February 19
Hanae thought she'd felt pain before, she really did.
She thought her heart broke when she found out her boyfriend cheated on her with her brother back in high school.
She felt true heart-break when she had to give up Hideo.
She wanted to die when Kyoya told her to get out of their home.
Her soul was torn to literal shreds when she almost lost her father.
But none of those incidents could prepare her for the sheer physical agony of giving birth.
She let out another guttural scream and through the blur of it all she reached out to her brother.
"You're ten centimeters dilated, Hanae. You have to push." The doctor repeated.
"Akise, I–I can't do this!" She cried, sweat dripping down her face, and she cursed the fact that her parents were out on a business trip and her child wanted to come out one week too early.
"Shit, I don't think I can either!" He whined as she took another shallow breath.
She'd been like this for the past hour, the doctor would tell her to push, and she would muster up as much strength as she could, but nothing came out.
"Shut up, this isn't about you!" She yelled as her hand curled around the railing, and another pang shot up her body making her dizzy with pain.
Through the blur she could hear the doctor's voice call out to her.
"Listen to me Hanae, you can do this. You have to push."
Hanae felt hot tears roll down her face as she threw her head back on the pillow.
"I... I can't."
Her brother's hand wrapped around her own, and his voice sounded weak. "Hanae,"
He was pleading, begging her to keep going, but she couldn't.
"I can't, I can't," She reached out to him and pulled him towards her, burying her face in his shirt. "I'm so tired."
She heard the door slam open, and she took a sharp breath when she saw him walk in.
Kyoya.
She jerked her head over to her brother.
"You–you told him?"
"He's the dad!"
"He certainly doesn't think so." Even through her exhaustion, she managed to sneer at Kyoya. "Why is he here?"
Before she could stop him, his hand wrapped around her arm. "Hanae, please I want to be here,"
"Why? You don't–" Another stupid pain coursed through her body as she doubled over on the bed. "You, you don't even think my baby is yours. Why are you here?"
Kyoya didn't even get to answer before the doctor interrupted the heated conversation.
"Hanae, you have to push or else you'll need to get a cesarean."
"A cesarean, is she having trouble?" Kyoya's voice came out firm yet lined with worry.
Her brother nodded. "She's been pushing for an hour, and nothing's coming out."
Kyoya turned back to look at her, bending down low to meet her at eye-level. "Hanae you can do this, I know you can. You have to push."
"I can't." She shook her head, fresh tears rolling down her red face. "I'm trying so hard, and I'm... I'm so tired..."
His hands went up to grab her face and he pushed her damp forehead against his own. "Listen to me, you can do this."
"I can't."
"I'm not lying to you. I know you can do this... I know you can give birth to our child."
She took a deep breath. "Our child?"
"Our child." He repeated.
She grabbed his arm for support and nodded, "I...I'm ready to push again."
The child came out weighing four kilograms, measuring fifty centimeters, with his father's pitch-black hair and dark eyes, and it seemed as if the only thing he inherited from his mother were her soft facial features.
But to her... to her he was the most precious thing she'd ever held in her hands.
The most precious thing she'd ever made.
"He's beautiful," Hanae whispered caressing her child's tiny, round face.
Kyoya nodded meekly and smiled as he looked down at the child. He couldn't deny that it looked exactly like him... but the doubt in his mind remained.
"You're such a liar, look at how cool we look," Akise gestured at himself and Hanae. "That kid looks just like, Kyoya."
"Can you go by one minute without making everything about yourself?" She huffed.
Akise rolled his eyes but cautiously asked, "Can I hold it?"
Hanae pursed her lips but carefully handed her child to Akise and told him to be careful with his head.
"You really got the short end of the stick buddy," Akise smiled as he held his nephew. "You could've gotten my eyes... do you wanna hold him, Kyoya?"
Kyoya could've sworn to god, that he had done it on purpose, nonetheless he stiffly nodded as his brother-in-law handed him the child.
It looked exactly like him.
The guilt came suddenly... what if Hanae never cheated on him?
What if he kicked her out of their home, insulted her, and humiliated her over nothing?
Over a misunderstanding.
"Does he have a name yet?" Kyoya asked carefully.
"Yeah." Hanae gave him that same bright smile she always used to and Kyoya felt his pulse quicken. "His name is Tanjiro."
"Tanjiro means second-son, that makes no sense!" Akise butted in.
"I don't care it's a pretty name." She jerked her head over to her child and beamed. "For a pretty boy."
Kyoya smiled weakly as the child cooed in his arms.
"It's a beautiful name..." He paused for a moment as he stood in awe of the child, of his child. "He's perfect, Hanae."
Kyoya looked up at Akise. "Could you give us a moment?"
He only left after Hanae nodded, and the couple was left alone in the room with their newborn child.
She refused to meet his gaze as he cradled the child.
"Do you want to come back to the manor?"
She ignored the question. "Can I have him back?"
He nodded and handed her the child, the guilt making his hands feel awkward.
"Hanae, I still want to be with you."
"I need some time to think about it." She didn't even look up at him "I need some time alone with him."
Kyoya nodded and left shortly after that.
When her parents came they beamed at their grandchild and her mother couldn't help but mention the fact that it looked just like his father.
When Hanae saw her mother leave the room she pulled her father to the side.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?"
She took a deep breath as she laid her head down on the pillow.
"He asked me if I wanted to move back in with him."
"Kyoya?"
She nodded.
"Well, that's all up to you, baby."
She jerked her head over to look at her father's eyes. "But Dad, what he did to you–"
"Was an accident." Her father interrupted.
"That doesn't mean he didn't do it." Hanae countered. "Plus that–that woman..."
"Now Hanae... you know that I'll always be on your side no matter what, but–"
"I know... I know, it's not all his fault." She whispered.
He took a deep breath. "At the end of the day it's your decision."
boom boom!