"All right, Tsunemori-san. For now, just get some rest."
"Thank you very much."
Akane's chocolate colored orbs fell on the young woman clad in a light pink dress and hat. After scanning over the clipboard in her hand, the woman flashed a calm smile at her detective patient before taking her leave.
Now alone, Akane felt free to let out a long winded sigh that had been threatening to escape her for the past hour. Given her current situation, though the nurse had told her to, it was hard for the Inspector to simply relax. For one, it was rare nowadays for Akane to ever just sit and relax. No, her job took up most of her time. When she wasn't working, she was exercising- training her body so that she would always be prepared no matter what case she had to deal with (this all thanks to a certain Enforcer's advice from a few years ago). What's more, though it sounded silly, the brunette had never really spent any time in the hospital until now. Usually, it was one of the others of her division because they had been hurt on a case or some such. The closest Akane had ever gotten to being a patient in a hospital was Shion's office back at the PSB. Now here she sat with her thoughts, unsure of how to spend her time while she remained in such a place.
Then there was her reason for being here in the first place. That, too, only added to the pressure.
However, things could be far worst. Akane knew that. Despite herself, Tsunemori had kept quite calm regardless of all the stress building up in her, all thanks to the kind nurse from before. For that, she was quite thankful and it lessened her burden quite a bit.
Akane frowned though, knowing there was something else that could help cure her unease much more. Careful not to sit up too far, Akane glanced over at a white clock on the wall above the room's door. It read 5:32. Her frown worsened.
"He's late..." The twenty eight year old thought, pursing her lips in concern.
She had already been here for a full sixty minutes. Thinking back to it- the moment the detective had arrived, Akane immediately requested a phone. With it, she called her division at work, informing them of the situation. Yayoi Kunizuka had been the one to pick up- sadly, not the person she had wanted to speak to but asked if she'd pass along a message to him instead.
"Both Gino and him are out right now, but I'll call them right away." The black haired woman's voice, though still as calm as it always was, held a hint of comfort in it as she spoke to Akane, "Don't worry- Knowing him, he'll fly right through traffic regardless of what gets in his way."
Akane couldn't help but smile at the kind assurance of the enforcer. She told her thank you before being taken off to her room, where she'd wait alone with her anxieties.
Yayoi was right. He would show up. Still, Akane couldn't help her mind from wondering to different possibilities as to why he was running late.
Could there have been some sort of accident? Or perhaps a case that required the entire division to solve. Or worst, could he have gotten badly hurt again? Over the years she had known him, he had been very prone to injuring himself with the most ease. Akane could only pray that wasn't the case this time.
A pained grunt escaped the short-haired woman while she struggled to get in a position that was even just a little bit more comfortable for her. However, Akane quickly found no way of laying that could help her feel any less worst. It was a few minutes before Akane finally felt the pain subside. Sweat was pouring down her pale face like a waterfall and her breathing was heavy and loud. The feeling had been so intense that the Inspector hadn't even noticed her hand was gripped with all its might around one of the bars on the side of the bed used as a support. Her knuckles and fingers had numbed up and it took a moment before she finally freed her hand.
Akane coughed as she tried to catch her breath and rested her head into the pillow deeply. The entire world around her felt like it was spinning. It made her stomach nauseous and every part of her exhausted. As she laid there, she brought her arm and laid it over her eyes, shielding her from the bright light of the room.
"I don't...know how much more...I can-"
"You're giving up already, Inspector?"
Akane's eyes shot open as she threw her vision towards the doorway. For a minute she swore she saw a man dressed in a suit with spiky hair standing there, smirking back at her. However, the image of him vanished just as soon as it appeared.
Tsunemori blinked a few times before coming back to reality. Honestly she couldn't help but laugh, what with her old habit acting up again. Back before he had returned to Japan, Akane remembered her mind playing tricks on this just like now. It also always happened whenever she was feeling upset or anxious. Yet all it took was the sound of his voice or the sight of him, fake though it may be, to give the young detective to keep going, no matter the situation. Today was no different.
The Inspector smiled warmly as she felt some peace of mind return to her thanks to her hand found its way down to the source of the pain and she massaged it as gently as she could.
"I...hope he gets here soon." Akane thought to herself as she turned her head towards a window and peered out at the cloudy sky outside.
"Give me the wheel."
"...s' fine, Gino."
"...I said...Give me the wheel, god damn it."
The former inspector Nobuchika Ginoza's voice hadn't sounded so stern and angry in years. It used to be a regular thing for him to be constantly on the edge, especially when it came to his best friend who was currently sitting beside him(who was causing him all sorts of stress, almost beyond anything before now). Though over the years and overcoming many trials had helped calm Gino down as a person- today, his old self was swiftly coming back to the surface. And just like back then, the only thing that would calm Gino down would be to take it out on the bastard who was currently swerving in and out of traffic as if he wanted to kill the both of them.
"Kougami."
"Gino, I told you-"
"STOP THE FUCKING CAR!"
As if a dog heeding his master's orders, Kou slammed his foot on the brake and pulled over to the side of the road. Before the spiky haired male could say anything, Gino was pushing him out of the driver's seat and moving over. Once the two switched spots, Gino pulled back into traffic without saying another word.
Now that he had finally taken control of his life again, Ginoza felt his nerves dying down to find some peace at last. However, it didn't seem to last long, once again thanks to a certain spiky headed bastard beside him.
Before the thirty six year old driver knew what hit him, a loud tapping sound began echoing down from the floor of the car. At first Gino wondered if something was wrong with the vehicle but he soon realized where the annoyance was actually coming from.
Out of some consideration for his friend's current emotional state, Gino waited a minute before addressing the issue, and in a voice as calm as he could manage too,
"...Kougami."
Despite the situation, Shinya turned to the man who was like a brother to him, wearing a look as stoic as ever. To anyone else, Kou probably looked calm as could be- not the least bit emotional or tense. No one but Gino who had known him for over 10 years could tell that inside Shinya, a massive storm of worry and panic were swirling around like a mighty hurricane.
"...Yeah?" Just like his voice, Kou spoke as calm as could be. However, Gino could hear the slightest crack in his tone regardless.
"Could you, please, stop...whatever it is you're doing?"
-taptaptaptap-
"What I'm...doing?" Kougami seemed to have no conscious recollection of the actions his limb was doing. He was like a dog who had an unreachable itch that couldn't be scratched.
Nobuchika could feel his eyebrow begin to twitch almost in sync with Kou's twitching foot. After another minute, the short tempered male could take no more,
"ENOUGH, SPIKE-HEAD...!"
That was all it took to put an end to the twitching. Shinya simply blinked as if he were innocent and turned away, scratching his head,
"...Sorry. Didn't mean to drive you nuts."
"Story of my life."
Kougami responded with a sigh and then proceeded to reach into his pocket. After removing a square box, he rolled down the window, removed a white stick from the box in his hand, lit it before bringing it to his lips.
Gino rolled down his own window to ventilate the car further. He never could stand the smell of cigarettes, much less that of the Spinel brand.
"Thought you had finally quit."
Kougami took a long puff that seemed to last a full three minutes before light smoke sprayed from his lips,
"This kid's got me on edge, if that weren't obvious enough already."
"I suppose that's understandable." Gino snorted before smirking in amusement, "This squirt isn't even here yet and its already making his deadbeat of a father a wreck. Pretty hilarious, when you think about it."
Kougami couldn't help but flash a small smile at the remark. Gino had always known how to hit below the belt, but this remark was so true that it hurt.
Years ago, Shinya Kougami would have never dreamed he'd be in the position he was in right now. Especially considering Sibyl labeling him a latent criminal, and all criminal were forbidden from ever having children, much less with a person who had a clear hue. Over the course of the last few years though, Japan had undergone a massive change that no one had ever predicted- a change that, at first, no one even desired. Especially those who took comfort in the brain of their country known as the Sibyl System.
It was a long story, one of which told how Japan had nearly completely fallen; and along with it- its own people. The truth of Sibyl had been revealed and as a result, the system was destroyed. Many people panicked, the very structure of the country crumbled, and some even lost their lives. Too many tragedies had occurred over those past 6 years. At first, change or restoration from the horrors that had befallen the country seemed utterly impossible. However, despite everything that had occurred, in the end- Japan revived their court system of old and brought about a new age of peace, a peace that was true this time and not the lie that Sibyl had spoken of for so long. Those who had been cast aside as criminals were now free to act as the people they were, though some of them did provide a problem. In the midst of all the chaos with Sibyl's fall, Kougami had returned to Japan to take part in the tragedies that ensued. He was arrested by the reformed PSB at the end of it all.
No one had said a word, not even Akane. Not even as division 1 had watched their former comrade walk off to trial for the crimes of his past. Everyone thought, at the very least, Shinya would get life in prison. However, fate had different plans.
More accurate to say, Akane Tsunemori, the new chief of police, did. She had taken the late Kasei's place after all that happened and she had quickly proved that the Inspector had every skill to perform her new duties. Not to mention, spectacularly at that.
After settling in, Kougami was approached by the new chief while in his cell, awaiting trial.
All the headstrong woman said was, "Return to being a detective, Kougami." Her face completely devoid of any emotion.
Before he could even so much as raise an argument, Akane countered him with every part of her being, "Sibyl took latent criminals- people who were too mentally unfit for society and allowed them to reenter it on the pretense they use their talents in helping the police. Though the system has fallen, I will offer you the same plea deal, Shinya Kougami. Because your intelligence is too valuable to rot away in a place like this."
Her eyes were cold but serious when she looked at him. He had never seen her so...determined before then. It was enough to chill the criminal's bones to the very core.
"What do you say?"
Kougami responded with a defeated smile before finally giving in. After walking out with her, all the enforcer could say was,
"You really are one hell of a woman, Akane Tsunemori."
Said woman's response to this? A simple,
"Welcome back...Kougami."
Some time later, the two finally got married thus leading the the current chain of events.
"You think you'll suck at it?"
Kougami, who had been broken from his thoughts of the past, looked at his colleague with an arched brow, "At what?"
Gino's grass colored orbs shot a look at Shinya and sighed, "Being a father, moron. I've tried for all these months and I just can't picture you with an infant. Rather, you properly caring for one."
"Guess we'll both see soon enough."
"...Yeah."
Kougami took one last puff on his cigarette before tossing it into his empty can sitting in the cup holder.
"...Hey Gino."
"Yeah?"
"Can you..."
"No." Ginoza growled, nodding his head towards the dashboard, "The speed limit is what it is and I'm not gonna kill the both of us just cause you're in a hurry. Don't worry, we'll make it in time."
Kougami could say nothing more and sat back in his seat, while his mind fought with itself over the state of Akane...and their child.
Hell- That was the only way Akane Tsunemori could describe the current state she was in. Over the course of her career as a detective, she'd broken a few bones; bruised and battered her body; experienced much emotional trauma time and time again. Still, the pain the short haired female was experiencing right now paled in comparison by far. Almost every single part of the Inspector felt filled with a burning hot sting, almost as if she were on fire. But the worst part of it all focused in the lower part, near her abdomen and below. Akane could swear her very insides were getting torn to utter shreds with each tick of the clock.
To make matters worst, time seemed to be passing so much slower than normal. Each second felt like five minutes- and every minute felt like an hour. A full eighty minutes of this had felt like an eternity. Adding to the pot, the pain only grew worst as time went on.
Akane tried to remain strong. Like she had recalled earlier, she had been through so much over the years. Though right now, the pain hurt so much worst than what Tsunemori had dealt with before, it wasn't just for her own sake that she make it through this. There was another life at stake that was far more important.
Akane had lost many loved ones in her lifetime- too many. And dammit, her's and Kougami's child would not add to that list. Even if her entire being was torn apart at the seems, the mother-to-be would make sure her infant arrived safely.
Though her choked moans, Akane turned to the nurse had returned and was currently tending to her. Before she could even get the words out, the nurse seemed to read her patient's mind and gave an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Tsunemori-san. I informed the other nurses and secretary at the front desk to be on the lookout for your husband but so far, nobody fitting his description has arrived."
Akane tried to smile back and looked down at her swollen bump, her eyes shimmering emotionally.
"...I see."
The nurse patted Akane's shoulder before following the other nurses to the doorway,
"We're going to go fetch the doctor and prepare. For the moment, just try to breath and relax, all right?"
The last part felt like a kick to Akane's gut, in more ways than one. Doubt filled her mind but the Inspector decided to make an attempt at doing so anyways.
Tsunemori allowed her eyes to shut as she steadied her breathing as calm as she could manage. However, just as some peace of mind was returning to the young mother, the child decided to show its impatience in a very bold way.
Several bolts of agony shot through Akane almost instantly. This time was nothing like the contractions from earlier. No, it was so much very worst. Without even thinking, Akane immediately rolled on her side and took hold of one of the support bars on the bed once again. She squeezed on it as hard as she could, praying it would help alleviate the pain in some way but there was no such luck. As it went on, Akane could swear she was leaving dents in the metal bar but she didn't care. The discomfort was so great. Just too much. Akane had talked to her mother about giving birth when she first found out she was pregnant and she'd heard stories of how bad it could be, but this...there were no words the Inspector could find to describe how miserable she felt.
Akane could take no more as her cheeks were stained wet with her own tears and sweat. The suffering woman laid there, alone, and dealing with more pain than she ever had in her life. Under the circumstances, all Akane could do now was wish that it would end soon, before she went crazy.
It was then that Akane felt something gently press against her face and run down her cheek as if caressing her. Akane forced her tearful eyes open- her vision falling upon the man she'd be praying desperately for.
His blue eyes that stared at her held the most mix of concern and kindness than she had ever seen him wear in the eight years they had known one another.
Akane couldn't stop herself from crying in relief as she mumbled his name,
"You finally...showed up...Shinya."
Kougami's lips trembled as he tried to speak but the sight of Akane in such evident agony was something he never wanted to see and until now, he was sure she'd never looked so, for lack of a better term, terrible.
In the end, the only thing the latent criminal could think of to say was, "Sorry...for being late."
Akane shook her head, silently telling him she forgave him,
"I'm...just glad you're...here."
Though it had become progressively difficult for Akane to move any part of herself, she somehow managed to find a way to extend her hand to her husband's face where she rested her palm against his cheek lovingly. Kougami flashed one of his rare smiles that were usually only ever for her before responding with a kiss to her forehead.
Kougami's hand found its way to the place where their child was making itself known. Upon the slightest touch, Akane's husband could feel such rapid, strong movements that he knew had to be absolutely awful to experience. His wife had had to deal with the physical strain along as well as the stress and mental exhaustion that came with it, all alone until now. Kougami could feel his mind sinking even further into guilt stronger than he had ever felt before. Though it pained the detective to admit it, Shinya had done many terrible things to the woman who had saved him. Too many things to count. While the list tore him apart inside, his not being with Akane the moment she went into labor was certainly one of his deepest regrets.
Kou brushed some straying hairs from Akane's eyes. Meanwhile, his other hand massaged her abdomen lovingly.
"If there's anything I can do, just name it."
Though her own groans, Akane let out a forced chuckle at her spouse's consideration. While there wasn't anything she could ask for at this point now that he had finally arrived, she still appreciated the kind words.
Akane loosened her hand that had been holding tightly onto Kougami's, "Thank you, but I think I may end up breaking your hand if I keep holding it like this."
Kou's lips curled upward at the consideration thrown back at him. Akane was about to have their child and she was more concerned about his hand? Some things would never change, he supposed.
"By all means, if that will make you feel better, then break the hell out of it...Inspector." Despite his choice of words, Kougami's voice was barely a whisper but it held such a rare gentle, soothing tone to it. Akane's cheeks couldn't help but flush a very faded pink. Though they had been married for a while now, sometimes just to tease her or relive their past, Shinya would call her by that title. To this day, she never once tired of it and she was sure she never would. Especially since there had always been something about the way the serious male had said it, that Akane always found...encouraging.
Right now, the PSB officer certainly needed all of the encouragement she could get.
"Still, I'm glad I made it in time. Gino certainly didn't like my driving on the way over here but it was worth pissing him off to get to you." Kou leaned over and pressed his lips to his wife's cheek.
"You know, I was beginning to think you had gotten caught up in something terrible again when you didn't show up right away. I was pretty worried."
Kou shook his head in apology, "Actually, I was in the middle of an interrogation when I heard about your call. Nearly had a damn heart attack."
Akane tried to picture the look on the older man's face when he had received the news but she just couldn't picture it. Ever since they had met, Akane knew that when it came to her wellbeing, Kougami was nothing short of a worrywart. It had only become progressively worst the last few months. It was just as Gino had told Kougami in the car. Though their child had not yet arrived, it had probably horrified Kougami more so than anything else before.
"Should have seen Gino's face though. His was even better than mine."
Akane playfully hit her lover in the arm, "You know he would definitely punch you if he heard you say that, Shinya."
Kou nodded, "Yeah, been there and done that. Next time, it may be his prosthetic my face gets a beat down from." The memory of his getting pounded out on Shambala float was enough to make his cheek begin to hurt again, "It'd hurt a hell of a lot more though."
As if their child had heard its father's words, Akane's entire body suddenly twisted violently and near out of control. The Inspector's cries echoing every corner of the room.
Almost instantaneously, Kougami shot up from his chair. His face clouded over with absolute horror, the enforcer unsure of what to do.
"Akane...!"
The pain was absolutely unbearable at this point. It was so awful that it was impossible for Akane to even pretend she didn't feel as bad as she did in front of her husband. Before now, she hadn't really ever thought of how bad childbirth would be. Years ago, it was something the brunette never even considered, since Sibyl held careful planning on who married who and when they had children. Though she hated the way Sibyl controlled peoples lives, the mother-to-be finally understood why many woman opted to take a special hue-cleansing drug before giving birth. Of course such trauma would cloud anyways mental state. Though her psycho pass was no longer measured by anything, in the back of her mind, Akane felt as though today would be the first time her hue would have ever become cloudy. That was how terrible she felt.
Still, it was just a bit longer. Just a little more and Akane knew her suffering would pay off. Above all else, though she felt past her limit, Akane had to continue for their child's sake. Her's and Kougami's baby was far more important and even if this killed her, Akane swore she'd make sure it was born healthy.
Tsunemori held her stomach carefully as she prayed with all her might,
Please...hang in there for just a bit more.
Akane's concern must have been more evident than she realized, for a moment later, Kougami was taking her face into his hands. His blue eyes looked more serious than she had ever seen them before.
"Akane, no matter how unbearable the pain gets- no matter how long this takes, I know you can do this." Kougami ran the tip of his thumb near the corner of the Inspector's eye, wiping away a few tears, "You hear me?"
Between her gasps for air and pain, Akane nodded slowly and tightened her grip on his hand tighter. Kougami returned the grip and smiled again.
"I'm right here with you...all right, Inspector?"
More tears welled up in the female's brown eyes as she burned the image of Kou's kind face into her mind. Akane then shut her eyes and took a deep breath, appearing as if she were in deep thought. When she opened her eyes again, Shinya could see the fierce determination reflecting brightly in them. Relief washed over him, happy to see the side he loved most about her had returned.
The nurses and Kougami assisting Akane in sitting up in proper position for the task at hand. A man wearing a white coat entered right after and proceeded to give instructions to his fellow colleagues. While things were getting finished up, Kougami stood as close to Akane as he could. In his hand was her own, and Kougami stroked in calmly as he stared down at her,
"You ready to do this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Shinya closed in and took Akane's lips together with his own for a brief moment. When they separated, Akane was feeling washed over with more energy than she had had in the past nine months.
"Tsunemori-san, it's time."
Akane nodded as Kougami supported her back and helped her sit more forward. The raven haired male looked at his wife one more time and whispered in her ear,
"You can do this, Akane."
She smiled gently and nodded. The doctor looked his patient right in the eyes,
"Are you ready, Tsunemori?"
"Ready."
"...oks...ex...austed..."
"doc...sa...fine..."
Everything was completely dark around Akane Tsunemori. So dark that it was hard to make heads or tails where she was or why. Though the young woman was confused, she could hear two very familiar voices talking what seemed like right next to her.
"Doctor said he can release both of them tomorrow."
"Already? You're kidding."
"Don't panic Gino- I'll make sure they both get plenty of rest."
"Damn right you will, otherwise I'll have an excuse to finally kick your ass like I've been wanting to."
"Still pissed, eh?"
"Shut up."
Akane's consciousness returned steadily as the voices beside her grew louder and louder. When she finally realized who the voices belonged to, Akane forced one of her eyes to slowly open. So following, both eyes managed to look up at the two figures standing next to where she laid. It took a moment for the brunette's sight to adjust due to the bright lighting in the room, but once it did, one of the figures revealed to be her husband while the other, her colleague Ginoza.
While she didn't make any noise or show any indication that she'd awoken, both men almost immediately noticed her returning to a state of consciousness.
Kou rushed over to the side of the bed as fast as he could. His large hand cupped Akane's soft cheek carefully,
"Hey there." His voice was softer and sweeter than normal, matching Shinya's gentle features, "How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?"
Though her body was awake, Akane's mind had yet to catch up with the rest of her. As such, it took the intelligent female's brain a moment before it understood the question.
"N-No...I'm fine." As she choked out a response, Akane realized her voice was exactly that- a choke. It was near impossible for even a mumble to come out. Screaming for a solid three and a half hours had left her poor throat an absolute mess. Not to mention, her mouth seemed to be dryer than any desert in the world.
Kou simply smiled knowingly at his wife before reaching to the table behind him. A bottle of water in hand, Akane was propped up and fed the bottle slowly,
"Think you can drink something?"
Akane nodded and began gulping away at the delicious water that soothed her throat spectacularly. It took but a few seconds before the entire bottle was empty. She drank so fast that it left the Inspector near breathless once finished.
"Better?" Kou chuckled as he wiped a water droplet from the side of Akane's mouth.
Inspector Tsunemori nodded and returned a bright smile. Soon, Kougami and Akane were staring at each other in a comfortable silence which left their third wheel of the room left to feeling more awkward than he cared to admit.
"I'm still here, you realize." Gino felt sweat forming on the back of his neck at how uncomfortable he was with the scene before him, "If you two are finished..."
Upon remembering her former boss' presence, Akane forced herself upward- perhaps a little too far given her current condition,
"Gino, I'm so- AH!" Akane's body raged at her when she sat too fast. She was swiftly brought crashing back down onto the bed.
Gino's green orbs grew in size as Kougami took hold of his wife's shoulder. After making sure she was okay, Kougami helped adjust the bed so Akane could sit somewhat in a better position without her entire lower half screaming at her.
"You need to take it easy, Akane," The spiky haired detective scolded tenderly while he stroked her forehead, "The doctor said you shouldn't move around so much right after delivery."
"I swear to god, she picked up her recklessness from her fool of a husband." Ginoza furrowed his brows intensely. His prosthetic reached out and gave his friend's back a hard smack. Kougami twitched in momentary pain before sighing, unable to counter argue.
Ginoza turned his attention back to the Inspector, his expression softening significantly as it always did when it came to Akane, "Anyways, are you sure you're all right, Tsunemori?" The tall male turned towards a call button on the wall near the door, "Should I call the nurse?"
"No, no, I'm okay." Akane assured while smiling tiredly, "I'm sorry for worrying both of you. I'll be more careful."
"It's certainly nothing new." Gino chuckled, recalling all the other times when he had become a worried wreck over her, "Although, thanks to this, I did get to see an amusing side of Kougami. Never seen him act like such a mess in all the time I've known him."
"Glad it was at least entertaining for you, Gino." Kougami knew that his best friend would never let him live this down, but instead use it as ammo on him the rest of his life. Though considering all the headaches he had put HIM through, Shinya knew it was only fair game at this point.
Akane giggled at the exchange between the two. It had been a while since she had seen the both of them get along so well. Now she felt somewhat grateful about the circumstances that had brought them all here for.
At that moment though, Akane's mind recalled the very reason for those circumstances that seemed to be missing at the current moment.
Ignoring the warning from her husband earlier, Akane forced herself back up and frantically looked around the room in a desperate search. When she didn't see what she was looking for, unimaginable panic began to bubble up inside like acid in a witch's cauldron. That very panic led to a terrible thought arising in Akane that left her far more pale than she was when she had been in labor.
"Akane?" Kougami frowned deeply when he saw her eyes clouded over with terror.
"The baby..." Was all Akane could mumble as tears threatened to spill forth at any moment, "Don't tell me..."
Shinya walked over to a large clear box-shaped something near the back of the room. After carefully removing a bundle from the inside, Kougami made his way over to his lover's bed and sat on the side. The enforcer placed a comforting hand over Akane's, trying to get her to calm down,
"Akane, just take it easy. Everything's okay." Kougami proceeded to place the bundle he held into his wife's arms and pulled back the top, revealing a small face with pink cheeks, "Our son is perfectly fine, see?"
Time seemed to almost freeze the moment the image of her small newborn son reflected brightly in Akane's hazel eyes. No words or thoughts came to the new mother as she took in every inch of the life she and Kougami had been anxiously waiting for the past nine months to meet. The baby was so incredibly tiny. More tiny than anything she'd ever laid eyes on before. In fact, Akane noticed the child was no more than the size of his father's palm, at the very most.
On the infant's hand rested a light blue cap. From underneath, a few small brown could be vaguely seen, peering out in spike shaped forms.
Kougami reached for the hat, knowing what he would reveal to Akane would please her to no end,
"You said you hoped he'd take after me- Well, Gino pointed out that his hair is the exact proof."
The cap came off and many more small spikes flowed out from all around the baby's head, sticking straight up in an amusing manner.
"Oh..."
Gino covered his mouth, suppressing a laugh at the sight once again, "Of all the things he gets from his father, it's that ridiculous hairstyle. The poor child will be bullied for years to come."
"Piss off, Gino." Kou snorted before turning back to his wife and son. His hand ran through the small creature's hair, gradually, "He may have my hair but he's definitely got his mother's face."
It was true. Though the baby had his eyes closed, making it impossible for his parents to see what color his eyes were- his face was exactly like Akane's. From his eye shape, to his nose and mouth. Every feature was like a mirror of his mother.
More tears streamed down Akane's face as she cradled her child closer to her. Until now she had never known she could feel this happy. For so many years, her heart was torn asunder by Sibyl and her job. Just two years ago, she would have never imagined feeling like this ever. The Inspector swore she would remain cold and unfeeling for the rest of her days but both Kougami and the arrival of the precious creature they had made together seemed to reinvigorate Akane Tsunemori to the very depths of her soul. Like a beautifully warm spring arriving after a far too long, cold and bitter winter.
"Tha..." Though she was choking on her own emotions, Akane cuddled her child closer and let herself collapse into Kougami's arms where she continued to cry harder than she ever had before, "Thank you..."
"What are you thinking me for?" Kougami's lips curled upward while he stroked the back of Akane's head sweetly, "You did all the work- I didn't do one damn thing."
"Yo-You did..." Akane hiccuped and held onto her husband tighter, "Without you, Shinya- I would have...gi-given up...a long time ago."
Kou's pupils grew small for a moment, his mind taking in her words for what seemed like the longest time. Once the words had processed, a completely new expression painted itself across the normally serious man's face. Even after knowing him for over ten years, Ginoza was shocked at the look the former rebel was wearing.
Kougami's face was completely beaming from ear to ear. For a moment, Gino swore he even thought he saw a few tears escape the man he had never ever known to cry once in his life. Shinya held onto Akane as tightly as he could without suffocating their son. The embrace broke and Kougami took Akane's chin with his thumb. His unusual but incredibly happy features peering down at the woman he loved more than anything else,
"You're not playing fair," Kou laughed, kissing his wife on her cheek and then her lips, "...That's my line, Inspector."
An hour later, the two new parents were surrounded by their division who had brought all manners of gifts and things for both Akane and the baby. After some questioning from Shion, Kougami and Akane revealed their new son would be named Shinichi, meaning "One truth".
While the others fawned over the infant, in the corner of the room stood a silent Ginoza and Yayoi.
"It's a shame that isn't you over there with her, isn't it."
Ginoza nearly tumbled over face first into the floor at the pokerfaced woman's comment. His green eyes the size of pebbles and his face a cheery red, "W-What the hell are you talking about, Kunizuka?!"
Yayoi frowned back at him for what felt like an eternity to Gino before she let out a sigh and shook her head, as if dismissing what she had just said,
"...I mean, you did have feelings for her. Though you never told her."
Nobuchika twitched slightly and shook his head, "...Well of course not. After all..."His bold green eyes focused back on the distant Akane who was smiling like the sun over in her bed, "I'm not the one she choose."
"Do you ever regret it?"
Gino really wanted to let the topic drop to the floor at this point. Not only was it very uncomfortable for him, but now was the absolute worst time for it. It was a good thing the rest of the division were being loud and preventing Kougami and Akane from hearing their conversation.
"What, letting him come back?"
Yayoi looked to the floor, as if she was disappointed, "No, I mean letting Kougami have her."
"'Let him have her'..." The male detective waited before choosing his words carefully. In the past day, Nobu had seen something he had never imagined or dreamed of seeing. The two most important people to him had laughed and smiled more happily than he had ever seen them do before. There was no other time he could think of where Gino had seen Akane or Kougami so blissful. The closest his memory could recall was when Sasayama was alive during Kougami's time as an Inspector or back before Kougami had ever left after Akane had joined division 1.
After Sibyl had basically ripped both Kougami and Akane's souls out, Gino wasn't sure if he'd ever see them even hint at a grin ever again. But thankfully, he was proved wrong.
"She was never mine to begin with," Gino began, his expression softening to one filled with warmth and kindness, "I think, those two were meant to be together from the beginning anyways."
Yayoi blinked in surprise at the surprising choice of words before she also ended up with a grin of her own, "I never thought I'd hear you speak of things like fate."
"Fate, huh." Gino glanced through the crowd of his friends and at the bundle that both Akane and Kougami were playing with and loving on. Shinya was having his finger grabbed by the baby's hand while Akane watched. Suddenly, the baby's body jolted as he let out a small sneeze. Both the Inspector and enforcer looked at each other for a moment before looking back at their son with an incredibly passionate and tender stare. Akane used a tissue to wipe the baby's nose while Kougami held up a jellyfish plushie they had bought for him.
Yayoi looked back at Gino one more time as she came to a realization of her own. It wasn't just Kougami and Akane who had been saved from their heartache of the past, but the man standing beside her as well. Ginoza started slowly over to his division. As he walked, he looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly,
"To those two, fate was just no match."
Eight years ago, a brand new naive Inspector and seemingly cold Enforcer met for the first time. Fate had intended the two's relationship never be anything but a flame destined to burn out in the winds that blew throughout society and Japan. However, just as Nobuchika Ginoza had said-
To Akane Tsunemori and Shinya Kougami, fate never stood a chance.
Author's comments: Oh MY GOD, did this take forever. I haven't wrote a single fic in so long and I'm so very out of practice but I pray to god, you guys liked it, even if only a bit. I'm so very sorry if things repeat or if it's out of character (my worst fear x.x). This idea was something my heart just really wish would happen but I know a series like Psycho Pass would never do it so I took matters into my own hands. What did you guys think? Please review!
I may also be getting back to my last Psycho Pass fic too (the one I never finished x.x). I'm feeling unusually inspired thanks to this so please, let me know if anyone wants to see more of my PP writing, especially for the best ship out there 3
Thanks so much for reading :) It means so much