led him to a room where they could talk business, sitting him down at a large wood table. Yukiko expressed her displeasure when her parents made her sit next to them instead of Yu. He had barely gotten into his seat before Yukiko’s father slammed his hands onto the table and started yelling in his face.

“So you’re the punk who defiled my daughter! Where do you get off huh? You just see her as a pretty face don’t you? I’ll have you know my daughter has many fine qualities that you don’t even realize! You know what! I think your just using her! You saw the illustrious Amagi Inn as your ticket to easy street! Well I won’t let yo-OW!”

The matriarch of the family slammed her foot down on his. “Knock it off and sit down dear,” she commanded. Yukina apologized for her husband’s outburst but noted in her head how Yu didn’t even flinch at her husbands screaming accusations. Frankly, Yu had to hold back a smile. Again, Yukiko’s dad’s threatening behavior missed its mark completely. He had been talking too fast, causing him to slur his words into one big, hard to understand, mess. His facial expressions, while trying to be tough, came off as comical. It sounded more like Teddie trying to imitate a hard ass like Kanji then Kanji himself.

The first thing Yukina took notice was of the boy’s outfit and perfectly styled hair, not even single thing out of place. “You didn’t have to go to all the trouble of dressing yourself up like this,” she said. Yukina raised an eyebrow when her daughter told her that Yu always looked and dressed like this. If there was one lesson that Yu’s father was able to beat into his skull, it was the importance of always looking his best. "In the buisness world," he would say, "apperances are everything."

The first thing the couple wanted to know was how Yu became acquainted with their daughter. Yu claimed he was introduced by Chie, but had only spoken with her a few times and it wasn’t until after her disappearance and reappearance that they became friends. Yukiko’s parents grew increasingly uncomfortable talking about that period of time. The couple had feared the worst after that high school girl was killed only for their own daughter to go missing soon after.

In a complete role reversal, Yukiko’s father had to run the Inn all by himself, her mother having been so broken up about it she was bed stricken. They were overjoyed when Yukiko showed up with Chie alive, but although they tried asking her about the ordeal, Yukiko claimed she didn’t remember a thing. Yukiko tried to assure her parents that everything was fine now and took the opportunity to help Yu out even more, “You know, I didn’t tell you this before, but Yu actually helped Chie find me when I went missing. You could say I’m here now because of him.” This was the first time they heard that this boy had helped locate their daughter. If it was the truth, they owed this Yu their gratitude.

After collecting themselves, Yukina spoke up, “I think now you should tell us in your own words, how “it” happened.” Yu nodded and told Yukiko’s parents of how that night went down. It was embarrassing for all parties involved, Yukiko’s dad had to cover his ears as it went on. He didn’t want to believe his little girl was a willing participant in such an act, let alone being the one who seemingly suggested it, but both parents could tell from their daughters increasingly red face and growing smile as she slowly rubbed the side of her faint baby bump, that it was all true.

“Well, I’m sure you think you’re quiet the admirable guy for agreeing to take responsibility,” Her father said. After thinking for a moment Yu shook his head. “That’s not it at all. You make it sound like I’m doing this out of a sense of duty. I’m doing this, sir, because I love your daughter, and this is something I want.” Bother her parents were surprised by his answer, and his confident declaration of love for their daughter. Yukiko bit her lip, if her parents weren’t here she would have been all over him.

Once they established that both Yukiko’s and Yu’s recollection of that night matched, they began asking Yu some questions about himself.

“How are you as a student Mr. Narukami?” Before he could answer, Yukiko cut in. “Oh! He is amazing! He quickly became the top of our class!” Yukiko grew quiet when her mother shot her a look. “I think Mr. Narukami can speak for himself sweetie.” Yu nodded, “It’s as she said.”

The way her daughter put it, it sounded like he wasn’t the student he was when he first arrived. Honestly, Yu was always a bright student. Before however, his less than perfect grades where because of his parents. It was almost like a form of rebellion, if he limited himself academically it would go against all the plans his parents had for his future career. He knew it was pointless in the end, his father could always bribe his way into any institution he wanted. That all changed when he came to Inaba. He didn’t realize it then, but after getting to know Yukiko more, and after seeing her name on the top of list of exam scores for the class, he wanted to prove he could be just as good as her, he to be right there at the top with her.Yu smiled, “It just took me a little while to adjust to my new surroundings.”

They asked him if he had ever worked before and were surprised by the long list Yu had given them. Janitor work at the hospital, tutoring, day care center, dish washer, translator, day care assistant. When he told them, he had a job folding origami cranes, Yukiko’s father was quick to grab a sheet of paper to have him show off his supposed skill. Yu not only wowed them by folding a crane in record time, but he made it so pulling on the tail caused the paper bird's to flap its wings. “Big deal, that doesn’t look so difficult,” Yukiko’s father said trying to hide his own amazement. His attempt to reproduce Yu’s work but only produced a crumpled wad of paper by the time he gave up. “Yu! If we got some decorative paper, we could put some of these in the guest rooms! I’m sure they would love it!”

“That isn’t your decision to make Yukiko, not yet.” She hadn’t even officially inherited the Inn yet, and Yukiko was already acting like the two were married and thinking of ways to improve the guest experience. Yukina had to admit however, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Once Yukiko’s mother was satisfied with Yu credentials, she laid out all the duties he was expected to preform at the Inn. The list included things like gardening, cooking, cleaning, preparing tables, welcoming guests, laundry, and many other tasks. It boggled his mind how many things needed to be done around the Inn to keep it running, but he agreed to be here everyday after school and on days off without a second thought. Yukiko’s father, who had grown a little quieter as he failed to find any fault with Yu quickly perked up. “I’ll be overseeing your work. I had to go through the same thing when I wanted to marry Yukina. We’ve expanded the Inn since then so it will be even harder than back then!" He altered his voice, giving it a more menacing tone. “I can promise you it won’t be a pleasant experience! You’ll soon be begging for mercy! You’ll rue the day you ever heard the na-“ He was cut off by his daughter’s laughing. “-snrk- AHAHAHAHAHA! Daddy stop! Your no good at acting like a tough guy!” He quickly looked over at his wife, “She is right dear. Stop being so dramatic, your terrible.” Yu noticed Yukiko’s mother trying to stifle her own laughter, a small grin plastered on her face.

Yukiko jumped at the chance to see Yu out when they were finished. Her father had to bite his knuckle when he saw the two walk out of the room hand in hand.

“Yukina, you’re really going to give the boy a chance? He is no good!”

Her husband was letting his emotions get the best of him again. “You don’t really believe that. Had this been under different circumstances would you have really turned what looks to be such a promising prospect for our daughter away?”

Fuyuhiko knew she was right, “I uh uh It’s just he seems too perfect! How do we know that wasn't all just rehearsed?”

Yukina knew her husband was grasping. In truth he was just as impressed as she was. Time will tell if all they had heard today was the truth. In addition, Yukiko was about to begin the next stage of pregnancy, and soon she would start ballooning up. If this boys feelings for their daughter were genuine then that shouldn’t matter. She hoped for her daughter’s sake they were. The whole time they talked, she never took her eyes off him. She couldn’t bear to see her heart broken.

"You were amazing, just like I knew you'd be" Yukiko said with great enthusiasm. Yu rubbed the back of his head. He had just acted how he normally did and it seemed to work out all right. Then again, acting how he normally did is how he got Yukiko to fall in love with him. Maybe he should just keep doing it. "With you believing in me, how could I fail?" The happy blush that appeared on Yukiko's face confirmed this. She clasped her hands in front of her and hopped on her heels a bit trying to hide the slight hesitation in her voice. "So...what did you think of my parents?" To Yukiko, Yu's opinion on her family was just as important as her family's opinion of Yu. It would be wonderful if they could all get along but with the way her father had antagonized him and hadn't apologized that might be...

"I like them. They're great people." Yukiko appeared shocked. "R-really? They are of course, but how can you tell?" Yu simply smiled. "I can tell they love you so they'd have to be." His fiance blushed heavily but her smile had returned to her face. "You can't keep saying things like that. I'll end up kissing you and hugging you and I won't be able to stop." Yu pulled her in close and leaned in for their goodnight kiss. "I can live with that."

Suddenly they heard the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat on the other side of the doorway. Yukiko pouted angrily while Yu just chuckled. "Daddy, you're being too overprotective again! Oh, I knew we shouldn't have done this on the porch!" Yu listened to her father desperately assure her that he wasn't listening in and he just happened to be passing by. "I'll give you two in the morning to make up for it. It was nice to meet you Mr. Amagi."

"You too!" He cheerfully replied before realizing what he had said. "That is...I mean...now I know exactly what you're made of so I can make your training even more grueling!" He could hear his daughter laughing through the door. "Daddy, he already left."

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

Yu slowly made his way down the mountain path, alone with his thoughts. No, he did not mind Yukiko's parents one bit. He knew they were just trying to protect their daughter and how could he possibly begrudge them for that. Besides, this wasn't the first time good people had been wary of him. Shu and Naoki had both been less than friendly and Ai had gone from wanting him to carry her bags to wanting to jump his bones. In fact, it made him want to rise to the occasion and try even harder. "The sooner I earn their trust, the sooner I can start doting on my pregnant wife," he mused to himself with a chuckle. The only thing that slightly bothered him about all this was with Nanako and Dojima back and the Inn now taking up all of his time, their was very little chance for him to be alone with Yukiko. They'd be limited to kissing on the rooftop or quick pecks in the hallways for a little bit. He hoped she would be alright. He'd relieved some of her building pressure on Valentine's Day but who knew when it would be until they got another chance?

Putting his happy musings aside for now, Yu removed his phone. 6:30. It was a good sign for what was supposed to be just an interview to go on that long. In the practice interviews his father made him do, he never would have had enough to talk about to stretch it that far. "But that was my own fault, mine and no one else's." Speaking of his father, he should probably notify his mother. True it was almost three in the morning where they were but that just meant she'd see his message as soon as she woke up. He was pretty sure his parents still slept in the same bed at least even if they didn't use it that much. The earlier he got this out of the way, the less he'd have to dread it in the morning. Hopefully he could get this all done before going to bed this evening, that way he'd have nothing to worry about except for his first shift tomorrow.

The conversation with Yukiko's parents made him realize something else as well. With her parents he could be more honest and say he was doing it out of his love for her, but with his own he had to appeal to duty. But weren't both reasons equally valid? They should be. His father was going to be furious no matter what so what did it matter? With this line of thought, he sent the message to his mother.

Returning home, he knew he needed to pass the time for a few hours. He still hadn't finished that final modeling kit so maybe he could do that. He saw Nanako in her usual spot which gave him an idea. "Hey Nanako."

"What is it big bro?"

"How would you like a big sis?" The look of happy astonishment on Nanako's face told him all he needed to know. "Really? Who is it?" Yu walked over to her and ruffled her hair. "You've met her before. She's warm and kind and I know she'll be great with kids."

"Oh wow, Yukiko is going to be my big sis? Does that mean you two are getting married?" Yu had to feel a little bad for the rest of the girls that she guessed Yukiko's identity immediately but he couldn't feel too broken up about it. "That's right. We're getting married sometime in the summer. You're invited of course." He was surprised by the look of disappointment that fell across her face. "Oh. I was going to marry you when I was older." Yu looked around frantically. Good thing Dojima wasn't around to hear that. "Well you can still be my little sister. And that's a job no one else can do. Think you can do that for me?" Nanako's joyful giggling let him know that her earlier dismay was forgotten. "I'll do my very best!" And on that note, he went upstairs with a newfound determination. He had made a promise to Nanako after all.

He busied himself till around 11 doing various odd jobs around his room. If nobody called in the next two hours, he'd sleep. Suddenly, his phone rang and he took a deep breath when he recognized the number.

Before he could even say a greeting, his father's voice came through the speaker. "If this is some cry for attention, you have it!" He could hear the anger in it and even though he wasn't in person he couldn't help but be a little intimidated. "Hello father."

"'Hello father,'" he snorted in irritation. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me? I should be going over my notes for the meeting this morning but instead I have to lecture my son on contraceptives. I thought you were supposed to be bright, that's what all your tutors always said. It appears as though I've been ripped off on that front as well."

Yu allowed his father to lay into him. Even as a Vice President he was still required to hold himself back and toady up to the higher executives so it must have been quite therapeutic to get it all out. He'd avoided such outbursts in the past by keeping quiet and staying in his room. Usually the housekeeper or the doorman would mess up first and then Yu would know it was safe to come down. "This is exactly why I was against you going to Inaba," his father continued on. "of course there's nothing to do there but fool around with naive country girls. Your mother insisted though. She said 'a year away from the city might help him get his thoughts together' I knew that was a load of garbage but we were pressed for time and your uncle offered. I should have just put you up in a hotel for a year."

His father let out a chuckle. "I can't really blame you too much I suppose. I've been to Inaba, they'd be wowed by anybody from the city no matter how boring. I'm sure you had them crawling all over you." He sighed and Yu could hear the sound of a pen clicking. "It's quite an annoyance, yes quite an annoyance indeed but nothing a little bribe can't fix. You will of course be paying me back for this before going off to college and obviously this will be the last time you're trusted to go off on your own for quite a long time."

"I was worried for a moment this was some kind of childish attempt at rebellion but you're just as formal as ever." His father actually sounded somewhat sympathetic for a moment. "You're a young man and you lost control of your passions. Believe me, I understand, I suppose I'm partially to blame for this as well. I thought I could leave this discussion to someone else but it's clear that isn't the case." His father cleared his throat and Yu could hear what sounded like a car coming to a stop. "Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the status of your grades. You and your uncle understand the importance of that at least. Keep up the good work on that front and I might not imply interest to your loan."

Sorano Narukami was truly about to hang up right at that moment. To him, an unplanned pregnancy was a mild annoyance that could be covered up easily. His son was just as obedient as ever. With any luck, this would be the last of any adolescent flights of fancy. At any rate it was nothing that couldn't be ironed out. Besides, he had a meeting to get too. "Father, wait!" He heard his son shout from the other end. That was odd. Yu hadn't done that since he was eight and Sorano explained how selfish he was being, adults didn't have time for idle chit chat. It seemed he had forgotten that lesson.

"Now son, you should know by now that I'm quite busy. I know for a fact that nothing happened in that town that could possibly be worth sharing. We can speak in person next month now..."

Yu could actually feel his teeth gritting a bit at the sheer condescension coming from the other end of the line. Even before coming to Inaba this was one of the few things that got under his skin. But he had to tell his father the truth. He wanted there to be no more misconceptions about what was happening here. If he wanted a family, he couldn't hide behind the excuse of obligation. Yu would have to reach out and take it.

"It's just that a bribe isn't going to work this time!"

Sorano's eye twitched in annoyance. He had been educating his son about the importance of his time and he had interrupted him like some impatient child. "Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking," he said it neutrally but Yu could feel his displeasure. "S-sorry." Wait, why was he apologizing? Yu was trying to prevent him from wasting his time and money. If he didn't want to listen, that was his own fault. Yu took a deep breath and continued with the small window he had been provided.

"I don't think you understand father. A bribe isn't going to work." Sorano chuckled again. "Your mother said the same thing and I can see where you're both coming from but trust me, everybody has a price. Don't worry son, I'll help you get out of this little bind. I am your father after all." Yu sighed a little. Looks like he'd have to just come out and say it.

"Father, the only unplanned part of this was that it happened earlier than expected."

This got his attention. He went from just about to hang up to a low growling "what!?" right into the phone. "I love this girl and I had every intention of coming back to her after college. That's why I've been working so hard on my grades, so I can get in on my own merits." He could hear his father's breathing increase but he still hadn't said anything. "The only thing that changed about my plans is they got pushed forward. I'm sure mother told you I'm doing this out of a sense of duty but that's only part of it. I'm doing this because it's what I want to do." He expected to be met with more shouting but instead he was stunned as his father began to laugh. It was a bitter laugh filled with annoyance and frustration. "Oh son," he finally got out. "You're just letting your emotions get to you. The first time is always special or so I've been told and people get overly attached. One day you'd wake up and realize what a terrible idea that is. Listen to me when I tell you it's not worth it. You'd be chained down based on a teenage whim."

"Father, I know what feeling chained down feels like and it's not this. I appreciate the concern but it's not needed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean I'm happier here than I've ever been. I love Inaba and I want to build a life in this town. "
Another dark laugh from his father interrupted his speech. "I get what this is about now. It really is just a teenage rebellion. I can't believe you'd waste however many millions of this family's money just because you're upset that I'm busy." Yu's hands were shaking a bit. He hadn't felt this angry in months. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say but he couldn't hold himself back.

"This might be hard for you to hear, but not everything is about you father."

The stunned silence was enough to make Yu smirk a little bit, the respite was short lived however. "Don't backtalk me you little brat. Do you have any idea how much time, how much effort I've put into you? All so you can waste it just to lash out because daddy didn't play catch with you? This might be hard for you to hear but those of us in the real world don't have time to play around in the country side."

Yu could hear the sound of a door closing in the house, but it was put into the back of his mind. "Of course I know. I know exactly what kind of life you lead and I want no part of it!"

"You talk like I'm giving you a choice. I'll drag you back kicking and screaming like the spoiled little brat you are if I have to. You are a Narukami, not some rice farmer!" Yu winced a bit at that. Part of him wanted to beg for forgiveness but another stronger part pressed him forward. "I'll always be grateful to you for raising me, but parents aren't their children and I have my own life now. I'm sorry if you feel like all the time spent with me was wasted, but look on the bright side, it wasn't very much."

He could hear his father's teeth grinding but suddenly it was replaced with an eerie calm. "You'll be the same as me."

"Father?"

"You really think you're the first man to have a kid out of wedlock!? How do you think you were born!?" The calm was gone and the anger was back in his father but Yu was just stunned. "You'll have a kid you weren't ready for and you try your best to raise it and all it turns out to be is a big waste of time. You'll have a kid who'd rather squander his potential than put in a little grit! You'll give him everything he asks for, you'll pay for tutors, maids, friends, and everything else a kid could possibly need but he won't understand that! He'll be an ungrateful brat just because you didn't show up to his school play or something equally as childish!"

He was taken aback by his son's chuckling. It mimicked his own laugh from earlier. Utterly devoid of humor. "Isn't this a nice conversation we're having father? Didn't you say you were going to be late to a meeting?" Sorano glanced at his watch and growled. "It seems like after all these years, I finally got your undivided attention!"

"Don't think this is over Yu! I don't care how much you hate me for it, you are coming back with me and you will thank me for it one day!"

"But after you get back from America of course. Wouldn't want spending time with your son to get in the way of your job after all!" Before his father had a chance to respond, Yu hung up. Sorano could actually feel himself shaking in rage. This hadn't happened in years, not even when some incompetent senior manager who he knew he'd surpass was laying into him. "Well son, it looks like you finally grew a backbone. A pity it has to be over something so stupid." He was honestly tempted to call his son back and miss the meeting but he reigned himself in. He'd get plenty of satisfaction when Yu was back on the track laid out for him.

Yu was still shaking a bit even after he had hung up. But then he began to chuckle and then laugh and laugh until his voice was hoarse.

He had finally done it. He had stood up to his father. And since he had done it once, that means he could do it again. And again and again and again as many times as it took. He heard a knock on his door and Dojima quickly came in. Yu sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I was a little loud. How much did you..."

"Enough. Your father's a pretty loud guy," Dojima chuckled. He looked around the room awkwardly. "Nanako didn't hear any of that did she?"

"No. She's still asleep." Yu sighed in relief. "Good. Sorry, I didn't mean to make my problems..." Before he could finish he was pulled into a deep hug by his uncle. It lasted for several seconds and Yu was too shocked to reply. Eventually, they broke off and Dojima nervously looked around. "Listen, Yu. I know I've said it before but if you ever need advice or help or anything else, don't hesitate to ask." Yu dumbly nodded but then he clasped the shrine charm around his chest. "Thank you...but I don't think I need anything else."

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

Yukiko couldn't wait an entire school day. She knew Yu had spoken to his parents and waited outside the front gate to hear the results. Suddenly she felt a pair of hands wrap itself around her. She would normally freak out but she'd long gotten used to the feeling of his arms pressed against her stomach and his chest pressed against her back. She could easily tell who it was. Yukiko turned around in order to give back the hug. Yu's smile was so warm and happy, she couldn't imagine it had gone anything less than really well. She was so excited she couldn't resist leaning up for a kiss. And then another one for the one she missed last night. "One more," she giggled happily. Yu poked her nose with his finger. "Greedy," but he complied before she had time to protest. They made sure to make this one last part of them hoping someone would see so they didn't have to hide behind a wall just to kiss.

"So how did it go?" Yukiko asked excitedly. She already knew the answer from his grin

"Terrible. My father is not happy in the slightest." Yukiko frowned. That's not what she had been expecting him to say at all. "B-but then why are you so happy?" He gave her small bump a pat and kissed her again. "Why wouldn't I be?" She let herself lean against his arms, she wanted to ask him more but the slightly quizzical smile he gave her and the strong arms holding her up were all she could focus on. "What's wrong Yuki? You look like you want to say something?" She smiled and blushed in embarrassment. "I um I forgot what I wanted to say." She got a somewhat sly expression and placed her finger on his lips. "Could you help me jog my memory?" The fifth, sixth, and not even seventh kisses helped her to remember but then again, it probably hadn't been that important in the first place.

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

It had started to snow earlier that morning and the drop in temperature meant it was too cold to have lunch on the roof like usual. Instead the Investigation Team was able to find an empty room for them to eat in private. It didn't hurt that Kanji was with them either. Even the most diehard Risette fan wouldn't dare disturb them if they knew Kanji was lurking about. Yosuke sat close to the door to keep watch, just in case. The group wasn’t usually so worried about being left alone, but they had to considering there was only one certain topic most of the girls wanted to talk about lately.

“Oooo! Senapi what about this one! I think it matches your style perfectly.” Yukiko and Rise were flipping through some maternity dresses in a catalogue that Rise had got from only god knows where. Since finding out about the pregnancy, all the attention that Rise would have given to Yu was now being channeled to the expectant mother. With Rise's level of excitement, one would think she was the one having a baby.

“Oh! One of the girls at the agency introduced me to this fantastic skin cream. I guarantee you’ll have no redness at all! I’ll order you some right when I get home!”

“Thank you, but you shouldn’t go to so much trou-UMF!” Yukiko was cut off by the other girl sitting next to her shoving some rice into her mouth. “Eat up Yukiko. There is plenty more where that came from!” Chie smiled as she went to scoop up some more. Chie was always a big eater, but everyday now she would sacrifice a bit of her lunch to give to Yukiko. Sometimes she would pack even more than usual specifically for her. Yukiko was thankful that her best friend cared enough to worry if she was eating enough, but even with her increasing appetite, the energetic girl always tried to give her too much.

Rise called Yukiko’s attention back to the catalogue, “Look at these shoe’s senpai! It says here that they will help you stay on your feet longer.” Yukiko tried to answer only to have Chie shove another morsel past her lips, “Gotta eat plenty of meat if you want that baby to grow up big and strong!”

She couldn’t say enough how much she appreciated her friends trying to help, but she was not used to having all this attention. Yukiko covered here mouth as she chewed, noticing Chie was already reaching for more. She looked across the room at Yu, as if asking for some assistance, but all he could do was smile and shrug. Their heart was in the right place, and he knew nothing he did would be able to stop the two girls.

Yu was brought back into his own conversation. “It took some balls meeting with Yukiko’s parents like that,” Kanji said as he sorted the rest of his animal crackers. Yu assured them that the Amagi’s were nothing but good people. “Yeah but the dad had to have been pissed right? If I had a daughter and that happened I don’t know what I do,” Yosuke said while taking another peek outside the room. “Thankfully for you Hanamura, you won’t have to worry about that for a very long time.” Naoto couldn't help but smirk. Yu found it strange that she wasn’t with the other girls, but he figured Naoto wasn’t the type to gush over a baby like the others.

“Hey!” Yosuke said with a hurt expression. Kanji pointed at him and laughed, “AHAHA! She got you.” Yosuke fired back, “I guess with Kanji we never have worry about that type of thing at all, do we?” “Kanji jumped out of his seat, “What’s that supposed to mean, I’ll kick your ass you punk!” Yu laughed as Kanji raised Yosuke up by the collar of his shirt and Yosuke tried to talk him down. Yukiko’s dad did try to strike some fear into him, but he just couldn’t take him seriously.

Mr. Amagi’s ineptness at being scary and the way he made everything sound so dramatic made Yu actually ponder whether Teddie could be the man’s errant persona that had grown a mind of its own. Besides, he was too busy being scared of what his own father’s reaction was going to be at the time than to be worried about Yukiko’s.

“So uh senpai…” Kanji asked as he settled down, “…do you know if it’s a girl or boy yet?” Naoto ended up answering for him, “It is far too early to tell. The baby’s gender wouldn’t be able to be determined until Yukiko is around 18-20 weeks along, and even then, it is possible the doctor still wouldn’t be able to tell from the ultrasound.” Kanji looked down at his lap, embarrassed at coming off as foolish in front of the blue haired detective, “Oh yeah, uh, I knew that…”

It was Yosuke’s turn to smirk, “I wasn’t aware a detective would have to know about things like that.” Immediately Naoto’s face grew red, and as she tried to cover her face with her hat, her voice took on a more feminine tone, “I may have done some research on the subject earlier!” It seems Naoto wasn't as disinterested in the baby as Yu first thought.

Kanji asked a different question, “But senpai, if you had to choose, would you want a boy or girl?” Honestly, Yu hadn’t thought about it before. Thinking about it now, he didn’t really have a preference. A daughter would be nice, but if she was anything like Yuikiko, he feared he wouldn’t be able to resist spoiling her rotten. If he had a son however, he was going to make damn sure he was a better father than his was.

Their attention turned to the group of girls when they heard Yukiko let out a gasp, caused by Rise taking hold of her breasts. “I’m so jealous! They're getting so big now!” Yukiko quickly broke away and covered herself, “Stop! They’re really sensitive!”

“Oh! I’m sure this catalogue has some special bras to help with that!” Yukiko stood up and puffed out her chest proudly. “My hubby has already taken care of that. He bought me some specially made ones weeks ago.”

That last comment almost flew right over Kanji’s head, but slowly it dawned on him, “WAIT! THOSE ARE YOUR BRAS!?” Everyone in the room was confused at Kanji’s outburst,everyone except for Yu and Yukiko. Instead, Yukiko looked angry for some reason. “Kanji-kun…” she growled as she stomped over to him. Before he had a chance to ask what was the matter Yukiko gave him a slap across the face. “OW THAT HURT,” he screamed. Yukiko was having none of it, “How could you! I never took you for a pervert.” Kanji rubbed his sore cheek “I’m the one who made them!” Yukiko stern face quickly turned back to normal, “Oh right, how silly of me. I thought you might have went through my drawer or something. Sorry about that!”

“You knew, and you still hit me!?!?”

“Speaking of knowing Kanji, you have been making special bra for Yukiko all this time and you didn’t tell anyone?!?” Chie spat. “I didn’t know they were for her! I though they might be for his mom or something. Yukiko spoke up in Kanji’s defense, only to make things worse, “Kanji has been a big help, in addition to helping me with that, he was the one who bought the pregnancy test for me.”

“What? N-n-no I didn’t,” Kanji stuttered out as he tried frantically to remember if he actually had done something like that. The small group of friends refused to believe Kanji could be that oblivious. “I think we heard enough…” Rise said in an uncharacteristically monotone voice as the group slowly circled the panicking Kanji.

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

It took the rest of lunch for the group to finally start to believe that Kanji hadn’t known about the pregnancy beforehand, but they still chastised him for his inattentiveness. After school Yu made straight for the Inn with Yukiko. The fact that they were both walking to the same place filled Yukiko with indescribable joy and she couldn’t wait until the day came when her walk home became "their" walk home.

The temperature made Yu hope he would be doing his duties inside, but he knew better. His fears where realized when he saw Mr. Amagi walk outside to greet him. “So, you decided to show up.” He said in his “tough sounding” voice. “You go on ahead inside sweetie, we are going to be working outside ALL afternoon.” Yukiko gave a very dejected, “okay daddy.” She had hoped they would be working together, but deep down she knew her father would never allow it. Before she made for inside to get changed, she gave Yu a quick peck on the cheek that sent her father reeling. Yu could tell he was going to pay for that.

Mr. Amagi made a giant sweeping motion with his arm, “Your first task, is to shovel all the walkways around the grounds. You did bring a shovel, didn’t you?” Yu gave Mr. Amagi a quizzical look before the man burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, just a joke, you can laugh.” He shoved the the Inn’s snow shovel into Yu’s chest and made his way back inside. I’d stay but it’s chilly out, I’ll check up on you in a little bit. Without complaining, Yu drove the shove into the fresh snow and got to work.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that Mr. Amagi came back outside. He was half hoping to find that the boy had given up, the snow shovel abandoned in a snowbank. While he did find the shovel in a snowbank, Yu was laying right next to it. “Laying down on the job I see! Not good, not good at all,” he sneered. “Actually,” Yu said getting up from his laying position, “I’m all done.”

Mr. Amagi couldn’t believe it, but a quick stroll around the Inn proved that all the walkways had been shoveled in record time. The way the boy was panting was further proof of all his hard work. He couldn’t help but commend the boy, but it still wasn’t enough. Quickly the man, disappeared, only to come back with a ladder.

“Next, I need you to climb up on the roof, and get all the icicles hanging off the Inn, down. They could kill someone if they were to fall and hit them!” Mr. Amagi furthered his point by sliding his finger across his neck and making a cutting noise with his mouth. Again, Yu only nodded, and made his way onto the roof. Mr. Amagi quickly added another task when he saw how Yu was more eager than he thought he would be. “Uh! Also, get all the snow off the roof as well, we don’t want it caving in from the weight, do we?” Yu only gave him a thumbs up. “Hope your not afraid of heights!” Mr. Amagi said as a last attempt to give Yu pause.

Given how dangerous working on the roof could be, Mr. Amagi stuck around to make sure Yu didn’t get hurt, but that didn’t stop him from trying to play up the hot drink he had as being the greatest beverage ever devised by man. Yu had to admit, a hot drink did sound amazing. Being on the roof exposed him to a lot of wind and he was freezing. Although Mr. Amagi never let up the entire time Yu was working, in his mind he admired the boy’s grit.
Before being let back down on solid ground, Mr. Amagi had one more job for him.

“Because of the early snowfall this year, it meant we hadn’t gotten the last of the fall leaves cleaned out of the gutters. Since your up there, do take care of it would you?” Truth is, his wife had reminded him to do it well in advance but had just forgotten about it. This presented the opportunity to get it done with her finding out.

The leaves at this point were a cold, semi-frozen, smelly, gunk, but Yu did as he was told. Finally, after another hour, the last of the gutters were clean, and Yu made his way back down. Mr. Amagi thought a dirty job like that would send a clean, well dressed, boy like him running for the hills. It almost made him want to give Yu a pat on the back for a job well done. One of the maids came out with a tray of hot tea and handed a cup to Yu.

“Courtesy of Mrs. Amagi” She said with a smile. Mr. Amagi almost knocked the drink out of his hands thinking Yukiko had sent it but was surprised to learn it was his own wife. “But why would my darling do such a thing!?! He doesn’t deserve our precious tea! If he were thirsty he would have brought something himself!”

The maid shook her head, she thought the Inn’s tea was good, but Mr. Amagi made it sound like it was liquid gold. “Maybe it’s a reward for all his hard work? Don’t you think you’re working this boy too hard?” The maid was surprised by the boy’s presence, the Inn didn’t usually hire high schoolers, and Mr. Amagi seemed to take an extreme satisfaction in running him ragged. No new recruit was ever worked this hard. “Also, she couldn’t help but notice the boy cleaning the gutters. In this weather! She wonders why the gutters still had leaves in them if you had taken care of it before winter like you said you did?” Mr. Amagi’s bravado quickly faded, “Oh uh….about that….ummm…good job today Mr. Narukami! I have to go discuss something with my wife and it’s pretty late so you may go for the day. After you shovel the walkways of course.”

Yu was about to remind him he had already done so, but a quick look around revealed new snow had fallen over them. It must have been the snow he had cleared off the roof. Mr. Amagi planned for this to happen! He was cold, his hands smelled like rotten leaves, and every muscle in his arms ached, but even he had to applaud the man for such a dirty trick. Sighing, he started to shovel the walkways for a second time.

Yukiko's found it hard to focus on the laundry today. The other workers pointing out that her head din't seem to be in the game today. All she could think about was Yu, and how she hoped her father wasn't making him work too hard. As she carried some fresh towels to the storage closet. She couldn't help but notice Yu outside, shoveling the driveway. She stopped to watch for a bit, the way he threw all that heavy snow around made him look so powerful. He was wearing heavy winter gear, but she had seen him totally exposed countless times now and could imagine all of his rippling muscles being worked out underneath. She started to get a bit hot before another maid carrying more towels broke her concentration. "What's the matter Yukiko? Forget where the closet is?" She said jokingly. "No I uh I just EXCUSE ME!" The speed at which the young heiress took off surprised the maid, but a quick look out the window only revealed a freshly shoveled walkway.

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

"Uggggh I love the gifts but carrying them in our packs is so annoying. Why can't we just get Kanji to carry them for us?"

"We can't just use Kanji-kun for menial labor all the time. Besides, I don't want to cause untoward rumors to spread about our relationship."

Rise and Naoto walked through the halls with backpacks filled with letters and small presents of all kinds. After speaking with Yu, Naoto had realized that just throwing them out seemed like kind of a waste. Plus if they signed their name, they deserved a proper rejection. Every Saturday, she and Rise would gather up all their locker loot from the week and trade among themselves. Of course they weren't the only members of the team to have a sizable fan base and that's why they were on their way to join their senpai. Rise pouted a little at Naoto's composed dismissal of her complaint. Time for a little teasing.

"You think one of those is from Kanji?" Rise giggled happily at the red expression on the detective's face. "D-don't joke about that. Kanji is just a friend. He doesn't think of me that way at all. And if he was to confess, he'd do so in an upfront manner." Rise sighed loudly. "You're right, he's not into you at all, that's why he always gets tongue tied and red faced around you and no other girl."

Naoto paused not even noticing the people starting to stare. "T-that's just because I was the last to join and he hasn't had time to acclimate to my presence yet!" Rise snickered. Her blue haired friend sounded like she was reading out of a thesaurus which the idol knew meant she was flustered. "Besides," this made Rise stop, Naoto's voice had gone all high pitched again. "why would he go for me?" Immediately, Rise realized she'd pushed it a little too far. She placed an assuring hand on Naoto's shoulder. "You feel how heavy that backback is? That proves how much of a catch you are!"

Naoto blushed even more. "O-oh look there's the classroom!" She said and quickly rushed in.

What didn't help her embarrassment were the other two members of the postal potluck club and what they were getting up to. "You were working so so hard yesterday. No wonder your muscles are all balled up." She had walked right in to Yukiko giving Yu a soothing shoulder massage. If that wasn't bad enough, she was whispering right next to his ear. "Mmm" he breathed out deeply. Their mail was scattered on the floor next to them completely forgotten. "Mother said father could learn a thing or two from you. She said you did a better job of cleaning the gutters than he ever did."

"Ooh that's good to hear," Yu groaned out after a particularly nice and broad squeeze. Yukiko frowned at just how tensed up his upper back area was. And he'd have to do even more work later today and the day after that and the day after that. "Father is working you way too hard. I knew he wouldn't take it easy on you but this is ridiculous. I'll have a talk with him-" But she was cut off by Yu shaking his head. "No. The harder I work now, the sooner we can be together. I can handle a little soreness."

Yukiko wrapped her arms around his back in a big hug. Her resting against him was almost as enjoyable as the massage. "Yu I just... I love you so very much." It wasn't the most eloquent of declarations but somehow that made it better. They stayed like that for a while until Naoto and Rise who had joined her couldn't take anymore. The young detective cleared her throat to get their attention. "Oh hello girls. Glad you could make it. Grab a seat and get started I'll join you after the massage." Yu merely breathed out in assent. The two did not move from their embrace and it didn't look like they were going to anytime soon. The younger pair looked at each other and sighed. It was their own fault for eavesdropping. Now that they knew their two senpai had made love and conceived a child, backrubs and hugs didn't seem embarrassing in the slightest anymore.

To Naoto's surprise, Rise elbowed her in the side grinning. "C'mon, let the girl love her hubby." Naoto rolled her eyes but sat down in assent. She never would have pegged these two as amorous types but here they were. The four sat together with Naoto and Rise going through their postage. "Hey Naoto, get a load of this one. 'Your eyes are like chocolate. Smooth creamy and delectable, just like your thighs.' He was really close too! Why do guys never quit when they're ahead?"

Naoto scoffed. "Girls aren't much better. 'Man, woman, it doesn't matter as long as you're cute. Some honey cakes for one fine honey.' I don't think Teddie could come up with a worse one." Rise guffawed. "Are you hearing this Yukiko? What are some of yours?"

But Yukiko was a bit distracted. Yu had just let out another contented groan. "I love that sound," she said aloud. "you just sound so pleased." Yu chuckled deeply. "You're very pleasing, believe me." Now even Rise rolled her eyes. "Alright guys could you reign it in a little? I think my fans would freak if they knew I was in the same room as this." That finally got the them to break apart and blush. Yukiko looked genuinely upset though which made Rise ask what was the matter.

"It's just so frustrating! This is all I can do for Yu. We have to go straight to the inn right after school and we work in separate parts. Yu's not even allowed inside yet!"

"Why don't you just meet up after your shifts are over? You could say you're going to Chie's." Naoto suggested.

"I tried that yesterday, but now my mother sends a servant along with me to make sure I'm actually going. This and the five minutes before class are the only time we get together." Rise almost felt a little guilty for asking them to stop. But Yukiko wasn't done. This time she turned to face Yu. "You're working so hard and I can't do anything for you. I can't even give you a full body massage."

"I-I just feel so useless. You have to work your fingers to the bone a-and I-" Yu had sat up from his position and kissed Yukiko as hard as he could. It was a soul kiss, quite an intimate move and yet Naoto and Rise didn't protest this time. "You are not useless. You couldn't be doing a better job. You're carrying our child remember?"

"Yeah senpai, we all know you're doing everything you can. Don't worry so much."

"The best thing you can do right now is focus on what you can do for the baby. I believe Narukami senpai can handle himself quite well."

Yukiko was almost on the verge of tears as she realized everyone was smiling brightly at her. "You guys..." she nodded firmly. "Yes, you're right. I can't fret over things I can't control. All I can do is my best." She cupped her fiance's face with her hand. "This was supposed to be your relaxation time. I'm sorry." Before Yu could assure her it was fine and he didn't mind she cut him off. "I know you don't mind. I know nothing brings you greater joy than helping others. But I'm the same." She looked at the clock, there was still some time left. "What if I do whatever you want? Anything that will help you unwind, I'll do it no matter what it is."

Yu considered her offer and thought back to yesterday. All his friends fussing over Yukiko had heightened his desire to dote on his pregnant wife. Something he was unable to do to the best of his ability due to circumstance. Looking around, his eyes fell on Yukiko's lunch and he was reminded of his favorite form of spoiling her. "I'd like to hand feed you the rest of your lunch." She was taken aback but wasn't upset at all. "R-really?" Yu nodded. "I really want to." Yukiko looked around at the other two girls who shrugged as if to say it was fine with them. The last time he had done this was Valentine's Day and she had loved it then too. She blushed and smiled. "Could you go slowly? I want to savor every bite."

And so the rest of the lunch passed with Yukiko having every bite of her lunch ferried to her waiting lips. Yu even tried to give her some of his own lunch but she'd have none of it. Her two younger friends had different plans and graciously offered theirs up instead. "You guys are such great friends. I'll be sure to return the favor when you have kids." Even Rise blushed a little at this, to say nothing of the frantic stammering of Naoto. "Y-yeah for sure." The idol eventually managed. Naoto eventually composed herself. It was far too early to even be thinking about that. Not everyone could be like Yukiko who found her prince charming in high school and already had a support network. Although, thinking about it she was quite wealthy. The Shirogane estate could easily provide for a child. Not to mention that she was an only child an it would be a shame for the Shirogane name-. She shook her head. What was she thinking? She'd never even held hands with a boy.

The couple walked once again to the Amagi Inn. Yu was wondering how they'd make this walk once she was further along. Hopefully they'd be in summer vacation by then. Yukiko was going over the conversation from earlier in her head. If the best thing she could do for her hubby was to let him know that she and the baby were well taken care of, then that's what she would do. "Yu sweetie. My first pre-natal appointment is tomorrow." Yu was broken out of his musing and perked up immediately. "Oh that's great. Tell me all about it when you get back."

Yukiko smiled up at him. "I'm really sorry you can't come. Next time for sure!" Yu quickly assured her it was fine and knowing she was alright was more than enough. But then he realized something. Tomorrow was Sunday which meant he'd have to work at the inn for the entirety of the day. And if Yukiko was getting an appointment for her pregnancy that meant her mother would most likely go with her, which would mean...

Mr. Amagi's grinning face told all.

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

"I see I didn't scare you off. Good, I was just beginning to enjoy myself." Any aura of menace he could have possibly had was immediately dispersed by his daughter's laughter. "-Pft- hahahaahaha you sound like a Phoenix Ranger villain hahahaah" He grimaced. His wife and daughter kept taking the wind out of his sails, intimidating the boy would have to wait until they weren't around. Why, he had Narukami shivering in fear yesterday when they were all alone! He even had him shivering a bit now even with Yukiko there, he thought smugly to himself. His smugness dissipated when Yu received another peck on the cheek just like yesterday. "To keep you warm," Yukiko giggled. Before her father could freak out, he felt a pair of lips press on to his own cheek. "And you too daddy," she said as she ran inside. Fuyuhiko stood there in a contented silence for what felt like minutes until he noticed Yu staring at him, and he was smiling.

"Oh you think that's funny? We'll see how smiley you are after you repaint the side of the entrance. And remember, today's your light day" As Yu moved forward he felt a shovel shoved into his arms. "After you shovel the entry way of course." It seemed Mr. Amagi was going to keep him doing yard work for as long as possible. Well that was fine, he'd just do such a damn good job that they'd have no choice but to let him further in. And that's exactly what happened.

While Yukiko and her mother went to the doctor's Yu was finally allowed in to the building grounds. "There are a hundred things to be done around here and you're wasting his time with things he's already done near flawlessly." Fuyuhiko had to admit his wife had a point. Why give him three or four tasks when he could give him a hundred? As soon as Yu arrived at nine o' clock on Sunday, he knew he'd be in for a rough time. "Some of the windows need to be recaulked. I'm thinking...all of them. Hope you brought gloves."

So the windows were recaulked, nails were exchanged, and of course February is the perfect time to prune those winter damaged branches. Wood was chopped and he even dug around in the snow to begin planting the seeds for March.The staff of the inn marveled at this boy with boundless energy. He'd come prepared this time and was fully bundled up, his piercing grey eyes the only thing visible to the staff. They had been given strict orders not to help, but that didn't mean piping hot beverages and hand warmers couldn't be "forgotten" on nearby window sills. They watched him toil in the courtyard, they watched him remove the snow on the mountain steps, Who was this boy who Mr. and Mrs. Amagi had taken such interest in? Could he have been the same grey eyed boy little Yukiko had brought with her before?

Gossip filled the halls and Yukiko's ears. She couldn't help but smile. Soon they wouldn't have to hide anymore. And she could admire him from much closer. Much much closer. In the mid afternoon, Yukiko and her mother drove out to Okina for her checkup. They may not be able to stop gossip entirely but they could slow its spread at least. With them gone, everything fell on Fuyuhiko but that's when he realized his brilliant "run Yu ragged" plan had backfired somewhat. He had worked him so early and so hard, that after eight hours, there was nothing else to be done on the outside especially considering his previous two days of work. Nothing except the pride and joy of the inn, their hot springs.

Fuyuhiko grumbled to himself when he realized his mistake. He couldn't just watch from a high window like before, he had to make sure that absolutely nothing bad happened to his precious hot springs! Yu was extremely thankful for the work. His hands were stinging and numb and the feeling of relief when he pressed them against the warm stones was indescribable. He could feel blood being pumped back into his nearly dead muscles and warmth flood through his body.

But of course he still had to work, he had to scrub every stone in the entry way. "I want the guests to be able to see their faces in it!" Fuyuhiko had ordered. He was beginning to wonder if that had been a mistake. Yu was down on his knees scrubbing hard but it was taking so long and he had to be there for every minute of it. He leaned up against a wall and watched and watched and watched. If his wife was here, he could at least make conversation but it was only him and Yu. If he took his eyes off of him for a moment, he might jump into the hot spring to warm up or he might take a break or buy something from a vending machine. But it was so boring. Completely desperate for something to fill his time, he spoke up.

"So..." Yu paused in his scrubbing for a second and looked up. He had removed some of his extra layers as the moisture would make the walk back home miserable. "Yukiko told me you're from a wealthy family. I'm surprised you can get right into scrubbing the floors like this." Yu merely shrugged. "I had to do this a lot working at the hospital. I'm used to it."

"Hospital huh? I don't think I could work at a hospital. It would depress me too much."

Yu chuckled. "Well I was just an assistant so I didn't get to work with the actual patients. But one of the nurses there did get pretty depressed for a while." Fuyuhiko looked genuinely concerned. "What happened?"

"A patient she had been taking care of died and she pushed herself too hard from grief." Seeing Mr. Amagi's heartbroken expression, Yu assured him she was fine now. "She said she realized that even though losing a patient is terrible, it's nothing compared to the joy you bring to everyone from saving the ones you can save. She moved to a bigger hospital but I know she's much happier now."

"I'm happy to here that. That's a real good outlook. I guess I never thought of it that way!" Fuyuhiko had slowly walked over to Yu as their talk progressed.

He glanced over Yu's form. He recalled what he had looked like at the dinner table when they had officially met. He was actually in surprisingly good shape for a rich city boy. No way he'd be able to handle all of this if he wasn't. "I'm guessing you play some kind of sport right?" Yu once again nodded. "Yes sir. I'm on the Yasogami Basketball Team."

"Makes sense. You're a pretty tall guy. You any good?"

"I would say so yes. I was planning on taking over as captain but that might have to go to someone else since I'll be working here." Fuyuhiko clapped him on the back with a big grin much to Yu's surprise. "Hey, I appreciate the dedication. I know how heart broken I was when I realized I'd have to give up the drama club to work here full time." He really was just a big friendly bear of a man. No wonder he couldn't be properly intimidating, it just wasn't who he was. "I'm also in the drama club. I got a leading part actually. The play fell through though due to outside circumstances."

Fuyuhiko sucked air through his teeth. "Ah that's too bad. Everyone should try performing in a play at least once. And you got the leading role too! That really is a shame. What was it?"

"Forever and Always."

"Oh I love that one!" Fuyuhiko place a hand on his chest and began to recite from memory. "What crazes me is not the light of the moon, nor the golden sea, but merely the trickle of your tears." Yu was amazed. That was even better than Yumi. "Ahaha I still got it. My wife probably hates that play since I quote it all the time to her but she never tells me to stop." Speaking of his wife she should be getting back soon, they'd been out here for at least two hours. Wait a minute...

Fuyuhiko quickly scrambled back away from Yu. "Aha! I see your game! You were trying to make me let my guard down so you could get a break! Well break time's over. I want this deck finished before my darling family gets back! Or else!"

Yu refrained from pointing out that it had been Fuyuhiko who had engaged him and merely got back to his work smiling. Little by little just as he'd done twenty times before. Fuyuhiko was much less composed. This kid was crafty, yes crafty indeed. No wonder his princess had fallen under his spell so easily! Eventually, said princess returned. She could barely contain her excitement which gave the two men the answer they needed. Yu was collapsed against the wall. Finally finished with his labors, he could barely stand. His chest rose and fell heavily with his breathing but he forced himself into a standing position for Yukiko's sake.

Yukina looked around the entrance to the springs and then at her potential son in law. "Did you do this?" He gave a weary nod. "Hmm. In that case I think you deserve to know that-"

"The doctor said the baby is perfectly healthy! Isn't that so wonderful? I want to shout it to the world!" Her mother glared at her. "We really have to work on your overexcitement issue." Once again she was interrupted by her husband picking Yukiko up and twirling her around as she giggled and gasped. "Oh sweetie that's absolutely fantastic news! I want to shout it too! From the top of the mountains!" As soon as she was put down, she ran over and embraced Yu. He winced but he didn't tell her to let go or loosen up. Neither of her parents moved to interfere. How could they when she looked so happy nuzzling into him? "Hub- er Yu. The baby is healthy," she repeated to him. "That's really...that's really amazing," was all he could think of to say.

"Speaking of amazing, excellent job with the windows. Fuyuhiko dear, I think it's time to bring him inside." Fuyuhiko pouted and Yukiko and Yu cheered but Yukina fixed them all with a glare. "Any ape can do yard work, especially in the winter. Your true test begins now, under my supervision of course." She turned to walk away when she heard a shuffling.

Yu held her daughter close with one arm wrapped around her back. Yukiko gazed at him with wide admiring eyes but his gaze was fixed solely on Yukina. He was standing up completely straight and only had one thing to say. "Bring it on." Yukina's eyes widened in surprise but after a second she gave him a relaxed smile. "Tomorrow, we'll introduce you properly to the staff. I have a feeling you'll be around for a while after all."

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

As the staff of the Inn gathered in the next room over, Yukiko started to pace. With her belly continuing to surge outward with new life, and with Yu about to start working among them, the truth couldn’t be hidden any longer. Yukiko had overheard some of the maids gossiping, wondering if she had gained a few “love pounds” courtesy of her mysterious boyfriend. While Yu was partly to blame for her new bulging form, it wasn’t in the way most of them were thinking. However, some of the Inn’s older workers were beginning to realize there was something more to the young heiress’s growth than just a few too many sweets from a spoiling boyfriend. She had rehearsed her lines in front of her mirror this morning over and over again. She just hoped she wouldn’t panic and forget them like when she came out to her parents.

As her pacing back and forth continued, she suddenly felt a pull on her sleeve. Turning around, she found herself being pulled into Yu’s embrace. He didn’t say a single word to her, he didn’t have to. His warm smile was all she needed to calm her nerves. She smiled back at him, and after placing one hand on her swelling middle, she closed her eyes and waited for his lips to meet hers.

“HAAAAAAA!” In one swift motion, her father had slide between the too and pushed them apart. “NOT ON MY WATCH!” A few giggles could be heard from the some of the staff in the other room who heard Mr. Amagi’s loud outburst. “Dad please!” Yukiko whined with a pout on her face. “Just looking out for my little girl!” The boisterous way he said it made sound like he had adverted a great disaster, like he was a super hero saying “All in a day’s work! No need to thank me!”

Yukiko’s increasing displeasure made him change his tone quickly. “I uh, you know the rules honey. No displays of affection between staff when they are on duty, except for your mother and me of course!”

Mr. Amagi moved to give his wife a kiss of his own, only to be rebuffed, causing him to recoil like he had been shot in the heart. “So, you already consider Mr. Narukami part of our staff? Careful dear, it may not be long until you’re calling him “son,”” Mrs. Amagi said in a teasing tone. “No! I mean, I was just, you see…” Yukina gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek to shut his stammering up. “Let’s get this meeting underway, okay?”

The start of the meeting was like any other. The Amagi’s stood in front of their workers, getting them up to speed on how the Inn was doing, finances, guest satisfaction, any complaints, things that needed improving, upcoming events. What made this meeting different was the young man standing just next to the family. No one had seen his face under all that winter gear, but it was safe to assume that this boy and the mysterious boy who had been toiling away outside the past few days were one in the same.

“Finally, my daughter would like to make an announcement of her own.” Yukina bowed and gave the floor to Yukiko. “Hel-Hello everyone…” Yukiko stared out at the crowd, wide eyed. Was it her, or did the group of people look a lot bigger than it usually did. “Ma-Ma-Many of you have been working for my parents for a very long time…”

The staff were puzzled, Yukiko never had this much trouble speaking to them. Many were beginning to think that whatever this announcement was, it must be something big. “Come on Yukiko! Breath! you can do it!” one of the maid shouted. “Thank you…” Yukiko stammered, “…umm…Ever since I was a little girl many of you watched over me. You all taught me so much. I am thankful for that…and I uh….”

Yu could see Yukiko’s face growing redder by the second. He tried to whisper some word of encouragement to calm her down, but she couldn’t hear him. “Recently…I ummm….”

Yukiko began to rub her belly bump in an accelerated manner. Though most still were unsure about what Yukiko’s ramblings were about, this motion tip some of the wiser staff off.

“You see…”

Yukina was just about come to her daughter’s aid when Yukiko suddenly bowed deeply and in a raised voiced asked everyone “Please, look after my child like you have for me.” Yukiko breathed a little easier, although she skipped a significant portion of her speech and went right to the end. Except for some gasps and a few murmurs, the crowd was silent from shock. The silence was broken when one of the younger maids shouted, “You can count on us young mistress!” Slowly but surely, everyone started to give their support for the girl. Looking around the room, Yukiko couldn’t help but tear up a little. To have so many people continuing to look out for her, it was more than anyone could ever ask for. “-sniff- Thank you all again, so so much!”

As Yukiko took a step back, Yu felt himself being pushed to the forefront. Now all eyes were on him. “I’m sure most of you can probably guess who exactly this is now. As our daughter’s prospective suitor, my husband and I are judging his aptitude on all the things we do around here to keep this place running. Despite what he may be in the future, please treat him like you would any other employee.” Yukiko flinched at her mother’s words, what did she mean “prospective suitor?” In Yukiko’s eyes, her and Yu were way beyond that stage, they were something far more. It was just so frustrating sometimes that people like her parents tried to downplay that.

Mr. Amagi jumped in, “In fact, treat him a little worse! And let us know immediately if he screws up! Can you believe what he has done to our little Yukiko? A demon I say! An interloper come to destroy our way of life after “fertilizing” our delicate flower. I assure you, I will work tirelessly to-“

Yukina gave her husband a flick on the forehead. The staff gave Mr. Amagi a short round of applause for another one of his dramatic displays. “We would appreciate it if you all could keep this under wraps for as long as possible, that will be all, you can go back to your stations.”

The Amagi’s had to continue to usher their staff out the door, many of whom wanted to stick around and have a chat with Yukiko. Once everyone was gone, Yukina told Yu how important his next trial was. “Anyone can do a bit of yard work, but the most important thing about running an Inn is the customers. If you can’t make our patrons feel welcomed and relaxed, we have no use for you and you will be out of here in an instant. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am!” He said with a confident nod. Yukina knew that her strong words to motivate him were probably unneeded. Throughout the year, she had heard rumors from friends and acquaintances about a high schooler going around town helping complete strangers with various tasks, errands and even just listening to their problems. The name Yu Narukami didn’t mean anything to her back then, but now she had a face to go with that name. If those rumors were true, then this boy could teach half her staff a thing or two about customer service.

Yukiko excitement was quickly dashed when she learned that although Yu was now inside, they were still going to be in separate parts of the Inn and that Yu still had to answer to her father for the time being. She left the room, only to be greeted by the large crowd that was still gathered outside. As she closed the door, Yu saw one of the older looking workers run over and throw her arms around the girl.

Yu’s attention was brought back when Mr. Amagi snapped his fingers inches from his nose. “You heard the missus, you better be on your BEST behavior! I have a special job for you.”

As the two walked toward the entrance, Mr. Amagi spoke, “It’s time you learned that the Inn isn’t all fun and games like playing in the snow or having a party up on the roof. At certain times, especially in the off season, work around here can grow a little dull.” Mr. Amagi grabbed Yu by the shoulders and positioned him in the center of the entrance lobby. “So, you are not going to move from this spot, and you will welcome anyone that walks through that door or bid farewell to anyone who leaves.”

“That’s it?”

Mr. Amagi gave Yu a toothy grin, “That’s it.” It was ingenious! Kids these days had no patience at all. If working him until is body broke didn’t work, then he would break his mind. He would end the boy with sheer and utter boredom. Mr. Amagi sat in one of the lobby chairs and whipped out what looked to be a cheesy romance novel. “Remember to stand up straight, and the only movement I want to see is from your bowing to our guests. The way I see it, you have a few hours of this!”

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

"And you're saying he knows how to cook too!?"

Yukiko nodded happily. "Yes. He's the best chef I've ever met!" Looking at the somewhat dejected faces of the Inn's cooking staff she quickly added that didn't include them of course which seemed to do the trick. Some of the younger workers began giggling among themselves. "So Yukiko, how is he in bed?" Before Yukiko could react Kasai slapped the girl in the back of the head. "None of that. You'll give the poor girl a heart attack. But he is quite a hunk so I'd imagine..." Yukiko blushed furiously and frantically asked them to cut it out but she was still smiling all the while.

"Guess this means I'll have to quit smoking," one of the chefs pondered to himself. Yukiko had expected them to lecture her just like her parents did but instead they were nothing but supportive. "Why?" She asked aloud. Everyone stopped their gossiping to turn to her. "Why are you all so calm about this? I thought for sure you'd be angry with me."

"Oh Yuki, we could never be angry with you," Kasai said gently. "And I can only speak for myself but do you have any idea what's it's been like watching you these past few months?" Yukiko shook her head and Kasai continued. "You're always smiling and giggling about something. Sometimes we'd see you put your hands on your cheeks and just sigh happily."

"And the way you rush off all giddy when you go to 'Chie's' is far different than when you go to Chie's." Yukiko blushed as everyone chuckled a bit. She had honestly thought nobody knew. "We thought it was just excitement over having a boyfriend but it's been like that every time you go off to see him for months. And we've all seen how hard your father drives him."

"I wish I had a husband who would shovel a roof for me. He's always 'too tired'" one of the other maids groused to herself. "Yeah and motivating you to learn how to cook was the best thing anyone's done for this Inn's kitchen in years!" The chefs shared a good laugh at that.

"You've got a whole group of people here who want nothing more than to make sure your happy. I think I speak for all of us when I say, what's wrong with two more?" The rest of the staff shouted out there assent as Yukiko began to sob. "E-everyone -sniff- t-thank...thank you. I-I was so worried he'd h-have to win you all over too." The head chef snorted. "Well I do want to see his so called skills in action but I mean, Yukiko look what you're doing right now." The girl looked down to her hand absentmindedly placed on her belly. She must have put it there when she was overcome with joy. Her hand pressing against the fabric made it noticeable to the entirety of the room. "When you were a little girl, you used to come to the kitchen sometimes borrow tea cups to play house. You know what you said when I asked why? You said 'I want to be a great mama someday so I'm getting lotsa practice.""

Yukiko hadn't taken her eyes off of her little bump but dropped her mouth in astonishment as began to rub it in slow circles. "When you grew up, that changed to wanting to make food for people instead of dolls but it's still the same thing really."

The youngest member of the staff spoke up. A part time worker who was one year Yukiko's junior. "You were the one who helped me acclimate to this place. You were always fussing over me and making sure I was comfortable. I think you just found a guy who gave you exactly what you wanted." The worker who's name was Aika gave off one of her rare smiles. Yukiko pondered this thought. After only two months of dating, she had been the first one to broach the subject of children. Not Yu. It was true that they'd both been filled with an overwhelming desire when it was brought up but at the end of the day, she was the one who said it first. Slowly her eyes became half lidded and she looked at the assorted staff. "Would you like to touch it? I don't mind." Several of them shrugged and moved forward to pat and prod the girl's swell.

It sent a surge of utter contentment throughout Yukiko's form. All these people commenting on and examining her progress really made her feel motherly. More time passed with many more questions that Yukiko did her best to answer. "You know, I'm surprised your father hasn't come in to tell us to get back to work."

"He's busy with the new k- er I mean Yukiko's future husband." Yukiko giggled happily. At least somebody understood. But they had been talking for quite a while and she couldn't imagine her father would want to be around Yu for that long...

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

"Fuyuhiko!" The man in question shot up in his sleep at the sound of his wife's voice. The book that had been resting on his chest clattered to the floor. "Huh! What! Are we under attack!?" No, wait it was all coming back to him. He'd been reading his well thumbed through book while intermittently watching-

"The boy!" He turned to see Yu sat in a nearby chair stretching out his legs while another maid stood where he was supposed to be standing. "Aha! You failed! I knew you couldn't-" He felt a sharp pinch on his ear as he was dragged towards Yukina. "I can't believe you made the boy stand in one spot for three hours! Why do you think we do alternating shifts you fool!?"

Fuyuhiko desperately tried to defend himself. "I didn't mean for him to stand that long! I just fell asleep while watching him!" But everything he said just made things worse. Eventually, he was forced to bow in apology. "How do we know for sure he was standing up the whole time? He could have sat down while I was sleeping." Fuyuhiko grumbled.

"Hmm, if only he was in a part of the inn that people walked through constantly. Too bad he's only in the entrance of the building." Mr. Amagi was quite used to her sarcasm by now. "Luckily for you, there were no guests today but if you fall asleep while you're watching him tomorrow I swear I will make you handstand for as long as you're asleep!"

Turning to Yu she couldn't help but be impressed. After a short not even five minute break, he was back on his feet. "I must say, the ability to stand still for hours is quite a rare one. Wherever did you acquire it?" Yu just shrugged. "Standing still for hours at a time isn't all that different from sitting. It's just a bit harder on the knees is all." He cocked his head to the side when he noticed both of Yukiko's parents staring at him. "Is something the matter?" Yukina was the first to recover asking why he'd ever need to sit still for hours at a time. "My father always said the two most important things a child can be in public are still and silent. I used to fidget around a lot so I had to practice until I got it down." Fuyuhiko had a look of complete shock on his face. "How did...how did he make sure you practiced?"

Yu winced a little. "I'd...rather not discuss that. I don't want it to influence your evaluation of me." Fuyuhiko couldn't help but suck air through her teeth. That bad, huh? He reached out a sympathetic hand when Yukina cleared her throat. "Well we'll call it early today on account of my husband's blunder." But Yu shook his head. "That's alright. I can work a full shift." Both of Yukiko's parents assured him he didn't have to do that. "You've already done quite well today."

"Yeah, I mean, don't you have something else you want to do? Go to Junes? Hang out with some friends?" But Yu fixed them both with his piercing grey stare. Fuyuhiko found himself getting lost in those beautiful orbs. Stormy yet calm, they told a story that made the man desperate for more. "I'm quite sure. The sooner I finish this, the sooner Yukiko and I can start raising our child together." This snapped Fuyuhiko out of Yu's smoldering gaze. "We'll see how big you talk after a good round of dusting! You won't look so dashingly handsome covered in soot!" And with that, he left to go find a duster. Yukina bowed to Yu and followed her husband.

"Why did you want him to just stand doing nothing for so long anyway? You know it's the slow season." Fuyuhiko stopped his search for a duster and sheepishly turned to face his darling. "Well I uh thought I could make him slip up if he was so bored he couldn't even keep his eyes open."

"But you fell asleep instead." He was about to try and defend himself when she suddenly started laughing. "Ehehehehe that's so ridiculous! And he couldn't even wake you up because you told him not to move! Eheheeheh." Immediately he gained a big smirk on his face and put on the best whiny excuse voice he could make. "I was actually praying." This made her laugh even harder and she doubled over. "I was dreaming of work last night so it's even."

"Stop ehehehe you're ehehe killing me!" Eventually he found his duster and swung it around as if it were a blade. "This shall be the weapon of his destruction. He won't be so composed when allergies hit! Fwahahahaha." Yukina could just stand there with a smile. Even after all these years, she honestly couldn't tell how serious he was being.

Fortunately for Fuyuhiko, Yu dusted the halls with aplomb. His wife's gut feeling about his interpersonal skills had also been on the money. He greeted each guest as if they were the first of the day. He bowed low and gracefully and wore a gentle smile. When asked by Yukina how he had become a seasoned pro in only one day he simply replied, "Yukiko taught me." The only time he ever lost his composure was when two of their regulars showed up. As soon as the two women caught sight of him, it took nearly the whole staff to pull them away. "If little Yu is going to be working here, I think we'll have to come here even more often right Hanako?" The fat girl nodded happily. Maybe they could roll the dice and request a massage?

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

It was Saturday when the Amagi's finally caved in to the requests of the head chef. He wanted to see what this boy was capable of just like everyone else.

Fuyuhiko moved through the halls dejected. No matter what he tried, Yu continually proved himself to be someone who wasn't easily dissuaded. Not only that, but no matter what the man said, Yu would always stare back at him with that same neutral expression and would even grace him with a calming smile from time to time. He'd even managed to pull Fuyuhiko into more, not entirely unpleasant, conversations. It wasn't like Yu had a massive interest in theater but the way he listened so attentively while Mr. Amagi spoke was enough to make it feel like he did. If this terrible situation kept up, he might start to...

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a sizable crowd of kitchen staff and inn maids crowded around the door to the kitchen. They all had their ears pressed up against the door and many of the maids were snickering and giggling among themselves while the chefs tried to shush them. "What the hell-"

"Shhhh!"

"Sorry," he said abashedly, changing to a whisper. "What the hell are you doing out here? I thought you were supposed to be making Yu slave away in the kitchen." Just then, a high pitched giggling reached his ears that he recognized immediately followed by a deeper male laugh. "That better not be who I think it is." He crawled between two of his workers and pressed his own ear against the wall. "We're almost done. Now we're not going to use the frosting this time but if you get it right, we can put some on. I know how you like to decorate."

"How do I know if it's done? It's all black."

"You tap on it. It'll make a hollow sound if it's done."

Fuyuhiko could barely contain his annoyance. The only reason he didn't scream is he didn't want to disturb his daughter while she was obviously hard at work. "I thought I gave you specific instructions to keep them separated when they were working!" The head chef gained a sly smile on his face. "The kid's a natural. Didn't even need to look at the recipe book but once. So I gave him a break."

"And then your daughter came in for her lesson so we figured, hey let's give the new kid a shot." He supposed that explained why they were all out here. Yuki always did perform better when she didn't have an audience. "Don't worry sir, we've been keeping an eye on them. Here look." The man briefly peered around the corner and gave an "okay" sign before scrambling back. Fuyuhiko glared at him. "You can't let your guard down for even a second around him! He'll lure you into a false sense of security and then next thing you know BAM you're pregnant!" The rest looked among each other looking for a way to prevent him from crashing in and ruining a good thing when all of a sudden the head chef had an idea. "Sir, he's like an artist in the kitchen." This gave Fuyuhiko pause. If that was really true, it would be a crime and a sin to interrupt an artist in the middle of his craft no matter what he thought of him as a person. Not only that, but he knew how important becoming a good chef was to his darling daughter as well. Excellent teachers could still come from the absolute scum of the earth. And besides, didn't it make sense to get as much use out of Narukami as possible before he inevitably failed?

"Only absolute plebeians are unable to separate the artist from their art. I almost committed the greatest sin of all!" He nearly fell into a swoon. He may have let his emotions get the best of him for once. "Very well, but I will be the one keeping watch." The chef tried to hide his smirk. "You're the boss," he said as he allowed Mr. Amagi to peer around the side of the open doorway. His little pumpkin was preciously watching a tray of pure black bread waiting for it to cool while the interloper was picking through a pan full of black noodles and throwing out clams. Fuyuhiko couldn't help but notice the ridiculous apron he was wearing.

"'Love you so matcha?' That's so tacky how could you wear that?"

"Sir I think your daughter made that."

There was a long pause.

"...popped collars look stupid."

In the kitchen, as soon as the timer to cool went off Yukiko immediately plated one of the pieces of bread and shoved it into Yu's hands. "Try it! Oh wait no hold on," she rapidly got one for herself. "We'll try it together. Three, two, one, taste!" Yu could barely keep up with her boundless enthusiasm and had just enough time to grab a fork and take a bite. To the outside observer, he looked as calm and composed as ever. In fact, his face remained perfectly still as he ate Yukiko's dish. Her face on the other hand shifted and adjusted as she tried to fully absorb every aspect of the pastry. It wasn't bad, in fact, it was even better than okay, it just wasn't amazing. "Do you think it's missing something?" She asked Yu. He merely shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me." The smallest hint of a smile crept up on his lips.

She pouted a little bit but brought her hand up to her chin in thought. Her face scrunched up in complete concentration and she intermittently nibbled on some more of the pastry to help her come to her decision. It was so adorable Yu was almost tempted to give her the answer. Yukiko knew she could probably easily get it out of him if she fluttered her eyelashes and pouted but that would be pointless. She wanted to earn his praise. After what felt like minutes, the girl slowly turned towards Yu. "Is it...because squid ink and pastries don't mix?" No, that wasn't right, it hadn't tasted bad at all. All it really needed was a little tweaking. Before Yu could open his mouth, Yukiko shook her head frantically. "No no no wait! It's because I didn't reduce the salt amounts to adjust for the ink!" Yu stared at her blankly giving no indication if she was right or wrong. "Are you sure?"

She went over it in her head again and again. There could be other reasons but that one felt the most "correct" for whatever reason. "That's my answer and I'm sticking to it!" She closed her eyes in suspense and whimpered a bit.

"Tres bien!"

Yukiko opened her eyes to the sight of Yu beaming brightly. When he saw her looking he made sure to take another bite. They were supposed to be cupcakes but like Yu said he had wanted to make sure the underlying dough was up to standard before she got to work on the frosting. Yukiko was astonished when he clapped her on the shoulder and said they could move on to frosting if she wanted. "B-but it was too briny wasn't it? Shouldn't I redo it?"

Yu brushed some hair out of her eyes delicately. "'Briny'. Listen to you talking like that! No, you did fine, you just forgot a small adjustment is all. But you realized that, didn't you? Do you know why?" Yukiko shook her head no. "It's because your chef's instincts are improving." Yu began to spin around a perfectly proportioned piece of pastry around in his fingers. "Your difficulties have never been with technical skill. The chef's of the inn did a fantastic job." From outside the door one of the chef's in question elbowed his colleague. "I like this kid already," but was silenced by a glare from Fuyuhiko and a shush from the surrounding maids. "You just didn't have a proper sense of food properties and dish composition." He wiped some of the black ink off her lips with his thumb making her smile. "But you're getting better and I'm happy I get to see it."

She blushed and began to press her fingers together. "Thanks, that really means a lot. I feel like I'm getting better. I think one day I'll even be better than Naoto!" It was a passionate decree but one that she had a lot of confidence in. She was shocked when Yu tilted his head quizzically. "Huh? But you're already better than Naoto." Yukiko's face lit up even brighter and she gained a wavy bashful smile. "You're just saying that," but Yu chortled a bit. "Anyone can follow a recipe book. That's not special. But you Yukiko, you're trying to bring your own spin to the kitchen. That's why you used the squid ink today."

"You're slowly developing your intuition. Eventually, you won't have to think about things and it'll all just flow naturally." The workers outside were astonished. This quiet boy who only spoke when spoken too unless it was too a guest really became quite chatty when around Yukiko. They said as much to Fuyuhiko but he was distracted, closing his eyes nodding and mumbling to himself. "Yes yes you can't quite explain it, it just becomes natural as you improve." It seemed the boy did have a bit of an idea of what he was talking about after all. The man could respect that at least. "Remember when you put mint chocolate in curry?" Yukiko winced in embarrassment remembering that but what Yu said next made her smile brighter than before. "You're way past that now. You're getting more discerning, more astute. You'll be fine as long as you remember the number one rule of Yu Narukami's kitchen." They both looked at each other smiling and said it simultaneously. "Always do the opposite of what Chie says!" They broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Who knows with the way you're going, you might even surpass me one day." Yukiko put a hand to her cheek and waved her other hand up and down. "Oh stop." But she really was enjoying all the praise. Her efforts were really starting to pay off and he just looked so happy to have someone be so receptive. Maybe she could be a test run for their children? What a delightful little thought! She was brought back by Yu resting his head on top of hers and bringing his arms around her middle. "Mmm Yuki I can't believe I met someone like you. Someone who understands the joys food can bring." It might have just been her imagination but where his arms thicker?

His sleeves were rolled up exposing his well-worked forearms and he enveloped her in big strong thick biceps. She was pressed nicely against a nice broad chest and his hands rested so achingly close to where she needed them to be. They hadn't been so close in a while.

She began to rub her hands from his elbows to his wrists. Nice and substantial. She could feel him press her closer into himself, he must have been having similar thoughts. Unbeknownst to her, they were going in completely the opposite direction. Had she gotten softer? Her backside seemed to have more oomph to it for sure. Before Yukiko's father could bust in and interrupt, another timer went off. "Ah that must be my spaghetti al nero. E-excuse me."

"Y-yeah you should...go get that." They both were breathing heavy and Yu's hands were jittering a little bit. He hoped his food would be able to settle them both down a bit. Fortunately, it seemed his talents came through once again. He put it in a bowl and wafted the smell into Yukiko's face. The herbed shrimp smelled simply divine and she began to salivate. She started rubbing circles on her belly. "T-the baby really seems to like it." Yu gave her a big peck on the cheek and sat her down. "It's okay to want to eat good food Yukiko. Especially since it's my treat." How could she possibly say no after hearing that? Not that she was going to refuse anyway. Yukiko was famished.

She dug in with a gusto that surprised Yu. She was using his food as a way to quell her lustful thoughts from earlier which worked quite well. Food and sex were not yet linked in her mind after all. Yukiko didn't even quite realize she was doing it herself, her mind saw a chance to distract itself and acted. But it was also partially due to her baby. It was starting to become visible in her regular uniform and even before she finished her meal, Yu could see it pressing against her pink kimono. Eventually, she slumped back in her seat with her hand placed firmly on her stuffed middle. The bowl was barely two thirds of the way finished and yet she was utterly stuffed.

"Urp. Oh my, excuse me." But she had a warm smile on her face and her eyes were half lidded. "Uurp. Much better than what I made. Oooh I'm so full."

Yu sat down next to her and chuckled. "Ah that's not fair. Desserts are far more complex than pasta. Speaking of, why did you want to work on desserts first? Your inn doesn't really specialize in that area" Yukiko began to sweat nervously. There was of course the real reason but she couldn't just tell him that yet. She only had a little more than a month to absolutely master pastries and sweets. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. "I just thought I'd start with an area I'm unfamiliar with. To test my instincts." Yu could tell she was hiding something but decided not to press. She'd tell him when she was ready, he was absolutely certain of that. "I'll put the rest in the fridge so you can enjoy it later." Yukiko sighed. "I kind of wish I had a bit more room so I could enjoy everything you made for me." She giggled at the idea. She'd never realized just how much she enjoyed eating Yu's food until recently. Far better than tofu and made all for her, every bite was a taste of his affection. Yukiko felt so warm and content and what made it even better was imagining how much the baby must be getting out of it. She couldn't tell what part of her man keeping her well fed made her happier. Both, she eventually decided.

"I have to be careful what I wish for though, I'd get fat if that happened hahaha. I've already put on 11 pounds you know." Yu shot up straight from the fridge at that. He had noticed. "Look at this," Yukiko said beckoning him over. She squeezed a small bit of hip fat in between her fingers. It wasn't much but it was certainly an inch that could be pinched. "I never used to be able to do that." She had felt her butt spread across her seat a little when she had sat down and it was outlined far more clearly in her work uniform. The same was true for her breasts which now stuck out fully against the fabric. Every part of the top was filled. "You know what's really crazy though? I don't mind. I don't mind at all so far!"

"You know some of the girls at school have been whispering that I've been putting on weight. I hear them say that it was only a matter of time with the company I keep." She began to caress the surface of her slowly expanding dome and laughed again. "But that doesn't bother me. I just remind myself what it's all for and it just washes off me."

"That's wonderful Yuki. I think you're doing perfect. I'll make you whatever you want, so don't be afraid to ask." Yu wanted so badly to tell her how much he was enjoying her new body, to give her an even bigger boost of confidence but he knew if he did that things would get out of control very quickly. Yukiko grinned up at him and they stared at each other for a little bit.

"When I got pregnant, my husband couldn't keep his hands off of me. I hope Yuki can handle that"

"You see the way she was looking him over earlier? I hope he can handle her."

The gossip stopped when they saw the pale sheet white that Fuyuhiko became. Besides, they were missing the sickeningly sweet conversation of the two love birds. "I'd really like that hubby. No matter what you make I know I'll love it." Yukiko pursed her lips for a bit. "What made you want to start cooking anyway? I've always been meaning to ask you that."

Yu took a deep breath and sighed. "Oh. You don't have to answer if-" but Yu shook his head. "No that's okay. I know everything about you, it's only fair that I tell you everything about me." He sat down across from Yukiko and took her hands in his own. "My parents took me with them to ballroom dinners. Even as a kid I noticed how good food was one of the few things that made all these stern faced joyless looking people relax and smile and laugh. I saw how it brought people together and I thought maybe if I got good enough the same thing could happen at my house."

"So you practiced?"

Yu nodded. "I'd make sure to learn whatever I could wherever we went. My parents were willing to pay for high class tutors...at first."

"Did it work?"

Yu shook his head sadly. "Once. But father had to leave in the middle of it. Mother said it was quite good but she worried all the time spent on it would interfere with my studies. Father agreed and that was the end of my lessons, but I still kept up on my own. It was a way to express myself I suppose." He said something that surprised Yukiko. "I was terrible at vocalizing how I felt until I met Chie, Yosuke, and you." Yukiko looked at him strangely. "M-me? Really?" Yu smiled and nodded. "Really."

Yukiko pouted a bit. This wasn't supposed to be about her. Oh this always happened. The conversation would always turn back to her and they'd talk about how she felt and how great she was, but not this time. This time she was going to let him know this conversation was about him. "I'm really sorry about your parents, Yu. You did all that work and they didn't even notice." She felt a hand cup the side of her face and begin to gently stroke up and down. "That doesn't matter. I don't regret a single moment because it means I can share my passion with all of you. And...it means I can help you learn how to do the same." He felt Yukiko grab his hand and press it against her face. She gleefully nuzzled his palm. "You've become so much warmer since we first met and I'm glad to have been a part of that. No matter how small."

"Yukiko..."

"Yu..."

The staff couldn't hide their collective smiles. They were all nudging and laughing and the phrases "what a catch" and "how sweet" were thrown a round a lot. The head chef nudged the Amagi patriarch with his elbow. "This is the kind of cheesy romance stuff you love. Bet you never thought your daughter would get to live it huh Fuyuhiko? Fuyuhiko?" But the man was a bit distracted by something that Yu had said earlier.

The boy used cooking not as a mere tool of self gratification but as a way to improve the days of others. To bring people closer and to create happy memories.

"That's why I joined theater so long ago. That's how Yukina and I fell in love," the man thought to himself. These thoughts had been turning over and over in his head. Narukami had a true pure performer's spirit hidden underneath that neutral exterior of his. "Oh god, what have I done?" How could anyone with such a purity of purpose possibly have ill intentions? It was true that Yu was most likely a no good slacker from the city who obviously wasn't worthy of his precious angel of a daughter, but there was no malefic intent. How could there be when he had spoken so clearly to Fuyuhiko's own soul? Tears began to stream down the man's face and he made such sorrow that the surrounding staff could have sworn that someone had died.

"Yukiko you have squid ink all over you lips. Let me get that for you."

Yukiko quickly looked around and not catching sight of anyone she blushed. "Let me handle it." She then leaned forward to kiss Yu as deeply as she felt he deserved. Fuyuhiko grimaced but clenched his fist. He would allow this. As penance for his sins. "I don't think we got all of it, let's try again."

Alright that was enough.

"AH AH AH. Break time was over at least fifteen minutes ago!" The sudden appearance of Yukiko's father startled them both. "My staff might give in to their sentimentality but I am a man of uncompromising moral fortitude!" Yukiko gave a little harumph of annoyance. "Daddy, can we at least finish frosting the cupcakes? I promise it won't take too long."

Fuyuhiko immediately sighed but gave off a small smile. "Of course you can finish your cupcakes angel." Yu went to go join her when Fuyuhiko grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hey Yu, next time you take a break, make something for me. I'd love to see what you can do." Yu hid his surprise as best he could. He'd never heard Fuyuhiko call him Yu before. But he gave the man an equally as firm shoulder pat. "Understood sir." With three sets of hands, the cupcakes were decorated in no time.

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

Mizui drummed her fingers against the desk. She knew she had promised Yu that she'd call him sometime this week but now it was Saturday and she still hadn't even made an attempt to call. Of course, it would be Sunday for him at this point and he'd probably already come to terms with the fact she wouldn't be calling. Surely he'd understand she was quite busy, it was no fault of her own that she had to avoid talking to him. It was her work that she took to provide for the boy that kept her away. Mizui could call in a lighter time and he'd be there ready and waiting.

...

But he hadn't waited. Sometime when she had looked away, the obedient little boy who bowed to welcome her home from work had gone off and changed. He had risen to the top of his class, met his first girlfriend, and she was recently made aware that he had stood up to his father. Sorano was not happy about the situation in the slightest and had made that quite clear. "Most people would kill to get out of there but of course our son has to be the one child in the country who wants to stay! I fully expect him to come crawling back when he realizes just what he's gotten himself into and when he does I expect you to not give an inch until he's earned our forgiveness." But he had sounded so wistful talking about his future over the phone. She knew she wasn't mistaken. This whole time she thought that aside from some difficulties in his childhood, Yu wanted nothing more than to please his parents and society. Just like her. Could she have been wrong?

Every second she waited was something else she missed. Not only from her son but her brother had a daughter who she'd never met and he'd almost died. Things wouldn't stay nice and orderly for her and wait for her to get back to them at her convenience. But what if it was too late to try and get back in? What if she failed and made things even more estranged? "Yu will understand. He's used to it by now surely."

She was about to put her phone away when a single thought pierced through to the forefront of her mind. "What if that was the mistake this whole time? What if the real mistake is not trying?" Immediately she shook those thoughts away. She had tried. Of course she had, she worked hard to secure Yu's future happiness. The thought that finally made her begin to dial was a simple one. "What makes your son happy?" And she was shamed when she realized she couldn't say with 100% certainty what the answer to that was anymore. Maybe she didn't have to talk or say anything. Maybe it would be better just to listen.

"Mother? Hello, are you there?"

She took a deep breath and brought out a notepad. "Yes dear. I believe we were going to discuss your year in Inaba. Please, go ahead."

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

Yu’s recollection of his past year in Inaba was eye opening to say the least. He talked about how he made his first friend, a boy named “Yosuke” whose father was manager of one of those Junes Department Stores that were popping up around the country recently. Yu’s father would have probably scoffed at the idea of Yu “wasting,” his time with someone like that, and rather him make friends with people whose fathers were a little more influential. She tried to think of some of the friends Yu had back home as an example, but she came to find she couldn't recall a single name. She thought to herself, “He had to have had friends before, right?”

He explained how a girl Yosuke was crushing on was founded murdered by a serial killer that had set up shop in Inaba. This was another indication of how little she actually knew. She had no idea such a dangerous person was prowling around Inaba. She had just sent him away and assumed everything would be fine. She shuttered to think if something had happened to him, and how long it would have taken before she would have gotten word about it. She also got more details on her brother’s hospital visit and the close call with his daughter. She wanted to believe that Yu had been exaggerating a little before, but it really was a serious as he said. Mizui debated whether she should send her brother some sort of fruit basket or if it was far too late to send him and her niece her regards now.

He listed off all the other friends he made during that time. One of the names stood out to her, she remembered the Tatsumi family and was surprised to learn that the little textile shop the family ran was still in business.

Of course, he spent the most time talking about the Amagi girl. When he first started recalling his time in Inaba, Yu had almost sounded robotic, but his voice had grown more and more lively the more he talked. “Lively,” wouldn’t even begin to describe how Yu sounded as he spoke about Yukiko. He had always been such a well-spoken boy, so Mizui was surprised when she found Yu struggling to speak, unable to find the right words to do this girl justice in his eyes. She couldn’t recall the last time Yu had said he “loved,” anything, but when talking about this girl he threw the word around without restraint. Mizui felt more and more guilty that their was apparently a person in her son’s life that affected him so greatly and yet she hadn’t so much as seen a picture of her, let alone spoken to her herself.

“Well, it sounds like you had a very eventful past year,” Mizui said when it was all over.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” he affirmed with a small quiver in his voice. His reminiscing had gotten him a bit choked up.

“You know, I grew up and Inaba. I know well that life in a small town can get pretty boring. It’s why I left in the first place. You may have had a good time this past year, but how do you think you will feel in another year?”

Yu laughed, “You sound like dad. Are you trying to convince me to come home too?”

“Your father still thinks you’ll get bored and come crawling back on your own. We both just want you to live up to your potential. Do you really think you can be happy in a place like Inaba?”

Yu’s next words struck a chord with Mizui. In a solemn voice, Yu replied, “I don’t think I knew what true happiness was before I came here and met Yukiko.”

Mizui didn’t know how to respond. After a few awkward moments of silence, she managed to squeeze out an “I see…”

Mizui caught a glance of the clock in her room, she had been on the phone for hours! She told Yu she had to go, but he stopped her before she could hang up. “I really enjoyed our talk. If you want, I wouldn’t mind you calling again sometime.” He got the answer he was expecting, “You know how busy I am Yu…” Before the call disconnected however, he did hear something that gave him a bit of hope, “…I’ll call you if anything changes with your father, and if I have time maybe you can tell me more about this baby thing is coming along.”

Mizui tried getting back to work afterwards but she couldn’t focus. Instead, she found herself going though the notes she had taken during their conversation again and again, mulling over her son’s words into the early hours of the morning.

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

That Sunday, Yukiko found that she had the day off. Even though she wasn’t working, she had planned on sticking around. Without any duties, she could be with Yu all day and help him with his tasks without her father being able to shoo her away. Her mother however, thought differently. “Honestly Yukiko, following that boy around like a love sick puppy! Yu has a job to do today and he can’t afford to have you distracting him. Go outside and do something!” Yukiko tried to protest, but to her surprise Yu agreed with her mother. Yukiko looked down at the floor and pouted, “Do you really think I’d be a burden to you?”

“Not at all,” Yu said as he pulled her into an embrace. “It’s just you have been working all week. Your mother’s right. You can’t be cooped up in here all the time. I think it would benefit you and the baby if you went out and had some fun today. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Yukiko buried her face into his chest, “Being with you is never a bore, but if you really think I should…”

Mr. Agami suddenly appeared as if he had a sixth sense to detect when Yu and Yukiko were being intimate and pushed the two apart, “You heard your mother little missy! You go relax with your other friends while I deal with this rapscallion! I don’t want you back until dinner time.”

Yukiko still didn’t like her father referring to her fiancé like he was some type of vandal, but she suddenly grew a mischievous grin. Before her father had time to react, Yukiko grabbed Yu by his jacket and pulled him down to her level for a goodbye kiss. “See you later darling!” She said cheerfully before she took off down the hallway. Mr. Amagi looked like he was going to faint. Watching Yukiko leave, Yu had to bite his lower lip. Her nice round butt that he complimented her on many times before definitely looked bigger, and the way her hips swayed from side to side as she walked had him mesmerized. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, even when he felt Mr. Amagi breathing down his neck for ogling his daughter. Yu had to admit, there was something very alluring about these changes Yukiko was going thorugh. A quick flick to the ear got him back to the task at hand.

Basically kicked out of the Inn again, Yukiko made plans with the other girls to go see a movie. Arriving at the theater, the four looked at all the films currently playing. “Ooo! What about this one!” Rise said, pointing at one of the latest romantic comedies. Chie stuck her tongue out in disgust, “No way! We should see this one. Yosuke says it’s fight scenes are the best.” Naoto, of course, suggested they all see a crime drama. “Well, we have to decide somehow, what about you Yukiko?” Chie looked over at her friend who was standing a few feet away in front of another poster. Clapping her hands together, Yukiko made her decision, “I want to see this one!”

Chie's blood ran cold when they she saw the poster that had captivated the expectant mother. On it was a woman, her face contorted in terror as ghostly hands springing up from the ground dragged her down into an open grave. Yukiko read the title out loud “Buried Alive: Dragged to the Grave…sounds like it could be pretty funny right?” All three girls were quick to shut Yukiko’s suggestion down. “N-n-n-no way we are seeing that either,” Chie said with audible fear in her voice. “Really? Why not?” Yukiko said with disappointment before her face lit up again. “I know let’s take a vote.”

No one knew what Yukiko was getting at, and the results of the voting were what everyone expected, one vote for all four movies each. Yukiko did a small, joyous, hop, “Buried Alive wins!”

“What!? How!?” The other three all said in unison.

Yukiko stuck her chin up high “It got the most votes of course.” The way Yukiko was stroking her belly bulge tipped everyone off to what her game was. “That’s no fair senpai!” Rise said with a huff. Chie and Naoto agreed, “Yeah! You can't vote for your baby! You have to say your vote out loud and your baby can’t talk yet!” Naoto coughed, “Not to mention it would be far to young to be allowed to see a movie like that.” Naoto knew her argument was ridiculous, but she would do anything to get out of seeing that movie. Besides, it wasn’t anymore ridiculous than saying an unborn baby has a vote in what movie they should all see.” Yukiko pouted when she realized her ploy failed, she thought for sure that would work!

The issue was settled with a game of rock-paper-scissors, which Chie won. After the girls bought their concessions, the four found their seats. Before the movie started, Chie couldn’t help but notice Yukiko squirming in her seat.

“Is everything alright Yukiko?”

Yukiko gave her best friend a surprised look. “Me? Oh no! Everything is fine, the bottom of my seat just feels a bit…lumpy is all.”

“We can change seats if you like,” Chie offered.

“No no! It’s fine. Really!” Yukiko knew it wasn’t the seat but was too embarrassed to admit the real problem. That little extra padding on her hips really made a difference, and feeling her ass taking up a little more space since the last time she came to the movies with Yu was just an unfamiliar feeling. No seat change would change that. Not only that, but her breasts were beginning to bother her again. She attributed it to their slight increase in size and made a note to ask Yu to get Kanji to make her some adjustments, maybe even use a softer material. Luckily, she was able to get comfortable before the movie began.

Despite still wishing they had seen the horror movie instead, Yukiko still enjoyed herself. She didn’t get some of the jokes but watching the main villain’s right-hand man getting kicked off a cliff and hit every rock on the way down was side splitting, although she felt embarrassed that no one else laughed. At one point, Chie reached over to grab some popcorn from the tub her and Yukiko decided to share. Not only was she shocked at how much of the tub was empty at that point, but also how wet her hand got. Yukiko absolutely drenched the whole thing in butter! She never done that before.

The movie arrived at a point where the main character was sitting in a subway car with a woman and her baby sitting next to him. As the main character talked on his cell phone, the baby started to cry. It was a totally innocuous scene but hearing that baby cry triggered something deep inside Yukiko. The feeling originated in the pit of her stomach, and slowly moved up her spine. She started to sweat as the sensation crept up to shoulder blade level. Gripping her armrests, her breasts started to ache and then…

“AAHaaaaaa! Oooooohhhhhh…….” Yukiko moaned. Covering her chest, Yukiko sprung up from her seat and made for the exit.

“Yukiko!” Chie screamed. After quickly glancing at Naoto and Rise, the three got up and went after her. Running out of the theater, Chie was able to catch a glimpse of Yukiko before she ran into a nearby bathroom. They found Yukiko hunched over the sink, breathing heavily and clutching at her chest. Chie was quick to notice a wet stain on the girl’s red sweater. “Oh my god! Yukiko are you bleeding?!?” Chie quickly ran over and placed her hand on Yukiko’s back, but on closer inspection of the sweater, it was easy to see it wasn’t blood.

“Yukiko…is that?”

Yukiko’s face grew red, “I couldn’t help it…it just happened…”

The distinct staining pattern around her nipple area meant only one thing.

“Milk…” Naoto said in disbelief. “Like a cow…” Chie added under her breath, like this was her first time actually witnessing them preform their intended function. She quickly covered her mouth, “No! I didn’t mean…I’m sorry Yukiko!”

“It’s alright Chie…” A cow was exactly what Yukiko felt like at the moment. She was so embarrassed. One minute she was enjoying the movie, and the next she just started to leak. It was so much too! It bled straight through not only her bra but her thick sweater as well. “Ummm…has this uhhh…. happened before?” Chie asked, not sure how to phrase the question.

“Never…”

Naoto spoke up, “It must have been because of the movie.” Naoto started to blush, “During my research, I read that certain stimulus can trigger a woman to uhhh…leak. Small things, like being in a certain place, certain smells, certain sounds. The baby’s cry in the movie must have triggered it.”

“I’m sorry everyone…” Yukiko said, still panting from the ordeal. That’s when Rise said something Yukiko didn’t expect.

“Senpai, you’re so amazing!” Rise bounded over and threw her arms around Yukiko. “Your motherly instincts must be top notch!” Rise bent over and spoke directly to her unborn child, “You’re really lucky! You’re not even born yet and your mommy is already working so hard for you!” Rise looked back up at Yukiko and smiled, “This is just further proof you’ll be a fantastic mother, don’t you think?”

Yukiko looked around the bathroom, only to see Chie and Naoto nodding in agreement at Rise’s assessment. Her frown quickly turned into a massive grin. Hearing those words filled her with indescribable happiness. They were right, what happened was nothing to be ashamed of. Like everything else that was happening, it was just her body preparing itself for the coming of her and Yu’s child. It was funny, her embarrassing sweater stains now almost seemed more like a badge of honor. Wiping tears from her eyes, Yukiko thanked them all for their support.

After helping Yukiko get cleaned up, the girls took her home. She felt bad that the other girls didn’t get to see the ending to the movie and vowed to make it up to them with a private dip in the Inn’s hot springs. Yukiko’s parents were surprised to see Yukiko back so soon with her entourage in tow. Placing both hands on her belly bump, Yukiko let out a nervous laugh, “I had a bit of an accident...”

Her parents were quite surprised when Yukiko pulled out her sweater to show them exactly what had happened. Even with her friends having helped her to clean up, a thin layer of moisture was still visible on the fabric. Yukina had of course produced milk when she was pregnant with Yukiko but it was never quite this much or this early. The two parents looked between each other at this as though they could read the others thoughts. When they saw the slightly worried expression on their daughters face, they quickly corrected themselves. Yukina's pregnancy was the abnormal one. Not Yukiko's. "Sorry dear. We're just surprised that you're not more...in shock about it." Fuyuhiko quickly picked up on his wife's fib and nodded. "Yeah. It was in such a crowded place too! If that happened to me, I'd be a lot more distraught." The gathered girls all looked at him in revulsion. That was certainly a mental image they didn't need.

Yukiko was the first to recover and she indicated her group of friends with a sweep of her arms. "My friends helped me of course." Naoto shook her head slightly flustered. "It was really all Rise. I didn't do anything of note." But she found her shoulders being grabbed by Yukiko. "Don't be silly. The way you stayed so calm and impartial helped me get my thoughts together. You can be just as comforting as Rise in your own way." Naoto blushed sheepishly but eventually gave a closed eyed smile. "I suppose you're the expert on your own feelings."

Chie and Rise looked on in bewilderment. All that was missing from this picture was for Yukiko to slowly stroke Naoto's hair while hugging her to her chest. She seemed to be falling into her new role quite easily. Yukina was observing her daughter in a different way. Yukiko's body was starting to produce milk from its enhanced breasts. She could see Yukiko's now much more prominent swell. Big enough to easily run a hand along its curve in a proper crescent motion.

In fact, if it wasn't for that brown coat she wore to school, the secret would have easily gotten out. Even with it cinched around her waist, everyday Yukiko's belly pressed out against the bottom more and more. It was warming up though so it most likely wouldn't have lasted long anyway. The girl was getting quite the nice pregnancy spread too, Yukina thought to herself as she appraised her daughter's hips. Fuyuhiko had overhead that she had put on over ten pounds which was just on the high end of healthy for this stage. Yukiko would have quite the matronly sway if she kept it up.

But all this really got Yukina thinking. Her daughter was almost four months along and starting to truly show. She knew they were on a tighter schedule than she would have liked but this really drove home just how much. Not only would the wedding need to take place before the baby was born and not only would they need to set everything up before then but Yukiko looked to be on the road to a truly healthy birth.

She would need someone close at hand to attend to her. The servants of the inn could handle that well enough but it really helped to have someone more intimate. Someone who was attuned to all your needs both carnal and emotional. At this point, Yu's work ethic was not in question. Even Fuyuhiko could admit that. But was he truly a partner who would stand by her side and make her happy? It was clear to her that Yukiko was absolutely head over heels for the boy but she was...sheltered to put it mildly. She had no real perspective on this kind of issue. And even then, what if the initial novelty wore off and Yukiko didn't like Yu for who he was but merely for the concept of being in love. A no to these questions would be far more damaging and emotionally taxing than the questions of whether or not Yu could work hard and that's why Yukina had been putting it off. That and she had grown somewhat fond of the boy and didn't quite like the idea of him not measuring up.

Well now it was time to not only evaluate him as a future owner of the inn but as a husband to her daughter. If it did turn out to be mere teenage impulsiveness or an attempt to get back at his overbearing parents, it would be best to get it out of the way quickly so they could all heal and move on. She almost didn't want to think about that. What if the boy was just using their daughter as some kind of rebellion? What if she was just a tool to humor every once in a while?

The girls had begun to make their way towards the hot springs when Yukina called out to them. "Yukiko dear. Isn't there someone else you'd like to tell?" Yukiko gaped in astonishment and quickly turned around. "Really? Am I really allowed to tell him?" Her mother nodded. "Of course..."

"Not!" Her father shouted pumping his fist at his excellent timing. "Darling, why would it matter whether he knows? And for our daughter to share such intimate details with him is-" She gave him an exasperated look. How much more intimate could that really be than what he already knew? "W-well how about this? I told him to do the staff's laundry so if he hasn't finished it he doesn't get to learn!" Yukina smirked. He was unknowingly trying to interfere with what she was trying to set up but she didn't believe it would be a problem. "Very well." She rang a little bell and immediately a servant came. "See if Narukami has finished his task and if he has tell him that I am calling for his presence."

Yukiko told her friends to go on without her but they stayed put. "No way, Yukiko. Who's going to kick him if he makes you feel weird about it?" Rise laughed. "Besides, I kind of want to see what senpai's like on the clock." Eventually a silver haired boy was ushered in. He was dressed in a light blue and white yukata that matched his silver hair well. He took a graceful bow. "You have need of me, Mrs. Amagi?" He even ignored the snickering of Chie and Rise and stood perfectly still awaiting instructions.

"Yu, our daughter has something she wants to tell you." The girls parted and let Yukiko slowly stepped forward. Yu stood perfectly still knowing that if he moved to embrace her he'd be reprimanded and he tried to keep his concern off his face. "Hello sweetie. Um...how was your day?" Yu simply smiled in response. Yukiko had an embarrassed expression on her face but it was a happy embarrassment. She was pretty secure in her own feelings on the matter but it was still a little odd. "Well we went out to see a movie and uh there was a scene with a baby in it and I felt this ...um... weird climbing sensation on my back. And then my chest...I started leaking."

Yu moved forward and ran his hands down her sides not letting himself get distracted by how smooth and soft they were. He settled right at her waist parallel to her navel. Fuyuhiko moved to stop him but was stayed by his wife's hand. She had a disturbing grin on her face that made him want to . "Perfect. He actually broke character just to embrace her."

Once Yukiko's eyes were filled with that same shining wonderment Yu loved so much, he chuckled. "Leaking? Yukiko you make it sound like a bad thing. You're not leaking, you're producing. Your body is producing milk. You had me worried for a second." Yukiko mouthed out the word "producing" as she returned his embrace and smiled at him. Any remaining doubts were completely dispersed. "I know, I was so excited that I just had to tell you right away!" Like every Sunday, he looked absolutely exhausted. He could use some good news. "It soaked all the way through my sweater too. It must be because I'm eating so well ahahaha."

Yu had to stop himself from biting his lip at that little comment of hers. Yes she certainly was. "I'll get you some nursing pads." They gazed at each other for a little bit. Yukina was happy to see it was like they were in their own little bubble. Plus, he had certainly handled that better than her own husband had.

The memory made her turn to glare at him. He awkwardly waved at her when he noticed her stare and that made her calm down again. Perhaps she was being unfair, Fuyuhiko was actually in the room when it happened. Yu eventually broke the silence as he slowly wrapped his arms around Yukiko's back. They quickly moved in to their favorite position with Yu slightly leaning over her with her hands touching his chest. "How did it feel?"

Yukiko searched around for the right words to describe it. She had been so surprised she hadn't really thought about how it felt but his question had brought a faint recollection of it back into her mind. "Well...it was like a warm tingle and it felt like my body knew just what to do. When it happened I felt that...I had just done something wonderful. I felt fulfilled." Yes it had been a soothing sensation that made her feel accomplished in that specific moment. It was ruined when she realized what had happened but she had a feeling she'd get to enjoy it fully in the future.

"Oh, I know exactly what that feels like." Yukiko looked at him perplexed. "You do?" She let out a happy little squeak when he kissed her full on the lips. "I think I can imagine."

"Oh stop. You're too much." She began to giggle happily and absolutely cover his face in kisses.

"This can't be good for my blood sugar," Naoto grumbled to herself. Yukina was happy they were able to ignore the detective's grousing and her husband's fuming but she didn't want them to get too lost in each other. "Yu dear." She spoke with a clear authority that was enough to get Yu to raise his head. "You're forgetting to greet the guests." He quickly shifted Yukiko up and pecked her one more time before separating and giving a deep bow to his assorted team members.

"Welcome to the Amagi Inn. I hope you enjoy your brief visit to our hot springs. The towels have been freshly pressed and readied by myself." Yukina nodded her head. She might just force him to work here regardless.

"Oh! One more thing." Yukiko ran up to Yu and was about to ask him something when she noticed her parents looking intently. She cupped a hand around her lips so they couldn't read them which made her mother smirk and her father grouse angrily. Towards the end of her whispering, Yu suddenly blushed almost imperceptibly. "Of course I can do that." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and ran off with the others following her. "What did she say to you!?" Fuyuhiko demanded. Yu looked him directly in the eyes. "She'd be pretty upset if she found out I told you." This made him instantly calm down. "Oh. Yeah that does make sense. That's why she whispered it after all, obviously. Well that's fine then." Yu looked at the man strangely. "She made sure to cover her mouth when she did it. Can you two...read lips?"

Fuyuhiko laughed. "Of course we can! I taught Yukina all about it. I'll tell you while you wash the dishes." The two men walked off together while Yukina looked on. He certainly seemed like a nice boy who loved her daughter. And Fuyuhiko sure was starting to take a liking to him. But no she just needed more evidence was all. He was certainly much warmer and kinder than Yukina's first suitor had been but he could still be just acting! He had already proven himself to be a prodigy in many areas, why not the area of pretending to be in love. She would keep her distance and observe for just a little bit more time. No need to get close yet.

"It's so weird seeing Yu take orders from someone else." Chie said while leaning her head back. "He did it really well though. If I didn't know him, I'd say he's been working here for years."

"Yeah and that uniform really suits him. But he looks good in anything, right senpai?" Yukiko blushed in embarrassment before nodding. He really really did. The thought sent her thighs rubbing together ever so slightly which no one but Naoto took note of. "So what did you ask him to do? You can tell us!"

Yukiko shuffled around a little bit. She thought she could feel the extra weight in her hips by doing so but it was probably just her imagination. "My panties are getting...tight, so I asked him for some larger ones." Rise and Chie accepted her answer without a fuss but Naoto couldn't let it go. Why not just ask her parents for new underwear? She was broken out of her train of thought when a loud slap pierced the air. Rise had brought her hand down on Yukiko's soft bottom. "I'll bet they are. Look at this thing!" Instead of getting upset like she normally would, Yukiko merely turned to Rise trying to hide her flushed face. "W-would you say I'm fertile looking?" Rise tilted her head. "Of course! You're starting to get that va va voom figure going on! Right Chie?" Chie nodded quickly. "Y-yeah! Yukiko you look great." Yukiko gained a sly smile to go along with her blush. "Thanks guys."

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

Unknown to her friends, Yukiko hadn't been feeling insecure about her added weight at all. In fact she felt quite attractive and she knew Yu thought so too. He just didn't have the chance to say exactly so since they hadn't been in private in so long. That's what her friends, and her imagination were for. She lay back on her bed with her panties down by her feet and one hand between her legs. Yukiko had never thought she would ever need to do something so crass but a pressure had been building for the past two weeks that had become almost unbearable. "Va va voom," she whispered to herself. One hand was playing with her tender breast ever so delicately as she pretended it was Yu who was whispering to her while saying those things. "You look fantastic. I love your new body so much." She tried to visualize how the slap in the hot springs had felt and imagined it was Yu who had done that. "Your body is -oh- getting better everyday. P-preparing -ah- for our child." Her eyes were completely closed as she did her work and slow work it was. She wanted to take her time.

Her thoughts turned to slightly earlier. Even while she had been having fun with her friends, Yu had been working hard preparing for their future. He had even told her to go relax and have fun while he did so. She felt a shudder of pleasure arch up her back at this thought. "I'll make whatever you want Yukiko."

"Of course, I can do that."

"I don't regret a single moment because it means I get to share my passion with all of you."

"I'm ready to be a family."

These thoughts and more ran through Yukiko's head. Slowly, her hand lowered from her breast to her bump. "Your dad is working so -ahn- so hard." Those arms that cradled her so tightly would do the same for their child. He'd make their baby feel just as safe and happy as he made her feel. "Oh I just love him so much and -oooh- you will too!" She felt her back arch involuntarily as a spasm of pleasure hit her.

"I love you Yukiko."

"Just as long as you don't think I'm weird for wanting to do this."

These last two thoughts mingled together and made her cry out in pleasure. She lay back panting with her hand rubbing up and down her little bump. That had certainly helped a little but the feeling of longing need was still there. It just wasn't the same without him there. Memories were a mere echo of the real thing. She wanted to feel his embrace, to feel him inside of her and to hear his voice. Most of all though she wanted to give back. He was doing so much and although he had told her she was doing more than enough she still wanted to help him in any way she could. He was probably feeling almost as pent up as she was. Yukiko really hoped they wouldn't be separated for too much longer. Sure this could stem the tide of her desire for a little bit but she'd have to give him his massage tomorrow and that would start it up all over again.

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

Thursday of that week was the first day of March. It was still winter but it was certainly beginning to warm up.

It became necessary to start feeding the koi again. Fuyuhiko was pleased to see none of them had died over the winter holiday. He personally didn't care for the fish too much but he knew how much the guests and his daughter liked them so he held his tongue. Besides, it gave more work for Yu to do. The boy fed them slowly and deliberately. None of the haste that had gotten workers reprimanded for a slipshod job in the past was there. If Fuyuhiko wasn't there, the man could imagine Yu could easily spend the whole time in complete silence. This city boy was probably better at just falling quiet and becoming one with nature than he was. It made him curious.

"So, have you ever been fishing?" He could see Yu smile but he didn't look up from his work. "Yes. I quite enjoy it. Did you want to go together sometime?" This caught Fuyuhiko off guard. Even though they had been getting on a lot better recently, for Yu to invite him out to go fishing was quite amicable of him. Mr. Amagi laughed. "That's nice of you to offer. What's the biggest one you've caught? I got a trout once that was this big!" His hands mimicked the length of an above average trout. When he saw Yu's almost bored expression, he slightly increased the width.

"I caught an oarfish." Fuyuhiko's flabbergasted reaction was enough to make Yu smile. Eventually, Fuyuhiko calmed down. "No way."

"What?" Yu actually stopped his koi feeding to stare directly at his boss. Fuyuhiko repeated himself. "No way you caught an oar fish! Get out of here with that! It was probably just a big tuna you thought was an oar fish." He was a little intimidated by the slight flash of annoyance that crossed Yu's face. He'd been insulting and berating him for almost a month and this was one of the only times he'd seen him actually get mad. "I still have it actually. I can prove it, I'll just take a picture." But Fuyuhiko scoffed after regaining his composure.

"You kids nowadays are so crafty with your fancy computers. No I want to see it with my own eyes. How about right now? Unless you're afraid?" Yu smirked

"I don't know, I have all this work-."

"I'm the one who decides what you have to do! And I say you have to show me this oarfish! No excuses!" Yu pulled out his phone. "Well you are the boss." He dialed a number and another teenager's voice answered back.

"Yosuke, are you working today? You are? Good. I need you to prepare the sea guardian." There was a bit of a pause. "Yes, the really big fish. It's time." He hung up and clapped Fuyuhiko on the shoulder. "We're going to Junes."

Yosuke greeted them at the door. "What's up partner? And...Mr. Amagi?" The man held his hand up greeting. "You laughed at me but the day I spoke of has finally come, Yosuke." Yosuke just rolled his eyes. "You can be seriously weird sometimes you know that? Anyway follow me." The three made their way to the back of the supermarket into the cold storage section. "So...what exactly are we doing back here?" The inn owner asked completely lost. Yosuke let out a sigh. "One day, this guy came into the store carrying the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life. He bought an entire fridge and asked if he could store the fish in the back. He said and I quote 'I might need it some day'"

Yu just shrugged. "It was supposed to be for the TV World but we had so many soma by the end that it never got used." Yosuke moved his eyes towards Fuyuhiko to tell his partner that he shouldn't be talking about that stuff in front of him but Yu didn't even react. Fuyuhiko was too busy staring at the extra large fridge laying face up right in front of them. Utterly in shock over the idea that he had actually caught such a thing. "Yosuke. Open the container." The boy breathed hard through his nose. "I'm opening a fridge to show off a big fish. It's not that big of a deal." But he was silenced by the other two glaring at him. It was a big deal

Sure enough, Yu had not been lying. Staring up at Fuyuhiko was a perfectly preserved oarfish. "B-but I don't understand. I've been fishing in the Samegawa for years and I've never seen..."

"It comes from the depths of the ocean when the rain is swirling around you and the sea is roiling in chaos. Only then, does it appear to you." The man was in awe but Yosuke was decidedly less so. He was far too used to this by now. "Wooow. I mean *ahem* yes well how do I know you didn't just buy this fish from somewhere else?" He was desperately grabbing at straws and he knew it. Maybe it would work this time?

"I'm a man of my word, sir." Fuyuhiko didn't have a response to that. "I could probably catch another one, and you could come along if you want. Yosuke, you can come too."

"All right. Sounds good to me! We could make it a whole thing. Just as guys. And you too Mr. Amagi!" The Junes boy was genuinely excited over the prospect and Fuyuhiko had to admit he wouldn't mind either. "What made you want to try to catch one anyway? And how did you know how to get it?" Yu smiled. "An old man asked me to show one to him." Fuyuhiko had to smile as well. Like his wife, he'd also heard rumors about a boy going around and lending a hand to those in need. He just hadn't really listened until recently. Yosuke grabbed some Dr. Salts from a nearby cooler and gave them to the other two men. "I called a lunch break so we can hang out for a bit. So Mr. Amagi, how's my buddy been doing?" Fuyuhiko thought for a moment and laughed. "He's doing just fine."

"Whew those were some good beef bowls. Well see you tomorrow Yu." The boy bowed gracefully and went on his way home. Fuyuhiko went inside humming a happy tune to himself when he saw his wife waiting for him at the entrance wearing a neutral expression. "Did you enjoy your time with Yu?" Fuyuhiko grinned happily. "Yeah, you know he caught an oarfish. And he won the mega beef bowl challenge? How come Aika never told me that!"

He looked to see Yukina looking quite displeased. "You're supposed to be evaluating his performance. Not gallivanting around town." Fuyuhiko raised his hands in order to defend himself. "I am evaluating him! I'm...evaluating his character. I need to make sure he really matches the image of the Amagi Inn." Yukina eventually just sighed. Even her husband bit by bit was falling under Yu's spell. As much as she was afraid too, she wasn't a scared teenage girl anymore. She'd have to try and get closer to him as well even if it did end up hurting her in the end. She had a daughter to look out for and while she trusted her husband and daughter she just had to make sure for herself. It was time for Yu to move in.