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

Yay! I managed to finish the part two today. It's quite a lengthy one. Oh and just so you know, this fic e last December 13, 2012. I forgot to mention that in the last update. Anyway, here's the next part. Enjoy! Your comments are love!

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Nino had his hands on his pockets and was whistling while he led the way. Mao, on the other hand, had a lovely smile plastered on her face. She couldn’t help but remember the things that led her and Nino to walk towards a park.

*Flashback*

An awkward silence between the two took place after dessert. Because Mao can’t take this thing anymore, she excused herself for the lavatory. Jun and Aiba immediately turned to face the window when Mao made her way towards the restroom.

Upon seeing her reflection in the mirror, Mao sighed. She lightly tapped her cheeks with both hands, as if to wake herself up.

“This isn’t right, Mao-chan.” She said towards the lady in the mirror. “You shouldn’t just be flirting with that Arashi boy. You need to remember why you chose to go out with him in the first place.” Mao just needed to voice out her inner dilemna.

Speaking to herself was never Mao’s thing but ever since she got pregnant, she’s been dealing with a lot of changes. Now she’s got new and kind of weird habits.

“I was just enjoying myself. I never forgot about my real agenda. I will let him know about my case and so will the others.” Mao reassured herself.

After another big sigh, Mao went through her purse and pulled out her make-up kit. While applying her favorite pink lipstick, a thought lingered in her mind.

‘Now I just have to find the perfect timing to tell, Ninomiya-san.’

Mao decided to check herself up in the mirror. After being satisfied with her look, she let out a deep breath, bracing herself for what’s she’s about to do.

Jun glanced at Mao as she walked back to the table she and Nino shared. He couldn’t help but smile at how confident she looked even if she just stepped out of the restroom. However, Jun’s smile turned upside down upon seeing his hime’s actions.

Nino had already paid for their bill when Mao returned to her seat. He was just about to ask her what she wants to do next when he was taken aback by the lady’s action. The lady designer suddenly touched Nino’s hand.

Japanese people weren’t really fans of public display of attention. But that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy it, especially when someone they liked did it on them, right?

“Anou… Mao-chan?” Though bewildered, Nino felt a little bit giddy with what was happening.

‘Screw the perfect timing. Let’s just go on with it!’ Mao’s inner theater wanted her to spill the secret already.

“This might sound crazy but...” Mao started with a tone more serious than usual. “Nino, I have something important to tell you.”Mao closed her eyes and took another deep breath. “I—“

“Wait.” Mao was cut off by Nino’s voice.

“Let’s take it somewhere else.” Nino felt the importance of what Mao’s about to disclose from her sudden change of mood. “I think it would be better for us to go in an area with less people. That way we can minimize the chance of it getting into the tabloids.”

Nino just can’t shake off the feeling that somehow he is related to what Mao’s supposed to say. He can’t it being known by the media if indeed his hunch was true.

Mao only nodded in response. She knew she had to trust Nino so she let him lead the way.

Upon stepping out of the restaurant, Nino honestly hadn’t got a clue to where he should take Mao. It would be a little bit awkward if he’d ask to his place since it was just the “first date”. He wouldn’t want Mao to have weird thoughts about him. While still contemplating where to go, his eyes caught a pair of lovers walking towards a certain direction. He immediately had this urge to just follow them but his reason told him not to make decisions hastily. However when he saw another pair of lovers following the first one he saw, Nino didn’t hesitate once more. He grabbed hold of Mao’s forearm and pointed to the lovers’ direction. “Mao-chan, look at those couples. They seem to be walking towards a same path. Want to follow them? I am completely clueless where they’re about to go though.” Nino finished his sentence with a smile that makes his suggestion hard to resist.

Mao responded with an equally bright smile. She then tightened her grip on Nino’s arm and started running towards the path her companion just pointed at.

*End of Flashback*

Mao’s drift to lalaland was interrupted by a lovely sight. “Wow. What a beautiful place!” She couldn’t help but express her admiration.

“I didn’t know there was a garden place in the middle of this city.” There was a hint of surprise in Nino’s voice. He was also mesmerized by the beauty of the place where they’re currently at.

The place aforementioned was called the “Friendship Park.” Its name may sound cheesy but the park is definitely an eye candy. When one steps inside this park, it becomes easy to forget that they’re still in the middle of the city. With luscious greens and ambrosial flora surrounding the different establishments, it’s indeed a refreshing change of sight.

Jun and Aiba had been trailing the two from their exit from the restaurant even up to the moment they reached the park. From their intense monitoring of Nino and Mao, one would probably think they are investigators or worse, stalkers. They were already getting suspicious looks from people. Just so they could lessen the suspicion from their actions, Jun thought of an outrageous idea.

He grabbed hold of Aiba’s forearm and said, “You know, this is probably awkward and weird and stupid but Ii think we need to hold hands.”

The animal-loving Arashi member was stopped in his tracks. “What?! I didn’t know you were on the other side, Matsujun.” Aiba was completely caught off guard by his friend’s bold proclamation.

“Baka!” Aiba’s last sentence earned him a smack on the head. “Don’t go making conclusions yet. What I mean is we need to do something to lessen the suspicion around us. It seems as if you haven’t noticed but we’ve been getting suspicious stares from others ever since we left the restaurant.”

“Come to think of it, you’re right Jun-kun. Two men dressed in disguise, walking around and seemingly following someone are indeed distrustful to the eyes. But what does this have to do with you asking me to hold hands?” Aiba could only scratch his head at his confusion.

“The way we could lessen the mistrust on us is to blend in. And the only thing that came to my mind is to pretend to be lovers.”

“Eh?” Aiba could not believe that this is coming from the DoS and diva Matsumoto Jun.

Even Jun is surprised by the things his mouth is blurting out to Aiba. “We are in a park that’s usually a place for family and lovers. Since it’s only the two of us, it’s more convincing to act as the latter. Now put on your acting cap and be a boyfriend to me.” Both of them shivered at the word boyfriend. It would be a great problem if fans noticed and recognized Arashi’s Matsujun and Aiba holding hands and strolling at the Friendship Park on disguise but they’ll deal with that later.

Meanwhile, Nino decided to take a sit at one of the benches situated in the park. With a slight tapping movement of his hands on the bench, he motioned Mao to sit next to him. Mao gladly obeyed. This was the perfect chance for her to tell him the truth about today’s date. After another deep breath, she faced Nino.

“Ninomiya-san…” Mao started as she fully looked straight into Nino’s eyes. “I know we’ve only known each other for a little while. We don’t really know much about each other but what I’m about to say may change your life forever. ”

Change my life forever? Is this a marriage proposal?

Nino could only gulp in response. The only probable thing that he thinks Mao will tell him is about marriage. He blames the recent magazine interview he participated in which asked him about that topic. Nino clearly remembers that he told the staff writers that marriage is out of his mind. He probably wouldn’t get married unless the girl asks him to. Unless the girl asks him to…

Nino braced himself for Mao’s words.

“I’m—” For the second time in this particular day, Mao was cut off by another voice.

“Mao-chan? Nino? Is that you?”

Both of them shifted their gaze from each other to the man owning this voice. Nino immediately recognized him. “Ohno? What the hell are you doing here?” He took another look at his buddy and continued “Wait. Never mind. From the looks of it, you went fishing.”

“You’re absolutely right Nino! I even brought some of the sea bass I caught so that we can have them for dinner.” Ohno lifted the cooler he was holding and showed its content. “Oh hi there Mao-chan! Hisashiburi!” He waved at her. Mao waved back and smiled. “How have you been doing?” Ohno went his way and sat in the middle of the two to engage in a conversation with Mao. Nino could only slump back on his seat and let the two catch up. Honestly, he doesn’t know whether to hit Ohno for interrupting them or hug him in thanks for saving him from Mao’s confrontation.

In the meantime, Jun and Aiba were staying on the other side of the park. They were also on one of the benches, facing the direction of the three. From their location, the two could see Ohno’s presence intervene the Nino-Mao date. Jun was also contemplating on whether to thank Riida or be irritated of him. He was feeling thankful to him because that guy just happened to be the oblivious type for him to approach the two whilst their date. However what irritates Jun is the fact that it was Ohno who snatched the chance to talk to Mao and not him. I should be the one beside Mao and Nino not him.

The Junba pair had been too busy monitoring the trio across that they forgot to pay attention to their surroundings. Unknown to them, some of the passengers by on that park happened to recognize their identity already. Luckily, there were some who became contented with having a glance at the idols and happily walked away from them. However there were others who cannot contain the rabid fangirl inside of them and boldly declared, “Matsumoto Jun! Aiba Masaki!”

The two were startled by hearing someone screaming their name on top of their lungs. They were appalled to see women screaming and pointing at their direction.

Jun and Aiba look into each other’s eyes. “Yabai.” They muttered. And as if on cue, two of the nation’s top idols ran for their lives.

Nino, Ohno and Mao were busy talking about their favorite dishes when they heard the hollering of high-pitched women. The three were clearly perturbed by what was happening.

“What the hell is that noise?” Nino was both irritated and curious at the clamor.

“Whatever it is, it sure is coming towards our direction!” Mao pointed at the source heading towards their way.

Ohno squinted his eyes. “Hey. Isn’t that Aiba-chan and Jun-kun?” He asked Nino who stood up to get a clearer view.

From Nino’s view, he could see his two bestfriends running with a large group of fans catching up to them. The two looked like survivors trying to outrun zombies. With a hearty chuckle, Nino answered. “That’s indeed J and Aiba racing towards our way. With a bunch of fangirls tailing over, to be exact.”

“Look. They seemed to be trying to tell something.” Mao pointed at the two.

Seeing Mao point towards them, Jun and Aiba even made their voices louder. “Run!” They screamed, with matching hand gestures.

“They said run. But where?” Mao was getting confused with what was happening.

“Maybe we just head back to the restaurant. That’s where I left my car.”

“Okay. Let’s go!” Ohno grabbed hold of Mao’s hand and started running. Nino could only shake his head when his Riida beat him to assisting Mao.

They immediately climbed on board of Nino’s vehicle upon reaching it. Mao decided to sit on the back seat and let Ohno be at the front. It didn’t take long for Jun and Aiba to reach the car as well. They’re Johnny’s alright. Even after that long run, they aren’t catching their breaths.

Jun was surprised to find Mao on the back seat. He was expecting her to be with Nino at the front. It was just his luck for him to seat beside Mao. Well, Aiba was also on her other side though so tough luck it is.

“Hisashiburi, Mao-chan!” Aiba’s ‘high-tension’ voice greeted the lady. “Hisashiburi!” She sweetly replied.

“Inoue-san, hisashiburi.” Jun also told her, with a smile certain to melt her heart.

“Anou.. Hisashiburi, Matsumoto-san.” She sheepishly replied after quickly averting her gaze from him.

Nino started the car’s engine. “So where should we go?”

“Think we should probably head home.” Jun declared. He probably thinks Mao became tired from all the running that’s why he wants her to rest.

“I think we should go home but let’s take Mao-chan with us.” It’s rare to see Ohno voice out his opinion. This is most likely Mao’s effect on him.

The other Arashi members were shocked by Ohno’s words. “Wow. So bold, riida. So bold.” Nino was proud of his friend’s sudden shift from laid-back attitude to this.

“Eh? What am I supposed to do?” Mao was covering her face but the redness of it cannot be missed by one’s eyes.

“Remember the sea basses I caught earlier? I was thinking of having them as dinner. Mao-chan, you should join us.” Ohno faced the pretty lady with a smile.

“Riida, since when did you learn how to cook?” Jun DoS is showing.

“I never said I’ll be the one to cook, neh?” Ohno chuckled. “Aiba-san. Matsumoto-san. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” He turned to each of them and bowed jokingly.

The vehicle was filled with roaring fits of laughter. All throughout the ride, Mao was having a great time. She never felt out of place being with the four. Even if they were trying to get information about her and also to flirt with her, Mao’s smile never ceased.

The car finally went to a stop. “We’re here.” Nino announced.

As they were getting ready to go out of the car, Mao asked. “Wait. Whose house is this again? You never told me who owns this.” Mao could see the big house from her seat.

“Well, we live in it. But technically, Johnny-san owns it.” Nino declared before leaving the vehicle. He locked the car after the others also climbed out of it.

“Eh? You live in one house?”

Aiba explained their situation to Mao as they went inside. “Yeah. We live together. It’s one of the rules of being a Johnny. Well, being in a Johnny group, to be exact. Every group is housed in one place until they reached a certain quota in sales or until Kitagawa-san himself declares it’s time for them to leave.”

As they reached the genkan, Mao was surprised by the neat arrangement of the shoes in the shoe rack. Even after the four removed their shoes and changed into slippers, they put them back in that rack in an orderly manner. For five boys living under the same roof, not bad. Mao was expecting for a rowdy and cluttered house, just like in the movies whenever all boys inhabit a same place.  But she was proven wrong. As she followed the four boys, Mao was greeted by a spacious living room. A large and comfy-looking sofa was in the middle of the room. Its beige color brought contrast to the white walls. What immediately caught Mao’s attention was the huge framed picture hanging on the wall behind the sofa. It must have been more than 6 feet in length and 4 feet in width. The picture showed none than Arashi in their suits, looking dashing as ever. The photo being in black and white added a sensuous feeling to it. With their poses and intense gaze that seeps through one’s soul, Mao could feel as if the boys are enticing her. She gulped hard and continued to stare at it.

Seeing Mao stop in her tracks, Jun approached her.  “This is also one of Kitagawa-san’s ideas. At first having a huge photo of yourself in the living room really is awkward..” He pointed at the photo. “But after a few months, you kinda get used to it.” He smiled at the lady.

“Oh. I see.” Mao still couldn’t take her eyes off the said photo.

“Oy! You’re late! I’m already starving.” A sluggish-looking Sakurai Sho appeared from the dining room, which just a few steps away from the living room. From his disheveled hair and the gray sweats he’s wearing, one can infer he’d just awaken.

“Konnichiwa, Sakurai-san.” Mao bowed towards him.

Sho’s eyes widened in shock at the presence of Inoue Mao in their living room. He was caught unawares.  “Konnichiwa. Hisashiburi, Inoue-san.” Sho also bowed in response. “Excuse me for a minute.” Realizing how he looked, the embarrassed Sho immediately retreated to his room.

“Well, sorry about that. He’s usually this laid back when at home, contrary to the cool image he has on tv.” Nino apologized for his friend’s behavior. He then retreated to the sofa and the tv as well as the Wii. Ohno, his usual Wii buddy aside from Aiba, decided to join him in playing.

Aiba went towards Mao and asked her, “So Mao-chan, what do you want to eat for dinner?”

“I don’t have anything particular in mind.”

“Are you sure? To have Arashi to cook for you is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s your chance to ask for any dish you want.” Jun pointed out.

“Surprise me then.” Mao winked at him. “I don’t know what I want to eat so I’ll leave it up to you, Matsumoto-san. And also to you, Aiba-san. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”

“Yosh! It’s gonna be a match, Jun-kun. Whoever cooks the best dish for Mao-chan wins!”

“You know, I’ll definitely win this thing.” With that, the two cooks of Arashi proceeded to the kitchen to do their thing.

“Jun-kun’s back to his competitive self eh?” Sho finally appeared, this time wearing normal clothes. Actually nothing just looks normal when Arashi decides to wear it.

“From the looks of it, it’s going to be another Iron Chef battle in the kitchen.” Nino said while skillfully manipulating the Wii control.

“And just like in that cooking show, there’s a special ingredient. For today it happens to be sea bass. Am I right riida?”

“Hai. I made sure the ones I caught were deliciously-looking.” Ohno swung the Wii remote just like a professional tennis player. This earned him an ace shot. Mao applauded in amazement.

“Take a seat, Mao-chan. Can I offer you any refreshment?” Sho motioned Mao to the sofa.

“A glass of water would do.”

“Are you sure? We have coffee, tea, and juice.”

“No thanks. Water will do.” Mao brightly smiled at him.

“Okay.” Sho then left for the kitchen. Within a minute, he returned with a glass of water in his hands. He offered it to Mao. They were sitting beside each other while Ohno and Nino were in front, still busy with playing the Wii.

“So Mao-chan, how are things?” Sho decided to start the conversation.

More than half an hour had passed and Mao even became closer to Arashi. The chit-chat between her and Sho did well. She was able to learn more about this rapping newscaster who could be the father of her child.

Oh yeah. The father of my baby. I totally forgot about that. Seriously, these Arashi boys are good at distracting people. Every instance I’m with them, it’s like the ‘Forget everything and Focus on Arashi’ moment. Geez, just when did Arashi have this effect on me? Am I turning into one of those fangirls?

Mao shook her head in disbelief.

“Oy guys. A little help around here!” Jun’s voice could be heard in the living room. Sho hurriedly excused himself from Mao to offer help in the kitchen.

Sho came out with the plates in his hands. He placed them on the dining table. Nino and Ohno, still in the middle of their Donkey Kong game, paused their match and decided to join Sho. Mao stood up from the sofa, wanting to also help with the preparation. However, she was prevented by Aiba who appeared from the kitchen, bearing his dish already placed in a serving plate.

“Stay there, Mao-chan. We’ll be ready in a minute.”

“Okay.” She obeyed his words. From the sofa, she could hear all the clattering of plates and utensils. Mao couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Arashi, one of this generation’s top idols, going out of their way to please her. I surely hope they’ll still be this sweet to me when they found out about my situation.

Aiba bellowed from the dining room, “Mao-chan, dinner’s ready!”

When she stepped inside the said room, Mao was greeted by a lovely table setting. The plates and utensils were neatly placed on the table. A single fresh rose was the center piece. Mao could see that the dishes were still covered. Her gaze shifted from the table towards Arashi. The boys were lining up on the other side of the table, looking like chefs in front of a judge in a cooking show.

“Ready to enticed by my cooking, Inoue-san?” Jun was definitely proud by what he’s about to show. Wanting to impress his hime, he prepared the dish Matsumoto Jun is known for: pasta.

Jun approached his dish and lifted its covering. “Garlic Seafood Pasta, milady. With Ohno’s sea bass, of course.” He smirked.

Jun was expecting the usual amazed reaction from Mao. However the girl turned out to show the opposite. Mao crinkled her nose at the smell of Jun’s pasta. This reaction did not go unnoticed to the boys. “Guess Mao’s not a fan of garlic, neh?” Nino whispered to the owner of this dish. Jun’s heart sank. Nino didn’t have to sprinkle salt to his wounds.

“Gomen ne. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I didn’t know I hated the garlic smell. I used to love garlic but suddenly I can’t take it anymore.” Mao bowed her head in apology. She then turned to Jun. “Matsumoto-san, I’ll try my best not to be rude so here’s my plate. Let me taste your priced dish.” She offered her plate to him but Jun placed it back to its place.

“No need to force yourself, Mao-chan. I understand. I should have asked if there’s something you do not want in particular.”

Before things went awkward, Aiba decided to interfere. “My turn!” He slid past Jun to be near his dish. “I didn’t use a lot of spices, contrary to the usual Chinese way of cooking. I wanted to seal the flavor of Ohno’s sea bass to here. Steamed Sea Bass in Lemon Sauce.” Aiba lifted the covering, revealing his specialty. The moment the whiff of Aiba’s dish reached her nostrils, Mao felt her stomach turn. She really tried her best to contain her feelings to not hurt an innocent Aiba but when the smell from the two dishes mixed and hit her, Mao immediately dashed to the sink. She emptied her stomach right there and then, even at the presence of Arashi.

Ohno tried to comfort her by rubbing Mao’s back. Sho had a glass of water at hand, ready to offer it to Mao. Nino and Jun just went near her, guarding and watching her every move. Aiba, being the squeamish one, decided to distance himself away from Mao. Just the gagging noise is enough to make him want to throw up as well.

After wiping and gargling the mouthwash Nino handed her, Mao drank some water. Once she felt okay, she then faced the boys.

“Mao-chan, daijoubu?” Ohno let go of her and asked this familiar line.

“Do you need to go to the hospital? We’ll gladly assist you there.” Sho could help but be concern for Mao’s safety.

“No need for that, Sakurai-san. This is just normal for my condition.”

“Eh? Condition? Do you have some kind of sickness?” Aiba was being utterly straightforward and Mao was caught off guard by this.

“No. You got it wrong. I’m not sick.”

“Then what’s this condition you’re talking about?” Nino was piqued.

“Remember earlier I said I had something important to tell you? The one that may change your life forever?”

“Yes.” Nino’s confusion grew and grew.

“Well, it’s something that I was also about to tell all of you. It just so happened that Nino was the one who contacted me first.”

This time it was Nino’s heart that sank. “Really?”

“Yes. I never planned to tell you in this really awkward situation but I guess it’s inevitable since you already witnessed one of its proofs.”

“So what exactly is it?” Jun asked as he drank tea.

Mao took a deep breath and looked each of Arashi in their eyes.

“I’m pregnant. And I think one of you is the father of my child.” There. I finally said it.

A splash of tea hit Aiba. He was the lucky one to be near Jun who blurted out his tea upon hearing Mao’s words.

With that, their lives never were the same anymore.