Wishes, Prologue
Sai sat in the kitchen, quietly sipping tea, listening to Kento and Missy
playing a video game in the living room. Occasionally, Ryo's voice would drift over as he commented on the players. Mia was in her study, correcting some papers from her students. Rekkian had left an hour ago with Sage and Rowan, saying that they needed to 'talk.' Sai was glad he wasn't either of them.
The twins, Aristan and Madoka, were closeted together in Madoka's room, and it seemed that Madoka wasn't going to let her sister out of her sight anytime soon. Damiet was off being grilled by the twins' and Rowan's mother, Sarendet. She was the Queen of Secrets and Damiet's future mother-in-law. Damiet was another person Sai was happy not to be...
Suddenly Alex Samahien's voice rang through the house. "Rekkian! Rekkian, where are you?!"
She hadn't been feeling well, and had gone off to the doctor's today. She
must have just gotten home. She sounded as if she were about to do something
immensely violent. Sai could track her progress through the house by the thudding of her footsteps and the slamming of doors. 'Good thing we aren't in Rowan's apartment, we'd have a dozen ticked-off renters...'
Alex's voice drifted in from the living room. You could break icicles off
her tone. "Have any of you seen my husband?" The word 'husband' was said the way people tend to say 'camel dung.'
Three very meek, "No, ma'am"s were what she recieved as answers. Sai winced. 'She'll come in here next...'
Alex walked in. She was so angry, she was vibrating. In a cool, composed
voice, which contrasted with her clenched fists, she asked, "Sai. Have you seen Rekkian?"
For one brief instant Sai considered lying. Then he decided he would rather survive. "He went out this morning. With Sage and Rowan." This did not calm her down. Sai rather hesitantly asked, "Alex...is something wrong?"
She gave a brittle laugh. "Wrong? Wrong? Oh goodness, no! We have a
millennia-old evil to defeat, demon-queens, kitsune, Shadow Warriors stacked knee-high, and now this...! But no, dear. Nothing's wrong. Perish the thought!"
Sai stood blinking. He now knew what a deer in headlights felt like. Alex
was glowing. Black. She was really angry.
Sai was rescued from terror by the sound of the front door opening. He
heard Rowan's voice, rather subdued. "Hey, guys? Why are you all staring at the kitchen like that?"
Sage's voice now. "Yes, why? The last time I saw you look like that was
when Ro decided to cook dinner."
The sound of an elbow hitting ribs. Then Rekkian's voice came through. "Why is everyone watching the kitchen like bystanders staring at a car accident?"
Sai turned white at the look that came over Alex's face. 'Oh am I glad I'm
not Rekkian! Oh am I glad!'
Alex walked over to the doorway. "Rekkian? Come here a moment, would you?"
Rekkian's wary voice answered. "Alex? Are you...feeling all right?"
Alex's voice got even more saccharine. "Rekkian, love, we need to talk."
Rekkian entered the kitchen slowly, looking like a man headed to his own
hanging. Alex directed a dark look at the frozen Sai. "Out."
Sai left. Like all of hell was at his heels. He saw Ryo, Kento, Rowan,
Sage, Madoka, Aristan, and Missy all clumped in a knot, staring at the door like it was an atomic bomb about to go off. He joined them. At first, there was just quiet murmuring, then the noise level raised somewhat. Then he could hear Alex quite clearly, but she was speaking in demonic. Missy, Aristan, and Madoka were wincing at every word spat out with venom, so he was guessing that Alex was cussing her husband out.
Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the wall, then the sound of
breakables hitting the wall. Sai winced. 'There go two mugs...Then a
glass...That was the flower vase...And there goes my tea cup.'
Alex stomped past them, and exited the house, slamming the door behind her. There was absolute silence in the kitchen. Everyone exchanged a worried
look. Alex and Rekkian were the perfect couple. They never had serious fights. And they had only been married for a few months...
The worried group of teens entered the kitchen as warily as if it were
strewn with land mines. Rekkian sat, looking like a stunned ox, on a stool by the counter. He was staring into space, an incredulous look on his face.
Missy, one of his oldest friends, hesitantly touched him on the shoulder.
"Kennie? Are you all right? What brought that on?"
Damiet walked into the kitchen. "Hey? What's with the Chosen Key? She just
stomped past me as if she were off to do murder." His gaze went to the broken crockery and his stunned half-brother. "Oh boy. Is this something I even want to know about?"
Rekkian's incredulous look melted into a grin of pure joy. "I'm going to be a father." He started to laugh, and danced a startled Missy around the room. "I'm going to be a father!"
He grinned in a stunned fashion at the gathered teens. "I can't believe it! Wow!" Then he blinked. "Oh man! I better go calm down Alex!"
He ran past the stunned group and left, the door standing wide open behind
him, letting in the weak winter sunshine, and a lot of cold air. The Queen of
Secrets, or Sarah Hashiba in her human form, entered, smoothing her immaculate business suit. She raised one perfect blue eyebrow. She carefully shut the door, shaking her head. "Honestly, he is far too old to act so thoughtless." She turned to the stunned group. "So. I take it Alex found out about the baby today? I was wondering how long it would take her..."
She blinked at the collective glare she recieved. "What? What did I say?"
Mia poked her head out of her study. "What on earth has been going on out
here?"
She blinked as everyone tried to tell her the news at once. "Really? Alex
is expecting? How nice! Why was she so upset?"
The Queen smirked. "Gee, she already has to worry about defeating a century-old evil and saving the world. Trying to do it while having morning sickness, strange cravings, and swollen ankles? I'm glad I'm not her..."
Wishes, part 1
