Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life 26

Yukiko continued to grow until she looked liable to give birth any moment though of course her due date wasn't until late August right before the start of school. A girl in such a state was in no shape to be doing housework, not even Sachiko would balk at that. That meant her days were mostly filled with more clerical work: employee and vendor payment, reception, chore lists, hotel inventory and attempting to learn how to use a desktop for business though that last one was slow going. It also meant plenty of sitting on her ever expanding butt and snacking, snacking, snacking until either her tummy was full or it was time for dinner; usually the latter. When the guests weren't around, the future owner was quite the common sight in front of the vending machine, happily swaying from side to side in anticipation of a tasty treat, whispering to her baby and giving everyone quite a sight when she'd bend over to collect her meal.

"You shouldn't have to subsist on snack food my love," a few maids heard their future bosses husband whisper to her in the halls. "I should be sending you a proper meal if you're hungry, I promise it's not a bother at all."

"Oh hubby it's okay," she said giving him a peck on the cheek. "It's kind of fun getting to try all the chips and candies I'd never let myself taste before. And it's not like I can really 'fill up on junk'" she teased giving her stomach a wobbling pat that kept Yu transfixed on the jiggling. "Besides junk food is..." and from there whatever she whispered got too inaudible for any eavesdropping maids to hear but from the look on Yu's face, it was certainly something pleasing.

Yukiko managed to eat and laze herself to a whopping two hundred and sixty pounds which made her if not the fattest student in Yasogami High's history, certainly the heaviest girl to ever waddle through its halls. Luckily she was on vacation and wasn't forced to cram herself into a woefully inadequate uniform.

Yu was quite satisfied for obvious reasons and more amorous with his lovely wife than ever but Yukina was also quite satisfied with her "delightfully doughy dumpling daughter" as she put it one day while they were working together. As annoying as it could be, it was better than being insulted or hounded about it so Yukiko let it happen. With her days marginally less full schedule wise and her body growing more and more gravid by the day, Yosuke's prediction turned out to be accurate and Yukiko found herself touching their new video game console for the very first time.

After her husband helped her with the initial setup, the heiress thought it would be smooth sailing from there but video games it turned out were not made with pregnant mamas in mind. Almost every one they tried seemed to require the use of two hands! How was a mother supposed to rub her belly with both hands on a controller? Speaking of the controller, it came with a little screen that many of the games made use of. Constantly looking between the television screen and the smaller one in her hand made her quite dizzy after only a few minutes and she'd often find her little virtual character careening into a pit before she could look up. If all that wasn't bad enough, so many games were 3D nowadays. That extra z-axis made playing them rather difficult for someone who'd never even touched a video game before. Video games were really only fun when she got to watch her hubby excel at them while she busied herself eating chocolate cake, but she didn't want to force him to play just for her amusement; since he kept himself so busy, that would only happen once or twice a week at most.

Just when all hope seemed lost and the mother to be was ready to give up on the hobby entirely, she found the perfect game, coming across it while scrolling through the virtual "store" that came with the console.

She was lazily game surfing, giving a quick glance at their description and usually moving on immediately. Despite that, it still took her quite a while to get through considering the heifer was currently working her way through an extra large bowl of smoked brisket flavored popcorn. As if the brisket itself wasn't enough, her wonderful husband had flavored the popcorn with all the remaining butter, fat, grease and salt from the meat to make even a pre bed snack utterly delectable. She couldn't stop licking her lips and fingers after every few handfuls it was so delicious and plentiful. So there she was packing buttery brisket popcorn into her mouth, only partially focused on the TV and her gorging when a certain title caught her eye.

"Mother 2? What a strange title for a game...someone can only have one mother." it wasn't enough to make her sit up, but she was certainly paying attention now. "Intergalactic terror strikes the small town of Onett as a blazing extraterrestrial object crashes in the night! The Earth now faces imminent destruction by the universal evil threat, Giygas. A courageous boy named Ness and his three friends vow to save the planet from hideous destruction. Battle hundreds of off-the-wall monsters, roaming dinosaurs, and alien enemies. Goodness that sounds like fun doesn't it sweetie?" Taking a look at some of the promotional pictures, the mama was quite taken with a young boy who was presumably the main character of the tale. He was just so precious! An adorable little boy with a baseball cap turned to the side, all the other protagonists were young adults or weird mustachioed men. There weren't many games where she just wanted to pick up the main character and dote on him. If she didn't help him on his adventure then who would? She couldn't let the poor boy and his friends go out all by himself! Her motherly instincts were going into overdrive and she gently heaved herself into a sitting position.

"Oh? What's this? 'To play this game you only need the directional pad and the L buttons that mirrors the A button as the action button , you can even eat pizza while playing...'" The exact lingo was a little confusing for the blubbery bumpkin but it sounded like the game could be played with only one hand, exactly what she had been looking for. Said unoccupied hand rested itself comfortably on her belly shelf and happily rubbed all over the growing orb. "Now we can play together. Maybe I can get your daddy to feed us pizza...that advertisement made me hungry." Sure she had the popcorn but that was a mere snack and she was growing an appetite to match her size.

It quickly became apparent to Yukiko why the game was called Mother 2. The main character, Ness, had a mother of his own but since she had two kids that meant she had to stay home while Ness went on his grand adventure. That meant it fell to Yukiko to take care of Ness while he was away from home; managing his finances, making sure he was eating well, directing him in battle so he didn't get hurt, patching him up when he did get hurt through the menu, shopping for his clothes and helping him get dressed. It was called Mother 2 because there were two mothers!

A part of Yu wanted to tell her that this was all standard fair for any role playing game but his wife seemed so happy every time she got a new hat to put on Ness' head or he got a good night's rest. "I think I have one major complaint with this game. There's no 'healthy' options for Ness to eat, there's only greasy junk. That's no good for a growing boy hubby! He needs his nutrients." Yu held a double bacon cheeseburger up to her face and she took a lazy chomp, hands too occupied with the controller and belly rubbing to do it herself. All the junk food gave her some real cravings that Yu was happy to indulge. "I mean with all the exercise he gets, a burger every now and then is probably fine right beautiful?"

"Besides, if those psychic powers of his are anything like a Persona, he's probably burning a ton of calories." She paused to consider this for a moment before a squeezing and jiggling of her lower belly made her squeak. "I don't think you should be giving anyone advice on healthy eating though. What happens if you catch our little one with his hands in the cookie jar hmmm?" Yu's hand crept down to grasp a thick thigh and slowly began to spread it open. "He'll say 'mom gets dessert whenever she wants so why shouldn't I'" That made Yukiko pout, "Yu! Our son would never be that misbehaved! And anyway...you never eat dessert and I think he'd want to copy you instead. Since you're so dashing and handsome..." It was due to conversation's like these that Yukiko often left the game idle while she and her husband enjoyed each other instead. It was like they couldn't be in the same room together without making love which may not have seemed like a big change to most but there truly was a marked increase. The second the door closed, Yu couldn't help himself and a few caresses and squeezes had his gravid wife just as amorous. The last few romps in the hay before they'd have to cut back and focus on the baby and of course Yukiko didn't mind. It was only natural for Yu to have uncontrollable lust around his ideal woman just as it was natural for her to feel the same for her ideal man. Not everything was so picturesque though as it turned out. As the birth drew closer and the couple spent more time together than ever before, certain idiosyncrasies developed in each of them that in all honesty was quite annoying to the other one. August 12th, one week before Yukiko was set to give birth, was when it all came to a head.

"Aren't you going to backtrack to Twoson now that the buses work again? You can give that guy back his item and the guidebook says you can get a good reward for doing it."

Yukiko pursed her lip in annoyance but refrained from saying anything harsh. "Hubby, I'd rather not know about things I missed out on." Her husband had a bit of a bad habit of "backseat gaming" as it were, making a little twitch or noise whenever Yukiko would do something in the game that wasn't quite optimal. He very nearly went into conniptions when she refused to buy big bottle rockets from the arms dealer because "children shouldn't be playing with explosives." Whenever he tried to explain that they weren't in fact real, she'd cut him off and tell him he was missing the point with slight disappointment in her voice.

"Well you didn't miss out on it. You can still go back and get it now. It is the best healing item in the game after all. What if you come to a long dungeon and you don't have enough PP to clear it?" Again Yukiko heaved an annoyed sigh though Yu didn't really understand why. She was currently being as pampered as could be, back up against plush pillows and being hand fed delicious meat lovers pizza. Thoroughly milked for the day, all that was left to do was get fatter and milkier for tomorrow. She didn't even bother tying the knot when it was just the two of them since it was uncomfortable and usually ended up undone before the night was over. There was no other way to describe her size than that she looked like a woman carrying a fully grown infant inside them, so big and round that sometimes it seemed as if one hand wasn't anywhere close to enough to cover all that surface area. Contractions seemed to get more frequent every day and he knew soon he'd be saying goodbye to his big beautiful pearl of a wife...until next time of course. Perhaps he was getting a bit spoiled himself, here he had an amazing far above a measly ten on the attractiveness scale over two hundred and fifty pound goddess of a wife and yet he still found himself wishing she could stay this round and fertile looking for a few weeks more.

Then the mental images of her holding a baby at her breast would enter his head and he realized no matter what, she'd always be indescribably gorgeous to him. The last several months had been a whirlwind of sex and romance that he never thought he'd get to experience before. There was just something about the beautiful woman who was mothering his child that sent his desires into overdrive, usually so composed there was just something about the perfect woman he couldn't resist. He wanted to coat her face in kisses and her body in calories and even now he was trying to ensure she had the most fun and complete gameplay experience possible, yet now she was resisting him.

"What's even the point of getting good healing items anyway? You're the one who always tells me to 'save them for later just in case'" Yu didn't like how snippy her tone sounded there but put it aside. "Listen, I just don't want you to get stuck. It would be a shame for you to get really far and be unable to proceed. Apparently, there's a Kraken fight later in the game that a lot of people have trouble with-" he didn't even get a chance to finish before Yukiko slapped him hard on the shoulder. "*Ow!* What on earth was that for!?"

"You spoiled it! How am I supposed to get immersed if I know things the characters don't?"

"Well now you can better prepare and ration out your item use-"

"*Ugh* you just don't get it at all! I don't want to do everything this guidebook says or get every secret in some out of the way place! I just want to enjoy the experience! What's so hard to understand about that!?"

"I don't understand because it doesn't make sense. How can you enjoy something more if you experience less of it? Missing out on things means you're getting less content out of the game than you would if you got everything. You've gotten a game over quite a number of times, wouldn't it be more fun to not lose?"

"Oh right. You always know what's best don't you? I can never just do things my way can I? You always have to be in control." The game was paused at this point and Yukiko had gently yet angrily placed the controller on the bed. Her arms were crossed over her bosom and her face was currently in a full scowl, an expression it hadn't been in since...yesterday. It was then that Yu knew this was about more than just a silly video game and sighed deeply. "Okay what's this really about? What's bothering you?" That seemed to make her even angrier and she looked about ready to toss one of the pillows at him. "Oh yes it's my fault for being bothered. Not your fault for being the source of my frustration."

"Are you going to tell me what I did or are you just going to pout?" Immediately after saying it, Yu regretted it but even he wasn't perfect and was prone to frustration or annoyance. The look of genuine anger and hurt on his wife's face made him reassess himself and before she could say something to escalate things further, he held up a hand. "I apologize, that was absolutely uncalled for I shouldn't have said that. Look, we're going to be parents in a couple of months and right now, neither of us is behaving like a parent. Children should never see their parents go to bed angry, especially not at each other right?" That was all it took for Yukiko to feel shame at the things she was about to say and she gave her tummy a solemn pat, even allowing herself a tiny smile. "I...I apologize for snapping like that. And you're right, it's more than just the game."

"It's about the cleaning isn't it?" Yukiko opened her mouth in surprise he guessed right so quickly and nodded. "I just wanted to make sure the room was perfect for our baby. I don't understand how you can be a perfectionist about a video game yet so lax when it comes to your own son...great now you've got me calling it a game too..."

On paper, it would seem Yu was the bad guy here preventing a poor soft mama from readying the baby's room...until one took a look around the room they shared. The entire thing was spotless, there was not a speck of dust in sight, under the bed, by the window or even on the ceiling. Everything that could be organized had been organized several times over and of course thoroughly cleaned, again several times over. His crib had been built with accompanying mobile and both had been checked and rechecked and then checked again for splinters and of course dusted. All the memorabilia from their adventures had been cleaned and anything dangerous had been put far far away from any curiously grasping baby hands. Yukiko insisted on being the one to do all their laundry; every sheet, pillow case, clothing article and doll had been through several cycles to get as spic and span as it possibly could be. When Yu had caught his wife scrubbing the bathroom floor for the fourth time that weak because she "just knew there were germs who escaped," he knew it had to stop. Gently grasping her hand and locking her cleaning supplies, he made her promise to just relax and assured her what they'd done already was more than enough. She'd accepted at the time but she'd certainly scowled about it and he knew now how much it had really been eating at her.

"My love, you know that's just not true. I care about the safety of our baby more than anything it's just...you've gone a little overboard these past few weeks."

"I have not!" Yu raised a skeptical eyebrow at this and began to rub her belly. Despite wanting to stay mad, it did have a calming effect on her and she became more open to what he was saying. "Remember four nights ago when you woke up at two in the morning and got me to rearrange all the furniture in our room because it wasn't right?"

"Of course I do. The baby would have had sunlight in his eyes if we left him where he was..."

"And do you remember three nights ago when the chefs helped you organize and clean out the entirety of the fridge, cupboard and pantry after every dish in the kitchen was made spotless?"

"W-well I just don't want the tiniest germ to get anywhere near his food!"

"And what about two nights ago when you said that we absolutely needed to get a baby gate right this instant even though he won't even be walking for another few months?"

"I...I just want to make sure everything's good and ready..."

"And what about last night while you were cleaning the bathroom and you started thinking about having me uninstall the shower glass and replace it with a new one? And then started talking about doing the same for every last tile? Don't you think that's a bit much?" Finally, Yukiko heaved a great sigh and added her own hands to the belly rubbing mixture. "I just...I wanted to make a nice clean organized little nest for him is all. Even though it hurts my back, it feels good to scrub away the dirt off the floor. It's like an itch that I just have to scratch and everyone always tells me to follow my instincts..." she left the rest unsaid as Yu took her hands in his. "Oh Yuki, you're going to be such a wonderful mom. But I'm telling you right now...my instincts are telling you that yours are wrong in this case. When you think it over, truly, does tearing the whole inn down and rebuilding it just for a few germs really sound right?"

"Well...I guess not. Really, I just like the feeling of homemaking I suppose whether that be knitting a little baby bonnet or picking out fresh sheets for his crib." The young mother could feel little tears brimming at the corners of her eyes but managed to hold the waterworks in check. She wouldn't cry until the baby was actually in her arms and he gave off his first coo of his life. "Once I ran out of things to do, I suppose I did get a little frantic."

"Right so you just lay back and I'll take care of anything else that needs to be done." Yukiko scowled at that even as he kissed her forehead. Her scowl softened a bit when she felt his love and she just ended up shaking her head instead. "You still don't understand. I want to experience the feeling even if it's faster if I let you, or a guidebook, do everything for me. Do you get it now? Please understand hubby."

"Look, I'm not trying to control you or anything. I just want you to have the best experience possible..."

"I know but for me, the best experience is my own way. Not the way somebody else wrote down for me to play. I don't want to win, I just want to be immersed and go on an adventure. Oh hubby, you were so good about teaching me to cook, why is this so different?" At this, Yu realized she was right. When she'd been learning to cook, he'd taken a very hands off approach and let her make several mistakes before giving her pointers on how to improve. "Well cooking is...either you do it or you don't right? It either tastes good or it doesn't. The end result is making something that actually tastes good. I assumed the object of the game was to win and that's how I'd want to play...but if you just want to play to have fun then I'll be quiet. Instead of watching the screen, I'll just feed you pizza instead." The young man held out a piece of "apology pizza" for his beloved and she gladly accepted with a happy chomp. "*Mmmph* *gulp* you know, there's multiple save files. Why don't you start one up once I'm finished and you can have your own little experience?" The two smiled at each other but before Yu could speak, Yukiko suddenly gasped. "Oh my goodness! Hubby! That was our first real fight wasn't it!? And we got through it no problem! Ooooh I knew we were meant to be!" She tossed her arms around him and nuzzled her head into his chest. "We really are like 'an old married couple' in the first year! Our first fight...maybe we should celebrate?"

Yu smiled wryly at his oddball of a wife and gave her a little eskimo kiss. "Whatever you want, gorgeous. Here, how about I rub your back while you play." She purred as usual but let out a wince of discomfort afterward that had Yu clutching her shoulders and doting on her in the blink of an eye. "What's the matter my love? Belly ache?"

"Kind of. Everything's contracting again." Yu made a kind of noise of understanding, her birthing contractions had become quite frequent, basically every half hour or hour they would happen but flopping on her side was usually enough to make them dissipate. With a lazy belch, Yukiko allowed her husband to help her on her side with a big smile on her face. "You were right hubby, talking things out made our baby boy even more eager to come out. I hope mommy and daddy didn't scare you too much but everything's fine now." Her baby talk was interrupted by a little whimper of discomfort. "It's not going away...everything feels so tight..." she let out a gasp before taking a deep breath and sighing. "Okay...I think it passed," she said after what felt like an eternity to her concerned husband. "Yu, could you...?" He didn't even need to be told and she cooed happily as his hand caressing her gut sent tingles throughout her body. "Is that better? Are you nice and comfortable?" Yukiko nodded with that same utterly contented smile on her face and Yu could just feel his heart hammering with his affection for the two of them. "Anything at all I can do to make your lives easier, neither of you ever hesitate to let me know."

"*Mmhmm* listen to your dada now little one. He means it."

"Your mother won't hesitate to do the same. Out of all the women in Inaba...she's the one I chose to raise you with for a reason."

"Yu..." The man in question lovingly and tenderly brought a piece of pizza to further fatten his lady love and she happily opened her mouth to accept it.

...or at least she would have normally. Right before she took a large bite, she hesitated. Sensing her discomfort, Yu gently brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "What's the matter buttercup?" In that moment, her eyes looked so very sad and she couldn't meet his gaze. "*Um* I'm not...I mean...I just don't feel up to eating that right now." Even Yu couldn't hide his shocked expression and immediately Yukiko looked even more regretful. "I'm so sorry hubby, I know you worked hard to make it and I know how much you like me bigger." Her worries dissipated when he started playing with a lock of her beautiful jet black hair, like a gentle trickle from a dark ebony lake above. "*Hahahahaha* there's nothing to worry about angel cake. I was just surprised, it's been so long since you haven't been able to clean your plate." He gave her immense stomach a pat and even in her close to labor state, the whole thing was sent wobbling softly. "Don't worry, you've been eating so well it will take a lot more than one missed meal to affect anything right?" She giggled at his joke and he thought she looked absolutely adorable with her dimpled smile and double chin lazily splayed on her side like a contented cat. "Oh stop you flatterer! ...you really think so?"

"Darling, you're the fattest girl in all of Inaba. I know so." And with that, they shared a long kiss until it was interrupted by another whimper. "*Oooooh* tight." the beautiful bovine huffed and puffed a bit as her and her husband's hands caressed all over the fecund gut she possessed. "How's the baby?" Yu asked, doing his best to mask the concern.

"He's not moving much, probably sleeping. He's been moving less recently actually, but that just means he's getting bigger." Something about that statement bothered Yu but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Well...I'm going to wrap this up for later and when I get back I'll give you a full body oil massage okay?"

The heiress bit her lip and eyed the dirty plate briefly. "*Um* hubby, I know I promised to calm down with the nesting but..."

"No that's alright, I'll have the sheets washed and the plate cleaned. *Er* I mean, I'll wash the plate and you can wash the sheets." He was nothing if not a quick learner and the big bright smile she gave him made him so glad he said it. "Thanks," that was all she said until he was just about to leave the room. "Thanks for letting me be a mom." He didn't turn back, but a truly joyful smile spread across his own face as he left. "Thanks for letting me be a dad," he said back. He didn't see her reaction but he knew that made her happy.

It was only when he was just finishing washing up the plate that he realized why her earlier statement of the baby getting bigger bothered him. Not because of what she actually said not at all, but because a baby getting bigger meant it was getting closer to being born. The lack of appetite, the sudden increase in both severity and frequency of her contractions...only one outcome was looking likely.

"No, no it can't be. The doctor said the due date isn't for another week." Even so, he found himself dropping the plate in the sink and hurrying back to the room. The kitchen was utterly empty this late at night but he was fortunate enough to run into his father in law just outside carrying some dishes of his own. Being so busy, he and his wife sometimes didn't have time to eat until very late at night though he always made sure Yukina put at least something in her body. "Woah there killer! What's the big hurry? Pregnancy cravings? Hah!" Normally, Yu would have at least smiled but now he looked at Fuyuhiko so intensely it was honestly startling. "I *uh*-"

"Mr. Amagi, I need you to do two things for me. It's very important you do them fast too."

"Sure! But like I said before, what's the big hur- oh. Oh! Is it really happening? That's the only thing that could make even you turn as white as a sheet!"

Yu was actually quite thankful the man pointed out how frazzled he looked. He didn't want Yukiko to panic, especially if he was wrong, so he slapped his cheeks and took a deep breath. "We don't know yet but I'm pretty sure," he said much more calmly. "The main reason is-"

"Up bup bup! Yu...I've been through this song and dance before. It's just one of those things you as the husband know, if you feel like it's happening then it probably is. You get our little princess and I'll get the car ready. Oh and I need to tell my own wife of course!" In a move that showed where his daughter got her own somewhat absentminded behavior from, he let the dishes drop from his arms as he power walked back where he came from. Yu was only just barely able to catch them and place them on a nearby counter, though being honest he could barely manage the mental ability to care about such things right now either.

"Be calm, they're counting on you to be a leader. Her parents are here to help you, be calm." It was a variant on what he would tell himself before the team would dungeon delve, but the spirit of the little confidence boost was the same. It was because of that, he was able to enter their bedroom with his shoulders squared and held high. He returned to find his beloved sucking in air through her teeth as another contraction hit her, it had been about ten minutes since the last one after all and they were only going to get more frequent. "Hubby!" she called happily. "Did you *oogh* get the oil? I don't see it." Yu got down on his knees, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it. "Yuki, there's no easy way to say this but...I think today's the day." She looked at him in excitement and a bit of confusion. With those big trusting beautiful brown eyes, she blinked her pretty eye lashes and shook her head. "That's...I mean I'd love it to be but the doctor's said...they said it wouldn't be for another week."

Yu felt a surge of love go through him at that moment. His wife was so innocent and trusting that she treated the doctor's word like gospel, it didn't even occur to her that the date they'd given her would be wrong. "Yuki...sometimes doctor's aren't one hundred percent on the due date."

"But...I was born on time and grandmother said mother was born on time." Yu understood her wanting to put her complete trust in people but unfortunately they didn't have time. "My love, listen to your body. What is it telling you right now?"

"My...my body's..." she did as he asked and focused on the feelings and sensations running all throughout her body. The just about to be mom felt the looseness in her upper body and the weight pressing down near her pelvis, aching to be released into the world. She felt everywhere else relax and the tension all funnel into her waist and hips as her body focused on the important areas. Her back ached something fierce and the contractions felt tighter than ever before, not just that but they were more rhythmic too, a steady beat of tightening and relaxing and tightening and relaxing but only in the area where the baby was. When she opened her eyes, she knew what her husband said was the truth of it.

"It's...it's really happening," too excited to even shout, her voice was a faint whisper and her hand tightened around her husband's. "I know," he said in response, "it's wonderful, but right now we need to get to the hospital okay? I'll call the others and you just focus on your breathing." He spared a moment to kiss her both on the forehead and on her tummy and immediately she felt a wave of relief wash over her. A lesser man would be running around like a headless chicken in a panic but not her husband! Yukiko was helped to her feet, never losing her smile and her gentle belly rubbing posture even as her body was beginning to be wracked by labor.

When the two made their way to the carport, they found Yukiko's mother waiting for them. The servants had gone home for the evening and although they'd be disappointed they couldn't help with the big moment, they'd be there bright and early when their future owner got back. "I must say, you two are handling things remarkably well." Yu breathed an inward sigh of relief that he at least seemed calm on the surface, Yukiko instead gave her mother an awkward grimace while clutching her belly. "Hard to...be animated...when contracting."

"Don't I know it? Anyway, your father and I got the back of the car all set up. Blankets, pillows, water...speaking of which we laid down some towels so if your water breaks..." Yu inwardly kicked himself, he'd completely forgotten about that! Fortunately, he got the chance to prove his mettle with his mother in law's next question. "You two have everything packed?" The very very soon to be father held out a bag perhaps a little too eagerly and nodded his head. "Everything's been cleaned and packed since yesterday." Yukina gave him a nod and Yukiko gave him a loving look full of admiration. "Very good. Your father and I will have a special surprise for you when it's all done. It's something you've been asking about for quite a while."

"A baby seat?" Both her parents were able to happily nod and luckily the young mother's contraction just ended so she was able to happily clap her hands together. "Wonderful! I can't wait to strap him in. Oh mother I'm so...I'm really going to be..."

"I know dear. I know." The older woman took a brief moment to stroke her daughter's face before pulling her in for a big tight hug. When they split apart, Yukina grasped her daughter's face again and finally gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. "I need to stay here for the night but I promise I'll be there as soon as I can. Your father's the better driver between the two of us anyway."

"I'm sure your husband's told you this a thousand times but allow your mother to say it once more. Just relax and everything will be fine, okay? Listen to the doctors and your own body." Yukiko nodded and took a moment to savor her own mother's touch before the other woman dropped her hand. "Thank you, he'll be ready and waiting for his grandma to pick him up whenever she wants to come by."

"*Eeeheehee* grandma? I suppose I'll have to get used to that won't I? Yu what's the matter dear?" Probably the second most adept at picking out shifts in her son in law's mood behind her daughter, she quickly noticed Yu's face paling. "It's just...this birth was very sudden so I don't think his other grandmother will be able to visit. I didn't even think of that." He bit on his finger in a similar manner to said grandma and Yukiko gave his shoulder an encouraging rub.

"*Hmmm* that is a shame...well it couldn't hurt to ask right? You never know." Yu smiled a bit at that and seemed to relax a little. "You're right. Besides, we can sort this all out on the way. Come on darling, let's get you settled." Yukiko said one last goodbye and just like that she was alone in the house. It was always so eerie at this part of the night, anyone who wasn't asleep was boarded up inside their rooms and the house was enveloped in a complete silence. Sometimes, Yukina liked to go to old parts of the inn and listen to the floorboards ominously creak just to add to the mood but she wasn't feeling it tonight. In all honesty, she was feeling a mite tired herself. It was a bit of an odd feeling for the house to be so empty knowing that tomorrow it would be more filled than ever. A small smile crept onto her lips as she remembered how fun yet frustrating baby Yukiko was. Oh how she wished she could have given her poor daughter some siblings of her own but her body just wasn't equipped for such things.

As the current head of the family, she'd have to not spoil her no doubt adorable little grandson like her own daughter would. Thoughts of tickling his tummy and making him giggle like...well like a baby warmed her heart as she made her final rounds for the evening. She was just passing through the front gate when a sudden noise actually managed to startle her. A sudden clicking from the front door and if that wasn't bad enough, the door started to slowly creep open. The woman could actually feel her knees shaking a bit, as much as she liked to play the horror buff, when it came to actual human threats she was pretty helpless. It wouldn't have been so nerve wracking except for the fact that she was ninety nine percent sure the doors had been securely locked. Had they specifically waited until the men of the house were gone to make their move? She really wished her husband and son in law were here right now...

Her thoughts were moving at a thousand miles per hour until they suddenly stopped. Standing before her was one of the strangest sights the Amagi matriarch had ever seen. Here in the middle of the night in the middle of her hotel lobby was a rather frail looking woman. That wasn't the only thing eye catching about her though, she was quite pale and clearly possessed more European features. She was dressed entirely in a blue button up dress that formed a high collar around her neck, sleeveless but her outfit came with a pair of large blue gloves to compensate. She looked like a...what was the word Yukina was looking for? A bellhop! She looked like a strange doll pretending to be a bellhop. The most noticeable thing about her though were her eyes, a beautiful shimmering gold, Yukina immediately knew this...this thing was not human whatever she was. Topped off with the mop of snow white hair atop her head, it was clear the bellhop wasn't even attempting to blend in.

The strangest thing of all was the smug easy going expression the human facsimile wore. The kind of countenance that showed complete and utter confidence in her own abilities. In her gloved hand was a small golden key that was without a doubt how she'd opened the door so easily. With a snap of the beings' fingers, it disappeared somewhere that Yukina couldn't even imagine. Before she could scrutinize the creature even further, it caught her in the iridescent glint of its eyes. Despite herself, Yukina found her stomach drop and her feet leave the ground by a good few inches. Steeling her courage, she decided that if this being did mean her harm, she wasn't going to go out quivering in fear. "I'm afraid...if you're here for a reservation, check in was a good six hours ago."

It laughed at that, a beautiful sound that brought to mind wind chimes tinkling in the distance and for the first time, it spoke. "Oh no no no. I'm simply here for visitation. It's my understanding that one Yukiko Amagi is currently laboring."

"Do you...do you mean going into labor?"

"Something like that at any rate. Oh goodness me, wherever are my manners?" At this, the strange woman did a sort of curtsy that Yukina awkwardly returned. "My name is Elizabeth and I am not of this world. I do apologize for the sudden entrance, but your door was locked." She said it like that somehow excused the breaking and entering but in a way the other woman supposed it did. "Alright...Elizabeth. Where did you hear that? We just found out ourselves not even two hours ago."

"Oh that's really quite simple. One of my sister's old acquaintances informed me the moment it happened and I raced here as fast as the wind could take me. Said acquaintance was quite forthcoming with the information once I provided the proper incentive..." Yukina found herself crossing her arms under her chest, this strange woman had gone from being terrifying to honestly kind of annoying in just a few seconds.

"So you have someone spying on our family? That is what you are saying right now, correct?" Elizabeth tittered again and shook her head. "Oh no no no, she does it entirely of her own accord. I had nothing to do with it, I simply gave offered her favorite pastry in exchange for the information I required."

"And who, pray tell, is this 'informant' of yours?"

"What an interesting question with many diverging answers. I suppose who she is depends entirely on who you ask. To us denizens of the Velvet Room, she is known as Marie but...those who live in Inaba might know her better as Izanami-no-Mikoto." Yukina's eyes bulged probably further than they ever had before. "I-is that so?"

"And to those at the weather channel...oops. I almost let slip the one thing she told me not to. I can be so dreadfully scitterbrained as my sister says."

"Scitterbrained?"

"Twitter? Bird brained, something like that at any rate." The way she spoke was like someone who'd memorized an entire thesaurus in a language they didn't quite grasp. She was trying hard to appear approachable and human but there was a sort of uncanny aspect to her that was a bit off putting. "Well if you're here to see the birth, you've come to the wrong place. Home births are a thing of the past."

The doll like woman looked so disheartened by that, Yukina actually felt a little bad about being so blunt. "Are you quite certain? But isn't this a hospital? Where such things are done?"

"Hospital? No no dear, I'm afraid this is a hotel for people who want to experience the old era of Japan without the stresses of modernity interfering. Could I perhaps interest you in a reservation?" Yukina scoffed at herself inwardly, she'd been in the business so long that her instincts were trying to get her to make a sale to something that wasn't even human.

"Oh my, that sounds like quite the unburdening experience. To help the people of this country get back in touch with their roots...if only for a brief moment."

Realizing this woman didn't have the strongest grasp on the language, Yukina's mouth made a little "o" of realization. "This is a hospitality business, the place where babies are delivered is a hospital. It's the building with a large red cross on the front, about forty minutes away from town. Large and white, you can't miss it." Elizabeth actually looked a bit sheepish upon hearing that and let out another light laugh. "Oh dear, so a hospital is for your physical health while a hospitality is for maladies of the mind. How very interesting!"

"Well actually that's not quite the case but..." Elizabeth wasn't listening anymore and was making her way to the door she just came through. "I-I don't know if going now is the best idea though. I mean, you'll just be waiting in the lobby for the next eight hours if you do."

"Lobby? Is that where the birth is performed? Gracious, childbirth was an even more community oriented spectacle than I expected!"

"*Er* no dear. That's where you have to wait, you're not actually allowed in the room where the birthing happens. Only the doctors and one other person are allowed in there." At this, Elizabeth gave a small smile and brandished a book. "I'd like to see anyone try to stop me. This tome can deal four digits worth of damage you know. The miracle of life...to think that one such as myself would get to witness it firsthand..." Yukina wasn't sure if she should tell Elizabeth that the "miracle of life" was quite a bit more...bloody than she was probably expecting. That's when an idea suddenly occurred to her, it was probably the silvery hair that jogged her memory. "I don't think Yu will be too happy about you just barging in."

"Oh yes, Yu Narukami now Amagi. I was just a smidgeon too late to properly speak with him during his last adventure. My sister is quite well acquainted with him and speaks well of his prowess though he pales in comparison to my own guest.

The woman put a gloved hand over her mouth in surprise and smiled. "My my, where did that come from? It seems even we of the Velvet Room cannot help but get a bit competitive whenever our respective guests are brought into question. You mustn't tell my sister I spoke so poorly of her favorite guest." Yukina didn't even get a chance to respond before the homunculus began going off on some other strange yarn. "Either way, it never hurts to try and I believe him and his son might hold the key to the Answer that I seek." At this, her voice gained a steely determination that belied her frail looking exterior. "I must speak with him." Again, Elizabeth began making her way out the door and turned back one last time before closing it. "It was truly nice to meet you. I'll remember your offer for the future, perhaps for when I've made progress in my own quest." She closed the door, but even though Yukina raced to open it, Elizabeth was already gone by the time she got there. The family head shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she attempted to let all of this sink in. Then, after pinching herself and making absolutely certain this wasn't some bizarre dream, made her way to the front desk where the inn's phone was. She had a very important call she had to make.

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"You comfortable sweetie? How's the air conditioning? Fine? Hotter? Colder?" Yukiko took a moment to consider her father's question, hand lazily rubbing her tummy and lips gently wrapped around a drinking straw. "No, it's fine. I'm very comfortable." This whole experience was rather odd, but in a good way in Yukiko's own opinion. Usually in the movies or on television, it was always a frantic rush to the hospital as the water broke at the worst possible time; emotions ran high and everyone was yelling at each other and it was all just a big ruckus. Even in Featherman when Horned Owl's mother was delivering his baby brother during a monster attack...

Yukiko had a little giggle at that, she was calm enough to remember details about Featherman while laboring. Periodic contractions that seemed to get closer and closer together did have a way of bringing her back into the present; but overall, Yukiko was just happy she got to savor the last hour of having a bun in her oven in almost complete peace and relaxation. When her hand wasn't sipping from her cup of water, it was interlocked with her husband's, reaching back from the front seat to make her feel comfortable and secure. The car moved along at an easy pace: no speeding, no bumps in the road, no sudden swerves to avoid oncoming trucks and although that all sounded like a lot of fun, it was better for things to go well when her baby was involved. Whenever she'd experience a contraction and her grip on her husband's hand would tighten, he wouldn't tell her to breathe, he'd simply stroke the back of her hand. She already knew what to do and he believed in her one hundred percent.

"*Um* I just..." the two men turned around, everything the mother said was of the utmost importance in this situation. "Thanks for making this so easy and comfortable. This calm helps me get my thoughts together."

"*Hahahaha* are you kidding princess? It's our job as men to make sure you get there smoothly and comfortably! Isn't that right Yu?" The other man lifted his wife's hand up to his lips to properly smooch it, making her blush happily. "Your father's right, Yuki. It's important you save your strength and you can't do that if you're stressed." Yukiko happily snuggled back into her pillow and brought her water up to her lips again for a sip. Yu thought she looked absolutely adorable all comfy in the backseat with her double chin popping out as she refreshed herself. Even the contractions that wracked her body weren't enough to completely cause her smile to fade and she'd remained as happy as a mama could be throughout the ride so far.

"Well if you're all settled, I've got to make some calls. Tell us if you need anything, okay?" Yukiko nodded in understanding and went back to her belly rubbing. Yu knew that texting was probably the better option, but calling would take longer and give him things to do on the ride to the hospital; plus, saying over and over again out loud that the baby was on the way would help it really sink in for him. This was really happening.

"What's up partner? You never call me this late." Yosuke picked up on the second ring and his jokey, easygoing voice was exactly what Yu needed to hear right about now. "Hey. Yukiko's going into labor, the baby's coming a week early."

"This isn't one of your jokes is it?" Yu's silence told him exactly what he needed to know. "Oh shit. I know it was only a week away but that still seemed like forever you know?"

"I know."

"Listen man, I really want to be there but my dad says I have to open floor tomorrow..."

"No that's okay, I know this is sudden. We'll be in the hospital for all of tomorrow more or less so just come by when you have a free moment. We'd...we'd really appreciate it."

"You got it. You want me to spread the word?"

"Thanks but...I'd like to break the news myself."

"Yeah I get you. Well I won't keep you for long, just want to say...I'm happy for you man."

"Thanks." After a quick goodbye, Yu moved on to his next call. "What!? Now!?" From the back seat, Yukiko recognized the voice that was so loud, Yu had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Is that Chie? Hi Chie!"

"Yukiko?" Yu with a shrug decided she should get to break the news to her best friend. "Aren't you like...giving birth right now?"

"I am! And it's so exciting! Oh but I'm also nervous too...but I've had some time to get my thoughts in order and I've decided that I'm ready to have this baby. I'm going to be a mom and you're going to be an aunt by tomorrow morning."

Just then, Yukiko sucked air though her teeth as another contraction hit her, four minutes or so from the previous one. "Can't wait...for you two...to meet *upph*" Chie was obviously a bit freaked out hearing this over the phone and with a shout of "hang on, I'll be right there!" Yukiko heard the sound of rustling fabric and a door slamming before the phone hang up. Poor Chie didn't need to stay in the hospital all night, she could have just come in the morning or in the afternoon or whenever she wanted. "I'm glad she's coming though, she'll be the first one besides family to get to see the baby...like it should be."

Teddie currently had his cellphone confiscated by the Hanamura's so next would have been Kanji; before Yu could dial the number though, his phone started ringing and he saw that it was the Amagi Inn. "Hello?"

"Oh Yu, I'm so glad I could get ahold of you. Listen, there was a strange woman dressed all in blue-"

"Mrs. Amagi, slow down," he said to signal to the others in the car who he was speaking to but also because this was the most animated he'd ever heard the woman. "What happened?"

"Is she feeling faint!? Oh I knew I should have called back Kasai to keep an eye on her." Having two different people freaking out on both ends of the line wasn't exactly helpful but Yu managed to keep his cool, especially after Yukina calmed herself. "There's a woman in blue headed your way, calls herself Elizabeth. She said you knew her sister and she wants to speak with you no matter what."

"Ah I see. I'll handle it, don't worry. Thanks for letting me know."

"Be careful. I only know what you told me about your adventure but she was radiating power. Just...try to give her what she wants."

"That's what I promised I'd do. That group...they're odd but they mean well. I'll fill you in later."

"Alright, just as long as you know you can handle it. Stay safe."

"What did mother want?" Yukiko was currently in an in-between period and with the way she and her father were both looking at him, he knew he had to say something fast. "Some of my basketball buddies showed up at the inn thinking that's where the birth would be happening." Immediately, all the tension in the car evaporated and Fuyuhiko let out a sharp laugh. "I know we're an old fashioned family, but we're not that old fashioned! Hah!"

"I don't know, I can definitely see the appeal of doing it at home. I wouldn't say it's wrong or old fashioned, just...different." Yu had a feeling his wife would be satisfied with any method as long as it got her a baby to hold but he honestly couldn't disagree. He didn't have time for his thoughts to linger and instead focused his attention on calling the rest of the gang.

Kanji and Rise strangely didn't end up answering their phones which was a bit odd since they were the ones who were probably the most excited about this outside of themselves. After leaving a quick message, Yu moved on to Naoto who fortunately did answer. "What? Now? Senpai that's...well I know how much you two have been looking forward to this. You have my deepest congratulations on your well deserved happiness." She sounded startled and yet genuinely happy for her friends and that made Yu smile despite himself. "Stop by in the morning if you can, we'd really love to see you."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it. Luckily I'm between cases at the moment, but even if I wasn't...well a promise is a promise after all. *Mmmph* *gulp* I'll be there."

"Are you...eating something right now?"

"Ah! W-well...*ahem*...you've caught me. After a recent date, Kanji gave me these homemade...it's not important really is it?" Yu just smiled at her flustered embarrassment and how her affection for Kanji still shone through ever so slightly. "Are they good?" He could hear his colleague grumbling over the line. "...yes they're good."

"Haha alright then, see you there." Next up was Ai and from the moment she picked up the phone, Yu had a feeling she wasn't going to be coming. "*Cough* *cough* Heeello?""

"Ai? Is that you? You sound...like you're all stopped up." Another cough and a mild groan let him know he was right on the money. "*Ugh* my sdupid mom brot somedhing home and nnow eberyone else hads id doo *achoo* My heads killing me and by droat's all scradchy. Andyway, whad do you wand?" It was hard to hold in his laughter but a bit of his amusement still came through. "Well...I was going to tell you the baby's coming but I think you should probably stay home."

"Ai? Are you sick? If so, I don't want you anywhere near my baby!"

"Oh danks a lot Yugigo. I'be doing bine by the way...danks for asking." The sound of a tissue being blown into made Yukiko have to stifle a giggle of her own. "Ids nod like you'll led that ting leab yur site andyway *cough* *cough*"

"What?"

"*Ugggggh* I'll call you back. Dis sucks!" The line went dead and the people in the car shared a brief moment of laughter. "Oh we shouldn't be laughing at that poor girl's misfortune but...that was pretty funny wasn't it?"

"She's the type who wouldn't hesitate to laugh at you if you were in the same situation so I think it's okay in this case," Yu pointed out. They all took a moment to settle themselves before Yu smiled and looked at his phone. "Well, if Kanji and Rise aren't answering, I guess that means there's only one person left to contact."

The woman in question didn't pick up until the second to last ring, but her "hello!?" came in frantic and rushed like she'd scrambled for the phone before it went to voicemail. "Yu? Is everything alright? What do you need? Money? Advice? Just to talk?"

"No mom, it's nothing like that. I just...well I'm on the car to the hospital right now..." Yu winced at his poor choice of words and quickly made to correct himself.

"I just mean that the baby is a week early. We're all fine here, just a bit caught by surprise."

"Oh...oh! That's...that's wonderful dear. But...oh this is a problem this is quite the problem. I *er* I'm afraid I won't be able to come, I had my time off booked for next weekend." Yu could almost hear her biting her thumbnail and quickly moved to assuage her guilt. "No no it's fine, it's fine. We both know how busy you are. Don't worry, Yukiko's making me take plenty of pictures. We'll send you video!"

"...I'd really love that. I'll try my very best to be by next week. If you don't mind my asking, where are you right now?"

"Just in the car, Mr. Amagi is driving. Yukiko's here in the backseat." His mother opened her mouth to say something when suddenly there was some sort of shuffling on her end. A masculine voice buzzed on the other hand and Yu could feel the energy draining from his body, hoping that he wouldn't want to talk. "...want to...talk..." was all he could make out his mother saying and in an instant, she was speaking into the phone. "That was..."

"I know, I'd rather not talk either right now." An awkward silence fell over not only the phone line but the car as well and Yukiko gave his hand an extra tight squeeze. "I'm supposed to be comforting you, beautiful," Yu thought to himself with a wry grin. "Mrs. Amagi says she'd be happy to have you over, you can even stay the night if you would like."

"Oh I couldn't...well maybe...I'll definitely definitely think about it. And congratulations...on the child I mean. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks mom. Bye." As was becoming increasingly common, Yu got off a phone call with his mother with a big grin on his face. "Oh yeah daddy that reminds me, you're going to be a grandfather too! Are you excited?" The question was certainly a surprising one and Yu had to hold back a chuckle at the suddenness of it all.

"Hmmm? Oh certainly! No offense to you or your mother but the inn has always lacked a more...masculine presence. All the talk of flowers and dresses and makeup...it's nice to have some more boys around. Especially one who has no choice but to listen to old grandpa Amagi's ramblings ahahahaha! Respect for your elders and all that."

"Noooo you better not! You're not even that old."

"Old enough! Maybe I should invest in a pair of suspenders and get a cane? To really sell the image?"

"*Snrk* ahaha-ohhhhh it hurts to laugh." She actually had to take her hand away from her husband's to properly soothe the labor pains. The rest of the trip went uneventfully, Yu called the hospital and let them know the family was coming and Yukiko continued to hum a little song to herself. "Oh great news hubby, I finished my lullaby!" she announced just as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"That's great, beautiful. I can't wait to hear it."

"I can't wait for you to hear it either. And thanks for not peeking, I know it was probably tempting. Oh also my water broke. I just thought I'd let everyone know." The two men in the front got whiplash from that just as bad as from any car crash. "W-well that's fine because we just pulled in! Nobody panic, everything's fine, we just have to check in and everything will be fine okay?"

"Hubby, you're the only one panicking...*ooooh* you've...done...great..." After the latest contraction passed, her father and husband helped her from the car and to her feet. Yu rubbed her hand and Fuyuhiko gently pushed her back toward the front door of the hospital. Yukiko couldn't keep the smile off her face; it was so exciting and she could feel herself growing giddy and tingly all over to the point her hands were shaking a little bit. "Just have to push him out now, we'll see our son before dawn." her husband kindly reminded her with a smile and she almost wanted to kiss him then and there

"Do you want epidural anesthesia Mrs. Amagi?" the woman at the front desk asked of her. Yukiko tapped her chin for a moment in though before shaking her head. "No, I think I'd like to experience every moment of child birth exactly as it was intended. If I numbed the pain, it wouldn't feel earned." Her father turned white as a sheet upon hearing that but Yu just shrugged knowing that it was ultimately her choice and arguing was pointless. The clerk tied a band around his wife's arm and Yu was instructed to wait outside while they took Yukiko to triage. "Decide among yourselves who gets to go in. This is a small hospital and there's only room for one person when Mrs. Amagi goes into labor." Yukiko cheerfully waved goodbye as she was led into the next step of childbirth and the two men waved right back. When the door closed, Fuyuhiko clapped his hands together loudly and let out a little "whoop" of excitement. "Alright! Time for another Amagi family tradition. There's only one way this family decides who gets to go in and who has to wait in the lobby and that's with...rock paper scissors."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard right. If you can beat me in rock paper scissors, you get to go in but when I win I get to go in just like I did when I beat old Jiro some seventeen years ago."

"What about Sachiko? Since Yukiko's delivery happened on the expected date, wasn't she there too? She doesn't seem the type to meekly wait outside." Fuyuhiko chuckled a bit at that and held out a waggling finger. "You would think so wouldn't you? Truth be told, she *ah* forced her way in while Jiro and I were having our little competition so...I guess nobody was the winner. But! But! That won't be the case this time! Put up your hands Yu."

In the end, Yu could never be certain if he was allowed to win on purpose or not but Fuyuhiko's exclamation of "damn! I can't believe I lost!" seemed awfully forced.

"He is your son after all, so maybe this is for the best," was the last thing he said before Yu was ushered by a nurse. He knew he and his father in law were probably waiting for an hour but it honestly didn't even feel like five minutes. "Nervous? That's okay, you're not the only one, trust me." the nurse said to him on the way. It took him a moment, but he realized the reason this nurse was being so chummy with him was because it was one of the ones he used to work with back when he had the part time job here. Fortunately, her name tag saved him from the embarrassment of not remembering! "I am a little nervous. I know Yukiko will do fine, I just...the day snuck up on me I guess."

"Well you know, you were one of the hardest workers we ever had. Hell...you probably saved the whole team and hour or two of work whenever you would come by. That's not even mentioning what you did for Uehara-san."

"Thank you Ms. Kimishima. I think it's just all this down time, once I'm in there helping I think I'll be able to calm down and by the time it's done I'll already have a son." She chuckled at his perspective and soon they entered a room where a hospital gown clad Yukiko was being helped by another nurse. "Hubby!" she called out excitedly. "I guess that means you won rock paper scissors then. Don't tell daddy but...I was kind of hoping you'd be the one to win." She looked freshly washed like she'd just just taken a bath or shower and standing next to a slim healthcare provider made her size really noticeable. Even Yukiko's calves were looking kind of chunky by comparison but unlike other woman who might shrink in self consciousness, Yukiko only seemed more confident and radiant. "How have you been beautiful?"

"Oh it's been nice. They took the baby's heart rate...and everything's just perfect!"

"One small thing, because of the amount you ate before coming, a C-section will be rather-"

"She won't need one." Yu said with utter confidence, surprising even himself.

"Yu..." The nurse shrugged and with a reminder that it would be a bit before Yukiko actually went into labor, they gave the lovebirds a moment of respite. "I know I don't need to ask..." Yukiko began when they were alone.

"I have the camera right here, video and picture. I promise I won't miss a moment." Her blush made her eyes narrow and her big smile showed off her beautifully white teeth. "Would you...rub my belly? One last time?" There was no need to respond, both parents knew exactly what the other one wanted, and as Yukiko took her seat, his hands got to work. "You are so soft, what's our baby boy to do when he's hungry but he falls asleep on his way up?"

"Oh stop. If I see him getting sleepy, I'd just scoop him up in my arms! But he's your son so he'd be strong and hardy enough to resist temptation and achieve whatever goal he set."

"Our son. He'd make you feel better just by being around, I mean he does already." Yukiko smiled at that and put her own hand over her hubby's, following along with his rubbing. "You're not nervous anymore?"

"Of course I am. It's just...when I think of all the good things that can happen when this baby is born and all the happiness that'll come throughout his whole life, all the negatives seem like just a speck at best. I'm sure you feel the same." His wife eagerly nodded her head before suddenly wincing and doubling over. "I...have...so...much...love...to...share..."

"Hahahaha remember to breathe darling. I know it's exciting but you don't want to tire yourself out before he even arrives right?" The four hour mark of active labor was getting closer and closer by Yu's estimation which he was pretty sure was remarkably quick by the standards of most women. Even the way she blew and panted was adorable; it was probably the way she shook with anticipation while she did, like she knew every contraction brought her closer to holding her beautiful baby boy.

When the nurses came back, they were treated to the romantic sight of Yu kissing his cream puff on the top of her belly with his other hand ever so gently soothed lower. "If you'll come with us please Mrs. Amagi, you're ready to begin." Yukiko gave off a little squeal of excitement excitedly shaking her closed fists near her sides. Quickly, Yu ran out of the room where the women heard the sound of grinding; when he came back, he had a white cup in his hand filled with ice, all crushed up into chips. "*Ooooh* what's...that for *puff*?"

"I'll feed them to you, it'll help keep you cool."

"Oh but I'm not hung-oh! Oh! For cooling *puff* off. Okay, I was confused." Yukiko gave a little smile at that, to the nurses her husband probably looked competent and prepared and completely cool but she'd caught him watching video after video on how a husband should best assist his wife during labor, jotting down notes and paying rapt attention.

Once again, she was escorted through the halls with her husband holding her hand and a nurse carefully urging her along. Her huffing and puffing was practically constant at this point, her labor pains a mere minute apart or so. Walking into the next room and seeing the bed she'd be giving birth in gave her a sense of finality. As soon as she lay down, the birthing would begin and the baby would be in her arms.

"When do I get...to start pushing?" she couldn't help but ask. One of the nurses chuckled at this and gave her an encouraging pat on the head. "Not just yet miss. Wait until your doctor gets here, doing it to early could actually cause a delay and I have a feeling you wouldn't want that right?" Yukiko pouted a bit but nodded her head, she'd waited nine months so a few extra minutes or so was nothing. The nurses busied themselves scurrying about and getting the equipment ready as she got nice and settled in her birthing bed, Yu gave her one last kiss on the top of the head as she shifted her butt deep into the seat.

She drummed her belly to a rhythm in her own head, frequently interrupted by contractions that did nothing to dampen her spirits. Yu was encouragingly rubbing her shoulder with a hand and occasionally taking his rubbing to her arm. Waiting for the doctor to come was both the longest and shortest wait time in both their lives somehow. Immediately, she began to give instructions and orders that Yu didn't listen to, instead he just focused on what he needed to do. Getting out of the way of the doctor's, he positioned himself behind his wife and clamped both his hands down on her shoulders. She let out a pleased little coo and gave his arm an appreciative squeeze.

"Ok Yukiko, I'm going to need you to sit as upright as you can. Just focus on your breathing. I'll tell you when it's time to push." Yukiko nodded and began monitoring her breathing, as her puffing became a steady constant rhythm, Yu began to give her a patented shoulder massage. "You're doing great my love. I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now." Even while giving birth, he wanted her to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible and that's exactly what she was. When her breathing grew the slightest bit labored, he'd feed her some ice and help keep the hair out of her face. When she'd let her arm rest at her side, he'd squeeze it and let his own hand be squeezed tightly in turn whenever an especially strong birth pain came on.

Every stab of pain was like a point of pride for Yukiko and she tried to keep her screams to a minimum. Every once in a while, a shout would get through but she liked to think she kept her composure as well as she could. That was only about thirty or so minutes in though when even the slightest significant pain actually started, and it was over almost immediately. "You're almost there, Mrs. Amagi. Just a bit more now, one more big push."

"Already?" was what she wanted to say but she could hear her inner hubby ringing in her head. "Are you really surprised?"

The squeeze real hubby gave her let her know he was probably thinking something quite similar. It was one more single bit of pressure, one last little push and the next thing Yukiko knew, there was a baby. Her baby.

He was red, wet and crying up a storm but to Yukiko, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Now that the umbilical cord was snapped, part of Yukiko was tempted to shout out that she didn't care about tidying the baby up, she wanted to hold her little boy right that very instant! Though knowing it was for hygiene and not simple presentation, she held her tongue and waited impatiently. "Oh he has such a healthy cry..." she cooed out gently.

"You did it my love, it's all thanks to you." Yu's encouragement and the birth of her son made a pleasant feeling of total contentment fall over the young mother. A feeling that only grew when the doctor placed her baby boy on her to rest. He was crying up a storm but Yukiko knew that was just to get air in his lungs and he'd soon tucker himself out. Besides, she was starting to cry too so it would be ridiculous to tell a baby to stop. "Hello..." she said, smiling down at her newborn. At the sound of her voice, his intense crying actually seemed to falter a bit. "*Sniff* That must have been hard for you, even though I tried to make it *sigh* as easy as possible. Look, your mama's out of...breath too...*puff*" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yu's hand move forward as if to make contact before he hesitated. "Touch your son Yu. Touch your baby boy, it's okay." Wordlessly, he did just that and it was like the skin to skin contact relieved them both. They stood like that for a moment before the doctor interrupted. "We just need to run a few tests and we'll have your baby boy all bundled up for you two okay?" It didn't seem fair to have him ripped away so soon but Yukiko knew it was ultimately for the best.

First they weighed him and Yukiko was pleased the number was a bit over eight pounds. Truth be told, she'd been a bit worried that the early delivery would mean he was a little small for his age but if anything he was on the larger end. Everything about him looked strong and healthy including how much he was moving about and crying while they did their little tests. She looked to her husband and saw he was getting all of it...while keeping the camera pointed away from her lower body; she did want to show this to people after all!

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Amagi, your baby is in excellent condition. Reflex, pulse, activity, respiration and pigmentation are all as ideal as they can be at the moment." Yukiko let out a noise that was somewhere between a cheer and a sob while Yu laughed happily. The couple looked at each other and then back at their baby who was still wriggling about; with how pink he was, his mama had a bit of a giggle over how he was like a little wriggle worm. "We need to give him his shots now though." Yukiko frowned and sadly nodded, feeling a bit bad about putting her baby through pain the instant he clambered out into the world. Yu put an encouraging hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake to perk her up. It worked, but what the doctor asked next worked even better. "Mrs. Amagi, are you in any condition to breastf-"

"Yes!" She hadn't meant to shout and now everyone was staring at her in surprise. "*Er* I mean...I would *hah( very much like to breastfeed please. My poor baby must be very hungry." With a nod, the doctor's and nurses went back to their duties. It was distressing listening to her baby cry out in pain, but once again she knew it had to be done. Before five minutes were up, her baby was diapered, clothed and capped and in her arms. Yukiko practically shot up out of her seat to embrace him and scoop him up. Once she had him, she took a quick moment to wipe her eyes and touched his forehead to hers.

"We'll give you three some family bonding time." The doctor ushered everyone out of the room except for the new parents and their brand new baby. The baby continued to cry while the two teens took in the gravity of the moment, though Yukiko didn't wait for long. Wordlessly, she shrugged the gown off of her right shoulder and bared her right breast. Instinctively, her son took it in his mouth and began to suckle, the only sound that filled the room. Yukiko's eyes began to flutter while she did what she was meant to do, almost as though she were in some kind of trance. The dome of her belly made the perfect resting place though she still held him in her arms like the world's most precious and delicate cargo. Eventually, the milk in one breast ran dry and without even thinking she swapped her baby over the other one. When it was done, her nipple was released and Yukiko let loose a happy and fulfilled sigh like she'd just run a marathon and slipped into a hot bath afterwards. Yu gave her a moment to recuperate before slinking his arm around her back and giving it a little rub. "See? Remember how worried you were that nothing would come out?"

"Did I? I honestly don't even remember that." While speaking, she put the baby up against her shoulder and gave him a pat on the back. A tiny little squeak of a burp came out and Yukiko cooed at how adorable it was. "Oh you're just so precious. You are...*hmmm*...I think it's time we thought of a name. I don't want to keep addressing my own baby as 'you!'"

"Right. I was thinking about naming him after someone we know...but looking at him now that doesn't feel right." Yukiko nodded in agreement and gave him one more look over. Most babies were hard to tell apart but the woman knew she'd be able to spot him instantly even in a crowd of newborns. His black hair was extra cute and his puffy baby face was extra darling, not to mention how hearty and healthy he looked. Not even an hour old and he was already excelling...

"Souji."

"Hmm?"

"His name is Souji." Yukiko was always a woman who was good at finalizing things in her mind so Yu knew it was going to be a herculean effort to change the name now. Not that he minded, he was more just curious why that name in particular. "Souji Amagi?"

"Yes, the two names go perfectly together don't you think?" She played with a strand of the baby's hair idly between her fingers as she spoke. "Our last name, 'Amagi', one of the readings of it is freedom. And when you have Souji written like this," Yukiko mimed the characters in the air with a sharp finger nail while resting her baby on her tummy and Yu's eyes began to widen in realization. "...it means 'one who excels' more or less. So I thought I should give him a name that fits how I want him to be, someone who has the freedom to excel at anything he chooses. Whatever that might be."

"That's a beautiful name."

"*Heehee* I'm glad you think so. A strong handsome name for a strong handsome boy." As if he somehow realized he was being talked about, Souji chose that moment to open his eyes. "*Ah* look Yu! He has your eyes, just like I was hoping! Hooray!"

"He does doesn't he? They do seem a tad lighter though don't they?"

"You're right, but that's just because he's a baby." She lifted the baby up to her face, he looked so bewildered by this strange new world he found himself in. "You have such pretty eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?" She laughed at her little joke and the baby made a gurgling noise that Yukiko chose to interpret as an attempt at laughter. "Well you'll have to get used to hearing it, that's just a mommy's job to say such things." His arms wiggled about at his side and would occasionally rub against his own head, it must have gotten really cramped in her belly!

"Okay your turn!" she said almost out of the blue though Yu immediately knew what she meant. He held his arms out to receive his son. Souji.

Yukiko took the camera and happily pointed it at the father and son pair but Yu was too busy looking down to pay much attention.

"Hey. I *uh* I'm your dad." It was probably the least smooth he'd ever been but something about the baby just took his breath away. "Souji...the more I say it, the more I like the sound of it." It was just his imagination, but the baby seemed to focus intently on him. Gray eyes had a way of making people look more intense than they actually were so Yu chalked it up to that and a trick of the light. Souji's mother was right, he really was a wriggly little guy and Yu found it actually brought a smile to his face. "I thought you'd be all tuckered out after that but I guess not huh?"

"It's all thanks to the meals your daddy made that you're so big and strong. Are you going to thank daddy Souji?" At this point, Yukiko was just looking for excuses to drop his name into sentences but Yu didn't mind. It was nice to be able to actually call his son by name after all. The baby again made a little burble that was most likely just saliva, but Yu chose to take that as a thank you. "Don't mention it. You're my son after all." Even when Nanako had been on her death bed, Yu had hidden his tears well and only let them out when no one but Yosuke was around. This time he held fast, though he could definitely feel his eyes watering a bit. "Here, let me pull up a chair and we can all get to know each other a little better." Yu would have thought that all his time spent in the kitchen would have prepared him for this, but when he finished setting the chair in place and sat down, he felt more exhausted than he had in a long time. "There's so much I can't wait to tell you about..."

"Oh I was more hoping you'd show rather than tell." A strange whimsical voice echoed throughout the room and the two parents looked around the room, unable to pinpoint the source. They looked up, down and all around but no matter where they turned, nothing showed up...that was until a white mop of hair appeared between Yu's feet from under the hospital bed. It smiled up at him and slid back under before popping out the other side, revealing a strange looking woman clad in blue. "Oh I do apologize for interrupting your family time but I'm afraid I really must speak with you."

"Please leave." Yukiko said simply, clutching her baby closer to her. She seemed more annoyed than afraid and the other woman actually seemed amused by her request. "Goodness, it's been so long since I've been told to 'leave!' Not since I definitively proved that 'all you can eat' did not in fact mean 'all you can eat.'" Seeming to sense his mother's annoyance with this strange babbling woman, Souji began to whimper and then cry once again. "*Ooooh* now look what you've done you...nuisance." The white haired girl put a hand to her chest as if struck before putting her hands on her hips with a perturbed scowl. "Nusicane!? Well I never!"

"You must be Elizabeth," Yu quickly cut in before things could escalate any further. "I'm sorry to say but you picked a really bad time so if you could-" The frown on Elizabeth's face morphed into a pout at those words. "My sister informed me that you would be prepared to help me anytime anywhere. If your word can't be trusted then...well I'm afraid I don't have much use for you after all."

"H-hey now wait a minute! Is what you're doing really that important that it can't wait a day? There are certain times that I'm unavailable you know. I never said I'd be available twenty four seven."

"So then you're saying my sister is the liar and not yourself?"

"No! Look...anytime, anywhere doesn't actually mean that really."

"I'm very confused..."

"Yu!" Yukiko was glaring at him now and gestured towards Elizabeth with her eyes as if to tell him to get her out of here. Her gentle back rubbing and rocking had calmed her baby somewhat but he still was crying up a storm. "Listen...I'll help you. Just not right this instant. If you pick a time, I'll help you okay? I promise."

"Hmmmmmm but there's one thing I need to confirm at this moment no matter what. It's very important for the research I've been handling. If you would please allow me to look over your baby, I'll be out of your heir in a moment."

"Heir?"

"Air? Breathing space? Something like that at any rate." Yukiko turned to her husband with a reluctant expression, but when he motioned to let Elizabeth just look at it, she acquiesced though wasn't happy about it in the slightest. With a hand to her chin, Elizabeth took a close look at the baby and at one point even asked Yukiko to turn it around. "It seems that I was mistaken, the ability of Persona is not something that can be inherited, not even if both parents are users themselves. Or at least if it is inheritable, it doesn't quite manifest at this age. I was certain that even if that was the case, the fact that the mother spent so much time breathing the fog of the TV World..."

"Truthfully, the only way to know for sure is to put him in a life threatening situation and observe whether or not the power exhibits itself..." Yukiko was already looking around for a scalpel and Yu stepped between them protectively but Elizabeth just shook her head. "But I would never stoop to something so barbaric."

"Why would it matter if our son was a Persona user?" Elizabeth gave him a little smile, "well Persona users, for the most part, are more 'connected' with themselves than other humans. How could they not be? Not only that but through that connection comes understanding and through understanding comes change. Not always positive change of course, but often times it is."

"That's true but...that understanding didn't come from gaining the Persona itself, at least not in my case." For the first time, Elizabeth looked at Yukiko with genuine interest and the mama seemed willing to cooperate. "It was more the other way around really, I gained a Persona because I understood myself and it evolved further as I came to finalize who it is I am and want to be."

"Precisely. And you gained that understanding because you were thrust into a situation where you had no choice but to gain a Persona. If the danger could be stripped away and humans could be given one at birth...I was hoping that could be the key..." Elizabeth seemed so genuinely disheartened that Yukiko almost felt bad...before remembering she was the one who intruded. It was clear this woman wasn't going to leave just by being asked, so the sooner they helped the sooner they could get back to family bonding time. "Key to what?"

"Why, the key to annihilating mankind's darkest desire of course." Sensing that the vagueness wouldn't stop, Yukiko pretended to know what that meant. Yu, meanwhile, cleared his throat and brought the attention back to him. "And you want my help because I don't have that, correct?" Elizabeth nodded and gave him a closed eyed smile. "That is exactly the case. My former guest was the only human I know of who fully and truly grasped his place in The Universe but I suspect you are as close as most people are liable to get."

"This guest...he wouldn't happen to be associated with the Shadow Operatives would he?"

"*Oh* that's the name his companions are going by now if I recall correctly. Then yes, he is in fact very much affiliated with them. Many of them quite intimately. Including myself..." at this, she blushed red hotly and brought a hand to her cheek. "But oh my, it's unbecoming of a lady to speak of such things. Margaret always says a lady should never kiss and tell...even though we did far more than kiss *chuckle*"

Perhaps sensing their growing impatience with her, Elizabeth sheepishly smiled, keeping her happy convulsions short. "Yes. Unfortunately he's..." at this, the cheery woman seemed to frown but quickly recovered. "Anyway, I wanted to have a battle with another holder of the Wild Card, because that's how we of the Velvet Room understand ourselves. The cards told me this would be a fortuitous day to seek you out and in a way...it was I suppose."

"I'm sorry but now is just really not a good time, if you're anywhere as strong as your sister, I would need to be fully prepared and focused to give you my best." Elizabeth smiled with acceptance at the truth of his words. "I'm actually much stronger when I go all out although you mustn't tell her that, it stings her pride oh so fiercely." Yu wasn't about to go up to Margaret of all people and call her weak, but he nodded anyway. "Good. Let me just check..." as she spoke, her book fluttered open as if in a strong breeze. Cards began to fly out all around her as she closed her eyes. Occasionally, she would reach out and grab cards out of the air before letting them fly again. Finally, she stopped and everything that had left the book was sucked back in as she awoke from her trance.

"This day is certainly fortuitous but...oh my!"

"What?"

"It appears that in my haste to get answers as quickly as possible, I overlooked an even more fortuitous day in the near future. A mere ten years from now, on exactly this date, is the best possible day for our battle."

"But why?"

"*chuckle* I'm afraid the cards aren't quite that forthcoming, but what they've told to me will more than suffice." Elizabeth began to climb back under the bed but one niggling question was still eating at Yu. "Wait, you rushed in here and you're fine with waiting ten years?"

"Truthfully, I suspected I'd have to wait centuries before making any kind of progress in my search. When I learned today would be lucrative, I suppose I got rather excited."

"But...upon closer inspection I see that I was perhaps too hasty. If I can make major strides in my investigation in only a decade...I would be remiss not to be grateful. Do forgive the intrusion, it shan't happen again...until the chosen date of course." Just as soon as she had entered, she was gone. With an annoyed huff, Yukiko soon relaxed upon nuzzling her baby. "Did that intrusive witch bother you? Don't worry, it's just mommy and daddy now." With a shrug, Yu returned to his seat. Even if he would have to do battle with her "in the near future" ten years was still quite a length of time for the youth, not yet twenty himself. "Guess I'll have to really keep up with my training..."

"Now," Yukiko began when he'd sat down. "Where were we precious?" Just then, the door flew open and the doctor and several nurses strode in. The mother let out a pitiful whimper, denied her family bonding time for the moment. "Yu, when you see that witch in a decade, I want you to really kick her butt."

Luckily it turned out that they were just there to escort the family to Yukiko's postpartum recovery room, though she was still mad about "the principle of the thing." In there, Souji was given his first physical with near perfect scores in everything. With that news and just how tired she was after the birth, Yukiko just didn't have the energy to continue being angry. It wasn't long before the baby was sleeping and Yu's wife was beginning to nod off herself. "Rest," he said simply. She looked at him sleepily and gestured towards Souji. "If I go to sleep, I won't be able to see his face until tomorrow..."

"You'll see it in your dreams I'm sure."

"Yeah...but that's not his real face."

"He'll be hungry when he wakes up...and you produce faster when you're sleeping." Yukiko gave him a little smile and finally allowed her head to hit the pillow. "Maybe...just a quick nap...for Souji."

"Rest," he commanded a final time before giving them both a quick peck on the forehead.

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The waiting room was a lot livelier than Fuyuhiko expected. He thought he'd just be waiting there all by his lonesome but part of the way through, a frantic looking Chie came barging in. "I'm not too late am I!?" she asked a bewildered Mr. Amagi.

"*Er* no...actually you're very very early o kick happy pal o mine. Didn't Yukiko tell you that now isn't the best time for visitors?" Chie stood up straight and blushed as her mind flashed back to the conversation on the phone and how she threw it to her bed before her friend had finished speaking. "*Uh* I guess...it slipped my mind...*hah* *ha* hah*" Her awkward laugh was the only thing that hung in the air for the next minute or so before she awkwardly sat down beside Fuyuhiko. "Welp, I drove all the way here after rushing out the door so it's not like I can go home now. I'm sticking this through to the end."

"You sure? I mean, we'd all understand-"

"Nah, I want to be the first one to see the little guy you know? Yukiko's, like, my best friend and in case something goes wrong, which it probably won't, I want to be nearby. It just...feels right."

"She's 'like' your best friend?"

"Oh don't you start messing with me too Mr. Amagi, I get enough teasing from the Ai and Yosuke duo."

"*Ahahahahaha* alright alright...sooooooo see any good movies lately?" They made small talk for a while until suddenly a Kanji who looked even more disheveled than Chie came barging through the door. "Oh shit! I'm not late am I!? I didn't miss it did I!? Oh man, oh man."

"Calm down," Chie said somewhat hypocritically, "the baby's not even here yet. Even if he was, he and Yukiko will be too tired afterwards for visitors."

"Chie's right. I could have sworn that was all in the message Yu left you, didn't you listen to it?" Kanji awkwardly scratched his cheek at that. "Well I *uh* I kind of *uh*..."

"Threw it to the bed and ran out the door as soon as you heard 'the baby's coming?'"

"Yeah."

Chie and Fuyuhiko shared a look and then laughed, beckoning Kanji to have a seat. "I was *uh* working on a project. You know that Halloween costume Yukiko-senpai asked me to make?"

"No."

"W-well anyway, I was working on that, right. And I don't like to have my phone on while I'm working..."

"Wait why were you working on a Halloween costume in early August?" Fuyuhiko nodded his head in agreement. "I know costumes take a while to make, but surely since this is for a baby..."

"I just...you know...wanted to get it out of the way early. And it's a good thing I'm almost done since I'll be able to give it to him tomorrow if I rush a little." The boy wore a surprisingly smug expression on his face, happy that he was the only one of his group of friends who probably had a proper "birthday present" prepared. "The baby's going to love it oh and Yukiko-senpai too probably...I hope. I think it looks pretty damn adorable!" The other two listened to Kanji go into his process a bit, Fuyuhiko with fascination and Chie with the disinterest of someone killing time. Eventually though, the other door opened and this time it was Yu who stepped out. "She's done."

"What!? Already!?" Chie shouted while beginning to clap. "I feel like we've barely been here an hour. Maybe all that stuff we said about Yukiko being meant for this stuff wasn't too far off!" The room was filled with applause and Chie even contributed with a wolf whistle of her own. "You two have a name? Because if not, I have a few suggestions..." Fuyuhiko brought up once the clapping was done and over with. "Souji."

"Souji? Not what I would have gone with personally...but that's alright, I'll get used to it in time. Souji, Souji..." Kanji at this point had stood up and gave his senpai a shoulder pat, one of few people actually taller than him. "Congrats man. I *uh*..." words weren't enough so Kanji decided to give him a big crushing bear hug.

Yu returned it happily, "yeah. I know." The men of reasonably few words broke apart and smiled at each other. "So...can we see him?" Kanji eventually broached with Yu tilting his head in confusion. "Huh? Oh, he and his mother are sleeping. You didn't come all the way here for that did you?"

"N-not just that. I thought that if something went wrong then you'd want someone on hand to help. Just in case." After saying that, he felt Chie glaring at him. "Copy cat! That was my reason for coming, get your own!" Before the two could start bickering in earnest though, Yu's phone rang. He'd turned it off for obvious reasons but pretty much the moment he turned it on, it was now ringing. "Hel-"

"Ohmigod senpaiiiiii! I'm so so sorry I missed your call. I just got back from rehearsal and I was so tired that I thought I'd take a little nap right? Oh geez that sounds like an excuse. Next thing I knew, it was two hours later and...I slept right through your message too!"

"*Hahaha* Rise it's okay." It had been difficult to parse exactly what she was saying through the volume and frantic pace, but Yu got the basic gist. "I just wanted to let you know it was happening." He heard his former classmate take a deep breath and she seemed to calm down. "Oh...right...yeah. Thanks for letting me know as soon as ASAP though, that means I can get there." she said giggling at her own silly joke. "So you can make it down here? This doesn't interfere with your tour or anything does it?"

"Well if it does they'll just have to deal with it. I'm going to go see one of my best friend's in the hospital and nobody's going to stop me. *Yawn* but I'll probably have to come early in the morning so..." Yu nodded in understanding, "get your rest now too. We'll be sure to return the courtesy when you have the spotlight."

"Nooooo, senpai! You should come see me perform because you want to! Not out of obligation! That's so lame."

He could almost hear her cutely stamp her foot over the line; for someone who loved to tease others, she was rather easy to wind up herself. "Alright, I'll come because I want to. Can baby Souji come too?" She let out an excited squeal over the line, "Is that his name? Souji? Oh that's a great name! Yes! Yes! Of course he can come along! How is he looking by the way? Does he take after mommy or daddy more?"

"Can't you wait until tomorrow?"

"Well I mean I was going too buuuuut then you went and brought it up sooooo..." Yu chuckled and put her on speaker while sending her photos at the same time. "I think you should see for yourself. Yukiko of course can't stop gushing over him but she's a little biased." He heard a gasp and then a coo, "oh my god he is so cute! I love him already. Does his mama know he's going to be a real hit with the ladies when he's older?"

"*Hahaha* she's mentioned it before. But that's still so far away. For the next ten years or so, girls will just be those boys that smell nice and dress weird for him." It was Rise's turn to laugh and after a quick promise to get there as soon as possible tomorrow, they both hung up. "You're not just going to let Rise hog all the baby pictures are you senpai? Bring that phone of yours over here!" Yu sighed with a smile on his face. It only just hit him how tired he really was and all he really wanted to do was pull up a chair and fall asleep with his wife and son. They'd still be there sleeping peacefully when he got back though and the more he talked about it, the more "real" or "final" everything really seemed. "Alright, everyone gather around then. Only the pictures because I think Yuki wants to be the one to show everybody the video."

When he finally got to return to the recovery room, it was well past midnight. He knew he could have gone home and no one would have thought less of him for it, but some part of him couldn't wait another day to share a night's sleep as a real family.

Yu didn't know when exactly he had fallen asleep but he imagined it was probably as soon as his head hit the bed. As was usual upon waking, what he dreamed about rapidly began to fade from memory but when he saw what was waiting for him in the real world, he didn't much care. A baby resting peacefully atop a wonderfully soft tummy which was attached to a beautiful woman looking down on them both with pure love. The graceful back of a hand brushed over the side of his face so warmly and so softly that it almost sent him straight back to dreamland, but he managed to shake his drowsiness off. He began to speak but a quick shushing motion from his wife kept him quiet. "Souji's sleeping," she said, barely above a whisper. Looking at him almost like a conspirator, she held up an index finger and slowly slid it inside their baby's slightly open palm. Almost like a Venus Flytrap, his fist closed itself around the intruding finger but the baby remained as peacefully restful as ever. "He'll wrap his little hand around your finger if you let him. Go on, give it a try." Yu got the distinct impression that's how she'd been amusing herself while waiting for him to wake up and it probably wouldn't get old for her anytime soon.

"Huh, that's a stronger grip than I was expecting," Yu said when he gave it a try himself. It was nowhere near enough to actually hurt but for a newborn infant, the fact that it exerted any pressure at all was kind of impressive in the freshly minted father's eyes, maybe even something worth getting a little proud over. "I'm sure every dad's thought their son had the strongest grip of his age group though..." he tried to remind himself, but he couldn't keep a happy little grin off his face. "Yuki, isn't it a little early? What are you doing up?"

"Huh? It's nearly eleven o' clock though...I slept for over ten hours, any more than that would be oversleeping."

Yu's eyes widened in surprise at just how late it was, they must have been really tired! "D-did anyone try and come by? I wouldn't want everyone to have to wait again..." Yukiko tilted her head in confusion, "again? Didn't you tell them not to come?"

"*Er* well a few of our friends didn't get the memo." His wife had herself a little chuckle at that. "I did tell Chie and Kanji to spread the word before they left last night that I'd call everyone when we're ready for them..." Yu hesitated for a moment before reaching out to stroke his wife's cheek. "Are we ready for them?" Sensing his meaning, she gained a mischievous look and pulled her baby in closer to her marshmallow stomach. "Well...maybe they can wait for a little while longer. I waited nine months for this after all."

"Not quite nine months," her husband kindly reminded her. After giving him a smile, they enjoyed the silence for a moment as a family until Yu spoke up again. "How are you feeling? Physically I mean." Thinking about it for a moment, Yukiko's non baby holding hand went to her lower thighs and she gave Yu a sheepish smile. "It hurts a lot more than last night. If I were to describe it...it's kind of like a dull throbbing ache like...the kind you get when you burn yourself. Come to think of it...that's how Chie described pulling a muscle before, not that I would know anything about that." Giggling a bit, she looked down at Souji and ever so slightly brushed his cheek. "If that's the price I have to pay for him though...it hardly even seems like pain at all really." With a silent nod, Yu took a quick stretch and walked around a bit before returning to his baby watching seat. Waiting for Souji to wake up was a good stopping point for their familial bonding time and when he finally opened his eyes and was properly breast fed, Yu sent out the text. It didn't take long for a pale looking hand to knock on the door, Yu felt bad about making his friends wait longer but family came first.

Getting up from his chair, Yu opened the door to find the Amagi matriarch standing before him with a giddy looking Mr. Amagi standing right behind her. “Hello,” She said softly, giving Yu a tiny wave. He could tell from the bags under her eyes that she hadn’t gotten much sleep, probably both from excitement and being wracked with worry. He and her husband had spent all the previous night sending her a play by play of how things were going and called her when the baby was born, but Yu understood that even with all those updates that it was different than actually being there. If something were to have gone wrong, she would have been stuck far away, unable to do a thing to help. Even with the all clear given when Yukiko’s and the baby’s vitals all checked out, it could take less than a second for that to all change! But, it had been a while now since the birth and with no “surprises” having occurred since then, Yukina had finally started to relax a bit and with the morning staff having arrived to hold the fort she was finally able to come down to the hospital.

Yukina pointed into the room, “Is Yukiko…um…”

“Yes! She’s awake, please come in!” Yu couldn’t shuffle out of the way fast enough. With an eager smile, Yukiko’s father followed right behind his wife into the room, or at least he would have if he didn’t bump right into her after she had stopped in her tracks before even clearing the threshold.

The sight of her daughter in her bed, covered in a hospital gown and with various machines around her, made Yukina freeze. She knew why she was there, she wasn’t sick or anything. Most of the devices around her weren’t even turned on. It was a joyous occasion. Still, seeing her in such a state in such a setting gave her a moment’s pause and it also made her recall her own experiences. With all the problems she had, this must have had been a common sight for her own parents.

“Hello, Mother. Father,” Yukiko called from her bed. As much as she was dying to meet her grandson, Yukina’s own maternal instinct kicked in. Pulling up a chair near Yukiko’s bed, it was like the baby bundled up in her arms was invisible. “How are you feeling,” Yukina whispered, feeling Yukiko’s forehead with the back of her hand. “I’m alright. A little sore I guess.” The dull aching pain persisted, feeling almost like she had just finished taking a very long bike ride with a seat that didn’t have any padding on it. But it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Yukina chuckled. If some soreness was all she was feeling after the medical debacle her own pregnancy was, then she would say everything really did go off without a hitch! “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you.” Yukiko told her mother that it was fine and that she didn’t really need to apologize. “You would have just had to sit in the waiting room anyway. And I had my hubby with me of course!”

Yukina looked behind her at the young man standing quietly in the corner with her husband, “Well, you certainly were in good hands. Have you had the chance to eat anything?” Yukiko shook her head. She hadn’t had a single bite to eat since coming here and it was way past breakfast time, but really, she hadn’t really thought about it. Strange of course, considering going for more than thirty minutes without at least a bag of chips or some sort of warm and tasty pastry would have had her stomach grumbling as of late. But, at least for right now, that hunger was gone. Besides, with what she was used to, hospital food didn’t sound all that appetizing in the slightest.

Now rubbing her daughter’s shoulder, Yukina was about to make a joke about if Yukiko was sure she was feeling okay, but she was distracted by the stirring mass in her daughter’s arms.

Seeing where her mother’s eyes had wandered, Yukiko small smile turned into a full blown grin and she tilted her arm upward to give her a better look. “Look who came to see you Souji, it’s your grandma.”

Her husband could help but blurt out what their grandson’s name was when she first arrived. It was definitely a name someone like her daughter would have thought up. Laughing internally, she was pretty sure Yu had no say in the matter either. Yukiko probably just decided it on her own and told him that was what it was going to be! But looking at him now, it strangely fit, and she was sure Yu thought so too.

The sleeping babe looked so peaceful cuddled up against his mother’s breast. His skin still showed a tiny bit of redness and with things like a cute button nose, tiny hands that would struggle to hold even a pebble, and a head of short fuzzy black hair, he looked like the most precious thing in the world since Yukiko herself had been born. Without a word Yukiko slowly extend him to her, continuing to smile. Without any hesitation, Yukina scooped up the tiny bundle of joy and placed it in her own arms.

Maybe it was because of the motion of being passed around, maybe it was a slight temperature change in the room only a sensitive baby like him picked up on, maybe it was because the “bed” he was resting in suddenly felt a little stiffer, or maybe it was just coincidence. But, for whatever reason, Souji nose twitched suddenly followed by is eyelids slowly fluttering open. The baby’s eyes wandered around, taking in his surroundings. “Hello sleepyhead did you have a nice sleep,” Yukina said softly, wiggling her finger in front of his nose. Souji’s eyes turned to her. Being a newborn, her probably couldn’t see her that well. Yu thought he remembered reading somewhere that a baby’s vision is blurry when they’re first born. But, he seemed more curious than bothered by the new blobby shape looking down at him.

Yu wondered if it was a combination of her having a voice he was familiar with and Yukina looking similar to her daughter. Yukina looked back at her son in law, “His eyes look a lot like his fathers…”

Yu scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “I know right! He’s handsome just like his daddy,” Yukiko blurted out. Yukina began to rock the baby back and forth in her arms and after a minute or two the young Souji let out the tiniest of yawns and closed his eyes again. He was just so adorable, Yukina felt the urge to pinch his little cheek! She didn’t of course, that would have to wait until he was older. Yukina’s lower lip began to tremble. She recalled what she had said and the deal she had made the previous year shortly after she had learned of the daughter’s “condition.” The one about how if Yu had failed to “prove” himself then she would have ended the relationship and given the child up for adoption. She was only looking out for what was best for her daughter and Yu had more than proved himself ages ago, in fact, it was in her opinion that Yu joining the family might have been the best thing to happen to the Inn in a decade. But looking down at the sweet innocent child in her arms now, she was feeling a little repentant that she had threatened to do such a thing. Even if things hadn’t turned out the way they did, would she have even had the resolve to follow through with it?

Yukina shook the thought out of her head for the first and only time. It was silly to think about such “what ifs,” especially on a day like today. There grandson was here now, and their family was all the much richer for it. That was all there was too it.

After admiring her grandson and talking to her daughter and son-in-law some more about how they were feeling and if the hospital staff was treating them alright, the increasingly fidgety man beside her became to much to ignore. “I think your someone wants his turn with you now.”

Fuyuhiko tried to play it off at first and say he could stand to wait a little longer, but that act for the former play actor quickly fell apart as he found himself already pulling up his own chair at the offer with boyish glee. He reached out for the child but stopped just shy of taking him to give his daughter a quick glance. “Go ahead daddy.” Yukiko said earnestly. Yukiko would have gotten a little apprehensive about her baby being away from her for more than a few minutes and not returned to her for a while before getting passed off to the next person, but this was family, and of course she wanted everyone to have a chance to see how healthy and wonderful her son was. The most she did was tap her finger against her pale stomach while awaiting his return. It was funny. With her womb now empty and without her son in her arms, she didn’t really know what else to do now with her free hands!

“Here you go…GRANDPA!” Yukina emphasized as she handed the blanketed baby to him. Fuyuhiko winced upon hearing that. Of course, it wasn’t anything new. He had months of being reminded about how he was going to be a “grandpa” by everyone at the inn. But now that his grandson had finally been born, the term had suddenly become “more real.” The term just made him sound like he was some ancient fossil. His daughter just had her first child a lot earlier than most. He was still young; he wasn’t that old damn it! Maybe once little Souji was walking and talking they could both think up a “cooler and hip” sounding term for himself.

Fuyuhiko’s face lit up once he got his first up close look at the boy. He looked so overjoyed in fact, Yu thought for a second the older Amagi would rise from his seat and lift his son over his head like in The Jungle King while loudly proclaiming about how the “Amagi line would live on!” Of course, he did no such thing. That would have been a quick way to prematurely end his time holding the baby, probably by having Yukiko get up from his hospital bed and take him from him herself.

That did not stop from making a number of other wild claims, however. “Hmmm…Yes! Yes! The perfect oval head shape! Straight nose! Sharp striking eyebrows! Piercing eyes! And hair as dark and luxurious as the finest black amber! Dare I say this child is the most beautiful baby in this entire hospital wing! As to be expected given who his mother is! In fact, even the sun goddess herself would be in awe of such a child!”

“Okay dear, don’t you think your getting a little out of hand? He’s sleeping. You can’t even see his eyes,” the Amagi matriarch chimed in. Yukiko just smiled and nodded along with everything her father was saying. He was right on the nose as far as she was concerned. She could listen to him praise her son all day!

“I’m just stating what we are all thinking. I’m sure even the nurses would agree! Oh! And look at that strong angular jaw. He has the Amagi chin!”

Yukina looked puzzled. “The Amagi chin? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Mr. Amagi pretended to be wounded. “What? You can’t see it?,” he said before pointing to his own chin. His wife chuckled; she wasn’t sure something could be considered a “family feature” in just a single generation. “Yup. I can already tell he is going to grow up to be a spitting image of his handsome grandfather.”

“Ugh, I hope not! That would be too weird. Please don’t say such things…” Yukiko said bluntly. Her son was going to be someone “cool” like her husband and she wasn’t going to let anyone else tell her otherwise. She gave her hubby a loving glance that he quickly returned to her. Yukiko thought it was amazing how two people could come together to create something so wonderful, but she quickly changed her thinking. “Amazing,” implied it was in some way a surprise when really it wasn’t surprising at all. It was just the natural culmination of two people deeply in love with each other.

Still, to be blessed with such an incredible husband, a beautiful baby, and a supportive family, it was almost like a dream.

“Weird?” Fuyuhiko said in a deflated tone while his wife laughed in the background.

The family continued to talk for a time, admiring the baby and talking about things like Yukiko’s time away from school and Yu’s duties at work. With a newborn baby and recovering wife to take care of, Yu would have to be given a little extra break time to check up on them and attend to their needs. Of course, though, he wasn’t alone, and it would be a group effort between him and Yukiko’s parents.

Suddenly, the door to the room swung open without even a single cursory knock. “Where is my granddaughter?” Sachiko announced as she entered the room. Yu could see Yukiko’s grandfather apologizing to a nurse outside. It seems once she had gotten the number of the room Yukiko was in, she took off all on her own despite the protests of hospital staff. “Mother! You came all this way already? Yukina said as she stood up in shock. “Why of course we did, why wouldn’t we? I had a feeling she was going to deliver early.” Yukina wasn’t so sure about that. She never said anything to that effect. “Right here grandma!” Yukiko waved excitedly. While Fuyuhiko went to join his father-in-law and ensure the nurse it was alright, walked over to her granddaughter’s bedside, a look of distaste growing on her face.

“I see the rooms here are as dreary as ever. Honestly! This is where they have my granddaughter cooped up? I still don’t see why we couldn’t have done this at the Inn! To think this was the baby’s first experience outside the womb. Why your uncle was born right in...”

“Mother please…” Yukina pleaded. Long gone were the days when doctors would make house calls. This was what was best for her.

From the way Yukiko’s grandmother spoke of the place, Yu had to guess that being here invoked some bad memories that made her uncomfortable like it did for his mother-in-law.

“I can’t wait to take my son home,” Yukiko said. “Who knows how many nasty germs are lurking around here. I don’t want him to catch something!” Sachiko’s scrunched up face flattened out and the tone of her voice became sweeter. “Well, there is no need to rush things I suppose. We’ll take him back to the Inn once we know you’re both healthy…”

Yukiko could not wait to give her baby boy a tour of his new home, although it felt a little weird saying “new” when he had been living there for months now! She was sure that her discharge from the hospital would be sooner rather than later. If it weren’t for her still semi-rounded belly and the baby in her arms, you wouldn’t have guessed she had just given birth less than a day prior. It was an easy birth, but still the bounce back from it was miraculous. Even now as the hours passed, the pain she felt was slowly diminishing.

“Well, come on. Let’s see him!” Sachiko said with outstretched arms. It felt like she had just gotten her son back in her arms after her father had gotten his turn to hold him, but Yukiko coughed him up to her grandmother after giving him a tiny squeeze. It felt strange having to pass her son along to everyone, especially when he had only ever been with her the past nine months, but Yukiko also felt happy that everyone now got to experience her gorgeous baby boy firsthand. She and her Hubby would have plenty of time to have him all to themselves later.

Sachiko immediately began to look the child over. From the focus in her eyes, Yukiko could tell she was inspecting him a lot more closely than her parents had done before. It almost felt like her grandmother was some sort of judge examining a school science project of hers or something! This didn’t bother Yukiko in the slightest however, she knew her son was perfect in every way!

Sachiko ended with placing her finger near her boy’s palm which he again grasped with his tiny fingers. The older woman’s serious and focused expression faded, and a tiny smile crept on her face. “He certainly seems to be nice healthy.” Lightly shaking her finger loose, she turned her attention back to her granddaughter.

“You should be proud, delivering a baby so big and strong.” Yukiko’s cheeks grew a little red, “ Oh…thank you grandmother…I am.” Sachiko turned back to the child. She may not have begun talking to him in a high pitched “baby voice” like her father and mother had, but anyone could tell just from her face that the older Amagi had fallen in love with her great grandson just the same. Lots of spoiling was going to be coming his way for sure if how Yukiko’s grandparents spoiled her was any indication.

“But you know. Now that the baby is born, we don’t really have any excuse for you to not lose some of that ghastly belly fat! I let you get a little lax as you due date approached, maybe even a little TOO lax. But now I guarantee we will have a lot easier of time with it. The pounds will melt right off and you’ll soon be back to your slender elegant self...”

Yukiko nodded along, not listening to a single word her grandmother was saying. The moment she heard the word “lose,” she knew exactly where the conversation was heading and it was like her brain instinctively knew to tune her out. She didn’t have time for all that! She had a baby to nurture and love! What if she dropped so much weight, she became unrecognizable to Souji? Yu would probably tell her that was probably unlikely, but why risk it? Nope. She was going to stay the sweet sexy fat mama had become, permanently!

While this was going on, the two older men of the Amagi family had all gathered in the corner around the new father. “So. Has it all had a chance to seep in yet, DAD?” Fuyuhiko asked. The normally calm and collected Yu smiled shyly at hearing that word. It was one he imagined being called many times before in his head and one Yukiko had called him a lot during the pregnancy, but it felt a whole lot different now that he had been able to see his son’s face and hold him in his own two hands.

“I’m still riding the high the excitement of the birth caused, I guess. I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

“Ah yes. I remember that feeling. It’s not everyday you welcome your first child into the word. Of course, with Yukina there was a lot more “running around” so to speak…”

“I wish I had a camera ready the moment Yukiko was born, just so I could take a picture of my wife’s face. The relief and happiness she felt when she heard our daughter cry like a perfectly normal, healthy baby. That instant where she learned that all the hardship she went through was worth it and all that worry she had was unfounded.”

Fuyuhiko gave Yu a small slap on the back. “Compared to what we went through, this was more like a leisurely stroll in the park! In fact, we probably could have done some grocery shopping, made stop at the post office, and gotten some ice cream before dropping Yukiko off here!” Mr. Amagi was joking, but Yu could tell both men were thankful their daughter and granddaughter respectively had an easy time with it.

“He seems so quiet and well behaved. I haven’t heard so much of a peep out of him since last night. You know, everyone talks about how rough the first few months are with a new baby. But maybe things will be different with Souji?”

Yu realized instantly how naïve he must have sounded when even Yukiko’s normally stoic grandfather couldn’t contain his laughter after the two older Amagi’s shot each other a look. “You don’t really think that I hope?”

“Yeah, he may seem like a little angel now, but that will change.”

“Hope you got a few good winks in because that’s going to be the best sleep your going to get for the near future!”

“Waking up at ungodly hours to their crying.”

“All those late night feedings and diaper changes!”

“All those times where they seemingly cry for no reason!”

“The frustration when they refuse to eat!”

“Thinking every sniffle or cough means they are deathly ill!”

“Not being able to let them out of your sights for a second once they learn to crawl!”

“Talking back once they learn to speak!”

“Why I remember when Yukiko first learned the word “no” it was all she said! Even when she meant the opposite!”

“Getting into things they aren’t supposed to.”
“Drawing on the walls.”

“Ruining some of your favorite possessions.”

Both men continued the back and forth for a time until their laughter slowly petered out and the amused looks on their faces grew more solemn. “You got to cherish every one of those moments, because it’s like they say, they’ll be gone before you know it.”

“Yeah, they really do grow up fast…” Fuyuhiko agreed. Yu caught him looking over to Yukiko’s bed and he could have sworn he saw his eyes tear up a little before he quickly wiped them away and turned to playfully grab him into a headlock. “Who knows when Souji will have to grow up after having gotten the most beautiful girl in his school pregnant, if his father is anything to go by,” Fuyuhiko teased. Yu gritted his teeth, his own fatherly instinct flaring up, “Let’s do our best to ensure something like that doesn’t happen.”

“Dear! What are you waiting for? Come here and see the baby!” Sachiko chastised. “Coming,” Jiro called back, moving a little faster than Yu was used to seeing. The other two Amagis quickly joined the others and continued to converse, mostly about the baby, taking many pictures and video of the occasion. Finally, though, Sachiko and her husband bid their farewells. “Your leaving grandmother?” Yukiko asked. “For the time being. Me and your grandfather have to take our stuff to the inn and unpack.” Yukina winced, “Oh your staying mother?” ,

Sachiko gave her daughter a loving pat on the cheek, “Why of course dear. You don’t think we sped all this way through the night only to turn right back?” Yukina rubbed her eyes with her two fingers, “Of course not…” She could tell it just wasn’t going to be a few days visit either. Really she should have expected this.

“Plus, me and your grandfather have to get the Inn ready for when you and the baby come home. So, you don’t need to worry about that!” Sachiko assured her granddaughter. “I guess I should go back to. See how the staff is doing,” Yukina said. It had been a while since she had left them alone and the last thing she wanted was to have her parents there when her or her husband weren’t. Who knows what could happen if her mother felt like she was “in charge” of the place again. “I’ll go,” Fuyuhiko said, pushing his wife back into her chair. Yukina tried to protest but her husband stopped her before she could open her mouth. “I can tell you want to stay, and I’ve been here since last night. I’ll go back and check on things. I need to take a shower anyway! Don’t want my little grandson thinking I smell or something, haha! Unless, you’re not feeling well?”

Yukina blushed at her husband and shook her head, “No, I feel fine…” Fuyuhiko smiled, “Good, I’ll be back before you know it and hopefully, we’ll all be able to go home then.” Fuyuhiko gave his wife, daughter, and grandson a peck on the cheek and Yu a pat on the shoulder before following the older Amagi’s out of her room. “I’ll help you two get your bags out of the car once we get back.”

“We can get them. We have some fragile stuff in there and we don’t want you dropping them or handling them wrong…” they heard the older Amagi Matriarch say as they walked down the hall.

Yu approached his wife, rocking their son in her arms and humming softly. “I should probably go fetch some of the others. Some of them have been waiting a while.” Yukiko pouted. Of course, she wanted their friends to see baby, but yet again it felt like she had just gotten him back in her arms! After she nodded slowly, Yu chuckled. “I’ll make sure to take them the long way around the hospital.” Yukiko brightened up from her husband’s devious plan to give her some extra time with the baby before their friends arrived, even if it would only amount to an extra minute or two. “Thanks hubby…”

Yu had been gone for about ten minutes when suddenly the door to the hospital room slid open with enough force that some of the glassware on the nearby table shook. Standing in the doorway was Chie, panting up a storm like she had just been running. “Yukiko!” she shouted.

Before Yukiko could answer back, her best friend bolted to her bedside, her face looking like she was holding back tears. “Oh Yukiko…” she sniffled again. “Were you worried? Was it scary? Did it hurt?” Are your hurting now?” Yukiko couldn’t keep up with the rapid-fire questions her best friend was throwing her way. “Quiet down Chie, this is a hospital after all. You don’t want to disturb the baby now do you,” the older pale Amagi spoke from her chair. Chie instantly threw her hands in front of her mouth. She was so focused on Yukiko she didn’t even notice Yukiko’s mother, her boss, was in the room! “Sofrey” Chie said through her hands.

Yukina chuckled to herself, Chie could be so amusing sometimes, but her reaction to seeing Yukiko in her hospital bed wasn’t that much different than her own, it was just that she wasn’t as open about it as Chie was. She was always glad her daughter had found such a caring best friend.

“I’m alright Chie,” Yukiko said with a cheery smile while brushing some hair out of her friend’s face with her free hand. It was at this point Yu and the rest of the group he had finally made it to the room. “Geez Chie! You didn’t have to run off like that! You almost ran that poor nurse over!” Yosuke berated. “Well Yu was taking too long! It was like we were walking in circles!” Yu shot his wife a look and gave her a shrug. He had tried to take the long way around like he told her he would but once Chie had gotten the room number Yukiko was in out of him, she just took off on her own.

“So, come on! Come on! Where is this baby we have been hearing about for soooo long?” Teddie squeezed himself past Yu and Yosuke, a sky blue balloon that said “it’s a boy!” tied around his wrist. “No Kanji or Rise?” Yukiko asked. Of course she would have wanted Chie to be among the first to come and see her and her baby on account of her being her best friend but, she thought those two would have jumped at the chance to be right behind her. “Well Rise and Naoto weren’t here yet, and Kanji was in the bathroom when I went to fetch everyone so…”

“You snooze you lose!” Yosuke finished for him. Yu felt bad about leaving him behind even though, like Chie, he had shown up to see them yesterday, but Yukiko wasn’t as concerned. “Well it’s better he wait. This is something him and Naoto should see together.” Yukina gave her daughter an odd look for that comment but didn’t say anything.

“Woah!” Teddie said as he strolled up besides Chie. This caused Chie to in turn look at the bundle Yukiko was holding that she had previously ignored. The young mother pushed aside the blanket to give her friends a better look. Yukiko felt that pride swelling up again as the two gawked at her cute little Souji.

“He’s so cute!” Chie gushed.

“He’s so small, and yet he’s a lot bigger than I thought he be. Your saying that came out of you?” Teddie said in genuine amazement.

Yosuke had come over to take a look as well, “Man, he does look a lot like you partner. Hey little cutie!”

Teddie got that condescending look on his face which usually meant he was about to chastise Yosuke in some way, and usually it meant he was about to also say something stupid or wrong. “Yosuke, he doesn’t look anything like Sensei! Sensei’s cheeks aren’t that chubby, and he has way more hair than that! Not to mention it’s a different color!”

“Do you always have to disagree with whatever I say? And he does too. You have to look closer than just what color his hair is. Look at his nose and the shape of his eyes.” Teddie leaned in a little closer wracking his brain to compensate for things like Souji’s smaller features compared to his father’s in order to see what Yosuke was talking about. “Hey, you know what! I think I do see it now! I guess you weren’t just talking nonsense!”

Yosuke just rolled his eyes. “Oh hey, I got you something,” Teddie announced to the little “cub.” Undoing the ribbon on his wrist, Teddie held out his balloon. “One special balloon on your very special day from everyone’s beary favorite bear, Teddie!” Teddie continued to hold out the balloon but the complete non-reaction from the sleeping Souji was not something he was anticipating. Children of all ages love to get balloons from him! “Awww, what’s wrong? Does he not like blue?”

“No Teddie, he’s just very sleepy right now. Thank you for the balloon,” Yukiko said, not feeling like explaining to Teddie the whole “he’s just a newborn” thing right now, much different from even the infants he sees in their mother’s arms at Junes. “I’ll take that,” Yukina said as she snatched up the balloon and tied it to her chair. The last thing she wanted was to have the thing pop right in her daughter and grandson’s faces.

“You know Souji, I think it’s time for your Auntie Chie to get to hold you. You remember her, right? We helped her study all those times.” Yukiko whispered to her son. “Huh?!” Chie yelped, shooting up from her knelt position by the bed. Yukiko extended her arms, “Come on auntie, he’s waiting!” Chie put her hands up. She didn’t know the first thing about babies. He was just born yesterday, and he looked so delicate, she didn’t want to screw up somehow and upset, or worse, hurt, the little guy!

“Me? Hold him? I uhhh…ummm…you know what? I forgot to wash my hands! Yeah! And I was doing some chores around the house this morning and in the lobby I think I accidently touched some used gum under my seat, so I wouldn’t want to give him some nasty germs and get him sick or nothing! Haha…”

“Here you go.” A pale hand holding a white cloth appeared in front of Chie’s vision. Turning, she saw Yukiko’s mother smirking at her. “Luckily I always keep a pack of disinfectant wipes with me.” The dumbstruck Chie could only sit there in shock as the older woman wiped down her hands herself. She tried to think of some other type of excuse, but nothing came to her and once Yukiko made a comment about how much she had been looking forward to thins, she knew she couldn’t possibly talk her way out of it.

Yukina sat the girl down into one of the chairs before taking Souji from her daughter and walking him over to her, taking the short opportunity to fawn over her grandson a little more. Chie’s heart began to pump faster the closer the older Amagi got to her. “But what if I do something wrong and he starts crying or I drop him or something!?” Chie whined. “Your going to do something like that if you keep spazzing out! Didn’t you ever have a baby doll when you were a kid or ever held, like, a baby cousin or something?” Yosuke asked. Yukiko laughed silently to herself. She could never see her rough-and-tumble best friend having owned a baby doll or done things like play house when she was younger. She was always a bit of a tomboy, at least for as long as she had known her. Still, she was a young woman, so she was sure this would be valuable experience for her that would come in handy down the line.

“You won’t drop him,” Yukina assured her. “Here, hold him like this, and put your hand under his head like this.” Chie went as stiff as a board when the baby was finally placed in her arms. “Uhh…hey…haha” she laughed nervously. Souji continued to do as he had been doing and that was sleep soundly. After a minute or two had passed with nothing happening, Chie began to relax. Yukina clapped her hands together. “See? You got it. Nothing to worry about.”

“Good job Chie! I knew you could do it.” Yukiko said trying to be supportive of her friend although since all she was doing was holding a baby, it came off as unintentionally patronizing to the young brunette. But, like with seemingly everyone who had a chance to hold him, soon Chie couldn’t help by smile at the newest edition to the Amagi family. Things were going well, until a sudden noise sent Chie into a panic again.

Chie heard a tiny gurgle come from the newborn. Nothing serious, just one of the many common sounds a human body can make. But for Chie, it might as well have been a death throe.

“Ah! What was that? Did you hear that? Is something wrong? What should I do? Should we call the nurse? Ah! Ah! Someone help!” With her mouth agape and her eyes beginning to well up, the distressed girl rapidly shook her head from side to side, looking for someone to take the child and responsibility from her.

After letting her squirm for a few more seconds, Yukina took Souji back from her. “Okay. Okay. He’s fine Chie. There is nothing to worry about.” Yukina turned around to see her daughter with a troubled look on her face and looking like she was about to climb out of her bed. It seemed Chie’s sudden reaction caused her own imagination to run wild. “Is he really okay?” Yukina wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. “Yes dear, your friend was just overreacting,” she said, handing Souji back to his mother to calm her down. After a quick check up. Yukiko breathed a side of relief. Chie apologized for making her nervous.

“No need to apologize,” Yu interrupted. “You should have been here earlier when Souji sneezed! Yukiko and I both got a little crazy…” After yanking him back into the room as he was halfway out the door to get a nurse, Yukina and Fuyuhiko both had to sit them down and explain to them that baby’s, especially newborns, sneeze a lot. It was just one of those things no one ever talks about when it comes to a new baby. Yukiko puffed out her cheeks in annoyance remembering it, “I was just being cautious. I mean, Sneezing usually means a cold…”

Chie was given a second chance once both her and Yukiko calmed down, and this time it went without a hitch. “Babies are cute and all but let me know when he’s old enough to run around and kick a ball. That’s when the real fun begins!” Chie laughed.

Yukiko laughed as well. Her Souji would need someone like his Aunite Chie to play things like soccer with him when daddy wasn’t around. It’s not like she could! Well, maybe she would try it if he asked her nicely although it probably wouldn’t be that enjoyable for him, and if she were playing goalie, it would probably be downright unfair with all the space her big butt takes up!

“Oh! Me! It’s Teddie’s turn now!” Before he even got a response, Teddie was already seated in the same chair Chie had been with his arms outstretched and an open lap. With how “unpredictable” Teddie could be, Yukiko and Yu were a little more cautious with handing over their son. Yu made sure to stand right next to the youthful blonde in case he needed to swoop in at a moment’s notice. But to their surprise, Teddie’s experience with the children at Junes seemed to carry over babies as well. “So, this is what a human child is like right out of the oven! Did you look like this Sensei?” Yukina furrowed her brow at the strange way the boy phrased it, especially the “human” part. “Hey! I think I might have seen him smile just now!” Teddie exclaimed. “I think I can see why girls want to have them so bad!”

“I’m sure Kashiwagi would love to hear you say something like that,” Yu said, somewhat in a joking way. “And you really do seem to know your way around kids.” Yosuke groaned, “Please don’t encourage him…” You’d think with how much Teddie liked to talk about his girlfriend he would have gotten used to the idea of the two dating, but nope, it was still as weird as ever.

“You think so? I know! Quick! Yosuke! Get your phone out and take a picture of me with the baby! Wait until Kashi-baby gets a load of me!”

“You will do no such thing!” Yukiko interjected. It was one thing to take pictures of her baby, but this felt more like he was being used as some sort of prop! Besides, she thought the best way for others to see her son for the first time would be to see him in person. Not through some photos. Kashiwagi or anyone else included!
“Awww man! Kashi-baby would have thought I looked so cool…” Teddie turned his attention back to the baby. “You know, me and Nana-chan are like best friend’s and I think we’re going to be best friend’s too. If you get your mom to take you to Junes I’ll have lots more balloons to give you. I’ll even do my patented Teddie shuffle for you too!”

“Thank you Teddie. That’s really sweet of you,” Yukiko said.

“Okay, I think you’ve been hogging him long enough,” Yosuke said, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on. “I think someone wants to see their uncle Yosuke now.” Teddie turned his body away, almost like he was protecting the young Amagi. “I don’t know. Don’t you think you should leave handling the baby to the professionals like Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Sensei, and me? Your more of a family friend then an uncle. Do you even know the first thing about baby care?”

Yosuke’s eyebrow twitched. He did his best to hold his tongue and not shout or give the boy a smack on the head like he deserved considering Souji being between them. “You really like getting on my nerves, don’t you? And Chie is anything but an expert!” he said through his teeth. “Hey!” the brunette shouted in response.

Teddie soon was forced to turn the child over to Yosuke who began to speak to the child like all the others. However, it wasn’t long before the peaceful look on the child’s face started to change. He started to frown, his eyes squinted tight, and he let out the tiniest of whimpers. Yosuke looked on in horror at what he knew was coming.

“Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Waaaaaaaaah!”

Teddie placed his hand on his chest in faux surprise. “Yosuke! What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything you stupid bear! I mean, Chie has a full-blown panic attack while holding him and he didn’t start crying then.”

“Here Yosuke, give him here.” Yosuke walked the crying babe over to his mother and placed him in her arms. “Shh…Shh…” she whispered as she rocked him in her arms. Glancing at the clock, Yukiko had a feeling she knew what was wrong. “It’s been a while since I fed him. All this excitement meeting new people, you must be hungry again…”

“Hun-hungry?” Chie and Yosuke both stammered in unison. Suddenly there was an urgency to leave. “You know, I should get going. With you in the hospital now I got to study on my own a little for the next exam. Not to mention my afternoon training…”

“Yeah, it’s getting close to me and Teddie’s shift at Junes so we should probably be on our way.”

Yukiko assured them that it would only take a few minutes and tried to convince Chie that this could be another learning experience for her, but they were adamant. It was probably for the best, after all they still had another group of friends waiting to see the baby. Yu gave Yosuke a hug and thanked them for coming while Chie got one from Yukiko, made a little awkward by the crying baby in her arm. And then they all quickly made for the door before Yukiko couldn’t stand the sound of her Souji’s distress any longer and whipped out one of her breasts with them still in the room. “Aww. But Yosuke! I want to stay and see…” Teddie complain as he was yanked into the hall.

Yukiko’s motherly intuition was right on the money. After holding her baby boy up to her exposed bosom and helping his open mouth find a nipple, his soft cries were quickly replaced by a quiet suckling. Yu couldn’t help but notice while taking her breast out that a droplet or two had already begun forming on her teat, a fact further backed up by a small milk stain on her hospital gown forming around the breast not currently in use. Yu remembered the story she told him earlier in her pregnancy where a crying baby had caused her to start leaking. An embarrassing reaction the first time it happened for sure, and it had quickly ceased to happen as quickly as it had begun after a time, but now it seemed to be back in full swing. Except, this time it wasn’t embarrassing at all. The distressed baby her body was answering to now was her own. It wasn’t her body making a “mistake” anymore, prepping herself for a feeding that wasn’t going to come. She was responding exactly as a mother should for her child.

Yukiko stifled another moan as her baby latched on to her other breast after switching sides. She was still getting used to the strange feeling of breast feeding. It was a little similar to one of her milking at her hubby’s hands but different in so many ways. It was slower, gentler, not to mention wetter. But perhaps the biggest differences was the tender warmth that washed over body as she did it. Like pure love and affection were coursing through her veins, filling her up with pleasant feelings until she felt she might burst!

To Yu, his wife looked like she was right in her element. Those good feelings must have also been evaporating through her skin, because he could feel that same warmth radiating off her. The whole time she had their son in her arms her smile had never left her face and just when he thought it couldn’t grow any bigger, he was proven wrong in that moment.

Still in school and she looked more mature and motherly than anyone he knew, and he thanked the gods every minute of everyday that he was able to find someone as wonderful as her. Wiping the mist in his eyes, he heard his wife softly murmuring to their son, but instead of getting closer to try and hear what it was, he took a step back toward the door. Whatever she was saying, it was between a mother and son and for their ears only.

“I’m going to go see if the others are ready.” He whispered as Yukiko finished. Yukiko nodded, still in her happy daze somewhat. It could get pretty tiring with all these people coming and going, but this was the last one. “Just be prepared, you know who is coming next…”

Both Yukiko and Yukina could hear giggling coming up the hallway signifying the arrival of a certain idol before they could even see her copper-colored hair through the door window. The moment the excitable teen made eye contact with doughy mother her face lit up and she let out a short high-pitched squeal.

“AAAH!” With outstretched arms the girl shuffled to Yukiko’s bedside, not even caring about what must have been an expensive pair of brand name sunglasses flying off her head and hitting the floor. Quiet a different reaction from Yukiko’s mother and Chie.

“Senpaaaaaaiiii!!” she squeaked, not being able to contain her excitement as she threw her arms around the bed ridden girl. It was at that moment that Kanji stomped into the doorway, as if he rushed through the halls to get there, but once he arrived, the flustered delinquent coughed and walked in normally, making sure to greet Yukiko’s mother.

“Hello…Uhh…Miss Amagi…”

“A hello to you too, Kanji. I trust your mother doing well?”

“Uh…Yeah. She’s doing good,” he answered while eyeing over to Yukiko and Rise. He had other things on his mind right other than making small talk with Yukiko’s mom, but he didn’t want to be rude. Fortunately for him, he was left off the hook when Yu and Naoto entered behind him and his girlfriend gave her own greeting.

“Ummm…Rise?” Yukiko asked after the particularly long hug. Rise apologized, “Sorry! Sorry! I’m just so excited and it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever! You guys went to the beach without me, didn’t you? Well who cares about that right now? Come on, let me see! Let me see!”

Some might have thought it was overwhelming, but Yukiko loved the girl’s enthusiasm, especially because it was concerning her perfect baby boy. She was expecting Rise to have this type of reaction. They were actually a lot alike in many ways, and not just because of their taste in a certain boy, which was HER husband now mind you. Rise always talked about how much she adores children and that one day she would like to start a family of her own. In that aspect they were both on the same page!

Like before, Yukiko brushed aside the blanket near Souji’s face to give Rise and Kanji, who had suddenly appeared next to her, a better look. “AHHHH!” Rise screamed, slapping her hands on top of Kanji’s shoulder and practically beginning to hang off him. “Shhhhhh!” Yukiko hissed. Rise quietly nodded that she understood that she needed to be quieter, all the while uncontrollably giggling to herself again. “He’s…really cute…” Kanji stammered. “Cute? Cute doesn’t even begin to describe him!” Rise said hopping in place and shaking the delinquent by his jacket.

“Would you knock that off?!”

“Naoooootoooo!” Rise whined, “What are you doing? Come and see the baby!” Naoto had been chatting with Yu and Yukina. She didn’t see what the rush was. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.

With crossed arms she made the trek across the room and got her first glimpse of the baby. “He certainly looks healthy…and he does bear a striking resemblance to senpai, minus the hair color of course.”

Rise groaned. “That’s all you have to say? Don’t you just want to snuggle and squeeze him like the world’s most adorable teddy bear?”

Naoto stared at Rise blankly, “I don’t think such a thing would be wise…”

Rise turned back to Yukiko, “Can I hold him? Please?”

“Of course.” The new mother beamed.

“Uhh…and…then could I?” Kanji asked politely.

“Yes, Kanji,” she answered as if it was a forgone conclusion. “You helped me and Yu out so much these past few months!” In addition to all the tailoring Kanji had done for her she didn’t forget that Kanji was also the one who got her the test that told her she was pregnant in the first place, albeit after tricking him to do it.

Without even thinking, the blue haired detective began to raise her hand to declare her intentions to take her turn after Kanji, before gripping her hat and pulling it down over her face. She didn’t know what came over her suddenly. Besides, such a thing was implied anyway, she figured.

Rise wasted no time rocking the Souji in her arms and resorting to “baby talk” once she got ahold of him. “Hey there! Auntie Risette here! Who’s the cuwtest baby in the whowe wide worwd? Is it yew? Is it yew? Abloobooboo…” While Yukiko continued to smile at the sickly sweet display, Yukina just rolled her eyes, paying no mind that she had been doing the same sort of thing whenever she had the chance to hold her grandson. “I just can’t get over how precious he is. It makes me want to take him back to the city with me!” Yukiko clenched her fist. She knew Rise was only joking, but still, she would fight anyone who tried to take her Souji away from her!

“Your going to have to get your daddy to take you to all my shows! I’ll make sure you get front row seats and you can even come backstage after the show!”

“I don’t think he will be going to any concerts for a while.” Yu chimed in. “Yeah, I don’t think a concert is really the best place for a baby…” Kanji added. “And I know the types of outfits you wear doing those shows…” Yukiko huffed under her breath.

“Well maybe not, but he can always watch one of my shows at home! I’ll dedicate a song just for him!”

After about ten minutes, Yu and Yukiko figured it was Kanji’s turn with their little Souji. “Awwww! Five more minutes?” Rise whined. With the way Rise didn’t want to let go of the child, you would think she was the one who had given birth to him. “You don’t want to mean old Moronji to hold you, do you? You want to stay with Auntie Rise.” she said with a childish pout.

“Hey! Don’t call me that or teach him things like that! I’m not mean!”

“Kanji is perfectly capable of being gentle and loving!” Kanji blushed a little from his girlfriend’s defense of him, but he hadn’t beaten up any bikers since that one time!

“Loving, aye? Rise smirked. “In what way? I heard some things that happened during your beach trip.”

Naoto eyes widened. “I-I-I don’t know what you heard. We had a great time during the trip sure, but it’s probably not what your thinking!” She stammered, clutching the skull necklace she was wearing under her coat.

Rise relented, “Fine. I’m sorry Kanji, you can have your turn now.”

“Alright!” Kanji but as he began to step forward, Naoto nudged him in the side with her elbow. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Naoto said, nodding toward the bag Kanji was clutching close to his persons. Of course, Yu had noticed the bag, but Yukiko was so wrapped up with the baby it was like it didn’t even register to her. “Oh right! I got the little guy something. It’s that costume you asked for. I was up pretty late last night after I got home from coming here to finish it and believe me, I got the needle pricks to prove it!”

“You got it done this early Kanji? Oh, that’s wonderful! It’s like a birthday present!” Yukiko clapped in excitement. As he reached into the bag, Kanji caught a glimpse of Teddie’s balloon floating in the corner and frowned. He was so sure he was going to be the only one with a present. It wouldn’t be too bad if at least he had gotten to give his present first, but his dumb ass just had to take a leak at the wrong time!

It took less than a second to realize how silly he was sounding. Who cares if he if he wasn’t the only one to give the kid a present and who gave it first? In fact, for someone like senpai’s kid, he should be pissed that he didn’t get any thing from more people! Besides, his present has a practical use, Teddie’s present was little more than a decoration. In fact, the little guy would never know it had even been there!

Kanji took a bundle out of the bag and unfurled it. The wooly soft garment was a striking orange, with green around the arm and leg cuffs and around the collar as well with a leafy design to give it the illusion of greenery. The bottom around the waist was packed with some stuffing, giving it a more rounded “gourd-like” appearance, and plastered right on the front was a big happily grinning jack-o-lantern face. Reaching back into the bag, Kanji also pulled out a matching orange cap with some more green on top for the stem.

Yukina started to laugh out loud. It was not something she was expecting, but given who her daughter was, she probably should have expected her to commission something so ridiculous! Not to say her grandson wouldn’t look cute wearing it. No, he would definitely wear it. It would be a crime if he didn’t!

“Oh! It’s prefect!” Yukiko beamed. Yu knew Kanji did a good job when his wife didn’t even make a comment about how she wished the face was “scarier.” She, like her mom, was too busy imagining how adorable her “little pumpkin” would be in it to care. It was going to be very hard to hold off from dressing him up until October!

“Nice work Kanji.” Yu said.

Kanji tried to hide his flustered face, “Thanks…I’m uh…glad you like it…” Naoto also couldn’t help but smile silently at how proud her boyfriend seemed to be of his work. She knew he had worked very hard on designing it and putting it all together and it was nice to see all that work pay off. Kanji had actually asked her to look at it on the way to the hospital for her opinion despite it not being her area of expertise. But even she could tell that Yukiko would like it. She would just keep the fact that she got to see it before her a secret.

“Halloween, Kanji? Isn’t it a little early for something like that?” Rise asked.

“I know I still had plenty of time to get it done…but I guess I was just so excited I couldn’t help but work on it right away after Yukiko senpai asked me to. I know kids grow like weeds though and I had to try and estimate how big he’d from now to then, but I can make some alterations when the time comes if you need me to.”

Rise wasn’t really trying to be mean about Kanji’s gift or anything. It was just she didn’t think she would be around during Halloween to see him in it! She wished he would have given him an outfit he could have worn now.

Rise tugged on Yu’s arm and pouted, “You better take plenty of pictures!”

Setting his Halloween costume aside, Kanji finally got his turn to hold the little Amagi heir. “He’s so small…” Kanji said in amazement. With a hand almost big enough to cover the baby’s entire torso, it was hard to believe someone like Kanji was ever that small himself. With an eye for fabrics and texture, Kanji could tell by sight that the child’s short black fuzz of hair on top of his head had to be insanely soft and silky. It took everything in his power to hold off from stroking the boy’s hair to get a feel, but he held strong, thinking that petting him like he was some dog may be a little too weird.

“Kanji, take your finger and place it in his palm.”

“Huh? Okay…” Kanji did as Yukiko told him and slowly poked his index finger into the baby’s palm. Like he had done before, immediately Souji’s tiny delicate hand closed and grasped the tip of the delinquent’s finger. It wasn’t anything crazy or even out of the ordinary but the reaction it got would have made you think the Souji had done a flip or something!

“Hey! It’s like he’s saying hello!” Kanji flexed his finger making it look almost like the two were shaking hands. “He’s a strong little guy. He could start busting heads and taking names in no time!” Yukiko laughed to herself. She knew Kanji would get a kick out of it, although her little Souji certainly wouldn’t be going around “busting heads” and getting in trouble.

“Hey, I want to try!” Rise pipped up.

Finally, it was the last of their friend’s turns with Naoto. Despite her brief enthusiasm beforehand at the prospect, Naoto’s was beginning to backpedal when the time came. Like Chie she had never really been into traditionally “girly” things like playing with dolls or having tea parties and when it came to baby stuff, she was just as lost as the sporty girl.

Once Souji was given to her, Naoto held him far from her body and was so careful with him, it was like she thought he was made of salt. One false move and he would crumble to dust!
“N-n-n-now what do I do?” Naoto asked. Yu had to admit it was a little amusing seeing someone like Naoto so lost. “What!? What do you mean Naoto? You hold him and admire how precious he is!” Rise said.

Yukiko smiled at the young detective, “Just do what feels natural.”

Naoto frowned. She thought her friend’s suggestions were too vague to be helpful. However, she did remember Rise rocking him in her arms during her turn, so she started to do the same. “Say something to him!” Rise added. Naoto didn’t see the point, it wasn’t like he would understand anything he said, but she did as she was told. “Umm…hey. I’m Naoto. I’m a friend of your mom’s. I came here to see you and wish you a happy birthday, I guess?...” Rise started to chide Naoto for her dry and formal introduction, but suddenly there was a stirring in Naoto’s arms.

Souji kicked a leg and wiped a hand across his face. Then, after squinting his eyes they fluttered opened. As she watched this happen, Naoto slowly began unconsciously pull him in closer to her. He didn’t cry or even make a sound. He just moved his eyes around the room, taking in his surroundings until his eyes focused on the bluenette staring back at him. At first, Naoto thought it to be a coincidence that his gaze fall on her, but when she moved her head, his eyes followed. He was definitely looking at her with an expression that almost looked inquisitive to the detective.

“He’s awake, and umm…staring at me.”

“He’s awake!? Let me see!” Rise leaned in front of Naoto and gasped, “Huahh! Look at his wittle eyes! They’re like cute tiny gemstones”

An annoyed Naoto pushed Rise aside with her cheek. They had turns for a reason and Rise had already has hers. This was her time now.

The two continued staring at each other, a small smile creeping onto Naoto’s face that she couldn’t help. “Looks like he likes you.” Yu said, placing his hand on Naoto’s shoulder. “I-I-I don’t think so…there’s probably just something about my face he finds interesting…” Naoto reasoned.

“No, I think my hubby is right. I can tell. I am his mother after all. You’re so comforting and caring. You’re a real natural at childcare it seems! Good for you and Kanji,” Yukiko smiled. Neither her nor Kanji really caught what Yukiko meant by the last part.

Naoto wouldn’t go that far as to say “natural”, but she seemed to be doing adequately enough, and she could start to see why Rise had a hard time giving him up. Unlike Kanji, Naoto wasn’t afraid to gently brush her hand across the top of the Souji’s head, not that she even gave it much thought. Her hand just moved on its own.

Souji’s eyelids fluttered briefly and just as quickly as he had awakened, the newborn fell back asleep. However, in doing so, because of Naoto now holding him closer to her body, the boy inadvertently ended up snuggling up right against the young girl’s generous chest. “Ah!” the now reddening Naoto yelped in surprise. The obvious thing to do would be to push the baby away, but that “comforting” part of her Yukiko spoke about was worried doing so might wake him up. Yukina leaned in to see what the fuss was about and grinned a mischievous grin when she saw just what the matter was. “Oh, he’s just trying to get cozy. Just let us know if he tries to latch on to you.”

“L-l-latch!?!?” Naoto’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Mrs. Amagi meant by “latch.”

“Mother! Don’t tease! Souji would never even dream of doing something like that! You have nothing to worry about Naoto. The only person he would want something like that from is his mama…”

Naoto soon decided to give Souji back to his mother before her rising embarrassment fried her brain completely.

It wasn’t long after a nurse came in to give them the news that Yukiko and the baby were okay to be discharged from the hospital. “Good riddance!” Yukiko thought. She appreciated everything the doctors had done for her and her baby, but she was just ready to take her baby boy from the cold sterile environment of the hospital to the warm and safe one of the inn. Her, Her parents, her hubby’s, and her son’s home. So preoccupied with the baby in her arms as she was helped into a wheelchair and wheeled out, she hadn’t even noticed the nursed had to fetch a slightly wider than normal chair just for her…