Flutter

Chapter 4

Mitsuru sat up in bed in the morning, reading to himself while Kokoro slept calmly on the other side of him. Their bed had been overtaken by pillows as Kokoro did her best to sleep comfortably. She was now in her eighth month of pregnancy, and Mitsuru could tell she was getting increasingly anxious to give birth with each passing day.

Blonde strands were strewn over Kokoro's face as she softly inhaled and exhaled. Mitsuru smiled at her, watching her sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night, and though the morning hours were dragging on, he didn't want to wake her when he knew she needed the rest.

Kokoro let out one more long exhale before her eyes fluttered opened. She was quiet at first, glancing at the pillows before trailing her eyes up to Mitsuru.

"Oh, I could barely see you past all the pillows," Kokoro murmured.

"Did you sleep well?" Mitsuru asked.

"Once I got comfortable, yes."

He watched as her eyes glanced around the room. She let out a yawn and slowly sat up, her hand stationed on her stomach.

"What time is it?" she gasped.

"Almost noon."

"Oh! You should be out working! I didn't mean to keep you here," Kokoro spoke apologetically.

Mitsuru chuckled. "It's okay. I won't be spending as much hours out there now, especially since you need some more help. I'll work in the afternoon."

Kokoro turned her head and nodded, clutching the sheet up to her.

"I'm going to shower," she decided.

Mitsuru nodded and continued reading as he listened to the sound of running water in the background. Kokoro emerged not too long later donning a silky white dress and damp hair.

"Ah, that feels better," she said, sitting down beside Mitsuru. She rested her head against his shoulder, eliciting a sigh from him.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"Oh, just a book about plants. It's actually kind of interesting," he realized.

Kokoro giggled and moved her head from his shoulder.

"Oh! Did you make that?" she asked, pointing to the bassinet sitting in the corner of the room.

"Oh. Yeah," Mitsuru said, blushing slightly. "You slept really late this morning, but I didn't want to leave, so I thought I'd be useful."

Kokoro slowly stood up and waddled toward the bassinet.

"Ah, it'll be perfect!" she exclaimed. Mitsuru watched as she reached down to retrieve a sewn blanket from her chest of baby goods. She folded it and placed it gently inside.

"There, now it will be all ready for when the baby comes," she spoke excitedly.

"How much longer until it comes, do you think?" Mitsuru wondered.

"Oh, probably not for another month, unless it comes early," she said. She peered out the window, excitement gathering on her face. "Oh, it's snowing."

Mitsuru looked outside, watching tiny white flakes drift down from the cloudy sky.

"Maybe I won't need to help in the fields today," he realized, laughing slightly. The weather had certainly gotten colder, but now it seemed the first signs of winter were upon them.

"I'm going to see if I can help out with anything," said Mitsuru. "I imagine they'll need some help completely harvesting everything."

"Okay. Be back soon."