***********************************************Author's Note*******************************************************

Hisashiburi! My writing muse wasn't very cooperative these past months hence the late post. But I somehow managed to finish this chapter yesterday so here it is. Enjoy!

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“You sure about this?” Mao whispered. “You can always back out if you want. It’s not too late to call this off.” She pointed out to the guy who’s apparently busy with fixing his disguise.

“What are you saying, Mao-chan? I’m definitely sure about this.” Jun replied while fixing this cap. “Didn’t I promise to make up for my mistakes? Besides we’re already here. There’s no point in turning back now.” He put on his dummy glasses and then took a last glance at his reflection on the rearview mirror.

“Fine. Just make sure you never get caught. We’d be in big trouble if someone recognizes us.” Mao warns him as they got out of Jun’s car.

“This thing is very reliable. I’ve always used this whenever I want to go out and never was I caught by paparazzis.” Jun was wearing a cap and glasses. He even had a face mask on. He really didn’t want to attract attention so he dressed in a very casual way. Mao also did the same, only with the exception of not wearing a cap and a pair of glasses.

They entered the clinic discretely, with Mao leading the way. Jun made sure he avoided the gazes of people. Mao was the one to approach the receptionist. After confirming her appointment schedule, she went her way towards the doctor’s room. Mao was steps in front of Jun while walking. Busy with her phone, she clearly wasn’t paying attention to her path and inevitably collided with a person.

“Ah. Gomen. Gomen. I wasn’t looking. That was my fault. Gomen nasai.” Mao bowed her head in apology.

“It’s alright. Eh? Mao-chan?” Mao heard a familiar voice. When she looked up, she was surprised to see her ex-boyfriend Jin.

“Mao-chan, it’s you! What are you doing here?” Jin was very much surprised as well. He never thought of the possibility of bumping into Mao in a place like this. This is an OB-GYNE clinic. What’s she doing here? For an exam? That’s possible. But what if she’s also—

Jin pointed at Mao’s tummy. “Anou… Are you perhaps… pregnant?” He hesitantly asked.

Mao nods.

“Is it mine?” Jin looks very troubled. Beads of sweat formed and ran through his forehead.

Mao was taken aback with his question. For a while, she couldn’t bring herself to answer. Good thing Jun finally appeared from behind that’s why Mao was able to regain her composure.

“What’s wrong Mao?” Jun asked what was going on.

“Oh nothing. I just bumped into an old colleague of mine. Jun, this is Akanishi Jin.” Mao pointed to him. “Akanishi-san, this is Matsumoto Jun. He’s the father of my child.” Mao smiled as she proudly presented Jun to her ex, even though she still isn’t sure of that fact. This way is better, so that there’ll be no more false assumptions…

Jin swore that the man named Jun was eerily familiar. He just couldn’t put his finger on where he’d seen him and heard his name. His thoughts were interrupted by Mao’s voice.

“So. What brings you here, Akanishi-san?” Men just don’t come into these kinds of clinic without any valid reason, more so a man such as him.

Before Jin could even explain himself, a woman appeared from the doctor’s room and approached him. From Mao’s view, the lady seemed to be very pregnant. “What’s the matter, Jin? Why are you covered in sweat? Geez, I leave you for just a second and then you end up like this? Take care of yourself, you idiot!” The woman started to wipe off Jin’s sweat with her handkerchief. Even though she scolded him, one could see and feel her affection and love towards the man.

After being satisfied with her doing, the lady finally turned around and noticed her surroundings, including Mao and Jun.

She looked at Mao and then said, “Are you number 5? Sensei is waiting for you.” Her warm smile was received by Mao and the latter only nodded as a response.

Mao couldn’t help but admire the woman. Her bulging belly indicated that she’s pregnant but her smile and aura somehow tell people that she’s a very happy preggy. Mao wished to be the same as she goes through her own pregnancy. Having the same glow would be a nice add-on to the whole pregnancy thing.

Jin was well-aware of Mao’s gaze at his companion.  An introduction would be appropriate with this scenario.  “Meisa, this is my old friend Inoue Mao-san. The one she’s with is Matsumoto Jun-san.”

“And this beautiful lady…” He grinned. This was not unnoticed by Mao and Jun. “…is my wife, Akanishi Meisa.” Jin held her tighter by her shoulders as if to bring more assurance to their relationship.

“Anou…  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” Meisa bowed her head towards the two and then smiled at them.

Mao was definitely shocked inside with this revelation but she refused to let this feeling be known. Instead, she smiled and congratulated the newlyweds before her. “Oh my. You didn’t tell me you were already married, Akanishi-san. If you did, I would have sent you gifts for your wedding. Pardon for the late greeting but congratulations to the both of you. Best wishes! I hope you have a wonderful life together.” All this Mao said with a masked smile. Jun stayed silent all this time but he could definitely sense the real feelings of Mao.

“Inoue-san! Inoue Mao-san! You’re next.” The doctor bellowed from the inside of the room.

“Araa! It’s our turn. Nice to meet you, Meisa-san. Nice to see you again, Akanishi-san. Please excuse us.” Mao grabbed hold of Jun’s arm and led him towards the room. Before she opened the door though, Mao took a deep breath and faced the Akanishi couple again. “Congratulations on your baby as well!”

Mao slowly released Jun’s arm but knowing that she is kind of unstable on the inside, Jun decided to take hold of her hand. Mao looked at him in the eye and squeezed his hands, as if trying to muster strength from him. Jun just smiled and hoped that through this Mao can be assured that she can rely on him.

The doctor who seemed to be busy with her notes looked up and stood to greet them. “Glad to see you again, Inoue-san. You never told me you’re bringing a visitor along with you.”

“Gomen. This is Matsumoto Jun-san.” She pointed at Jun who shook hands with the doctor. “Matsushima Nao. Inoue Mao’s OB-GYNE  in charge.” The doctor gladly introduced herself. She couldn’t help but be irritated by the fact that her current client’s companion still hasn’t taken his cap off. “And one more thing. You may take your disguise off inside this room. There’s such thing as doctor-patient privacy in here. Whatever I see, hear or know will be restricted to the walls of this room. You can guarantee that your identity will remain a secret as long as you’re inside my office.” Hearing her stern voice, Jun could only do what she’d told him. He quickly got rid of his disguise materials and shoved them into his pocket. He also took off his cap. “Why that’s better!” The doctor smiled and then offered them to take a seat.

Matsushima-sensei then went to do her work and began with the standard inquiry about Mao’s health. She duly noted Mao’s frequent fainting.

“Okay. Now that we’re done with that, let’s go through the ultrasound procedure, shall we?” A bright smile from a doctor really reduces the nerve-wracking feeling Mao was experiencing at that moment. They went to the other side of the room where a peculiar chair could be seen. Jun just followed them and continued to observe as Mao climbed onto the chair. He was not very familiar with the procedure they were going to have but one thing was for sure.

With this, I could finally meet your baby, Mao-chan. I could see for myself the one that will change the lives of all Arashi members. The one that will hopefully give me the opportunity of being a father to… Though silent, Jun was pretty much excited with seeing ultrasound conducted beyond his eyes.

Mao was certain that this part of the check-up was her favorite. She couldn’t help but feel giddy as Matsushima-sensei spread out the cold gel on her exposed tummy. She felt excited as another kind of transducer glided through her abdomen.

“There it is. That’s your baby, Inoue-san.” The doctor pointed to a bean-shaped lump of flesh appearing on the black-and-white screen.

Mao glued herself to the monitor. Once again she saw the proof of her baby’s existence. Once again, she felt her eyes water for this wondrous being in her belly. But what made her really shed tears was the way Jun looked into the screen.

Everything seemed to be of no importance to Matsumoto Jun the moment the image of Mao’s baby formed on the screen. Jun had never been this elated. He was only staring at what seemed to be just a bean-shaped fetus but to Jun it felt like he was at the Budoukan, receiving the love of many screaming fangirls. Despite being unsure of what he’s really feeling, Jun welcomed it gladly, letting his tears flow naturally. It has been a long time since he actually shed tears for something that’s not part of work. For a moment, Jun didn’t seem to mind this action. Only when he met Mao’s gaze did he realize that he just did something that wasn’t very manly.To top it off, that action was seen by Mao so he immediately rubbed his eyes off and then clasped his hand onto hers.  The feeling of his hands locked unto Mao’s felt natural to the pregnant lady. An outsider would have mistaken them for a newlywed couple having their first baby.

“Wait a minute.” The loving gazes of the two towards the screen were interrupted with the doctor’s voice. “Something’s not right.” Mao felt her heart skip a beat with this sentence. She squeezed Jun’s hands harder. “What’s wrong sensei? Is there something wrong with my baby?” Mao tried to hold back the tears. Jun’s heartbeats were as if he’d just run around the Tokyo Stadium. Matsushima-sensei shifted the transducer to another side of Mao’s belly. The doctor’s silent query as she peered closer to the screen wasn’t helping with Jun and Mao’s nerves.

“Well, to be frank with you, I have good news and bad news.” The doctor faced the two. “Let’s start with the not-so-good one.” Mao held Jun’s hands tightly again, this time with their fingers intertwined. “The bad news is that I overlooked one very big detail about your pregnancy. It was something that I wasn’t able to detect earlier. It was an honest mistake on my part and it wouldn’t surprise me if you decide to change doctors.” Matsushima-sensei had her head bowed down in apology.

“It’s okay, sensei. I won’t replace you. I feel completely at ease with you as my doctor. At least you managed to still identify that detail. That’s what’s important. But please I don’t want you to sugarcoat my situation. Tell me in the most frank manner. What’s wrong with my baby?”

The two braced themselves for the doctor’s answer but they sure weren’t expecting a smile from her. “That’s the good news. There’s actually no huge problem with regards to your pregnancy. It’s just that you’re not having just one baby, Inoue-san. You’re having twins.” Matsushima-sensei beamed as she informed this great news. “When I shift the transducer to this side, you can see that there’s another lump forming at the back of the initial fetus.” The doctor pointed towards the screen again. “In a few months, this other fetus will be more pronounced. Eventually it will shift itself and face the other fetus.”

Mao and Jun gazes found each other. “I’m having twins!” Mao couldn’t help but express her emotion in tears.

“Would you like to hear the sound of their heartbeats?” The doctor suggested. As soon as Mao nodded enthusiastically, Matsushima-sensei turned the dial on the apparatus. Soon after, the sound of heartbeats filled the room. It was definitely sweet music to Mao’s ears. She closed her eyes to fully bask in that special moment of hearing the strong manifestation of her children’s will to live. Jun was thankful enough that he got the opportunity to witness this life-changing spectacle.

After a few minutes, the doctor announced the end of the check-up. “Okay. That’s enough for today. If you’re finished dressing up, I’ll be waiting at my table. I just have some few reminders to say.” As the doctor left the room, Mao fixed her appearance. Jun stayed silent still but before Mao exited the area, he said in a timid but audible voice, “Thank you. Thank you for letting me experience this.” Mao was touched by his sincerity. Her beaming smile in return touched idol’s heart.

They left the examination room and approached the doctor’s table. “Upon my observation and the result of your physical exam, the reason for your frequent fainting is called pregnancy-induced anemia. This is actually quite a normal condition for pregnant women but in your case Inoue-san, you have to be extra careful.” The doctor emphasized that last word. “Your petite frame is not yet used to housing twins. I advise that you take these vitamins.”Her scribbles on the prescription notepad were not very readable but Mao trusted her doctor so she accepted it.

“Also, Inoue-san, if I remember correctly, you’re still currently employed, right?” Mao answered a quick yes to this question. “Well then, I think you should lighten up your workload. Having twins in your uterus will be very taxing. I suggest you take frequent breaks as well, on top of adequate rest.”
The doctor’s gaze turned to Jun. “Lastly, and this one is very important, Inoue-san must not be stressed. It is already a known fact that pregnancy hormones heighten different emotions. Despair, stress, and plain unhappiness are just some of the sentiments that a lady should not experience during her pregnancy stages. Not only will it be a burden for the mother, the babies inside will be affected to. They might not get enough nutrition and then develop certain unwanted illnesses. I suggest that you keep stress out of your life now, Inoue-san. I hope you let these things be known to your current environment as well, so that they may help you through as you undergo these stages.” The doctor made sure to keep eye contact with Jun, as if indirectly telling him to be responsible of the pregnant lady’s welfare.

“That’s all I have to say. Now, if you have no more questions, you’re free to go. See you again in two weeks, Inoue-san. Hopefully you too, Matsumoto-san.” The doctor smiled as she shook hands with the two.

Mao and Jun discretely left the clinic, careful enough not to be recognized. They stayed silent until they went to the car.

“I’ll drive you home.” Jun declared even without consulting Mao first. Silence still filled the vehicle after Jun started the engine.

As she couldn’t take the moment of silence any longer, Mao decided to talk. “Anou sa…” She hesitantly started. “That guy earlier. He’s not really just an old friend of mine.” Jun could sense that his passenger would reveal something important.

“Akanishi Jin was my ex-boyfriend. The last one to be exact.” Jun did not like where this is going but he stayed silent and glued to the road. “He’s the bastard whom I caught cheating on me with a .” Mao was actually surprised with the words leaving . “That was only months ago and now he tells me that he’s married! The nerve of that man!”

“But I actually feel bad for the woman he married.” Mao continued her rant. “That Meisa-chan. I hope she endures whatever hardships life would slap her in the face because of marrying Akanishi Jin.” Bitterness could be felt with Mao’s every word.

“I know I sound bitter right now but just so you know, I’m definitely over him.” She really needed to emphasize that fact to Jun who remained to be uncannily calm and reserved. “But I hate the fact that he got married so easily. We only broke up a few months ago and now he already has a wife, and a child in the making also. What makes it worse is the fact that the wife seems to be in her third trimester already. Which only means that Jin got her pregnant while we’re still dating.” She whispered her last sentence. Mao concluded with a painful look upon her face.

Once again, silence was exchange between the two. This was still the case until they’ve reached the Inoue residence.

“We’re here.” Jun announced.

“I hate it. I hate how he still affects me even after what he’d done. And I hate the fact that I’m acting this way.” For the nth time that day, Mao let her tears roll. “I mean, with all the great news we’ve been hearing all day, I should be celebrating. I really don’t know why I’m even talking about this to you. You’ve been such a dear to me all day yet here I am, talking such nonsense. I’m sorry.” Mao bowed her head in apology, after realizing her seemingly foolish actions.

“There. There. Here you go.” Jun offered his handkerchief in response. “There’s nothing to apologize about. I’m actually happy you’re sharing these thoughts with me. I feel like you’re slowly opening your heart to me.” He stated, ending with a mischievous smile.

Mao couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at this. “Thank you.”

Even with watery eyes and a reddish nose, Mao still looked incredibly attractive to Jun. He swore any second from now his heart could jump off his chest, with all its fast-paced pounding. Mao was utterly the same. Beneath all the silence, all they could hear were their own hearts fluttering.

Their gazes naturally found each other. Jun reached out his hand to lift stray hairs upon Mao’s face. He carefully put them on the side of her ear, revealing more of her features. Jun’s actions were incredibly familiar to Mao. It seemed like there were on the photoshoot once again. She felt his gaze move from her eyes to her lips. And just like she’d expected, Jun slowly leaned towards her. Not taking his eyes off her, the youngest Arashi member decided to give in to his desire of wanting to taste Mao’s delicate lips. When Mao could finally feel Jun’s breath on her skin, she closed her eyes, awaiting for him to close the gap. But just when they were centimeters away from each other’s lips, a beeping noise broke them from their reverie.

Mao immediate rummaged her bag and frantically reached for her phone. “Moshi. Moshi.”

Jun slumped back to his seat. This is just great. Another chance blown. Way to go, Matsumoto Jun.

After repeated utterances of ‘hai’, the call was finished. “Gomen. That was my mother.” Mao started explaining herself. “She wants me to go home this instant. I think she needs me to skype with her. Gomen nasai.” Yet again she bowed her head in apology.

“Daijoubu. Daijoubu.” Jun reassured her with one of his killer smiles. “You can go home now, Mao-chan.” He climbed out of his car towards the other side. He opened the door for Mao.

“Thank you. Ah. I almost forgot.” Mao fished out a small envelope from her Burkin bag. “Here. For you and the rest of Arashi.” She handed this to him. “Open it later. That’s a little token for accompanying me today. And this one’s for putting up with my hormone-influenced drama rant earlier.” In a really swift movement, Mao gently pushed down his shoulder to kiss Jun on the cheeks. Before Jun could react, the perpetuator of this action already dashed off towards their gate. Mao waved her hands goodbye large enough for Jun to see before finally stepping inside her house.

“Okaeri nasai, Mao-chan.” A voice she’d longed to hear greeted Mao.

“Okaa-san!” Mao dropped her Burkin bag to envelope her mother in a loving embrace.

Even after a long drive, Jun chose to stay on his car for a while. Unconsciously, his hands touched the part of his face where his hime planted a kiss. He would have wanted for it to be his lips, but hell who’s complaining?

Still with a smitten look on his face, Jun opened the hidden compartment of his car and reached out for the envelope Mao had given him.

Christmas was still a long way but with all the presents he’d received this day, it sure does feel like Santa opted for an early gift-giving. On his hands, Jun held the sonogram photo of Mao’s soon-to-be twins.

With that, Jun has finally decided on one thing. He wants Mao to know about the thing that happened between them months ago. The problem is he just doesn’t know how.