"You're certain? I've already informed you that the chances of the baby's survival are unlikely." The doctor looked concernedly between the parents-to-be who sat in his office.
The father, a lean man with silver hair, nodded strongly and replied, "We're certain. Aren't we, Naoto?" He looked to his wife, a petite woman with blue-gray eyes and navy hair who placed a hand on her swollen belly protectively.
"Yes. We've waited so long for this; I won't give up hope. Our family will be a happy and healthy one." Naoto Shirogane met the doctor's gaze evenly, her expression gentle but her eyes filled with fire.
Still discomfited by the young couple's determination in the face of their almost certain fate, the doctor gave them a small nod. "As you wish. Contact us here at the hospital if anything comes up." The expectant parents got up, with Naoto being steadied and supported by her husband as they left the office.
The hospital corridors were as they usually were; doctors and nurses making their rounds, the occasional patient being taken in or out of the various wards, nothing unusual. As they reached the door leading to the lobby, however, someone stood out – a tall, thin man with black hair tied into a ponytail, dressed in a very expensive-looking Western-style black suit. He regarded the two for a moment, taking in their expressions before asking, "I know we have not been acquainted, but may I ask what troubles you? I make a point to help people in need if I can."
Somehow the couple knew they could trust this stranger, as out-of-place and intimidating as he was. Naoto looked to him and answered, "My husband Yu and I are expecting our first child, but the doctors all say she won't survive birth. Apparently my constitution is too weak to effectively nurture an unborn child… We didn't know about this until I was already several months pregnant. They asked us if we wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but we refused. We don't want to give up on our daughter." She lowered her eyes, tears forming in them as Yu patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"I see… You are lucky to be blessed with a child. May I ask what name you had in mind? I would know on whose behalf I would send a plea to the gods." The tall man had a gentle expression as he looked down at the young couple, an aura of benevolence seeming to surround him.
Yu met the man's eyes, a spark of gratitude in his eyes. "Kikuko." He stated. "We want our daughter to bloom like the chrysanthemum, so we thought it was fitting."
The tall man closed his eyes briefly before giving the two a warm smile. "Kikuko… An auspicious name. Put your minds at ease; little Kikuko will be a healthy child." Nodding politely, the enigmatic figure turned and left, leaving the couple behind.
"He was a strange man." Naoto mused. "But he had this aura about him… I'm inclined to believe him. We'll put our faith in the gods that our daughter will grow to be healthy and strong, as befitting the sixth generation of the Shirogane family.
The young mother breathed heavily as she laid in the hospital bed, her eyes half-closed as the drugs wore off. The doctor who had presided over the birth approached with a blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms, drawing the iron-gray eyes of the new father who sat beside his wife's bed. "Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane, congratulations on the birth of your daughter."
"How is she?" Yu asked concernedly as he looked up at the doctor.
The woman's face broke into a smile as she proclaimed, "A strong, healthy child. It's amazing; all the prior tests indicated that her chance of survival was next to none. Now, the formalities – what will her name be?"
Yu met Naoto's eyes as she received their newborn daughter with a gentle embrace. They nodded simultaneously at one another being saying in perfect unison, "Kikuko."
"Kikuko Shirogane. I hope your future as a family will be a happy one."
The newborn Kikuko looked up at her mother with the angelic face only a baby could have. Yu and Naoto were delighted; their dream had finally come true. They were finally parents.
"How do you do that, Grampa?" The small navy-haired child looked up to the man across the table from her, the shogi board separating them.
The old man chuckled and met his granddaughter's steely gray eyes before replying, "I've been playing shogi for years, Kikuko. I'm surprised that you wanted to learn to play, though; it's not a game that usually interested kids your age."
Kikuko smiled proudly and stated, "It's 'cause I'm a Shirogane. We're all smart, just like Mom and Dad!"
"Dad, don't you think there are more important things that Kikuko should be learning? She's precocious, but she is still only six years old. Should she be spending her time playing shogi instead of doing her homework?" Yu asked from the threshold of the room, watching his daughter and his father play the game.
Instantly getting up, Kikuko ran to her father and puffed her cheeks out as if in protest. "I'm all done with my homework! I never, ever play games 'til I'm done with my homework! I promise!"
"Yes, you're very responsible." Naoto stepped up beside her husband, her long navy hair falling around her face. "Kikuko reminds me of Nanako-chan, always so serious and diligent. Besides, if she's going to be playing games in her spare time, at least she's chosen one that makes her think. Any intellectual development is good development."
Kikuko shifted her gaze from her father to her mother, asking, "Do you think Grampa Kazuhiko would think I'm a good girl too? I know Grampa Isamu does 'cause he likes me, but I never got to meet Grampa Kazuhiko." Her tone was suddenly sober and serious, causing her parents to share a quick glance.
Naoto knelt and hugged the girl, saying, "My Grampa would've thought you were the best girl ever, Kikuko. I know he's watching you from heaven and bragging to the gods themselves about how lucky he is to be part of your family."
Kikuko smiled before letting out a yawn, prompting Yu to smile gently. "Tired, Kikuko? Well, it is pretty late. Get some sleep." Both Yu and Naoto walked with Kikuko to her room to tuck her into bed as Isamu packed up the shogi set.
The Shirogane family wasn't ordinary by any stretch of the imagination; five generations of detectives with a young sixth generation growing up. But that didn't stop the new family from being happy together – Yu, Naoto, and little Kikuko. None would have expected the twists that Fate would bring to them.