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Second Part - enjoy (this is going to be very long, I can already see it)

Kira is making dinner. It’s been so long since they had a real meal. Today was the last day of classes, so she got out early. Rei is at the promotional thing, so she had time to start cooking. The main course is almost finished, so she’s working on the rice and vegetables. She checks the clock on the wall. He should be home any minute. As she begins stirring the vegetables she hears the familiar sound of a Ducati parking in front of their apartment. She smiles and wipes her hands on her apron. She turns to meet him at the door with a smile, but as he walks in she knows something’s wrong. Something’s very wrong.

“What happened?” She says. Her concern is etched across her face. He takes off his jacket and hangs it on the coat rack.

“We need to talk,” he says not looking at her. They stand perfectly still. Kira can smell the vegetables burning and turns to stir them. He rushs to her and grabs her arm.

“But the vegetables…”

“Let them burn.” He says.

“I have to turn the stove off. We don’t want the house to burn down.” He lets her go and sits down on the sofa. A few seconds later she joins him. “Is it your father? Or your Honda contract?”

“No. It’s much more important then those things.” He pauses for a minute, lost in thought. Kira searches his face, but can read nothing. He meets her gaze, then hands her the picture. Kira stares at it, and her eyes widen. Her hands start to shake.
“She’s mine, Kira. I just found out about her today, I swear to you!” Kira stays silent. Slowly she turns the photo over.

“She has your name.”

Rei almost winces. He can hear the pain in her voice. He feels like crying, but can’t. “I’m so sorry Kira. She was before I even met you. I didn’t know…”

“Are there more?” Kira asks, completely without emotion. “Are there anymore Rei? Do you know how many children you could possibly have?” This time Rei does wince. A tear rolls down Kira’s cheek. He turns from her.

“There can’t possibly be anymore. Every time I was with someone I was always protected. Every time, but once. I swear Kira… I swear to god…” This time he does start to cry. He’s hurting her. He’s hurting himself. They sit in silence. Finally Kira speaks.

“How did this happen Rei? When? Who? I need to know.”

He sucks in a breath, then exhales slightly. “You know I was in the Psychiatric Center after Sei died. I was working through my problems with Dr. (name) when she came in. Her father and mother brought her there. They were arguing constantly about her, blaming each other for their daughter’s insanity. She had slit her wrists. The bandages were so tight, I remember that. She was beautiful, but pathetic. She just stood there, letting them fight, never saying a word. Finally the nurses took her to her room, even though everyone could hear her parents fighting down the hall.”

“She never interacted with anyone. I always saw her with a book in her hands outside under a tree. I remember feeling sorry for her. And then I got so angry with her. She tried to kill herself, just like Sei did. Different method, but same result. I just got so pissed. And one day I just snapped. I called her out. I told her how pathetic she actually was, how stupid she was. And she just stared at me. And then she smiled. She smiled and called me an a*****e. And then she walked away. She had a mouth on her that’s for sure.”

“After that, we ended up in the same anger management group. I was surprised, she seemed so quiet all the time. But as I listened to her, I found out she had all this rage building and building just like I did. She slit her wrists as a sign of protest against her parents. Apparently her father had an affair with his secretary and got her pregnant. Her parents were divorcing and used her as their tool to hurt each other. Afterwards, I started to talk to her. I apologized and she blew me off. And that pissed me off even more. One day I was really going to let her have it when I saw her father talking to her. Berating her, like she was a dog. I flipped out. I nearly punched him, but she grabbed me and pulled me away.”

“I don’t know what it was, but after that we were just together a lot. She just talked to me, flirted with me, came on to me. When we went to bed together neither of us expected anything from it. We weren’t friends or dating. We just hooked up. Soon after that I left the center and never gave it another thought. I never even thought about her until this afternoon, when I saw that little girl. God I’m so stupid!”

Rei hung his head. He couldn’t even look at Kira. He couldn’t see the sadness in her eyes.
“She must have been so lonely.” Rei looked at her then, the sadness evident, but some understanding was there too. He prayed there was hope. “I can understand how she felt, I felt that way myself for a long time. Until I met you. I fell in love with you, and I’ll be with you forever. She was alone. Alone with a baby. She must have been so frightened.”

“There’s more Kira. She’s dying.” The sadness turned into shock. Her hand flew to her mouth. “I don’t know the details yet. That’s why I got her number. It seems she wants me to take Rei after she goes. She doesn’t want that kid anywhere near her father.” He got on his knees in front of her. He stared into her eyes for a long time.

“Tell me what you want Kira. I’ll do whatever you want me too. Just please don’t give up on me.” Kira slowly smiled a little. He could tell how hard it was for her to do that, but she was trying to be strong. For herself. For him. She took a deep breath.

“We should go to her together. I’ll need to know what Rei likes to eat, what her favorite colors are, what her schedule is. If she’s going to be living here, there are certain things I need too…” She stops short as Rei wraps his arms around her and pulls her in tight. Kira starts to cry as she feels his tears on her neck. She holds him even tighter.

“I love you Kira.”
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Rei and Kira stand outside a luxury apartment. Neither wants to move. Their nerves are completely shot. After Rei called Megumi that night 3 days ago, neither have been able to sleep or eat. It’s been stressful and painful. But they both know it’s something that needs to be done, otherwise they wouldn’t be standing in front of the building, waiting to see a little girl that was about to change their life together.

Kira sighs loudly. “We should go in… she’s expecting us.” Rei can only nod. Taking Kira by the hand, they walk through the main doors. Rei walks to the desk and gives his name. Soon they’re lead to an elevator, where they’re told to go all the way to the top. To the penthouse. Where they are expected. They are silent in the elevator. Kira keeps taking quick glances at Rei, trying to read him. What’s going on in his head? What can he be feeling?

She knew what she was feeling. Nervous. Scared. And somewhere deep inside, a slight resentment. This woman gave birth to Rei’s child. They hadn’t even discussed children of their own. Yet this woman had a part of Rei with her for three years. She was jealous. Immediately after the jealousy came the pity. Not for herself, but for the child. It wasn’t her fault she had been born like this. Kira had thought long and hard about that little girl. Part of her wanted to hate her, but she couldn’t. This child was going to need her soon. She had to be strong enough to be strong for her. Little Rei, a child she hadn’t even met yet.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a huge living area. It was spotless and sterile. Rei let out a small whistle. “Looks like my dad’s place doesn’t it?” Kira could only nod. This was a place of money. It made their little one bedroom apartment look like a shack. Kira’s attention was soon diverted to the sound of small, fast feet heading her way. Around a corner came the most beautiful child Kira had ever seen. Blond, blue-eyed, and the spitting image of her husband. But it was the child’s smile that melted her heart. She smiled like her father, her left eyebrow raised ever so slightly. After the child came an older gentleman with a stern expression.
“Mr. Kashino! You came! Mommy said you were!” the child squealed and threw herself at Rei. He managed to grab her and hold her to his chest. He looked directly at Kira. The worry on his face made her think he was going to be sick. The little girl’s focus moved from the man holding her to Kira. Her smile widened. “Are you Mrs. Kashino? Mommy said you’d come too!” She struggled out of Rei’s grip and pulled Kira towards the corner from which she came. “Come on you guys, mommy wants to see you!”

Kira, shocked by the child’s strong grip could only follow, with Rei not far behind her. The child lead them down a hallway, where a door was ajar at the end. The smell of medicine hit almost at once. Rei fought the urge to be sick. This was the same smell that lingered in his mother’s room all those years ago. Megumi must be terribly ill, he thought to himself. Little Rei opened the door to her mother’s room and pulled Kira in with her. Inside, a beautiful, sickly woman was propped up on pillows. An oxygen tank next to her made a wheezing noise as she inhaled. Kira met her eyes. They seemed awfully tired. But the woman smiled at her. It was a strong smile. All Kira’s resentment died. This woman was dying, and sees Kira as her saving grace. Kira was humbled.

The little girl jumped onto her mother’s bed. “Mommy look! They came just like you said they would!”

“Of course they did, sweetheart.” The woman said, smiling lovingly at her daughter. Her eyes returned to Kira’s face. “Please sit down, both of you.” She gestured to the chairs close to the bed. Rei, grabbing Kira’s hand for support, walked to a chair and sat down. They sat silently for a moment.

“Thank you both for coming. I know how difficult this must be for you both. I must apologize for the state of this room, but lately most of my strength has left me.” She then began to cough. Rei jumped up to call for someone, but Megumi shook her head. After a minute the coughing subsided. “The medication causes it. My immune system is very weak and I’m highly susceptible to colds.” Kira glanced at the little girl. She seemed un-phased, like this was a normal occurrence. Her heart went out to that little girl.

“What’s happening to you?” Rei asked suddenly. He remained standing. Megumi shot a look at him, and then to her daughter. She smiled at the child. “Baby, why don’t you and Daisuke go and make some snacks for our guests?” She motions for the stern looking man to come in. Rei happily jumped off her mother’s bed and ran to the door. “I’ll get the juice and cookies!” She yelled behind her to no one in particular. Daisuke nodded as he closed the door behind him. Megumi leaned back into her pillows and closed her eyes.

“It’s getting harder to put up the front for her. I’m so tired.”

“What is happening to you Megumi? What’s wrong with you?” Rei said bluntly. Kira could tell this atmosphere was getting to him in the worst way. Megumi gave him a hard look.

“Still as rude as ever I see.” She sighed and sat up some. “As I told you a few days ago, I’m dying. I have Leukemia. I’m currently in the last stages. Satisfied?” Rei backed down slightly. It was obvious he came across harsher then intended. He quietly sat back down.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Megumi wilted a little. Kira didn’t think it was possible for this woman to get much weaker. She was obviously wrong.

“I know this must be hard for both of you. Trust me when I say I never expected it to be like this. Unfortunately I don’t have much of a choice.” She stared into Kira’s eyes then. Kira stared back. It was obvious Megumi was sizing her up. Weak as she was, those eyes still carried a lot of emotion. Kira almost wanted to cringe. “Do you have any children?” she asked suddenly.

“No, not yet” Kira responded. Megumi laughed lightly.

“You’d better prepare yourself then. She can be a handful. She’s constantly getting into some sort trouble, and she’s everywhere all the time.” Both women then looked at Rei. Feeling outnumbered, he sank into his chair. “She’s going to need a lot of attention, and a lot of love. She’s used to that.” She reached under the covers and pulled out a piece of paper. “I had my lawyer draw this up. It’s all the documents needed to make you both Rei’s legal guardians. I;m getting weaker by the day, so it won’t be long now. All I need you to do is sign them. Both of you.” She handed the paper to Rei.

He quickly read it over and handed it to Kira. Her eyes danced over the legal terms. There would be a trust set up for Rei. When she turned 18 she would come into a substantial amount of money. As her guardians they were responsible to handle the trust, as well as her care. There was more money set aside for her well being, for the two of them to use as they needed in order to maintain her. The words were cold, but the meaning was there. She wanted her daughter taken care of as best as humanly possible. Kira’s eyes filled with tears.

“Please sign it. It’s the best I can do for her now.”

Rei stared at Kira. Everything he did came down to her. After what seemed like an eternity, Kira reached for a pen and signed her name. She handed the papers over to Rei. The relief on his face was apparent. He signed without an issue. Megumi closed her eyes again. Her entire body seemed to relax. A minute later the door burst open. Little Rei jumped back on her mother’s bed and snuggled with Megumi. Daisuke followed holding a tray of cookies and some juice.

“Mommy look! I made the snack.” The child babbled. Megumi held her daughter tightly. In Kira’s mind a picture formed. It was sad and poignant. It reminded her of the still life she gave to Rei, the one that started their entire life. She realized then that this little girl was exactly like her father. She was only 3, but tragedy was about to hit her too. She could tell from Rei’s look that he was thinking the exact same thing himself.

“Mommy did you tell him yet? Did you tell him he’s my daddy?” Rei became still. Kira’s sudden exhale of breath made him jump. He stared at Megumi.

“She knows? How long…” the child left her mother’s embrace and crawled along the bed. She stopped in front of Rei, her head tilted. And then she smiled. “Mommy told me today you were my daddy. She said I was going to live with you when she goes to heaven. You are my daddy right?” A tear trailed down Rei’s cheek. Quickly he grabbed the child and held her close. The little girl squealed slightly.

“Yes kiddo. I’m your daddy. I’ve always been your daddy.” He rocks her slightly in his arms. Over his shoulder, little Rei looks at Kira and smiles. “And you’re my Kira right? I get to live with you too! I hope you like me!” Kira held her sobs inside. She nodded, unable to speak. This little girl is strong, she thought. Stronger then she thought possible.

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