Storyline Name: What to Expect When She's Expecting
Creator(s): Sailor Neptune & Lyssarie
Forum: Crystal Tokyo
Advanced or Relaxed: Advanced

Plot Summary: Minako's end of days has arrived. It happens on the day she found a blue stripe on her pregnancy test. And she knows who's responsible for this; Kunzite. His day is also about to get a lot worse (despite the good news), because Minako is about to use and abuse her newlyfound power—the state of being pregnant—to tell him to fetch all the things and pamper her. Because if she's going to be as big as a balloon, she should at least get something out of it. And this is Minako; so she is going to be utterly, devastatingly insufferable with her so-called needs and cravings. For nine whole months. Good luck Kunzite

Details on any necessary information: This is set in the Crystal Tokyo era after Usagi has risen as Neo Queen Serenity and long after peace has reigned on earth. At some point the Shitennou have been revived and are now living alongside them. Minako and Kunzite are now married.

Restrictions: Only for Sailor Neptune & Sailor Pluto. Playable characters will be Minako/Sailor Venus and Kunzite only; the others will be NPC-ed if necessary.

OOC Thread: None because it's for the "Don't Think, Just RP" challenge

Member to Character List:
- Minako Aino/Sailor Venus: Sailor Neptune
- Kunzite: Sailor Pluto

This isn’t happening. This just can’t be happening.

Minako stared, horrified, at the two lines on her fifth pregnancy test in a row as if they were positively offending her. The unmistakable plus sign could not possibly mean a negative result—those who designed this test had thoughtfully made it so that denial was practically impossible.

Minako hated them.

She couldn’t be pregnant. This would… this would ruin everything. The end of her partying days, the end of her eternal youth, and most importantly, the end of fun. From now on she’d be saddled with a kid who would be her responsibility 24/7, someone who would cry and yell at mess things up and require diaper changes.

She shivered at the thought.

Sure, she was married, and so this seemed like the natural order of things. The logical next step. And don’t get her wrong; she didn’t despise children. She liked Chibiusa. She liked other people’s children. Children that she could return to their owner parents the moment they became impossible to handle.

How was she supposed to be a mother?

She felt the beginnings of a panic attack and lowered her head to between her knees, trying to breathe.

Okay. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. You can do this. You are Minako Aino, leader of the sailor senshi protecting Neo Queen Serenity, queen of Crystal Tokyo. You are a badass soldier and idol and the goddess of love incarnate. This isn’t going to be the thing that destroys you.

She growled as she thought about who was truly responsible for this. Kunzite.

They’d never talked about children, exactly, or rather sometimes he’d tentatively bring it up and she’d quickly change the subject, thinking they had forever to live and so why burden themselves now?

But then of course nature had other plans.

She threw the test stick to the pile of other glaring positive signs and ripped the door of the bathroom open, determined to punish the person responsible.

“Kunzite!” she called out, her voice more high-pitched than usual and just a tad bit veering into hysteria.

Just a tad.

All four shittenou knew that Venus was either dying, or extremely pissed off. And judging by the fact she was a senshi who could very easily defend herself, Kunzite knew she was probably pissed.

At him.

Regardless of whether she was dying or pissed, Kunzite knew he needed to run. So he gave his fellow shittenou the usual, "Sorry, duty calls," look and ran in the direction of Minako's voice. When he found her, she was standing in the bathroom doorway, her eyes wide and panicked and on the verge of psychotic.

Something bad had happened. And it was probably his fault.

In that second, he ran through everything he had done that week, from waking up on Sunday morning to now, and he couldn't recall anything he had done that would make his wife this angry. Sure, he had put some salt in her water the other night at dinner, and sure, he had hidden all of her undergarments earlier in the week, but those were just his usual piss-her-off pranks Jadeite had passed on.

So what was the problem?

Treading lightly, Kunzite decided to take the gentleman route. "Minako...are you alright?"

Kunzite finally appeared in their room, the room in which they’d probably done the thing that led to this disaster.

Minako glared at him as he calmly asked if she was alright. Did she look like she was alright?

Her head disappeared back into the bathroom. She rummaged around on the pile behind her and grabbed one of the many test sticks at random. It didn’t matter which; they all had the obvious, offending positive sign on them anyway. She jabbed it toward him, nearly poking his eye out.

“No, I am most definitely not alright! Look at this! This is your fault!”

Kunzite blinked in response to the stick that smelled faintly of urine being shoved in his face. It took him a few moments to register what exactly she was shoving in his face, and once he did, his eyes widened.

Leaning back, Kunzite grabbed Minako's wrist and held the test further away so he could focus on the result. In all honestly, Kunzite had no idea what the symbol meant. Positive for pregnancy? Positive for no pregnancy? He was still somewhat unfamiliar with the technology in this time period, and didn't quite understand why a simple 'Pregnant' or 'Not Pregnant' answer could be displayed on the test instead of a symbol.

"What...does that mean?" he asked, wary of Minako's growing anger. Was she mad because she was pregnant, or mad because she wasn't? Was Kunzite shooting blanks?

The embarrassment of such a realization made his cheeks turn red. If the shittenou found out, he would never hear the end of it.

Minako nearly exploded when Kunzite asked what, in her opinion, was the dumbest question of all time. She loved her husband, but sometimes he could be so daft.

“It means I’m pregnant, you useless man!” she threw the test device over her shoulder and dramatically slumped to the ground, burying her face in her hands. “You made me pregnant! And I’m not ready to have a baby! My youth is going to be gone forever, and it’s all your fault!” she wailed, not at all dissimilar to how their queen used to back in her own youth, when she failed a test or got scared by thunder or had just been yelled at by her teacher.

“I’m going to be as big as a balloon and blotchy and hormonal and I’d probably have to waddle instead of strut and I can’t be the goddess of love anymoooooore!”

She was gone. Minako was gone, the palace was gone, and it was just Kunzite standing in an empty space of endless black. He was so small compared to the area around him - small and insignificant.

He was going to be a father?!

Shock. How could it have happened so fast? He loved his wife and had always wanted to be a father, but this was just so unexpected.

Fear. Minako didn't want a child. She enjoyed her life the way it was and didn't want to be tied down by a burden bigger than Kunzite. No wonder she was so angry - she was pissed and all of that was apparently his fault.

Relief. At least he's not...incapable of creation.

Worry. Did he have what it takes to be a father? He was nothing like Zoisite, who was calm and able to care for others. Nothing like Nephrite, who despite his size, was nurturing and loving towards his wife and potential family. Nothing like Jadeite, whose irresponsibility was remarkable, but whose playful nature would be ideal in a parenting situation. He was just plain Kunzite - nothing special about him, other than his ability to lead and work hard.

All of these emotions flashed in Kunzite's eyes, but they suddenly softened as they gazed at his wife's flat stomach. Soon, it would grow, and soon, he would be a father. His eyes moved up to meet Minako's angry ones, and a small smile threatened to make itself known at the corner of Kunzite's lips.

She would make a wonderful mother. Beautiful and strong, Minako would be the best mother a child could ask for. He could already picture her sitting with their child in her arms, humming a lullaby. He could see the look of admiration on their child's face as Minako proudly showed off her senshi form.

All of the negativity was wiped away. Sure, Minako was mad, but there was no going back now. He was going to do what he always did and embrace the situation and make the most of it. Since being resurrected and saved from the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite felt that he had nothing. He had lost his honor, the love of his life, and his dignity. Slowly, he was regaining that honor back, but the reality of what he had done in the past would always linger. Slowly, he had regained Minako's love and trust, but he would never forget what he did to hurt her.

Ignoring her anger, Kunzite stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his wife, trapping her in his embrace.

This was his child. He would not let anything take that away from him. For once, this was something he would not ruin.

Minako was still freaking out about the horrifying future that awaited her when suddenly Kunzite put his arms around her. As always, she melted into his embrace, feeling safe in his arms more than she felt anywhere else. Her cries of complaint turned into small hiccups and tiny sobs, the overwhelming fear finally swallowing the anger.

How was she going to be a mother? She was selfish. She was vain, she was a child at heart, and she was going to mess everything up so badly. She couldn’t change a diaper to save her life. Honestly, she’d rather run in the opposite direction. She’d rather battle the fiercest monsters than try to figure out which cry a baby was doing—the hungry cry, the diaper change cry, the sleepy cry, the grumpy cry, and god knows how many others there were.

“Kunzite, I-I’m scared,” she whispered in his ears, finally admitting the truth only for him. “I’m not cut out for this. I’m a soldier, not a mother. I know how to fight enemies, but… raising a child? This is more… Usagi’s thing. Mako-chan’s thing. Maybe Ami could do it because she’s so smart, and Rei could do it out of sheer determination, but me? I’d be completely useless at this. Did anyone ever tell you what happened when I tried to take care of the others when they were sick? I destroyed everything. I can’t ever take care of a sick adult and now I’m supposed to raise a baby?! What have we done?”

Kunzite understood Minako's fear. He was worried, too. He could see himself as a good father, but he didn't really know how to get to that point. It was weird, thinking that he would be changing diapers scheduling playdates and running around the palace with his kid on his shoulders.

He was already so busy with his position in the palace - what if the kid felt neglected?

No, he told himself. He was no about to let his job get in the way of his family. Yes, Endymion was important to him, but above all else, his family came first.

Endymion would have agreed with him, he was sure.

Still holding Minako in his arms, Kunzite kissed the top of her head. "Minako, sweetheart, if Serenity can do it, anyone can. Maybe you're not cut out for the diaper changing or the snot wiping, but that's why we're in this together. You don't have to do everything by yourself - we've been married long enough for you to accept that. But you know what you will be good at? Loving. Nurturing. Comforting. Picking out clothing and doing hair. Teaching about boyfriends and girlfriends and how to take over a stage. Singing lullabies and throwing birthday parties. You'll be okay, Minako. We all will."

Kunzite pulled away slightly and kissed Minako's forehead before tilting her chin up and pressing his lips against hers in the most comforting kiss he could muster.

She listened to her husband’s words, sniffling a little. She had to admit, what he was saying was comforting. He’d be there for her, so she didn’t have to have a meltdown on her own. Not to mention the other senshi. She could always ask Usagi or Mako about parenting skills. Maybe they wouldn’t even mind babysitting. She briefly thought about leaving the baby in their care for a few hours when it was being particularly difficult or needing some sleep and felt a strange mix of guilt and relief.

However, her lips began to form a smile when Kunzite started mentioning the fun part of having a little version of herself. Oh gods, it would be like having a life doll. All the cute dresses or adorable clothes she could buy. Doing their hair. Teaching them about romance and how to be an idol! With every word, her smile grew wider, her hope stronger. Birthday parties! She was great at parties. She would make the best parties for her child.

By the time he’d finished, she was grinning, and was only too happily kissing him back when he pressed his lips against hers.

“You’re right,” she whispered against his lips. “It can be fun. I hope it’s a little girl, but I guess I wouldn’t mind a boy as long as he’s not too naughty.”

She let the notion sink in, starting to accept it, though the feeling of wonder and panic hadn’t completely subsided. “We’re having a baby,” she said in disbelief, then hugged him tighter and kissed him again. “We’re having a baby.”

Kunzite felt a huge wave of relief wash over him as Minako's distress and anger dissipated into a grin and what appeared to be pure excitement. He had placated her, at least for now.

He didn't know much about pregnancy, but from what he knew of Endymion's stories with Usagi, he was slightly worried about his own wellbeing. Minako was already high-maintenance enough as is - how could he possibly handle her with pregnancy hormones?!

Suppressing his momentary panic, Kunzite hugged Minako back. "Yes, we most definitely are."

---

As soon as Kunzite had a moment of alone time, he went straight to Endymion. He needed to know all of the tips and tricks to taking care of a pregnant, hormonal, blonde sailor senshi. And his best friend would know exactly what to say.

When Kunzite announced the news to Endymion, he was surprised to find that the king of Earth wasn't shocked in the slightest. Apparently, it had been a bet for a while now between the shittenou that Kunzite would get Minako pregnant within the year. Regardless, Kunzite was grateful for the advice Mamoru gave him. Apparently, he needed to expect insane cravings, and be ready to meet them or meet his death. Additionally, he had to always be there for the waves of morning sickness to hold Minako's hair back, and he could never, ever use the word 'fat'.

After talking with Endymion and taking lots of notes, Kunzite went back to his and Minako's quarters to check up on her, if she was even there.

Minako had made her first mistake that day, and that was browsing the internet to look up things about pregnancies. As with all things health-related, the internet often provided the opposite of enlightenment and relief.

Her eyebrows furrowed, her nose scrunched up in horror, and sometimes she outright shivered. And then she got to videos of childbirth, and promptly got a panic attack. How come no one ever tell her these things?! Was it some closely guarded secret; the horrifying truth of giving birth? There were so many complications she could get, most of which was life-threatening. And then there was post-partum depression, and other issues after she was done with the most difficult part.

When people talk about having kids, they always talk about how the mothers glow. How she becomes some kind of beautiful goddess who gives life and the most wonderful gift to humanity.

What a bunch of lying liars.

When Kunzite entered their room, Minako grabbed the laptop she’d been using and shoved it under his nose. “Oh, thank God you’re here. Have you seen these videos? Kunzite, I am not certain that I will survive this pregnancy. Perhaps we’d better ask Ami to come up with a way to have this child grow somewhere else. Anywhere else that isn’t in me.”

Kunzite was met, as usual, by Minako's energetic personality and some sort of chaos that he would have to shut down.

But this...this was almost too much.

A woman giving birth was on the screen before him, and instantly Kunzite thought he would vomit. He shoved the screen away and covered his mouth, swallowing the bile that had risen in his throat. There was no way it could be that bad...right?

"Minako!" he hissed. "I don't...I don't want to see that...or any...other woman...okay...no!"

Taking a deep breath, Kunzite struggled to collect himself and stay calm. Erase the images. Erase the images, he told himself.

"Minako, dear," Kunzite said, shutting the computer screen and pulling her to sit beside him on their bed. "You have the most intelligent woman in the universe as your doctor. Your pregnancy won't be like anything on the Internet, I promise. Besides, those other women didn't have me. I'm here for you, for anything you need, okay?"

Kunzite didn't realize it then, but he would soon come to regret those words with every waking moment.

It didn’t even occur to her that Kunzite was seeing parts of people that she would normally not have shown him until he shoved it away. But right now she was more concerned about the nauseous expression on his face as he put away the computer. Right. Precisely. Nauseous and horrified. Those were the things that she felt, and not because of the… parts. But because of the whole bloody process of it.

She pouted as she sat beside him, but listened to his words nonetheless. She agreed that Ami could probably make sure her delivery was as smooth as possible. “But it will still hurt if I deliver naturally. Maybe I could just ask her to do a C-section… or maybe one of those water births things…”

It seemed like a pleasant idea to give birth on a pool or something, but she also shuddered at the idea of suddenly seeming to be starring in a shark movie.

Then she latched onto something he said.

“Anything?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, which had the glint of mischief and trouble in them. At this very moment, all thoughts about the horrors she might face flew out the window as she thought about how best to take advantage of this offer. Anything was the equivalent of a catnip word for Minako, and one must never utter it so carelessly.

“I kind of feel like I’m craving ice cream. You know the one I like… the only shop that has the special Venus Love-Love flavor and the super special Love Me Chain rainbow sprinkles? The one that’s five blocks away from here?” she batted her eyelashes innocently. “I think I could really use that right now. I think it’s what the baby wants.”

Never mind that cravings weren’t supposed to start this early. Who was she to care about silly details like that?

Oh, yeah. Maybe there was a bright side to this whole being pregnant thing after all.

Kunzite restrained himself from grimacing at Minako's request and smiled, pulling her into his arms for a parting hug. "Of course, Minako. Anything for you," he said. With a kiss to her forehead, Kunzite got up and left, preparing himself for the long walk to that damned ice cream store.

It was for Minako, he told himself. She needed comfort. She was scared. He was doing his job as her husband and making her feel better. It was for the baby. For their family.

Kunzite couldn't help but smile to himself. He was going to be a father, something he didn't imagine would happen for at least fifty more immortal years. But it was happening, and Nephrite was going to be so jealous.

What felt like hours later, Kunzite reached the ice cream shop and stared at all of the flavors. What was it Minako wanted again? The Love-Me-Chain flavor with Kiss-Kiss sprinkles? The Kiss-Love flavor with the Love-Love sprinkles?

Why did they have so many flavors?!

Kunzite scratched the back of his head and tried to remember Minako's favorite flavor as his eyes scanned the rows upon rows of ice cream tubs. He was normally sharp and good at remembering these kinds of things, but his mind had been so jumbled and excited and freaking out that he just couldn't remember this detail to save his life.

Finally, he found it. Smiling, Kunzite bought en entire tub of the Kiss-Kiss-Fall-In-Love flavor and a container of Love Me Chain sprinkles and went back to the palace.

During the time Kunzite was gone, Minako had compiled a list. A list of… requests. Not demands, certainly. Of everything that she would require from him and everyone else. Well, mostly him, because he was the father of the baby, and likely the only one she could force persuade to do her bidding this early. But of course she shouldn’t immediately dump the list all at once on him. Even Kunzite wasn’t that patient. No. She’d have to play this right. She’d have to plot and plan and use every opportunity to make sure he had no room to argue about them.

She also started compiling a list of baby items. Oh gods, how come she never knew that baby items were so cute? They were so small, like… for dolls. Or cats. But Artemis never took too kindly to Minako trying to dress him up. So obviously this baby was what she needed all along. How could she never think about this? All these possibilities! Who cared if they wouldn’t need shoes for a while? That pair of puffy pink polka-dotted sandals that she saw on Crystal Tokyo Online looked so cute. And who cared if that yellow tiny dress was for a four year old? She needed it immediately.

They’d have to make the best nursery, too. Minako had started outlining a plan for that, as well. Only the best for her future princess. (She never assumed it was a boy. Why would she be having a boy?)

When Kunzite finally returned—after far too long if she did say so herself—Minako’s mind immediately focused back on the ice cream at the sight of the tub he was carrying. She threw the nursery plans aside, not caring about the mess, and ambushed him. “Yes! I’ve been waiting so long! Bless you, dear most devoted husband of mi—” she looked down at the tub and stopped short.

Then she frowned. “Kunzite, what? This is Kiss-Kiss-Fall-In-Love flavor. I wanted Venus Love-Love!” she pouted, then looked at the sprinkles. “Well, at least you got the right type of sprinkles. But what am I to do if you can’t be trusted to get what I crave specifically? You know the baby wants what it wants and it’s not like I can just substitute it. We can’t start settling for second best for our baby when it’s not even born yet!”

Kunzite's jaw dropped. "I-I'm sorry, there were just so many different kinds, and-"

He paused as his eyes found Minako's. He knew then and there that there was no point in arguing or giving excuses. Minako - no - the baby was determined to get what it wanted. "I'll...go back. I'll return shortly," he said. He left their room and started to run through the halls of the palace, passing a snickering Jadeite and a smirking Endymion. 

"Wrong flavor?" Endymion called after him. Kunzite didn't respond as he ran. The longer he took, the more of Minako's wrath he knew he would have to face. Finally, he made it to that damned ice cream shop, where he bought the correct flavor and ran back to the palace. Civilians gave him speculating looks and laughed at him as he ran by, but he ignored them all. If they knew Minako like he did, they would all understand. 

Before re-entering their room, Kunzite paused and caught his breath, glaring at the cursed tub of ice cream in his arms. 'It's all worth it,' he told himself. 

He opened the door, plastering his best, most charming smile on his face. "One tub of Venus Love-Love ice cream at my lady's request."

Oh, yes. She was going to be treated like a queen. Minako snickered as Kunzite rushed off to get her the correct flavor, and she resumed her baby prepping activities. By the time he returned, she had filled her online shopping cart to the brim with baby things. Everything from clothes to toys to a bassinet and even a tiny purse that some might argue had no practical purposes whatsoever for a baby. But it looked cute.

When Kunzite opened the door, she beamed at him. “Thank you, most devoted husband,” she took the tub from his hand and began digging in with the provided spoon. “Mmmm… so good. Teeny tiny problem, though. Since you were gone so long, it seems the baby has changed its mind and wants some Jupiter Minty Dip flavor now. But I’ll keep this one for myself,” she smiled radiantly and patted his cheek fondly, as if nothing at all was wrong in the world.

Looking at how exhausted he was, though, Minako felt the slightest hint of guilt. “But maybe you can send one of the other Shitennou or a guard to get it or something. Or get it delivered. We’re in the 30th century, we should be able to order everything online and have it instantly delivered to our door. Ooh, speaking of which!”

She pulled his hand toward her computer, showing him her online shopping cart. “While you were gone… I have done a little bit of shopping. The baby’s going to need so many things! I never knew that they have so many needs! Bottles, blankets, tiny little socks, a stroller, a bassinet, one of those backpacks to carry them in, diapers, baby food… We’re going to need to buy everything! But I think I’ve added everything I can think of into my cart. So, what do you think?”

She indicated the screen with a flourish as if she was magician showing her trick. If Kunzite were to look at the order amount’s total, it would probably give him a heart attack.

Resisting the urge to groan in protest, Kunzite gave his wife a brilliant smile that said, "I would do anything for you." He wasn't a complete moron - there was no way the baby even had a brain at this point - but he wasn't about to deal with Minako's wrath. 

Kunzite followed Minako's tugs to her computer, and he felt his face pale and his stomach drop to the floor. She had only known she was pregnant for what - a few hours? How had she already found this much stuff?! Did a baby really need to be carried in a backpack? How many bottles did one child have to have? 

His head was spinning with all of the different items in Minako's shopping cart. "T-those are all great, Minako, but..." he struggled to think of something to say, "Don't you think we should wait until we at least know the gender of our child before we buy it a bunch of things?" 

He didn't know much about babies, so maybe they really did need all of these things, but he could at least try to stall the massive amount of money his wife was about to spend.

“I’m going to have a girl, obviously,” she stated matter-of-factly, as if this was a 100% scientifically proven fact. The idea that she could be having a baby boy had never even crossed her mind. Never mind the fact that pregnancies didn’t work like that. “I can feel it. With my… motherly instincts.”

“Wait, don’t you want a baby girl?” she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as if he shouldn’t dare think otherwise.

Kunzite blanched. Well, in all honestly, of course he would rather have a boy. He could imagine how much fun it would be to teach him how to wield a sword, scale walls, craft blades and shields, and even utilize a little bit of magic. He couldn't wait to give his son his first cape, and teach him how to throw a solid punch. 

But then a thought struck him. What if they had a boy, but he ended up like the Sailor Starlights? A man by day, and a fuku-clad woman by night. 


The horror.

"Absolutely. Nothing else, just girls for us!"

“Glad you agree,” Minako nodded solemnly. She looked at the shopping cart again, and the state of her pregnancy, which might not be older than several weeks. Maybe it was time to calm down a little. That ice cream was looking mighty lonely, too.

“Come sit with me on the bed,” she tugged him, grabbing the ice cream tub and settling herself on the bed. “I know this is sudden and we’re completely unprepared. But maybe it doesn’t have to be a crazy thing.” Who was she kidding—everything in her life had been crazy.

“What are you looking forward to the most about having a child, Kunzite?” she asked, wondering if he’d ever thought about it. The idea of a creating a new family with her. Had he ever pictured it?

Kunzite exhaled in relief. This was what they needed - to just sit down and talk this out. The chaos could hold, for now.

He laid beside her on the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close while she ate her ice cream. With closed eyes, Kunzite leaned his head against Minako's and thought about her question. "I...I haven't really given it much thought. I guess...I just look forward to seeing a human being who is a complete, perfect symbol of this love we share. We have gone to hell and back, and this love has lasted millenia, and now finally we are truly joining as one perfect unit. This child is a product of us, and nothing else. We created this, and that's someone no one will never be able to take away from us."

Kunzite blinked as he realized that he had not really been censoring the things that came out of his mouth. He probably sounded like a woman, but with Minako, he could get in touch with his softer, non-shittenou side. Having a child was something that truly was important to him, and he wasn't afraid to show that.

"What about you?"

She offered a spoonful of ice cream to Kunzite as she listened to him. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true…” It was a nice idea, to view it as a product of their love, of their union. Something that was tangible and theirs and unique like nobody else in the world.

“I like the idea of having someone I can teach everything about life, someone I can have fun with once she starts growing up, and someone who would look up to me as a role model. At least, I hope I could be a good role model. And I can’t wait to see you and her, too. It would be so cute. I’ve never really seen your ‘dad’ side. You’ve at least seen me with Chibiusa. I’ve never seen you around kids at all. I mean, unless you count the other shitennou,” she said with a grin. Those boys could be rather childish if they wanted to be.

“And yeah, thinking that she’s ours… that’s pretty amazing. But I’m still afraid. I see Chibiusa and the issues she had growing up, how busy her parents were and how she felt abandoned… I never want that for our child. What if we get too busy with our jobs? Am I going to have to retire? Are you?” She didn't know if she could stop being a senshi. It was as much a part of her identity as being Minako was.

Kunzite chuckled as he accepted the ice cream offered to him. It was pretty good - no wonder Minako "craved" it so badly. He smiled to himself as he imagined Minako and their potential daughter doing things like shopping together, playing volleyball, and braiding each other's hair. 

Minako's next inquiry gave him pause. They would be the first of the senshi/shittenou pairs outside of Serenity and Endymion to have a child, so how would they know how to raise this child properly? The king and queen had raised Chibiusa to be a beautiful, honorable, strong young lady, but the madness they experienced with Black Lady was not something Kunzite wanted to repeat with his own child. He inhaled deeply, trying to form the right response that wouldn't send his wife on a tirade.

"Yeah, I'm afraid of that too," Kunzite admitted. "Being a shittenou is my very reason for existing, and has been from the beginning..." He met Minako's eyes and gently pushed a strand of long, blonde hair behind her ear. "Until now. This child, from now until the end of time, is my new reason for existing. Being a shittenou is still a part of who I am, but my family will always take precedence. We are leaders, Minako. We can find a balance - it's what we do."

“Good. I think family definitely should come first,” she nodded. “I’ve served Serenity for most of my life, and I know this is what she would want, too. Oh God, in all the chaos, I haven’t told her and the other girls yet! They are going to kill me.”

She couldn’t believe with all the research and panic shopping she hadn’t thought to share the news yet. She supposed part of her was scared. Of their judgment, of the way they would question whether she would be a good mother. Especially Rei. But… they were her friends, right? At the end of the day, even when they teased or poked fun, Minako knew they meant well and would have her back. Ami would make sure there was absolutely nothing wrong with that kid every step of the way. Mako would spoil her like crazy and bake all the delicious stuff for her. Hopefully for Minako too. And Rei would no doubt secretly try to teach her all kinds of sneaky stuff that might end up biting Minako in the butt later.

“I should tell them, and then have Ami check me up to see how far along I am and if everything’s fine. You’ll come to the check up, right? I expect you to be there for every single one.”

Kunzite gave Minako a warm smile and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "I wouldn't miss them for the world," he said. Now that he really thought about it, he couldn't wait to see the fuzzy images of their child, feel the first kick, try to make out the fingers and the toes. Out of all of the adventures and missions he had ever had as a child, who knew that having a child would excite him the most of all?

He also had completely spaced on telling the shittenou about his incoming child. He would never hear the end of it from Jadeite, that was for sure, but Zoisite's wisdom and would be much-needed. He couldn't see Nephrite being of much help, either. Kunzite was the test dummy, to put it mildly. "Perhaps it would be wise for me to tell the other shittenou, as well. I'm not sure they'll be of much help, but...I could probably intimidate Jadeite into buying supplies," he smirked. And he would make sure to share all kinds of horror stories whenever it came time for Jadeite to have a child of his own. "And I do think we should sit down with the King and Queen to inform them of our plans, in terms of our leadership roles and our expanding family. I'm sure they'll be more than understanding."

It had been a long nine months, full of difficulties, stress, and so much physical change that Minako was kept awake at night wondering if she'd ever get back her gorgeous body. There were so many mood swings, so many cravings, swollen ankles, discomfort, and tons of night spent going back and forth to the bathroom. She kept asking Ami if all of this was normal and, to her annoyance, was told that it was. Who knew pregnancy was such a hassle? After this long, she just couldn't wait to have this baby out of her. And it seemed now the time had finally come.

She was monitoring the Crystal Tokyo security defenses, making sure everything would be fine when she'd have to inevitably give birth and be bedridden for several days and then during her maternity leave, when the first wave of painful contractions hit her. Screaming in pain, her knees immediately buckled, and an alarmed guard rushed to her side to catch her.

"Are you okay?" he asked in alarm.

Minako gritted her teeth. "Most definitely not. Take me to the medical wing at once, and get Mercury and Kunzite right away!"

The guard relayed the message through his communicator, and helped her towards the hospital, groaning and cursing the entire time.

Kunzite had been a loyal partner throughout these months, his patience seemingly endless for all her whims and requests and demands, and Minako didn't know how he did it. If she were in his shoes, she would have exploded long ago. Maybe that was why she was the pregnant one.

But at least after today he wouldn't be dealing with her craziness anymore. Although, of course the arrival of the baby would be the start of another mess entirely.

One step at a time, Minako, she reminded herself as she climbed upon the bed in the medical wing, waiting for her best friend and husband to arrive.

Kunzite liked to think that he had the whole "pregnant Minako" thing down to a science. He had answered her every beck and call, getting the ice cream, rubbing the feet, drawing the bath, carrying the new furniture and moving it seven thousand times at Minako's instruction. The nursery was finished, the clothes were waiting to be worn, and both Kunzite and Minako couldn't wait to hold their child. They had decided to wait to find out the gender, and even now after all this time, Kunzite prayed it was a girl. He would love a boy all the same, but he didn't know what he would do if he ended up having a son had to grow breasts in order to fight evil.

The leader of the shittenou was patrolling the palace grounds when his communicator beeped to life, the message from one of his guards coming through: "General Kunzite, sir, Lady Minako has gone into labor. Over."

Kunzite felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and he froze. His face paled as panic erupted within his chest and it all suddenly came crashing down on him what was about to happen. His life was never going to be the same.

After his brief moment of shock, Kunzite began to sprint. He had never run so fast in his life, and he almost slipped a few times as he tried to turn the corners of the palace corridors. He was at the medical wing in a matter of minutes, huffing as he threw open the door and laid eyes on his beautiful wife. He could read her thoughts just be looking in her eyes, and in that moment, he realized that she needed him just as much as he needed her. From this point on, they would have to rely on each other every single step of the way.

And Kunzite couldn't wait.

He gave his wife a gentle, encouraging smile as he briskly walked to her side and took her hand before placing a kiss to her forehead. "I am here for you," he said, "Always. But...do try not to break my hand."