Shadow Step [Sequel to Hollow] ~A Ruki Story~

Reality

Shadow Step: Chapter: 8 Reality…
“W-what do you mean?” I thought I heard wrong.
“Please don’t make me say it again.” She says. I was wrong I heard perfectly fine. This makes no sense. I think I’m still in shock because she’s balling her eyes out and I’m still sitting there like I’m in a daze.
She sits down and covers her face. I had no comforting words. I mean what was I supposed to say? I guess it just hasn’t fully set in yet. I hold her hand and she squeezes it tight.
“This is what I get. I say I don’t want a baby and that it’s bad timing and everything, and now…. Only now I’m realizing how much I really did want it…” her words hit me hard. Like smack in the face. I felt my tears fall down my face and I found myself balling right there with her.
“Moka this isn’t your fault.” I say though tears.
“Then whose fault is it Takanori? Don’t blame it on fate. It’s no one’s fault but my own.” She says before crying again.  I try to wipe her tears away, but there only replaced by my own.  I wanted to say that everything was going to be ok. That we’d be fine. But I couldn’t bring myself to say such things. I just ended up hugging her tight and us both crying till we simply couldn’t anymore.
We eventually fell asleep and I thought to avoid an episode I should just tell everyone now. I met everyone and sat down and took a deep breath.
“There’s something you have to know.” I start.
“What?” Reita says.
“… Moka… had a miscarriage.” It still really painful to talk about. I felt the sorrow in the room and I heard muffled “sorry’s.”
After everyone left Akuma came up to me and says.
“Ruki did Moka tell you how it happened?”
“No, I didn’t have the heart to ask.” I quickly wipe away a tear.
“D-do you want to know?” she asked. I had to think for a second.
“Yes…”
“Well… as you know we were out roaming around that day and it was going fine until Moka slipped on a step and fell right on her stomach. She said she wanted to go get checked out just to be safe… but I guess….” She tried not to cry.
“It’s ok Akuma…” I say. She wipes away her tears.
“Tell Moka that were thinking about you two ok?”
“I will.” I say and I head back to my car and get ready to go home. Last I saw Moka wasn’t up, but she could just be lying there.
“Moka?” I say walking in the house. I don’t hear anything. I walk up stairs and see her lying in bed still.
“Moka?” I say again. I see her turn over with her expressionless face and blood shot eyes.
“You doing ok?” she slowly nods. I sit down by her and kiss her forehead.
“I love you.” I say to her. She’s silent. I look around the room and then say,
“You know you can’t just lie here for the rest of your life.”
“Taka…” she mumbles.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I’m sorry.” I was really starting to worry about her. She was so depressed all the time and she wasn’t getting any better.
I was feeling so horrible I had no choice but to go to the hospital and get her some anti-depressants. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know exactly how she was going to react to me getting these for her either, but I was tired of watching her suffer.
“Moka?” I say walking into my room. I see her roll over and look up at me.
“I want you to start taking these.” Say handing her the bottle. She looks at it for minute before saying,
“Why?”
“I’m tired of not being able to do anything for you. I don’t want you to be sad anymore ok?” she sits up and I hand her the glass of water I brought with me. She pops the cap off and puts one of the pills in her mouth. She takes the water from me and washes down.
“I love you.” I say holding her hand.
“I love you too.” She says putting on a half-smile. It was the first time I had seen that smile in over a week. I was nice. I felt that she was going to go back to her old self. Something still makes me wonder though.
“Are you and Moka going to get married?” Reita’s words echo in my mind.
I never thought about it, but I guess it doesn’t matter now. Besides that would be moving too fast. I don’t really wanna get married right now anyway. I’m happy the way things are now. Minus the last two episodes recently.
Moka started moving more about the house and going out again. Seems that things were indeed getting better. We went out one day and were sitting in a coffee shop when she got a call.
“Who was that?” I ask at the end of the call.
“It was Shinji. I haven’t seen or heard from him in at least a year.”
“Really.” I say. We get up and head outside. I light a cigarette and take a long drag.
“Yeah, you wanna come meet him with me?”
“Sure.” I say following her. We walk a ways before we see a younger looking man leaning up agents a building. I soon recognize him as Shinji. He and Moka have more or less the same face.
“Shinji?” she says.
“Hey sis.” He says standing up. He glances at me then Moka says,
“It’s been quite a while hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I was starting to worry about you. Who’s with you.” He says looking at me. I take off my sunglasses and say,
“You don’t remember me?” his eyes show realization.
“Takanori? The bad ass kid from high school?”
“In the flesh.”
“You two still together?”
“Yeah.” Moka says leaning on me.
“Consider me impressed.” He says turning to walk.
“Shinji.” Moka says waking after him. I take another drag then follow them.
“So, anything new happen?”
“No not really…” Moka says sinking her head a little. I give her an encouraging smile. I’m surprised she didn’t tell him. Then I say,
“Anything with you kid?”
“Not really.” Then he looks at me again.
“But I do hear that you are pretty “popular” now aren’t you?”
“You can say that.” I say smiling at bit.
“Your music is pretty awesome though.”
“Thanks, I’m glad it’s Shinji approved.” I say.
“Hey, that’s a high mark that most don’t get.” He says.
I laugh. “Ok, I’ll take your word for it.” I say.
It was nice to be able to feel normal again. To feel like the old days. To forget about the miscarriage and move on. To almost call us a family…
Next Chapter: Unity