Chapter 6 – Preparations

One Kiss. That was all it took for them to admit their true feelings to each other. Now the princess and the thief were inseparable. Wherever they went, the two of them would be arm in arm. Some couldn’t help but stare but Kumatora would stare right back as if she was saying “Yeah, I love him. You got a problem with that?” The wall the separated their two rooms was demolished but they still refused to share the same bed. Nowadays she needed a bit more assistance with the things she normally did due to her back hurting constantly and her belly now getting in the way. It couldn’t be helped. At least Duster and was willing to lend a helping hand. She actually thought it was kind of cute that he was doing all of this for her and more. Lucas was happy to see his two friends like this but also a bit sad. The blonde wasn’t able to hang out with them like he use to. Instead, he would be helping Flint take care of the sheep, which he didn’t really mind because maybe one day the teen might be doing the same thing, perhaps even with his own son.

It was now winter and Rope Snake sat curled up on Duster’s bed, fast asleep. Ever since he was able to help the thief deactivate the Ultimate Chimera, the reptile’s confidence came back. As a result, he was able to greet his friends every day and eventually was able to live with them. Rope Snake was happy that he got to be with them again. The two parents-to-be were in the next room taking care of a few things.

“Maybe it would be better to put them over there.” Kumatora said, pointing to the corner of the room.

“All right…”

Duster was moving around some furniture, making sure that everything would be ready for the new baby, which was due to arrive in a couple of months.

“At least you’re getting some exercise. Ever since that snowstorm came in, we’ve been cooped up in here for the last week.” The thief nodded and moved two chairs and a table to the corner of the room. “You know what? It was better over there.” She pointed to where they had been before. Duster sighed and moved the furniture back in their original position. “Hmm… now they’re too close to the cupboard. Slide them towards the fireplace a bit.”

I wish she would make up her mind… he thought before moving them again.

“There we go. Perfect”

He sighed in relief and flopped down into one of the chairs he had been moving around the room. Kumatora sat down next to him but had a bit of trouble because her large belly was starting getting in the way. “Everything is looking good. I’m actually starting to look forward to bringing a child into this place.”

“I am too.”

“At first I hated the thought of being a parent but now I’m kind happy about it” As soon as she finished her sentence, she looked down at her now large belly and held it.

“Hey, calm down in there!”

Duster couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “Sounds like our baby is starting to take a bit after his mother.”

Kumatora smirked at his comment. “Or her mother.”

“Right.”

“A lot of movement has been going on lately.”

“It’s probably because it’s getting cramped in there. I would need to stretch too if I was stuck in such a small place.”

“You got a point.” As soon as she finished that sentence, she was kicked hard by the baby. “Ow, easy,” she told it while rubbing the side of her stomach where the kick was. Duster couldn’t help but laugh. There was no doubt about it that this child was going to be a handful when it got older. 

“Why are you laughing at me?” she asked.

“I’m not.”

“Good.”

Rope Snake had recently woken up and slithered into the room, hoping to get something to eat. He made his way over to the couple and greeted them.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing much, just kicking back even though the baby is doing most of the kicking.”

“Sounds like you’re going to have quite an energetic child on your hands,” Rope Snake commented, smiling.

“Seems like it.”

“Now don’t mind me, I’m just going to get something to eat.” Rope Snake went over to where his food was and got a quick bite before heading back into the bedroom to get comfortable again.

“I just realized something. The baby is going to be here soon and we haven’t thought of any names yet,” Duster pointed out.

“I totally forgot about that. With everything going on, it must have slipped my mind.”

The two sat there, trying to think of some good names for their future child. A few minutes of silence passed and they still weren’t sure what to choose.

“I’ve got nothing,” Kumatora stated.

“I have a few ideas but I don’t think you’ll care for them.”

“Just tell me what you thought up.”

“All right. Mark, Ryan, Aaron or Hunter for a boy and Jessica, April, Mario or Sakura for a girl.”

“Hunter’s a good one but I don’t like the ones you chose for a girl.”

“Then why don’t you think of one then?”

“Okay.” Kumatora thought for a minute about possible names. Many didn’t interest her until she finally though of one she liked or at least would be decent. “What about Hikari?”

“That will work.”

She nodded. “Then it’s decided, Hunter for a boy and Hikari for a girl.” The baby had stopped moving round for a moment and it had become quite once again. 

“Actually, I’ve been actually doing a lot of thinking lately,” Duster spoke up. He just felt as if he had to say something.

“That’s a first.”

“Very funny. Anyway, have you ever wondered what the child might look like?”

“Not really but I just hope it ends up looking normal.”

“I just don’t want the child to end up with my nose,” he joked, placing his hand on it. Kumatora couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, what about if it will be able to use PSI?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll teach him or her all I know. However, I doubt there will be a need to use them they way I had to.”

“I’ll probably do something similar with my thief skills if he or she doesn’t. However, I won’t do like my dad did and push it too hard. I don’t want the kid to be walking around with a limp all his or her life.”

“That didn’t stop you from being a great fighter,” she smiled. Even with his bad leg, he was quite fast and had great endurance. It seems like the extreme training did have some of its advantages since he did play a role in defeating the Pig Mask Army and helping to remake the world into the peaceful place it was now.

“You know, I find this ironic. You’re doing more of the thinking that I am.”

“Well, a lot of thought have been racing through my mind lately, knowing that the baby will be here soon. What I’m really curious about is that if we’re going to end up with more than one child.”

“MORE than one?! I seriously doubt that we’ll end up having twins or triplets.”

“You never know.”

“One baby will be enough of a handful, let alone two or three.”

“I was just saying,” Duster shrugged. He got up from where he was sitting and went to get a drink of water. “Do you need anything right now?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll probably just go and lay down for a bit anyways. I’m bored and I’m getting a bit tired.” Kumatora had with a bit of trouble getting out of the chair but the thief went over and helped her out of it. She lost her balance due to her changed center of gravity for a second and fell towards the thief.

“Careful,” he said as he caught her. The princess couldn’t help but blush, mainly out of embarrassment. He helped Kumatora to her feet, trying to be careful not to hit anything or lose his balance as well.

“Thanks. I hate it that I can’t even get out of a chair without some help.”

Kumatora made her way to the bedroom to take a nap. Rope Snake was asleep again on Duster’s bed, this time hiding under the covers to keep warm. He didn’t even budge an inch as she laid down onto her own. With her hand placed on her stomach, she stared at the cradle that sat in the corner of the room. Lucas and Fuel had made it together with a bit of help from their fathers as a bit of a gift. It actually turned out quite well, in her opinion.

She couldn’t help but think about the child she was carrying, or even children, thanks to Duster bringing it up. What would it look like? All she could hope is that it would actually be human and look normal. Also, whatever happened to that crazy doctor that was partially responsible for this in the first place? It seems as if he had disappeared after the whole fiasco, trying not to cause any more trouble. Kumatora didn’t care either way if he ever returned or not. All she cared about at the moment was her future child and the relationship she had with the baby’s father.