• CHAPTER 78 - SEVENTEEN DOWN, OVER SEVEN HUNDRED TO GO

    It's always a good thing to have a special event to distract you from your death in the near future.

    "So what is it you got Takeuchi?" I asked Kai, looking up at him after grabbing his hand as we walked down a sidewalk in downtown Sapporo.

    "You'll see," Kai said in halfway monotone. He seemed to be pretty out of it since our nightglare/wedding conversation last night.

    I opted not to say anymore, refusing to hear Kai in such an apathetic tone. I had to think of anything, anything to make him not worry as much. I had a thought, but I was sure he wouldn't believe me because he would know I'm trying to calm him down.

    "Let's stop here," I pulled Kai into the same café we stopped at when we were shopping for Kira.

    I ordered the same french vanilla cappuccino but nothing to eat with it. Kai had already found a booth and I sat on the seat across from him, noticing the booth was perched in the corner of the café. We sat in silence for a long time, long enough for my cappuccino to cool down enough for me to drink half of it. I set my cup down angrily and glared at Kai after he looked up at me in surprise.

    "Look, Kai, maybe those Vampires are trying to scare us," I told him loud enough for only him to hear, even though I had told him that before.

    "Doubtful," Kai sighed.

    I frowned at him, "You know, maybe they're just some more twisted dreams I've had. I've had plenty of grotesque and abnormal dreams in my life, Kai." I sighed. "Especially dreams where I've been killed."

    Kai flinched a little at the "killed" part and he rested his chin on his hand, "You could be right,"

    "So please," I begged, "don't dwell on the bad thoughts. They're just more freaky dreams." I wanted to keep out the fact that the same nomad Vampire was in both nightmares.

    "You might want to finish up before the store closes," Kai eyed me.

    I finished the rest of my cappuccino quickly and we left the café hand-in-hand once again. It was a silent walk again, even though I tried to strike up conversations every now and then but I gave up since Kai would never answer in complete sentences.

    "You better not be acting like this once we get back home," I ordered. "I don't want you ruining the atmosphere of Takeuchi's birthday." it was Takeuchi's birthday today and we were having a party tonight and Kai sure as hell wasn't going to be all mopey.

    Kai paused for a moment before sighing and rolling his eyes with faint smile on his face, "Fine,"

    I smiled back at him, but knew his smile was only halfway real. I was really starting to believe myself even more after I told Kai those nightglares could have been just freaky dreams. I am one to be bizarre and damaged in the head, so that could explain it all. Most of my grotesque nightmares come from my phobias anyways.

    We stopped at a toy store and then a movie store to pick up Takeuchi's presents and I had to try hard not to laugh when we picked up his presents. And--oh boy--here came the funnest part of the day; shopping at the baby store. We stepped into the front doors and froze at the sight of noise-making toys and fluffy, fleecy clothes for youngsters. I knew Kai was uneasy with all of the frilly and pretty stuff, but I was uneasy because that freaky pregnancy dream was coming back to me.

    "Um, I'll go over there," I sped off to the boys clothes section before I could finish my sentence.

    Kai stood where he was for a moment, his hands tucked into his pockets and he was staring at me in confusion. He finally shrugged and glided to the other side of the store to where the toys were. There was the cutest pair of feeties fleece pajamas for a baby Toshihiro's size and I at first refused to get it because I knew Takeuchi would love it and go out to find a matching one. Yep, he's that kind of guy. I wonder what kind of bad influence he will be on Toshihiro when he's older.

    I heard a couple of girls about the same age as me or even a year older and they were giggling like school girls. I glanced over at them without them noticing and they were giggling and pointing while whispering to each other. I peeked over who or what they were looking at and beamed as soon as I saw it was Kai they were giggling and pointing at. The girls had red and pink tints in their cheeks and keep sneaking peeks at him. Even though Kai's back was to us, he was still beautiful--in a freakish-sounding way.

    The girls walked away and continued to giggle and peek over at Kai. I caught a glance at the two girls to see why they were here and it was pretty obvious that the older-looking one was prego.

    "Arisa," Kai walked up to me with a couple of baby toys in hand. "Let's get going."

    I nodded, "Yeah," I peeked over at the two girls again and they were gaping at the fact that somebody like Kai approached somebody like me so easily. I grabbed the fleece pajamas I knew Takeuchi would want and we bought out stuff and left.

    "I hate it when other girls drool over you," I mumbled halfway to myself.

    Kai chuckled next to me and wrapped an arm around my waist, "You're cute when you say that,"

    "You're lucky," I sighed. "You don't have to worry about hating other men."

    "Au contraire," Kai budged in. "You'd be surprised."

    I rolled my eyes, "Quit trying to flatter me,"

    Kai leaned down to his side and kissed my head as we continued to walk, "I'm not trying to flatter you. I am flattering you."

    Smart-a**.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    "Happy birthday, Takeuchi," I smiled as I handed Takeuchi his presents from Kai and I.

    Kai handed me the other presents for Toshihiro and Miku after Takeuchi grabbed his presents with excitement. I placed the presents next to Miku who was holding Toshihiro on her chest again, halfway propped up on the bed, "And some presents for you and Toshihiro,"

    "Aww, thank you," Miku smiled widely.

    "Can I open them??" Takeuchi asked, his leg bouncing while he was sitting in the bed next to Miku.

    "Not yet," I lectured. "You need to wait for Matsuda and Orihime to get down here."

    Takeuchi frowned, "What are they doing?"

    "Getting it on," Kira barged in, followed by his laughter.

    "They're wrapping your presents," Kai sighed out of irritation.

    Takeuchi stared at me with sad puppy eyes, his bottom lip quivering and he whimpered as though he were an abandoned puppy. I frowned at him and crossed my arms, standing my grounds. Takeuchi slumped his shoulders and sighed, defeated.

    "That's what I thought," I teased.

    "Technically you can't boss me around anymore because we're the same age now," Takeuchi laughed.

    "I'll be eighteen in a month,"

    Takeuchi fell silent and frowned, "Well, that sucks,"

    "Did you make sure Takeuchi didn't open his presents?" Matsuda said as he and Orihime entered Takeuchi's room with presents.

    "Presents!!" Takeuchi exclaimed. He didn't jump off of the bed because he probably knew that it would hurt Miku.

    Matsuda handed Takeuchi the presents, "I know we just finished wrapping them, but go ahead and open them,"

    Takeuchi said nothing as he instantly dove into his presents, shredding the newly applied wrapping paper. After he figured out how to open the box, a pair of slippers and a large book on...cooking?

    "Awright!" Takeuchi grinned widely and flipped through the cookbook.

    I looked up at Kai, "Takeuchi likes to cook?"

    Kai smiled, "Sure does,"

    Takeuchi dove at the presents Kai and I bought him, going for the larger one first. What a surprise for him to receive a large bag of barbecue dog treats from Kai and Kira again. He opened the box-shaped one and after the wrapping paper was demolished, he stared at his gift in shock and awe.

    Takeuchi's face lit up and a wider grin spread across his face, "Optimus Prime!!!!!"

    "Open the other one before you freak out about this one," Kai rolled his eyes.

    Takeuchi demolished the other present and his mouth dropped open, "Transformers movie!!!!"

    Matsuda chuckled, "Looks like you beat us this year, Kai,"

    "Oh my God!!!" Takeuchi continued to freak and I gestured Miku to open her and Toshihiro's presents.

    I was surprised that Kai was right about Takeuchi's Transformers obsession. Kai had told me while we picked up Takeuchi's presents that Takeuchi had pretty much every Transformer except for Optimus Prime. Transformers was his lifeline.

    Miku opened Toshihiro's present first and she pulled out the blue fleece feeties pajamas she giggled when she tried to keep them away from Takeuchi but Takeuchi ended up going back to Optimus Prime after a mere six seconds. Miku opened her presents and we generously gave her some new clothes for when her pelvis heals.

    The party wasn't very big, but there was still cake and ice cream like there would be at any other typical birthday party. I was flabbergasted at how many tubs of ice cream had been bought; five full tubs of ice cream. I wasn't so lost as to why they bought so much after seeing Takeuchi sow down half a tub in three minutes. The time finally came where Miku was too exhausted to celebrate and Toshihiro started crying. Takeuchi dismissed Kai and I as Matsuda and Orihime helped him with Toshihiro.

    "That was fun," I smiled.

    "Yeah," Kai pat my head. "Now we have two seventeen-year-olds to worry about." he chuckled.

    I sneered at him, "Just wait until next month. I'll be getting my license."

    Kai chuckled again, "That's something I'll look forward to," he rolled his eyes.

    "Kai? Arisa?" Matsuda asked us and we turned around to see him exiting Takeuchi's room.

    "Yeah?" I answered.

    "Orihime and I are taking Takeuchi and Miku out to dinner tomorrow night, in hopes that Miku will be able to go," Matsuda started. "Would you two be able to watch over Toshihiro alone tomorrow night?"

    My face fell in shock and I looked up at Kai and he looked just as shocked, "W-we don't know how to care for a baby!"

    "It's not difficult to care for Toshihiro," Matsuda chuckled. "He sleeps most of the time."

    "How long?" I asked Matsuda, turning red at the thought of watching a newborn with Kai.

    "It should only be a couple of hours,"

    I nodded hesitantly and smiled, "Sure, we can do that,"

    Matsuda smiled back and went back into Takeuchi's room. I facepalmed myself and blushed. The whole pregnancy/baby thing was catching up with me yet again. Sure, Kai and I were asked to babysit tomorrow, but my mind tends to go to the extremes; it's so extreme that I'm thinking Toshihiro feels like mine and Kai's baby since we will be watching him alone.

    "You're a freak," Kai chuckled.

    Monkey see monkey do.