Flutter

Chapter 3

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Per request, Kokoro and Mitsuru were given their own special living quarters, complete with a large bed, extra closets, and an extended bathroom.

Kokoro's stomach had doubled in size, a noticeable bump now visible even in her pregnancy clothes. Meanwhile, some of the crops had been able to be harvested, allowing the parasites to eat some proper food for once.

Kokoro had never felt happier as she grew closer with Mitsuru and prepared for the baby's birth.

One afternoon, Kokoro and Mitsuru sat alone at dinner as the other parasites explored the remnants of Mistilteinn.

"I wish we could've gone too," Kokoro said, chewing on a piece of bread.

"They'll tell us all about it," Mitsuru assured her. "It would've been too hard for you to get around."

Kokoro sighed and nodded, rubbing her stomach. Her back was beginning to hurt more and more, and she could only stand to walk around for so long.

"Kokoro! Mitsuru! We're back!" came an excited cry from behind them.

Kokoro spun around, finding that the others had returned with a box of what she could only assume were belongings.

"We found a lot of old things," Ikuno noted.

"That reminds me," Miku said. She pulled out a sewn baby doll from behind her back and handed it to Kokoro. A pain shot through Kokoro's head as she glanced at it.

"This was yours, wasn't it?" Miku asked, placing the doll into Kokoro's hand. "I grabbed it for you a long time ago but I had forgotten I had taken it until I went back today."

Kokoro held the doll in her hand and glanced up. Mitsuru's hand was also massaging his temple as well.

"Does it hurt you too?" Kokoro asked.

He nodded.

"Thank you, Miku," Kokoro said, lightly stroking the arms of the doll. She wondered why it had set off pain in her head as she stared at it. She supposed she could give it to the baby once it was born.

"A lot of it was in ruin," Ichigo explained as she took a seat. "It was nice seeing the old home again though."

"I'm glad you could recover some things," Kokoro said, cradling the doll without even realizing it.

...

Mitsuru heard the sound of crickets as he slept beside Kokoro at night. Their cuddling had begun to subside now that it was becoming more and more uncomfortable for Kokoro to sleep at night. Still, they often interlaced their hands as they slept if nothing else.

The tiniest moans escaped Kokoro's mouth, fully waking Mitsuru. He opened his eyes as her hand left his and trailed to her stomach. He sighed and shut his eyes again before Kokoro poked his arm.

"Mitsuru-kun," she whispered.

He slowly opened his eyes, finding her wide awake.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I-I think the baby is kicking," she realized. "I-I've felt it before, but never this strong."

"Kicking?"

She grabbed his hand and placed it against her stomach. He gasped, feeling a strange movement underneath his palm.

"Do you feel that all the time?" he gasped with realization.

"Often, yes. It's a strange fluttering," Kokoro said. "But usually it's not strong enough for someone else to feel it."

"There really is another human being in there," Mitsuru realized. In the six months Kokoro had been pregnant, he should have had enough time to let that thought settle in, but he was only just beginning to understand now that he would be raising a child soon.