Chapter Four: Flickering Flames

	Sitting in the waiting room of her doctor’s office, Takara flipped 
through one of the out-of-date parenting magazines, her violet eyes scanning the 
articles without much interest. She just couldn’t concentrate. Where was he? He 
should have been there by now. The expectant mother finally gave up trying to 
distract herself and tossed the issue of Parenting back on the coffee table in 
the center of the room. 

	Frowning, she glanced up at the clock hanging above the nurses’ station. 
It appeared that once again, Keitaro wasn’t able to leave his office to accompany 
her to her doctor’s appointment. His absence really shouldn’t have bothered her 
that much, as she had gotten used to it over the past few months, but it did. 
This was the seventh time in a row he promised to come and the seventh time he 
disappointed her yet again. She now regretted refusing Miyuki’s offer to skip her 
classes and accompany her to the appointment. Going for her regularly scheduled 
ultrasounds, a precautionary measure by her doctor to monitor the baby’s growth 
during the high-risk pregnancy, always put her on the edge.  

	Beside her, another woman, already well into her second trimester, 
giggled at something she read in her magazine, pointing out the article to her 
husband. Takara tried to ignore them, but it was difficult to do when the other 
mother-to-be, noticing she was alone, decided she wanted to chat.

	“So, when are you due?” the woman asked, rubbing her round tummy with a 
huge grin on her face. “We’re due in July. Keiji and I are so excited, aren’t we, 
sweetheart?”

	“We sure are,” the proud father-to-be answered, resting his hand 
protectively over his wife’s. “We just can’t wait for little Junior to be born.”

	Takara smiled politely, not wanting to seem rude. “I’m due in early May,” 
she said, hoping the woman’s curiosity had been satisfied. 	

	Unfortunately, that was not the case. “May? That’s a lovely month to be 
born in,” the woman continued. “Our daughter Hanako was born in May. May 4th, to 
be exact. Maybe our children will share a birthday. Wouldn’t that be interesting? 
Will this be your first child?”

	“Yes, it is.”    

	“How delightful! The first birth is always so exciting, although quite 
nerve-wracking. I remember when I was expecting Hanako, Keiji was a complete 
nut-case-”

	Her husband interrupted. “I was not, Akane.”

	Akane rolled her eyes, continuing her story. “Don’t listen to him. 
Believe me, the day I went into labor, I thought Keiji was going to have a 
nervous breakdown…”

	By that time, Takara had tuned the woman’s voice out of her mind, nodding 
her head every so often to give the appearance she was still listening. She 
wished the door leading to the examination rooms would open and the nurse would 
call out her name. Takara was tired of waiting. It seemed as if she’d been 
sitting in the waiting room forever.

	The door finally opened a few minutes later like an answered prayer and 
an attractive medical assistant entered the waiting room, a clipboard in her 
hand. She glanced down at the list, lifting a few pages to see who was next. 
“Tachibana Akane-san, Ito-sensei will see you now,” the nurse said.

	“Oh, that’s us!” the chatty woman exclaimed, stopping in the middle of 
her story. “Pity we couldn’t talk more, but it was very nice to meet you. I wish 
you and your husband much happiness and the best of luck.”

	“Arigatou,” Takara said softly, watching Keiji help his wife out of her 
chair and lead her toward the door. 

	Once they were gone, Takara slumped back in her chair and leaned her head 
against the pale yellow wall. A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips. It 
looked as if she would have to wait a little while longer. Instinctively, she 
brought her hands to her stomach, lightly caressing her swollen belly. With her 
slender frame, the growth was very noticeable, though she really hadn’t gained 
that much weight thus far. She‘d only began regularly wearing maternity clothes 
about four weeks ago, much to Mrs. Yukana’s dismay. The grandmotherly housekeeper 
kept telling Takara she was much too skinny for a woman in her condition.  

	“Please, let everything be okay,” she whispered aloud, closing her eyes 
as she mentally prayed to the kami.

	A light touch on her shoulder interrupted Takara’s prayers. She slowly 
opened her eyes, finding a nurse standing over her. “Hino-san, Honda-sensei will 
see you now,” the brunette said, a calming smile on her face. “Please, follow 
me.” 

	Takara stood and followed the nurse inside one of the examination rooms, 
equipped with an ultrasound machine. She then changed into the unflattering smock 
the nurse handed her and allowed the brunette to do the preliminary tests before 
she went to find Dr. Honda.

	When the doctor arrived a couple of minutes later, Takara was sitting on 
the edge of the examination table, studying one of the posters hanging on the 
wall. Pushing the rims of his heavy glasses up his nose, the kind doctor smiled, 
putting her somewhat at ease. 	

	“Konnichiwa, Hino-san,” he said, momentarily glancing down at her charts. 
“How are you today?”

	“A little nervous,” Takara admitted.

	“Well, I want you to relax,” Dr. Honda lightly ordered, helping her lie 
back and pulling her cotton gown up so her round tummy was exposed. “As long as 
you have been following my and your cardiologist’s recommendations, everything 
should be fine. Is your husband here?”

	She shook her head, her purple eyes saddening. “I’m afraid Keitaro 
couldn’t make it today.”

	“I see.”

	Dr. Honda squeezed something onto his right hand and rubbed the cool gel 
over her stomach. He then began rolling a handheld transducer across her abdomen, 
his eyes focused on the computer screen in front of him. Takara tried to sneak a 
peak, wanting to see her child, but the machine was turned at such an angle that 
she couldn’t see much of anything at all, except the glow of the screen dancing 
across the doctor’s face. 

	Occasionally, Dr. Honda would make a small grunting sound, though it was 
difficult to discern by his tone whether or not he was pleased. Takara wished he 
would say something. Anything would be better than his indifferent guttural 
noises. “Honda-sensei, is everything okay with the baby?” she asked, trying to 
remain calm.

	“It looks good, Hino-san,” he assured her, pausing to write something 
down on his clipboard. Takara breathed a small sigh of relief. “The fetus appears 
to be in good health, though still somewhat small. I want you to start gaining 
some more weight. You’re about five pounds underweight for your body type at this 
stage of pregnancy and I’m afraid the fetus may not be getting the all the 
necessary nutrients it needs. By our next appointment, I expect you to be at 
least up to 120, if not a couple pounds heavier. Other than that, the pregnancy 
is progressing quite nicely, considering its high-risk nature. Tell me, have you 
experienced any more irregular heart palpitations since the last time I saw you?”

	The raven-haired woman nodded, though she tried to brush her recent 
“attacks” off as no big deal. “I’ve had a couple of minor attacks, but I don’t 
think they are anything to be concerned about. They only lasted a couple of 
seconds and then I would be fine the rest of the day.”

	“Every ‘attack‘, as you call it, has the potential to become dangerous, 
Hino-san, especially during this late stage in the pregnancy,” Dr. Honda said, a 
slight frown on his lips. “You should not take them so lightly. Have you been 
under any stress lately?’

	Shrugging her slender shoulders, Takara struggled to sit back up, leaning 
on her arms for support. She couldn’t think of anything that might be causing her 
stress. “No, I don’t think so.”

	“Are you sure about that? According to the reports given to me by your 
cardiologist, you tend to experience these attacks when you are under extreme 
emotional stress or after participating in strenuous activity, and since he and I 
have both given you strict orders not to strain yourself physically, it leads me 
to believe that perhaps your recent attacks could be stress-related. Earlier, you 
mentioned your husband has been busy as of late with his campaign and I can‘t 
ignore his absence today. Have you two been fighting lately?”

	“No, of course not!” she exclaimed, offended he would think such a thing. 

	“Gomen nasai, Hino-san,” Dr. Honda apologized, helping her lie back down. 
“Please forgive me for making such an assumption. I didn’t mean to upset you. 
Would you like to see your baby now?” 

	Takara nodded and the doctor turned the machine so she would have a 
better view, placing the transducer back on her belly. A gray, fuzzy image 
appeared on the screen and the mother-to-be squinted her eyes, straining to make 
out the baby’s image from the blurry mess. She smiled as the picture became 
clearer. After going through so many ultrasounds, she was becoming quite a pro at 
recognizing the baby’s features, so Dr. Honda no longer needed to help point the 
fetus out. However, her eyes widened as something she had never seen 
before appeared on the screen.

	“What’s that?” she asked.

	Her slender finger fell on a spot on the fetus’s forehead, where a 
beautiful, ethereal red light seemed to glow. Dr. Honda’s eyebrows furrowed 
together in confusion, but the light quickly disappeared back into the darkness, 
so fast that neither could be certain they had truly seen it. He shrugged. 

	“Must have been a trick of the light,” the doctor replied, dismissing the 
strange phenomenon as nothing more than a glare on the screen.

					*****

	“According to the latest polls, we now only have a four percent marginal 
lead over Tanaka-san among registered voters, a rather large dip from our 
all-time high of twelve percent just two weeks ago. Political analysts attribute 
Tanaka-san’s meteoric rise in the polls to the recent success he had in getting 
the new drug-use prevention legislation passed in the Assembly. Now, we all know 
your relative inexperience in public office has been the subject of several of 
our competitor’s negative campaign ads, but if we were… Hino-san? Hino-san?”

	Gray eyes, which for most of the man’s ridiculously long speech had been 
staring blankly off into space, focused back onto the campaign manager standing 
in the center of the office. “Gomen, Mitsuishi-san,” Keitaro apologized, 
straightening his posture behind his desk. “I lost my concentration for a moment. 
Please, continue. You were saying?”

	“Actually, I think we covered quite enough for today,” an older man said, 
rising from his seat on the leather couch to show Mitsuishi to the door. “Thank 
you for coming today, Mitsuishi-san. As always, we appreciate your help and 
Hino-san will of course take all your suggestions into consideration.”

	“I advise Hino-san to make a final decision concerning the new ad 
campaign as soon as possible, Negishi-sama,” Mitsuishi reminded them, gathering 
his charts and graphs as the retiring governor of Tokyo opened the door. 
“Tanaka-san has a reputation of being rather vicious when it comes to his 
political tactics and we cannot afford to lose any more supporters so soon before 
the elections. Our best bet is to counterattack…”

	“Yes, of course, of course,” Governor Negishi said. “We’ll get back to 
you soon, Mitsuishi-san. Good day.”

	“Sayonara, sir.”

	Once the long-winded campaign manager finally left the room, the governor 
closed the door and turned his attention back to his young protégé. He did not 
look pleased. Keitaro leaned back in his chair, preparing for the lecture he was 
sure to follow.

	Sure enough, the usually jolly governor let him have it, banging his fist 
on the surface of the desk to get Keitaro’s attention. “What is with you today, 
kid?” he said. “This isn’t like you. In case you‘ve forgotten, you are right in 
the middle of a major campaign, the opportunity of a lifetime. This is no time to 
be daydreaming about roses and daffodils. We have work to do.”

	“I know, I know,” Keitaro said, glancing down at his watch. He pushed his 
chair away from his desk and stood, pulling on his sport coat. “It’s just that 
today is Takara’s doctor appointment and I promised to be there. I think I am 
going to take my lunch break now and head over to Honda-sensei’s office. Maybe if 
I hurry, I can still make…”

	A buzz from the intercom sitting on the corner of his desk interrupted 
Keitaro’s thought. Wondering who was here to see him, as his meeting with 
Mitsuishi was his last scheduled appointment before lunch, he reached over and 
pressed the button. “Yes, Katsuki-kun? What is it?”

	A woman’s voice cackled over the speaker. “Hino-san, your wife is here to 
see you. May I send her in?”

	That was unexpected. Takara rarely visited him at the office. Shrugging 
off his jacket, Keitaro sat back down behind his desk before telling his 
secretary to show her in.

	The door opened a few seconds later and his beautiful wife entered the 
office, looking surprised to see Negishi there as well. “Oh, I didn’t know you 
were in the middle of a meeting, Keitaro,” Takara said, placing her hand back on 
the solid gold doorknob, turning to leave. “Gomen nasai. I’ll just show myself 
out.”

	“No need, Hino-san,” the jolly governor replied, walking over to the 
door. “I was about to leave, anyway. Far be it for me to interrupt a private 
moment between a husband and his lovely wife. Goodbye, and Keitaro-san, I 
strongly urge you to make a final decision on the new ad campaign. Mitsuishi-san 
might like the sound of his own voice far too much for his own good, but the boy 
does raise some valid points concerning your opponent‘s reputation.”

	Keitaro nodded, flipping through a stack of materials Mitsuishi left 
behind before setting them aside. “Of course, Negishi-sama. I‘ll see you 
tomorrow, then. Goodbye.”

	With a final nod of acknowledgement in Takara’s direction, the governor 
left the room. Takara closed the door behind Negishi, then took a seat on the 
couch, watching as her husband sighed and took off his glasses. “Are things not 
going well with the campaign, Keitaro?” she asked.

	Keitaro managed a small half-smile, thinking how typically Takara it was 
for her to be worried about everything except herself. Of course, that was what 
Miyuki was for. His wife’s blonde friend had visited the manor so many times 
during the past few months, she might as well live there. In fact, Keitaro had 
hoped Miyuki would accompany Takara to her appointment in his absence, but that 
was apparently not the case.

	“It’s nothing, Takara. We took a small dip in the polls, but it’s nothing 
to be too concerned about,” he lied, not wanting her to worry. “But let’s not 
talk about politics now. How did things go at your appointment?”

	His wife placed a hand over her stomach. “Everything went fine. 
Honda-sensei said the baby is healthy and has the heartbeat of a warrior.”

	“I’m glad,” Keitaro said. The politician stood and took a seat beside the 
raven-haired woman. “Takara, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there today. I know how much 
you wanted me to be with you for the appointment, but the meeting with 
Mitsuishi-san lasted far longer than I expected and there was no way I could make 
it.”

	Takara rested her head on Keitaro’s shoulder. “That’s okay, Keitaro. I 
understand. I know you are very busy with the campaign.”

	“That’s not an excuse.”

	Keitaro, in an uncharacteristic move of tenderness, brought his arm 
behind her and pulled her close, lightly kissing the top of her head. He hated 
disappointing Takara. She always insisted she didn’t mind, but the sadness he 
sometimes saw in her violet eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking proved 
otherwise. He knew he hadn’t been as supportive as he should have been during 
Takara’s pregnancy.  	  

	The campaign for governor occupied most of his time. When he wasn’t 
attending party fundraisers or making television appearances, Keitaro was either 
busy meeting with his campaign committee or preparing for the upcoming debates 
with Tanaka Yoshiyuki, his main competition for the governor’s seat. His hectic 
schedule didn’t leave much time to help care for his wife. Sometimes, he even 
found himself seriously considering dropping out of the race, a thought he didn’t 
realize he had voiced aloud until Takara pulled away, shaking her head.

	“Keitaro, I told you I’m fine,” she insisted. “I don’t want you to pull 
out of the race. Yukana-san and Miyuki have been taking great care of me, so 
don’t worry so much. Just focus on your campaign.”

	“Are you sure, Takara?” he asked. “All you have to do is say the word, 
and I will quit. There’ll be other elections. Nobody says I need to be governor 
right this minute. I can get a few more years of experience under my belt as a 
member of the Assembly and try again during the next election.”

	“But you’ve worked so hard already to win the LDP’s nomination. You can’t 
quit now.” Takara smiled, linking her arm around his. “Besides, didn’t you tell 
me once that Tanaka Yoshiyuki-san was a white collar criminal who gave good 
politicians like you and Negishi-sama a bad name? I certainly don’t want someone 
like that running Tokyo.”

	Keitaro chuckled good-naturedly, bringing a finger to her lips. “Takara! 
Be careful what you say. You’re liable to get me sued for slander.”

	“But it is the truth, is it not?” she replied with a grin, trying to 
stand up. 	
	
	Noticing her struggle, Keitaro helped her off the leather couch, the two 
of them standing face to face. He tenderly brushed a strand of raven black hair 
from her eyes, his face becoming serious once again as he looked down at his 
brave and beautiful wife. What would he ever do without her? “Arigatou, 
Takara.”

	“For what?” she asked.

	“For believing in me and my dream.”

					*****

	Weeks passed, and soon it was mid-April. Outside, springtime had come to 
the Tokyo area, bringing with it the beauty of reborn life, appearing after 
months of winter hibernation. Birds sang, a fresh warm breeze blew, and the 
sakura trees were in full bloom, the delicate blossoms covering the world in an 
unusual pink snow. The world never looked more beautiful. Inside, however, was a 
different story.

	Opening her violet eyes, an eight months pregnant Takara yawned and 
turned her head toward the window, where the afternoon sunlight filtered through 
the glass and filled the room with a welcome brightness. How long had it been 
since she last saw the sun? It seemed like forever, although she knew it had only 
been about a week since her last appointment with Dr. Honda when he ordered her 
to undergo complete bed rest as a precaution during the final month of pregnancy.

	Takara sighed, resting her hands on her bulging belly. She hated staying 
in bed all the time. It reminded her too much of the period after her heart 
attack. Not to mention she was bored out of her mind. All she ever did anymore 
was eat and sleep. Especially sleep. One would think she was going through her 
own hibernation period with the amount of naps she took. Nobody ever told her 
carrying a baby would be so tiring.

	“Oh, Takara, you’re up,” a familiar female voice said as its owner 
entered the room, carrying an elegant English-style silver tea service for two. 
The blonde set the tray, a wedding gift from Governor Negishi, down on the 
nightstand and took a seat on the edge of the bed, a smile on her face. “Good. 
Yukana-san made us some tea.”

	“How long have I been asleep?” Takara asked, struggling to sit up in her 
bed. Miyuki, seeing her strain, placed one of Keitaro’s pillows behind her back 
before she glanced over at the alarm clock to check the time.

	“Not very long,” Miyuki assured her. “Only for about a couple of hours. 
It’s 5:30 now.”

	“Gomen, Miyuki. I haven’t been very good company today, have I?”

	Chocolate brown eyes rolled as Miyuki began pouring her friend a cup of 
tea. “Takara, don’t apologize. I’m the one who’s supposed to be keeping *you* 
company, in case you’ve forgotten. Besides, Honda-sensei said you needed to rest 
and I, for one, am not about to let you ignore doctor‘s orders, no matter how 
much you gripe and moan.”

	Just to annoy her, the raven-haired woman groaned, her lips curling into 
a pout. That was all she ever heard anymore. Dr. Honda said this, Dr. Honda said 
that, Dr. Honda wants her to dance around naked, singing “I’m a Little Teapot” at 
the top of her lungs… Well, maybe it wasn’t *that* bad, but bad enough. If Takara 
heard her kind, yet strict, obstetrician’s name one more time, she was going to 
scream. She knew the doctor only wanted what was best for her and the baby, but 
it seemed at times that he was being overly cautious. After all, she hadn’t had a 
major attack in weeks, and other than her extreme fatigue, which according to her 
“What To Expect When You’re Expecting” book was normal in the third trimester, 
she felt perfectly fine.

	Too make matters worse, Miyuki and Mrs. Yukana appeared downright 
determined to treat her like the baby she was carrying. If there was one thing 
Takara hated, it was being treated as if she was some kind of piece of art that 
would break at the slightest movement. It made her feel so weak and helpless and 
it was not a feeling she liked in the least.

	Not that she didn’t appreciate their help, of course. Mrs. Yukana had 
been wonderful over the past few months, making sure she ate well and gained some 
much needed weight, and Miyuki was nothing short of amazing, juggling her full 
course load at the university along with taking care of Takara whenever she 
could, but sometimes the mother-to-be felt smothered under their care. For once, 
Takara was actually grateful Keitaro continued to be too busy with his campaign, 
because she had a feeling he would be just as bad, if not worse, as her 
housekeeper and best friend.

	It was Keitaro’s absence today that brought Miyuki to the manor. Tonight 
was the first televised debate between Keitaro and his main opponent, Tanaka 
Yoshiyuki, so he and Governor Negishi were spending most of the day preparing at 
Tokyo University, where the debate was to be held. Since he was gone, Miyuki 
decided to come over to visit and keep Takara company, as she knew her friend was 
starting to feel restless, being forced to stay in her bed all the time.

	“I hate this,” Takara complained once again, slumping her shoulders as 
she leaned her head against the ornately carved headboard. “I should be with 
Keitaro, supporting him at the debate, not here, stuck in bed with nothing to do. 
I wish I could have gone.”

	Miyuki sympathetically squeezed Takara’s slender hand, knowing despite 
the large amount of time Keitaro’s choice of career kept him away from her, she 
would always be his number one supporter. “I know, Takara, but Hon-”

	“Don’t say it, Miyuki…” Takara warned even as the blonde continued 
speaking without missing a beat.

	“-da-sensei thinks it is best that you don’t strain yourself physically 
or emotionally. Don’t worry so much about Keitaro-san. He’ll do fine. Besides, 
Minoru-san and Negishi-sama are there to give him their support.” 

	She didn’t scream, though Takara was extremely tempted to deliver on her 
threat. But she did give her friend a nasty look for having the gall to mention 
*his* name in her presence, the glare quickly turning into a smile as she burst 
into a gale of laughter at the confused look on poor Miyuki’s face. How could she 
possibly stay mad at the clueless blonde?

	“Did I miss something here?” Miyuki asked, glancing around the room. 
“What’s so funny, Takara? I didn‘t think I was that much of a comedienne…”

	“Nothing!” the former miko insisted, attempting unsuccessfully to hide 
her giggles behind her hand.

	Miyuki just shook her head in mild annoyance, handing Takara the steaming 
cup of freshly brewed tea when the violet-eyed woman finally calmed down. 
“Yukana-san said she would bring a tray up around six so we can eat dinner while 
we watch the debate. Is that okay?”

	“That sounds fine to me. I‘m starving,” Takara replied with a smile, her 
eyes falling on the television set sitting on the dresser. “Oh, good. Somebody 
brought the TV up here like I asked.”

	“Do you want me to go ahead and turn it on channel nine for the debate?” 
Miyuki asked, starting to stand.

	Takara motioned her to sit back down and placed her half-empty cup of tea 
back on the nightstand, not really thirsty anyway. “No, that’s okay, Miyuki. The 
debate doesn’t start for another twenty-five minutes or so, so there’s still 
plenty of time,” she replied. “Let’s just talk. We never get the chance to talk 
like we used to anymore. Remember all those times we had when we were younger? 
When you would sleep over at Hikawa and we‘d stay up practically all night long, 
talking about everything and nothing?”

	The pretty blonde laughed at the fond memory. “And how Kondo-sama liked 
to scare us into finally going to sleep by coming into your room around midnight 
and telling us the kami-sama of the shrine was angry because we were disturbing 
his pea…” Miyuki’s voice trailed off when she noticed Takara staring off into 
space. “Takara, are you feeling okay?”

	Hearing her father’s name, Takara had stopped listening to her friend, 
feeling a small pang in her heart. She still thought of him sometimes, more often 
as of late, it seemed. Maybe it was because she was becoming a parent herself. 
She’d hoped the upcoming birth of his first grandchild would help bring them 
closer and possibly heal the rift between them, but that didn’t appear to be the 
case. They were as far apart as ever.

	“How is he?” the former miko asked in a soft voice, her gaze lowered and 
contemplating the pattern on her quilt. Not that she cared, of course. If he 
didn’t care about her, why should she worry about him? “Have you spoken to him 
lately, Miyuki?”

	To who?” the blonde asked innocently, though Takara had a feeling Miyuki 
knew exactly to whom she was referring and was just trying to avoid the subject.

	She humored her friend anyway. “Otou-san. I know you still visit the 
shrine occasionally, so don’t even try to deny it.”

	“Yes, I’ve spoken to Kondo-sama a few times…” Miyuki finally admitted, 
immediately biting down on her bottom lip. 

	Takara could tell she was reluctant to say anything more, not wanting to 
hurt her feelings, but Miyuki didn’t have to say anything, anyway. Her silence 
was answer enough. Still, Takara asked the question she always asked on the rare 
occasions they spoke about Saburo, wondering when she became such a masochist. 
She already knew the answer, so why did she always insist on torturing herself by 
asking?

	“He still won’t forgive me for marry Keitaro, will he?”

	Miyuki shook her head, brown eyes giving her a sympathetic look. “Gomen 
nasai, Takara.”

	 Reaching for her parents’ old wedding photo on the nightstand, Takara 
sighed. She caressed her father’s handsome face with her fingertip, freshly given 
a French manicure earlier that day, and forced a small smile on her lips. “You 
don’t need to apologize, Miyuki,” Takara said. “I expected as much from him. It 
was silly of me to hope things would change after otou-san learned he was going 
to be a grandfather. Just wishful thinking, that‘s all.”

 	With one last look at the faded photograph, Takara laid the frame 
face-down on the nightstand, not wanting to talk about her father anymore. All it 
did was cause her pain and heartache. She might as well face the facts. Her 
father would never forgive her for marrying Keitaro, and that was that. Kondo 
Saburo always had been as stubborn as a mule. It was one of the traits she 
inherited from him. But still…

	“Takara?”

	Takara pushed the thoughts of her father aside, deciding they should talk 
about something more pleasant, like the weather. “I bet it’s beautiful outside, 
isn’t it, Miyuki?” Takara asked with forced cheerfulness.

	If the sudden change in topic of conversation surprised Miyuki, she 
didn’t show it. The two of them were close enough to know when the other didn’t 
want to talk about something, though Miyuki usually ended up convincing her talk 
about it anyway. This time, however, the blonde wisely let the subject drop and 
nodded. “It’s gorgeous,” Miyuki answered. “I wish you could see it, Takara. The 
sakura trees are in full bloom now and they all look so pretty.”

	Takara smiled wistfully, wishing she could see them, too. The springtime 
always was her favorite time of year. “Are you sure you and Yukana-san couldn’t 
take me outside, just for a little while?” she asked.

	“I thought we already went over this…”

	“I know, I know. Doctor’s orders.” Takara slumped back against her 
pillows, crossing her arms so they rested on her belly. “That doesn’t mean I have 
to like it, you know. All I want is to be able to see the sakura trees in bloom. 
Is that so horrible?”

	“Next year, Takara,” Miyuki said, standing up from her seat on the bed. 
She began putting their teacups back on the tray as Takara pouted. “Don’t give me 
that look. It’s not going to work.”

	“Miyuki…”

	“No. Now, I’m going down to the kitchen to brew some more tea and help 
Yukana-san bring up dinner. I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”

	“Fine.”

	Takara watched her friend exit the room and sighed. Miyuki really was 
like a mother hen, always looking out for her best interests. It was one of the 
things Takara loved most about her. She had the most caring heart, even if she 
did have a tendency to be somewhat of a worrywart at times. Most of the time, 
actually. Still, Takara was determined to see the sakura blossoms for herself, no 
matter what Miyuki said.

	When she was sure Miyuki had left, Takara pushed away her quilt and swung 
her legs over the edge of the bed. It took her a couple minutes to stand on her 
own, especially after so many days of laying in bed, but she finally managed to 
steady herself on her feet and waddled over to the window, where she looked down 
at the manor grounds.

	The sight was as gorgeous as Miyuki described, bringing a smile to 
Takara’s face as she placed her palm against the transparent glass and imagined, 
for just a moment, she could feel the warmth of the sunlight on her skin or the 
soft touch of a sakura blossom falling in her hair. Was there anything more 
beautiful than the springtime? There was something about the season that always 
made her feel at peace, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

	“Hino Takara, what do you think you’re doing?”

	Hearing the familiar voice of her best friend, the mother-to-be 
sheepishly turned around to find Miyuki standing in the doorway, hands on her 
hips, while Mrs. Yukana stood behind the taller blonde with a tray of 
mouthwatering food in her hands. “Oh, hi, Miyuki…Yukana-san…I was just…uh…turning 
on the TV for the debate.”

	Miyuki raised a skeptical eyebrow in Takara’s direction. “Really?” she 
said, obviously not believing her claim for a second. Letting Mrs. Yukana pass 
through to put down the heavy tray, the blonde walked over to the window where 
Takara stood and placed her hands on her friend’s slender shoulders, her brown 
eyes softening for a moment. “Takara, I know you’re restless and bored, but you 
really do need to stay in bed. We aren’t trying to be mean. Really, we aren’t. We 
only want what is best for you and the baby.”

	“I know, Miyuki,” Takara said softly, suddenly ashamed of her careless 
behavior. “Gomen nasai. You and Yukana-san have been taking such good care of me 
these last few months and I know I haven’t exactly been the best patient in the 
world…”

	Miyuki chuckled, and even Mrs. Yukana cracked a smile as she poured the 
tea. It was no secret Takara hated anything related to her health, whether it was 
going for her constant doctor’s appointments or remembering to take her pills 
every day.  “You never were,” Miyuki quipped. “Now, let me help you get back in 
bed and Yukana-san will turn on the TV for the debate. It should be starting any 
minute.” 

	Reluctantly, Takara allowed Miyuki to tear her away from the window and 
lead her back to the bed. They walked slowly, as not to put any unnecessary 
strain on her heart, but halfway across the room, Takara suddenly stopped, 
feeling a small, dull pain in her abdominal area and lower back. The pain didn’t 
last long, only a few seconds, but the look on her face was enough to alarm 
Miyuki. “Takara, are you okay?”

	“I’m fine,” she insisted, once the pain had disappeared. Takara was sure 
it was nothing to worry about. Probably just a case of indigestion

	Unfortunately, it soon became evident that was not the case. A sharper 
pain than before caused Takara to stop once again just as they approached the 
bed. She grabbed onto one of the bedposts for support and squeezed her eyes shut 
in an attempt to hide the pain as Miyuki gasped. 

	No, it’s too soon, she thought, bringing her hand to her stomach. The 
pain was worsening, and there was no doubt in her mind it was a contraction. She 
felt her eyes well up with tears as she doubled over in pain. 

	Kami-sama, not now! Please, not today! It’s too soon…

	“Takara!”

					*****

	Behind the curtains of the stage located in the university’s largest 
auditorium, Minoru peeked out into the audience. He found most of the five 
thousand seats available filled to capacity with journalists, photographers, and 
well-informed members of the public, their voices buzzing while they waited for 
the much anticipated debate between Keitaro and his opponent, Tanaka Yoshiyuki. 
The debate had been all the political community talked about for the past two 
weeks.

	“Looks like a good crowd tonight,” Minoru remarked to Governor Negishi, 
letting the heavy fabric of the curtain fall from his fingers and drop back in 
place. Not far from where the two men stood, Keitaro was already standing behind 
one of the two podiums set up in the center of the stage, reviewing his note 
cards as one of the technicians tested the microphones. “The auditorium’s 
packed.”

	The elderly governor nodded, pulling out an old-fashioned pocket watch 
from his jacket to check the time. The debate was set to begin in little over 
five minutes. “Nothing like a not-so-friendly debate to pull in an audience,” he 
agreed. “I can tell you one thing for certain about Tanaka Yoshiyuki-san: he sure 
knows how to make things interesting. Whether that‘s a good thing or a bad thing 
depends on whose side you‘re on.”

	“Do you think Keitaro has a chance of defeating Tanaka-san in the 
election?” Minoru asked, his green eyes narrowing as he saw the smarmy politician 
himself approach Keitaro’s podium in a false effort of good sportsmanship. The 
two bowed to each other before Tanaka took his place behind the other podium. 
“Tanaka-san did do quite a number on him with those last campaign ads.”

	The latest polls showed Keitaro and Tanaka were virtually tied, with only 
one percent separating the two. Thus far, Keitaro was managing to hang onto his 
very narrow lead, but a poor performance tonight during the debate could be 
disastrous, especially with the elections so close. Voters went to the polls in 
little less than two weeks, so the debates, of which three were scheduled, were 
the last chances the candidates had to sway the public in their favor before the 
election. 

	Quite frankly, Minoru was concerned. Not worried, concerned. There was no 
doubt in his mind that Keitaro was the right man to take Negishi Shinji’s place 
as the governor of Tokyo, but apparently 49% of registered voters did not. He 
would hate to see Keitaro lose the election after all the hard work he put into 
his campaign, a campaign he insisted on running fair and clean even when Tanaka 
began throwing mud in his direction. No doubt about it; it had been a dirty race 
and, unfortunately, it had been Keitaro’s best suit that needed to be taken to 
the dry cleaner’s. Personally, Minoru wouldn’t have thought any less of his 
friend if Keitaro had at least sent Tanaka the bill, but revenge simply wasn’t 
his style.

	“I wouldn’t worry too much about your friend, Uchizawa-san,” Negishi 
said. “Keitaro-san is very much like his uncle, one of the finest men I’ve ever 
had the pleasure of meeting and a damn good politician. Hino Wataru-san always 
was at his best during the debates, and that appears to be our man’s strength as 
well. Keitaro-san will do fine, and the voters will finally open their eyes and 
see the candidate with substance, instead of flash. Tanaka-san might do well in 
advertising and fundraising, but when it comes to debates, he suffers from an 
incurable case of ‘foot-in-mouth’ disease. You‘ll see.”

	“I hope you’re right, Negishi-sama.” 

	Hearing the chattering of the audience die down and the moderator of the 
debate, a respected television journalist from the station airing the event, 
begin to lay down the rules, Minoru and the governor took their places in the 
darkened left wing of the stage to watch unobserved by the media.

	Minoru felt himself relax a little bit after the introductions were given 
and the debate finally got under way. Governor Negishi had been right about 
debating being Keitaro’s proverbial card up his sleeve. Despite his relative 
inexperience in public office, at least compared to the forty-something Tanaka 
Yoshiyuki, Keitaro was proving himself to be well-prepared and up-to-date on the 
issues, while the challenger seemed to be struggling, oftentimes stalling while 
he thought or providing vague answers to the media’s questions. If things 
continued as well as they had been going so far, Keitaro could probably expect to 
gain at least a three percent lead over Tanaka in tomorrow’s polls, if not more.  

	“He’s doing well tonight,” Minoru commented to the governor after Keitaro 
finished answering a rather controversial question to a round of loud applause 
from the audience. “You were right, Negishi-sama. Tanaka-san over there looks 
like he’s sweating bullets.”

	The governor chuckled, his eyes falling on his young protégé’s opponent 
as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief. The middle-aged man did indeed appear 
to be perspiring profusely, although whether it was because of the hot stage 
lights shining down on him or Keitaro’s success could not be said for certain. 
“Tanaka-san never was a good debater, although he does have some skill as a 
public speaker,” Negishi replied. “I remember when he ran against Keitaro-san’s 
uncle in the election of 19-”

	“Excuse me, sirs,” a soft female voice said, cutting him off. The men 
turned their attention to the young college coed who was standing in the middle 
of the stairwell behind them. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but would you 
happen to be Uchizawa Minoru-san?”

	The redhead nodded, grinning as he took in the pretty blue-haired girl’s 
shapely figure. She was definitely his type, although perhaps a little young for 
him. He judged her to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, most likely a 
freshman at the university. “I’m Mr. Uchizawa. Is there something I can do for 
you?”

	A faint blush crawled across the girl’s pale cheeks. “Um…you have a phone 
call, Uchizawa-san,” she informed him, stuttering just a little under his 
infamous seductive gaze. “A woman by the name of Asaka Miyuki-san wants to talk 
to you right away. She claims it is an emergency.”

	“An emergency?” Minoru immediately forgot about his hormones, already 
taking a step down the stairs in the girl’s direction. Only one emergency came to 
mind, though, for Keitaro’s sake, Minoru hoped he was wrong. “Where’s the 
telephone?”

	“You can take the call backstage in one of the dressing rooms. I’ll show 
you the way.”

	“Arigatou,” he said to the girl, turning back to the governor. 
“Negishi-sama, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

	The governor nodded. “Do what you need to do, Uchizawa-san.”

	Leaving Negishi, Minoru followed the coed backstage to one of the 
unoccupied dressing rooms, hoping against hope his suspicions were wrong. The 
girl handed him the receiver and then left to give him some privacy, assuring him 
nobody would bother him while he talked on the phone.

	“Miyuki-san? It‘s me, Minoru,” he said into the phone after the door 
closed behind the girl. “What is the emergency? Is it Takara-san?”

	On the other end of the line, he heard Miyuki sniffle, trying to regain 
composure. “We’re at Tokyo Memorial. She went into labor about forty minutes ago, 
and from what the doctors tell me, it’s putting too much strain on her heart.”

	“Oh, kami-sama…” Minoru said, running his fingers through his unruly red 
hair as the news sunk in. It was just as he thought. “What is her condition?” 

	“They won’t tell me anymore than that because I’m not family, but it 
doesn’t sound good, for her or the baby. You need to get Keitaro-san down here 
right away.”

	“Yes, of course. We’ll be there as soon as possible,” he assured her, 
although he didn’t quite know how. “Ja ne.”

	“Ja ne.”

	Placing the receiver back in its cradle, Minoru sighed, his head hung low 
as he leaned over the vanity. It looked like Keitaro’s worst fears were being 
realized. If Takara died… Minoru shook his head, forcing the thought out of his 
head. Takara was a strong woman and she would survive this. What he needed to do 
was get Keitaro to the hospital, but the father-to-be was still in the middle of 
the heated debate. 

	Minoru quickly headed back to the wing, unsure of his next move. It would 
be near impossible to interrupt the debate himself, as nobody but the candidates 
themselves, the moderators, and a few aides assigned to refill the water glasses 
sitting on the podiums were allowed on stage, but maybe Governor Negishi had an 
idea.

	Negishi seemed to suspect something was terribly wrong the second Minoru 
began climbing the stairwell, his normally relaxed face serious. “Uchizawa-san?”

	“Keitaro needs to leave, now,” Minoru said, walking up beside the portly 
governor.

	“But he’s in the middle of a debate. Surely, whatever it is can wait-”

	“Some things are more important than politics,” the businessman said, 
cutting the governor off mid-sentence. Negishi arched his gray eyebrow in the 
younger man’s direction, not accustomed to such rudeness, and Minoru bowed in 
apology. “Gomen nasai, Negishi-sama.”

	Negishi sighed. “What is it, Uchizawa-san?”

	“Takara-san has been taken to Tokyo General,” he informed the governor, 
briefly glancing toward Keitaro on stage. “I don’t know all the details, but what 
her friend told me, it sounds serious. We need to get the message to Keitaro, 
immediately. Do you have any ideas?”

	Not wasting any time, the governor nodded, pulling out a spare index card 
and a pen from his pocket. He handed the items to Minoru. “Here, write a message 
and give it to one of the water girls to hand to Keitaro-san. I’m going to inform 
the sponsors what’s going on and then call for my car. You two meet me in back.”

	“Right.”

	After the governor left, Minoru quickly finished jotting down the 
message, then scanned the area for one of the so-called “water girls”. He spotted 
the blue-haired girl from earlier filling a pitcher with water backstage and 
walked over, touching her arm to get her attention. “Excuse me, miss.”

	The girl blushed once again when she turned around, spilling some of the 
water on the floor. “Uchizawa-san! Um…do you need something?”

	“Are you a water girl?” he asked, cutting straight to the point. The girl 
nodded, confused when he handed her the folded index card. “I need you to go on 
stage and hand this note to Hino-san.”

	“I don’t know, Uchizawa-san. We aren’t supposed to deliver personal 
messages to the candidates. I could get into huge trouble with Amari-sensei if he 
found out.”

	“You won’t, I promise. It’s an emergency.”

	The girl contemplated the idea for a few seconds before she finally stuck 
the note in her jeans pocket and poured two glasses of water for the candidates. 
The two of them then walked back to the left wing, Minoru staying behind while 
the coed continued on stage, first replacing Tanaka’s glass before walking over 
to Keitaro.

	In the shadows of the wing, Minoru held his breath as he watched the girl 
set the other glass on the corner of his podium, then reach into her pocket for 
the index card. Keitaro was in the middle of answering a question when the girl 
handed him the note, but he paused, unfolding the card as several members of the 
audience began to talk amongst themselves. After he finished reading, the 
politician glanced toward Minoru, a look of fear in his normally cool gray eyes. 
All the redhead could do was slightly nod his head, confirming what the note said 
was true.

	“Hino-san, will you finish answering the question?” an impatient Tanaka 
said from behind the other podium. “This is neither the time or the place to 
receive personal messages.”

	Crumpling the note in his hand, Keitaro slowly stepped away from the 
podium, bowing deeply to the surprised audience. “Gomen nasai,” he apologized, 
“but I am regretfully withdrawing from the debate. Good night.”

	“What? Hino-san, you can’t do this to me,” his competitor said as Keitaro 
walked off the stage to a bombardment of flashing lights and inquisitive 
reporters. The younger politician didn’t seem to hear, exchanging a few words 
with Minoru before the two men hurried to the exit. Tanaka banged his fist on the 
podium in anger. “HINO!”	   

					*****	    

	During what seemed like an endless drive to the hospital in the back of 
Governor Negishi’s limo, Keitaro didn’t say a word, wrapped up in his own 
thoughts as he watched the neon lights of nighttime Tokyo pass by in a blur out 
his window. Minoru, sitting in the seat beside him, kept assuring him that Takara 
and the baby would be fine, but Keitaro was not in the mood to hear his lies. He 
saw that look his best friend had given him after he read the note. Takara’s 
condition was much more serious than Minoru was willing to reveal.

	She never should have gotten pregnant with that child. From the moment 
she told him she was expecting a baby, he’d known something like this would 
happen. For Takara’s sake, he tried to be accepting of the news, knowing how much 
she wanted to be a mother, but there were times, especially now, when he wished 
they had followed Dr. Honda’s advice and terminated the pregnancy. It went 
against what he was taught by his religion to believe in, but Keitaro would have 
been perfectly content to spend an eternity burning in the fires of Hell if it 
meant saving Takara’s life. But it was too late now. All he could do was hope and 
pray she would survive this.

	Reaching into his pocket, Keitaro pulled out a faded piece of paper, worn 
and a little torn at the edges, but still in fairly good condition. Three years 
ago, a beautiful Shinto miko with the smile of an angel had given the charm to a 
skeptical Catholic politician, claiming as long as he believed in something, it 
had the power to bring good luck. Of course, at first, he hadn’t really believed 
her, thinking it to be just another “Shinto hocus pocus scam”, but then that 
night at the beach…

	He never expected to fall in love, never wanted to fall in love, but it 
had happened and Keitaro wasn’t about to lose her. Not yet. Not now. If there was 
such a thing as good luck, he needed it more now than ever. God, Allah, Kami, or 
Buddha…it didn’t matter who heard his prayer, only that it was answered.

	“Keitaro, we’re here,” Minoru informed him as the limo rolled to a stop 
in front of the hospital, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

	Nodding, Keitaro put the charm back in his coat pocket and opened the 
door, not waiting for the chauffeur to get out of his driver’s seat to assist 
them. This was no time to worry about appearances. He stepped out of the car, not 
caring about the sudden arrival of a spring shower, and waited somewhat 
impatiently underneath the covered area for Minoru and Governor Negishi to open 
their umbrellas and join him. The three men then entered the hospital, and after 
asking a nurse where to find the maternity ward, rode the elevator up to the 
fifth floor.

	The first person they saw when the doors of the elevator slid open was 
Asaka Miyuki, pacing in the hall as she nibbled worriedly on her thumbnail. She 
didn’t even appear to notice their arrival, lost in her own little world as she 
walked right past them without a word. Over in the corner, Keitaro also saw Mrs. 
Yukana sitting in the small waiting area, flipping through an old magazine 
without much interest. The elderly housekeeper actually spotted them first, 
putting down her magazine to greet them when they stepped onto the floor.

	“Oh, my Keitaro-chan,” she whispered, taking the politician into a hug. 
“I’m glad you’re here. We were so afraid you weren’t going to make it in time.”

	“In time for what?” he asked, pulling from his former nanny’s embrace as 
Miyuki finally came over, the blonde not resisting when Minoru wrapped a 
comforting arm around her waist. Keitaro turned toward his wife’s best friend, 
trying not to lose control when he saw the woman’s tear-streaked face. “How is 
she, Miyuki-san?”

	“We don’t know,” Miyuki answered, struggling to speak without bursting 
into tears. “The doctors haven’t given us much information because we aren’t 
immediate family. All they’ve told us is that Takara is having a difficult labor 
and there’s concern her heart won’t hold out much longer. I’m sure Honda-sensei 
will fill you in more on the details.”

	“Where is Honda-sensei now?”

	“I think he’s with Takara at the moment. The doctor’s been keeping a 
close eye on her progress, but he’ll probably come out in few minutes to talk to 
you. I told him you were on your way.”

	Sure enough, after Miyuki finished speaking, a nearby door opened and Dr. 
Honda stepped out of the room, chart in hand and trademark heavy spectacles 
falling down his nose. “Hino-san, good, you are finally here,” the obstetrician 
said, pushing his glasses back into place after he closed the door behind him. “I 
would like to have a word with you. Privately, if I may.”

	Getting the doctor’s message, Minoru offered to buy Miyuki a candy bar 
from one of the vending machines and Governor Negishi lead Mrs. Yukana back to 
her seat in the waiting area, trying to distract her by talking about the debate. 
Keitaro followed Dr. Honda a short way down the hall so they could talk.

	“Asaka-san told me Takara’s labor has been difficult,” Keitaro said once 
they were out of earshot. “Is she going to be okay?”

	Dr. Honda sighed, looking down at Takara’s charts. “I’m afraid I don’t 
have an answer to your question, Hino-san. Your wife evidently has been in labor 
for quite some time, though she only began feeling the pains about an hour or so 
ago. She is almost completely dilated, but in my professional opinion, it would 
be unwise to continue with a vaginal birth as her heart rate is continuing to 
climb. I want that baby out ten minutes ago.”

	“What do you suggest, then, doctor?”

	“Your wife has already agreed to an emergency Cesarean section. That, in 
itself, can present its own complications, as does any normal surgery, but the 
C-section is our best bet to save both the lives of the mother and the child. The 
nurses are already prepping her for the procedure and with any luck, we should 
have the baby out within the next ten to fifteen minutes.” 

	Keitaro nodded his head in understanding, wanting to see Takara before 
the procedure. “May I go in and talk to her?”

	“I’m afraid we already have her under anesthesia and are moving her to 
the delivery room,” Dr. Honda said, looking over Keitaro’s shoulder as the door 
to Takara’s room opened and a couple of nurses pushed her bed toward one of the 
delivery rooms. Keitaro started to go after her, but the doctor held him back. “I 
know you are anxious, Hino-san, but I assure you I will do the best I can to save 
your wife and child’s lives.”

	“I know you will, doctor. Thank you.”

	“I’ll let you know what happens as soon as possible,” Dr. Honda promised 
before tying his surgical mask and following the nurses into the delivery room.

					*****

	Never in a million years did Miyuki ever expect she would one day be so 
grateful to feel Uchizawa Minoru’s arm wrapped around her waist. Yet, as they 
walked together down one of the halls of the maternity ward, searching for a 
vending machine, she couldn’t help but to feel just that, his touch bringing her 
some much needed comfort during such a difficult time. 

	He didn’t hold her tightly, like a man might a lover, but it was 
reassuring just the same. Miyuki was surprised to see this side of Keitaro’s best 
friend. Usually, Minoru acted so flirtatious around her, lightly teasing her 
about her tendency to be overprotective or throwing her corny lines. She had to 
admit she found it rather nice. Maybe he wasn’t as immature as she first thought. 
And she couldn’t deny Minoru was handsome…

	Resting her head on the redhead’s shoulders, Miyuki sighed. This was no 
time to be thinking of such things. Not when Takara was fighting for her life. 

	Thinking of Takara, she felt her eyes well up with tears. Miyuki wondered 
what was happening. Was she okay? Did something happen to Takara and the baby? 
Was that the reason Dr. Honda want to talk to Keitaro alone? Miyuki clenched a 
hand into a tight fist, struggling not lose control of her emotions.

	She hated this. Absolutely hated it! Why wouldn’t anybody tell her 
anything?

	“Miyuki-san?” 

	Minoru’s voice broke her away from her thoughts, and the blonde glanced 
up, for the first time noticing they had stopped. The two of them were standing 
in front of a group of vending machines in the lobby. 

	“Hmmm?” From the look on her companion’s face, Miyuki suspected Minoru 
had been calling her name for some time. The blonde unclenched her hand and 
relaxed somewhat when he gave her a small, sad smile.

	“What kind of candy bar would you like?” he asked, jingling some quarters 
in his right hand. “Snickers, Three Musketeers, Baby Ruth, Hershey’s, or Payday?”

	Miyuki almost laughed at the normalcy of such a question, but managed to 
stop herself, afraid her laughter might revert back to tears. It was funny how 
something so simple could be so comforting. Though she wasn’t very hungry, she 
considered her choices for a few seconds before answering in an indifferent tone. 
“Hershey’s, I guess.”

	“Hershey’s it is, then.” Minoru dropped a quarter in the coin slot and 
pushed the appropriate buttons. Shortly after, a chocolate bar dropped from its 
place on the second shelf. The redhead retrieved the candy bar from the bin and 
handed it to Miyuki. “Here we are. Sweets for a sweet.”

	This time, she did crack a small smile at Minoru’s sorry attempt at 
humor. That was more like the Minoru she knew so well. “Arigatou, Minoru-san.”

	“It‘s nothing,” he replied, putting another coin in the machine to buy 
himself a Snickers. That short moment of lightness had disappeared, and Minoru 
once again had that rarely seen serious look on his face. Miyuki only recalled 
seeing it once before, the night of Takara’s heart attack.

	She hated remembering that night. She could honestly say it was one of 
the worst things she ever had to go through in her entire life. The waiting, and  
the crying, and the praying everything would be alright… They almost lost Takara 
that night, and now they risked losing her again. The idea was almost too much to 
bear. 

	Miyuki found herself unconsciously moving closer toward Minoru, wishing 
he would hold her tighter. She needed somebody to comfort her. It didn’t matter 
who. She just wanted somebody to hold her and tell her everything was going to be 
okay.

	Almost as if he sensed her unvoiced yearning, Miyuki felt Minoru’s grip 
around her waist tighten as he pulled her even closer into a comforting embrace. 
In his arms, she finally felt free to release her unshed tears, sobbing into the 
fabric of his shirt. Minoru didn’t seem to mind. He simply held her, gently 
rocking her back and forth as he offered words of assurance. “It’s going to be 
okay, Miyuki-san,” he whispered. “You have to believe that.”

	“You don’t know that, Minoru-san,” she cried, almost hysterical as she 
gripped the back of his shirt with tightly clenched fingers. “Nobody does. Takara 
could already be dead for all we know. Maybe that’s why Honda-sensei wanted to 
speak to Keitaro-san. Maybe she’s dead and the doctor is delivering the news 
right this very minute. Maybe she lost the baby. Maybe she-”

	“Or maybe Takara-san and the baby are perfectly fine,” Minoru interrupted 
her, brushing back a strand of her golden hair from her eyes when she looked up. 
She hated him for being so calm and level-headed when all she wanted to do was 
scream. “Miyuki-san, you need to stop thinking the worst. Have a little faith, 
okay?”

	Miyuki shook her head. He just didn’t understand. “I can’t! I can‘t stop 
thinking about what happened earlier, and how if only I hadn‘t left Takara alone, 
she never would have gotten out of bed and this never would have happened. It‘s 
all my fault if she dies! All my fault!”

	At that claim, Minoru gently pushed Miyuki away to hold her at arm’s 
length, lifting her chin and forcing her to look at him through her tear-filled 
eyes. “Listen to me,” he ordered. “It is not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault. Not 
yours, not mine, not Takara-san’s, not Keitaro’s… These things just happen 
sometimes, and assigning blame or playing the ’what if’ game is not going to 
change anything. All we can do is hope for the best.”

	Her sobs lowered to a soft whimper as Minoru’s words sunk in. She knew he 
was right. Blaming herself wouldn’t help matters. Hope was all they had left. 
Miyuki once again collapsed into his arms, welcoming the comfort they provided 
her.

	Hope was all they had left… 

	“I just can’t lose her, Minoru-san,” she whispered. “Takara is my best 
friend. I can‘t lose her.”

	Resting his chin on the top of her head, Minoru tightened his embrace. 
“You won‘t, Miyuki-san. I promise. Just don‘t lose hope.”

					*****

	“Stupid birds…” the old priest of the Hikawa Shrine muttered to himself 
from the safety of the porch, watching a couple of black crows flying excitedly 
around the courtyard, cawing loudly over the sound of the pouring rain hitting 
the roof. All the other crows that made their home at the shrine had already 
found shelter from the unexpected storm, but not those two. They seemed 
determined to make as much racket as possible, which was quite an accomplishment 
considering they were competing with the loud rumbles of thunder that crashed 
every few minutes, disturbing the natural peaceful serenity of the sacred shrine. 
Saburo wondered what had gotten into the pair. 

	Well, if they wanted to become animal lightning rods, that was their 
business. Ignoring the crows’ calls, Saburo slid open the door to the shrine and 
stepped inside, glad to be out of the rain. Since he wouldn’t be able to finish 
raking the sakura petals because of the storm, the priest decided to begin his 
evening meditations. Maybe the fire could help him understand the strange feeling 
he suddenly felt in his heart.

	Saburo entered the room containing the shrine’s eternal sacred fire, the 
heat warming his cool skin and slightly damp robes as he kneeled before the 
flickering flames. Normally, the sight of the burning light calmed the priest, 
but not tonight. Even the fire appeared to be acting erratically, the blaze 
dancing every which way, showing its dangerous beauty. Saburo found himself 
instinctively backing away when he felt a small spark from the fire singe a hair 
on his knuckle.

	“Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen,” he chanted with his 
eyes closed, moving his fingers in a series of specific patterns as he called on 
the fire’s powers. “Show me the source of my uneasiness.”

	At first, the fire did nothing. When he finally opened his eyes and saw 
nothing in the flames, Saburo sighed, believing he’d failed. It was not an 
uncommon result. Fire was a fickle element, difficult to control even by the best 
of fire readers. Visions came as they pleased and rarely when called. The fire 
knew no master.

	But, without warning, the blaze came to life, filling the small prayer 
room completely with its luminance. The old priest backed even further away from 
the flames, his dark brown eyes large as he stared at the inferno.

	“Masaka…” 

	Inside the fire, the astrological sign of Mars shone brightly.

					*****

	Back at the hospital, Keitaro glanced down at his watch for what seemed 
like the hundredth time in the past twenty minutes, wondering why it was taking 
Dr. Honda so long to emerge from the delivery room. The doctor had told him the 
procedure would take fifteen minutes at the most. They should have heard 
something by now, unless something had gone wrong…

	He forced the thought away, not wanting to think about that possibility.

	“Here, I bought you a soda,” Minoru said, walking over to where Keitaro 
sat and holding the can of Coca-Cola in front of front of his friend’s face. 
Though he wasn’t very thirsty, Keitaro took the offered drink and mumbled a short 
“thank you” as the redhead took a seat in the chair beside him. “So, still no 
news yet, huh?”

	Keitaro shook his head, pulling back the tab on the top of the can and 
forcing himself to take a sip. The normally sweet liquid left a bitter taste in 
his mouth. “Where’s Miyuki-san?” he asked, noticing the blonde was conspicuously 
absent from Minoru’s side. “I thought she was with you.”

	“She went to look for a pay phone to call Kondo-sama. Miyuki-san thought 
he would probably want to know what‘s going on.”

	“Oh.”

	For a moment, Minoru looked as if he wanted to say something else to 
Keitaro, but instead he shook his head and sighed, unwrapping the candy bar he 
bought from the vending machine. Silence fell over the two friends as they waited 
on word of Takara’s condition.

	At last, the door to the delivery room swung opened and Dr. Honda stepped 
out. As the doctor walked toward them, Minoru and Keitaro slowly stood from their 
chairs, the latter trying to read the older man’s expression hidden behind his 
surgical mask. “Honda-sensei, how is she?” Keitaro asked.

	Dr. Honda pulled down his mask, his face as emotionless as it had been 
before. “There were a few complications immediately following the surgery, 
Hino-san,” the doctor said. “That is why I was not able to talk to you before 
now. However, we did finally manage to stabilize your wife’s condition. Both she 
and your daughter are currently doing fine.”

	Keitaro felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders at the doctor’s words. 
Takara had survived. Maybe there was such a thing as luck after all. “May I see 
Takara?”

	“Well, at the moment, Hino-san is still under heavy anesthesia. I would 
prefer you wait until after she wakes, as she needs her rest. But, if you would 
like to see your daughter, she has been taken to the nursery just down the hall 
on the right. You can‘t miss it.” 

	“Arigatou, doctor.”

	After Dr. Honda left, Minoru turned toward Keitaro, a huge smile on his 
face. “Hey, congratulations, Papa,” the redhead said, patting his shoulder. “See, 
I told you everything would be alright. I’ll go tell Negishi-sama and Yukana-san 
the good news and see if I can find Miyuki-san while you go to the nursery. I‘m 
sure you‘re anxious to see your daughter.”

	Keitaro nodded, not really paying attention to his friend. He had stopped 
listening after “Papa”, finding the word strange to his ears. Was he really a 
father? Throughout Takara’s pregnancy, he never once thought about the baby as a 
real person. His concerns always lied primarily with Takara‘s condition, the baby 
itself almost an afterthought, something that would simply disappear after the 
nine months were over. But now that the baby was here… 

	“Keitaro, are you feeling okay?” Minoru asked, noticing his friend’s 
distraction.

	“I’m fine, Minoru,” Keitaro insisted, shrugging his hand away. “I’m going 
to the nursery. Tell the others, okay?”

	“Sure.”

	Leaving a slightly bewildered Minoru behind, Keitaro followed Dr. Honda’s 
directions to the nursery, easily finding the large window that allowed visitors 
to see inside. He stopped in front of the window, gray eyes searching the sea of 
newborns swathed in blue and pink blankets for his daughter. They suddenly paused 
when they came to the crib right in front of him, labeled with a sign that read 
HINO REI. Takara must have named her before the nurses put her under anesthesia. 
She always said if she had a daughter, she would name her Rei.

	The baby in the crib appeared a little small compared to the others in 
nursery, but otherwise strong and healthy. She had dark black hair like her 
mother and Takara’s alabaster skin. Her eyes were still closed, so Keitaro didn’t 
know what color they were, but if he had to take an educated guess, he would say 
they were probably purple. The child was the spitting image of her mother.

	Keitaro sighed, leaning his forehead against the glass as he stared down 
at his newborn daughter. The nightmare had finally ended. After months of 
worrying whether or not the pregnancy would put too much strain on Takara’s weak 
heart, it was over and both she and the baby had survived. It truly was a 
miracle. But if it was so miraculous, why did he feel so empty inside?

	He had just become a father of a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Shouldn’t 
that mean something to him? Shouldn’t he feel some sort of bond toward the child? 
Keitaro didn’t know exactly what he expected to feel when he saw Rei for the 
first time, but certainly something more than the numbness in his heart. The 
sleeping baby wrapped in the soft pink blanket might as well have been someone 
else’s child and he, a random passerby walking down the street who stopped and 
cooed for a few minutes before continuing on his way. It wasn’t supposed to be 
like this, was it?

	True, he never really wanted the child. His dreams never included 
parenthood. That was Takara’s cherished dream. 

	He still remembered the crushed look on her face when Dr. Sakamoto 
advised them not to get pregnant. Though she tried to pretend she didn’t mind, he 
knew the news had devastated her. Becoming a mother had meant everything to her. 
They talked about adoption every once in awhile, but never very seriously. He 
hadn’t been interested and Takara, though willing, still wanted a child of her 
own. 

	Looking back, Keitaro wondered if he’d shown a little more interest in 
the topic of adoption, she wouldn’t have risked so much to get pregnant. After 
all the support she gave him to achieve his dreams, especially during his 
campaigns, he should have supported hers. 

	It was too late for regrets now, however. Against her doctor’s wishes, 
Takara had gotten pregnant and while he tried to be supportive during her 
pregnancy after the first initial shock of learning the news, Keitaro knew on 
some level he resented the growing fetus inside her. Maybe that was why he threw 
himself so heavily into his campaign for governor when he should have taken 
better care of Takara. That baby represented the two things he never wanted to 
face: fatherhood and the possibility of losing Takara.

	Well, he didn’t lose Takara and now that the baby was here, he was 
reluctantly warming to the idea of becoming a father. So, why didn’t he feel 
anything? Why did he feel so empty when he looked at Rei?

	Maybe being a lousy father who didn’t care about his kids ran in the 
family. It wouldn’t surprise Keitaro in the least if he inherited the “cold, 
heartless bastard” gene from his father. After all, the man he knew as 
“otou-sama” was the reason he never wanted children in the first place.

	Keitaro barely remembered Hino Takeo, but the few memories he did have 
were hardly pleasant. His father had been a once promising lawyer who fell victim 
to the bottle after his mother died during childbirth. While alive, Takeo had 
made no secret of the fact he blamed his son for her death. How many times had 
that drunk made him cry, throwing that accusation in his face at every possible 
opportunity? Too many to count. His own father had hated him.

	Keitaro’s hand involuntarily clenched into a tight fist at the memory. It 
still pained him to think back on some of the things Takeo said to him during his 
drunken rages. It was because of him that Keitaro promised himself he wouldn’t 
put his own children through such misery. He thought if he never had kids, he 
wouldn’t be able to hurt them like his father hurt him.

	But Rei … Would he end up hurting her too?

	“She’s a beautiful baby,“ a familiar voice said, interrupting Keitaro‘s 
thoughts. “You’re a lucky man, Keitaro.”

	The politician looked to his right and saw Minoru standing beside him. 
Keitaro wondered how long he’d been standing there. He hadn’t even noticed when the 
redhead walked over, lost in his own little world. 

	In response to Minoru’s compliment, Keitaro nodded his head. “Rei-san is 
beautiful, just like her mother,” the new father said, his voice emotionless. If 
his companion noticed, though, he didn’t show it.

	“So, how does it feel to be a father, Papa?” Minoru asked, slapping him 
on the back. “Already making plans to keep her away from guys like me? I can’t 
say I would blame you if you were. I would do the same thing if I were in your 
position. Rei-chan deserves the best.”

	Keitaro forced himself to smile. “I think I have a few more years before 
I have to start worrying about that, Minoru. Let‘s get her out of diapers first.” 
Crossing his arms, he turned his attention back to the nursery. He purposely 
ignored answering Minoru’s first question, instead deciding to change the 
subject. “Did you tell everybody the news?”

	The businessman nodded. “Everyone was relieved to hear things went so 
well for both Takara and the baby. Negishi-sama wanted to stay and congratulate 
you himself, but one of his aides somehow discovered we were at the hospital and 
called about a press conference they set up on the spur of the moment to answer 
questions about what happened at the debate. They wanted you there as well, but 
Negishi-sama wouldn’t hear of it. He told me to tell you not to worry and he 
would handle the press himself.”

	The debate… Keitaro had almost forgotten what happened earlier that 
night. For once, politics was the last thing on his mind. The scene at the debate 
seemed a hundred light years in the past. He was grateful to Governor Negishi for 
taking care of it. Keitaro wasn’t sure he would be ready to face the 
blood-thirsty press tonight. Tanaka was probably having a field day with his 
abrupt withdrawal from the debate.

	“Remind me to thank him tomorrow,” Keitaro said, glancing down at his 
watch. He wondered if Takara was awake yet. About an hour had passed since Dr. 
Honda came out of surgery to tell him the news, so the anesthesia should have 
almost worn off by now. “I think I’ll go down to Takara’s room and see if she’s 
awake. Ja ne.”

	“Ja, Papa,” Minoru called out as Keitaro left.

					*****

	The first thing Takara felt when she opened her drowsy purple eyes was 
pain. The epidural they gave her before the surgery had finally worn off, leaving 
behind a horrible ache around her abdominal area. It was made even worse when she 
tried to sit up in her bed. Takara moaned and squeezed her eyes close as she 
waited for the worse to pass. Please, please, go away, she prayed.

	“Takara, don’t try to move any more than you need to,” a familiar voice 
said in a soft tone. “Honda-sensei said it is perfectly normal to feel a lot of 
pain for the first couple of weeks after a Caesarean, so you shouldn’t strain 
yourself.”

	“Keitaro?”

	Slowly, the pain passed and Takara opened her eyes once again, blinking a 
couple of times to adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room. 
She then turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw her husband 
sitting in a chair beside her bed, holding her hand. “Keitaro,” she repeated.

	Keitaro squeezed her hand. “I’m here, Takara,” he whispered as if 
he were afraid to break the silence of the hospital room. “I came as fast as I 
could.”

	That’s right. He hadn’t been with her when she went into labor. Tonight 
was supposed to be his big night. “I’m sorry I ruined your debate with 
Tanaka-san.” 

	“It doesn’t matter. There will be other debates.” Keitaro let go of her 
hand and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. “The important 
thing is you pulled through.”

	“I told you I would,” Takara quipped with a smile. It was easy to be so 
confident now that it was over. Though she never would admit it, there were a few 
times during the ordeal when she thought neither she or the baby would survive. 
But that didn’t matter now. 

	“Yes, you did.”

	“And the baby…?” Her smile disappeared. Since she had been under 
anesthesia during the Caesarean section, Takara didn’t yet know the fate of her 
child. Her heart skipped a beat as she asked the next question. “Did it survive?” 

	Much to her relief, Keitaro nodded. “Rei-san is small, but healthy,” he 
said.

	“Rei-chan…” Her face lit back up as the pure joy of the news sunk in, and 
she felt her eyes water with tears of happiness. “Oh, Keitaro, we have a 
daughter. Isn’t it wonderful?”

	“Hai. I‘m happy your dream came true, Takara,” he said, giving her a tiny 
smile.

	A nurse chose that moment to knock on the door and enter the room. “Sorry 
for interrupting,” she apologized, “but I’m afraid visiting hours are over, 
Hino-san. Your wife needs her rest.”

	“Of course.” He gave Takara’s hand one last squeeze before standing. 
“Oyasumi, Takara. I’ll see you in the morning.”

	“Oyasumi, Keitaro.”

	Disappointed Keitaro had to go so soon, Takara watched him leave the room 
and sighed. The nurse asked her if she needed anything else, to which the new 
mother answered “no”, and then the woman left as well, closing the door behind 
her after shutting off the light switch. 

	The only illumination left was the pale glow of the moon shining through 
her window. Takara carefully situated her body so she could look out the window, 
ignoring the pain that came from the movement. If she didn’t think about it so 
much, the pain wasn’t that bad. 

	She smiled at the sight outside. The storm from earlier had ended, 
leaving behind a beautiful midnight sky in its wake. The moon shone regally among 
its loyal subjects, appearing like a pearl against the darkness of night, and the 
stars, usually not visible from the city because of all the lights, shimmered 
even more brightly than diamonds. 

	“So beautiful and serene,” Takara said to herself, her eyelids growing 
heavy as she felt someone’s hand resting on her forehead. She didn’t know whose 
it was, but the touch was surprisingly warm, and the new mother felt her aching 
body relax. “Miyuki?”

	“Shhh, Takara,” an ethereal and sweetly high-pitched voice whispered. 
“Rest now and heal.”

	Another voice, deeper and more womanly, but no less beautiful than the 
first, said, “Your job is over now, Takara. We thank you for giving life to our 
princess.”

	“Princess…?” Takara repeated, fighting to keep her eyes open so she could 
focus on the owners of the two voices.

	It was a losing battle, however. Takara finally closed her eyes as the 
women reverted back to their assumed forms and flew away, and the next morning, 
their visit was nothing more but a forgotten memory.


DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.