1.1 | The Yakuza Bride

Chapter 42

A/N: Ah, yes. I am back.

~

'What are you doing? You okay?'

He slid onto the bed, staring curiously at the odd position she was in. She had clutched the blanket up to her chin, and her legs were tucked under her. Her head felt too heavy to lift up, and even moving her eyes to look at him was tiring. It had happened at dinner, when she lifted the lid of the Chinese take-out they had ordered. Usually, she'd wolf down the bowl of oyster sauce noodles and more but now, she found out that just the smell of the vinegar from the sauce was making her queasy.

The usually enticing bowl of noodles and juicy oysters didn't look so enticing anymore when the only thing she could detect was the strong vinegar smell. She didn't want him to ask any questions, so she had forced herself to take a few bites. Only when he had left the dining table did she rush to toss the entire bowl away. Such a waste, she had thought, but her nose and stomach didn't seem to agree with her.

Hana wriggled down to lie down, then pulled the blanket over her head.

'I'm fine,' was her muffled reply.

'Sure?'

She heard the click of his bed side light switch, then felt his foot brush against her thigh.

'Mm.'

'You're not sick, are you?'

A rush of cool air met her face as he tugged the quilt away, then stuck a hand onto her forehead.

'Shouldn't be.'

'You feel fine,' he murmured. The hand slid down to cup her cheek. 'You're not...what...'

Her eyes immediately flicked open at the pause he had left. What is he trying to say now?

'What?' She swatted his hand away and shut her eyes again, hoping her endless chatter would make him stop. 'Go to sleep. Aren't you busy tomorrow? And by the way, you're going to break your promise.'

'And suddenly, you have so many things to say. What promise are you talking about?'

Ahhh, can't he just go to sleep? She had to open her eyes again, and when she did, realised that his were shut. He was lying on his back with one arm across his face and the other across his stomach.

'You said you'd finish all these by Christmas, but it's two weeks to Christmas, and someone's still out on the streets.'

'So? There's still two weeks.'

After a few seconds of silence, when she felt she had succeeded in changing the subject, she tapped his arm then reached over to kiss his cheek.

'Hey,' she whispered.

'Mm?' He removed his arm and stared down at her.

Her lips parted, but a second passed and snapped her mouth shut.

'Oh, never mind,' she muttered. 'Goodnight.'

She continued to stare at his sleeping face, not satisfied. The stress and exhaustion was apparent in his face, and if she woke him up again, he'd definitely get mad. But she wasn't satisfied, not yet.

'Hey,' she whispered again.

'What is it now?' he grumbled. 

How funny, she thought, when earlier it had been him annoying her, and not the other way around.

'No goodnight kiss?' she teased.

'Hana Yazumi,' he started.

She hurriedly brushed her lips against his.

'Love you,' she just as hurriedly mumbled. 'Okay, goodnight.'

Hana caught the way his lips turned up in a slight grin and reached for his hand. It was large and warm, and his long fingers easily intertwined with hers. He rested their hands on his chest and she could feel the fluttering of his heart under his thin cotton shirt. Ah, now it's good.

~

Her eyelids were heavy, her breathing slow and steady, yet she continued to stare at the blank space of wall across the room. She had called up a clinic that morning and booked an appointment. If what the kit said was true, then she wanted to know. Part of her was curious, a little excited even, yet, part of her wished that it wasn't real, and that the kit made a mistake. It was possible, right? Technology didn't always work all the time.

An exhausted sigh left her lips as her mind continued with its tumultuous round of thoughts. His breath was warm on her skin, his head just at her shoulder. One thing she had found out from sleeping beside him was that he moved a lot in bed. She often wondered if he could roll along the entire length in one night. 

Or maybe he'd just fall off. 

They could go to sleep just side by side, but she'd wake up the next morning to find an arm across her waist, or a knee at her bum. It was interesting to find out what positions she'd find herself in, but not when she had been kneed in a soft area to find out that a bruise was forming there.

He can never stay still, she thought affectionately.

She froze as his hand on her moved ever so slightly to rest on her stomach. Just an inch, and he would be touching the spot where...she bit down on her lower lip, unable to complete the thought. Hana hadn't told him anything, she didn't know how. They were only nineteen and twenty-two, too young for any of these to be happening to them. She raised a hand and gingerly placed it on his cheek. So many things had made its turn around her mind today, even things as extreme as...getting rid of it.

But she knew she couldn't do it, not to him. Hana knew how much he adored children, and even though they haven't spoken on matters such as starting a family yet, she knew the guilt would eat into her for the rest of her life. He would be hurt beyond measure if he found out, and she knew he would. Some things just couldn't be kept secret, especially big things like this, and she knew she would have to tell him sooner or later but...how?

~

A/N: I miss writing warm Leon and Hana scenes. Enjoyed this chapter? Remember to vote and comment!