A/N: Alright, here's the first chapter of a threeshot that takes place after the events of "Kiki Gets Lost". This was the result of an ask sent by one of my followers on AO3 and Tumblr. Please read and review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Kiki's Dog!

Chapter One: Busted, Kiki!

"Gochisosamadeshita!" Makoto, Kyoko, and Kiki chanted as they finished the food on their plates.

"Gochi." Mokubo uttered, not quite able to say the full expression yet.

"Thanks for the dinner, Dad!" Kiki thanked as she hopped off her chair and pushed it in. Kiki bowed her head before she turned around and walked out of the dining room and down the hall.

"Well, she's taken to the news that she's gonna be a big sister again pretty well…" Makoto mused as he and Kyoko smiled before they glanced down at her barely visible baby bump.

Once Kyoko had come down with morning sickness during her second month, Makoto and Kyoko had told Kiki about her new pregnancy. To her credit, the elder sibling took it rather well, as she trusted her parents to continue to love her even after her next sibling was born. Kyoko was now three months pregnant and life had continued to come and go as normal, though Kyoko would swear her morning sickness was worse than her past pregnancies.

Good thing Makoto's been here for me, the lovable dork… Kyoko smiled in amusement before her stomach rumbled. "Oh, Makoto, can you pass more of the sushi? I seem to have developed a craving for it this time."

"Sure, I…that's weird…"

"What? What is it?" Kyoko asked, her furrowed brow matching Makoto's bewildered expression.

"Ano…Kyoko…is it me, or was there more sushi here when I finished serving everyone?"

Kyoko inspected the plate and to her surprise, the arrangement of sushi appeared to be slightly smaller in diameter than it was before.

"You're right; some of the sushi seems to have disappeared. I take it you didn't take some while we were preoccupied? You can be a bit of a glutton at times…"

"Give me a break Kyoko; my table manners aren't that bad!" Makoto complained as he pouted cutely. Kyoko giggled before Makoto hesitantly asked "And it wasn't you, right? You did say you were craving it, so…"

Kyoko sighed and told him "Makoto, if I were brazen enough to swipe sushi right off the plate, I certainly wouldn't ask you to pass the plate to me."

"Alright, good point, good point." Makoto held up his hands and sighed as he glanced around the dinner table before he realized "Come to think of it, I don't think it's just the sushi that's gone. Whoever our little food thief is, they helped themselves to everything."

A curious Kyoko glanced around the dinner table before her eyes widened as she realized Makoto was right. The servings of sno peas, pork tenderloin, and carrots were all slightly smaller in mass. Not enough to deprive others of another serving, but enough to be noticeable.

"You're right Makoto, but who would want to take our food? IT wasn't either of us, and Mokubo can't even reach the food from his high chair."

Mokubo cooed from his seat next to his father as Makoto and Kyoko closed their eyes in concentration before they opened in realization.

"Kiki?!" Kyoko exclaimed. "But why would she want to take food without us noticing? She's never been shy about asking for seconds before, and we've never deprived her of it when she's asked."

Makoto bit his lip before he admitted "I'm just as confused as you are, Kyoko. It doesn't make any sense…"

Kyoko bit her lip in confusion before she narrowed her eyes and stood up, startling Makoto as he asked "ano…Kyoko…what are you…"

"I'm going to go find Kiki and get some answers! A little missing food may be harmless, but if our daughter is hiding things from us, I want to know why!"

"Kyoko, wait!" Makoto called in an attempt to placate his upset wife before she strode out of view. Makoto sighed as he stood up and unbuckled his son from his high chair before he picked up Mokubo and said "Come on, little guy. Let's go catch up with Mama. Maybe we'll find out why your sister's acting strange…"

With Mokubo secure in his arms, Makoto quickly powerwalked after his wife so that he could calm her down.

XXX

Kiki sighed in relief as she closed the door to the backyard behind her and she reached under her skirt. She then pulled out a brown paper bag and opened it before she whistled.

"Here boy. Come here, boy."

A quiet woof reached her ears as she saw a red sesame shiba wag its tail as it trotted up to her, its tongue hanging loosely out of its mouth as it panted eagerly.

"Alright, alright, I got your food right here." Kiki nervously whispered as she dumped the contents of the paper onto the grass in front of it.

The dog eagerly laid down as it slurped up the fish, meat, and vegetables from the grass. Kiki smiled and patted its head, which caused the dog to whine in pleasure as it nuzzled Kiki's hand.

"Hey, keep it down, boy. My mom might hear you, and it's honestly surprising I managed to keep her in the dark about you for this long…"

"Indeed…I'm quite surprised as well…"

Oh fiddlesticks! Kiki cursed as her face turned pale before she shakily turned to see her mother with her hands on her hips.

Kyoko glared disappointedly at her daughter, which caused Kiki to shrink as the expectant mother scolded "Kiki Naegi, why are you bringing food from the dinner table to this stray dog?"

"Mom…I…I can explain…"

"I'm sure you can, young lady. Now…"

"Hey, did you find Kiki? Did you find out why she…is that a dog?" Makoto asked as he stepped outside while his eyes widened at the sight of an unfamiliar dog.

"Indeed it is." Kyoko turned her glare back to her daughter as she answered Makoto "Apparently Kiki has been sneaking away food to give to this stray dog. Now, Kiki Naegi…start explaining why you've been sneaking food away to this dog, now."

"Alright, alright!" Kiki sighed and explained "It started two weeks ago after I got home from school. I went out to the backyard to play after I finished my homework, and I saw this dog had slipped through the gate. But it was completely starved; you could see its bones, Mom! So, I…I sent to get it some leftovers from the fridge and fed it him."

"I get it; you felt sorry for the little guy and wanted to help." Makoto guessed as he sympathized with his daughter.

"Yeah…this continued for about a week and he looked a lot healthier. But then, he…he continued to sneak in the backyard afterwards and whine for more food. I knew it was risky, but I…I kinda…grew attached to him…"

Leave it to Makoto's daughter to nurse a stray dog back to health and continue to feed it in secret… Kyoko thought with exasperation as Kiki finished.

"…So I…snuck food during dinner and scraped it into a small paper bag just under the table and tied it to my thigh under my skirt so you wouldn't notice."

…I don't know whether to feel disappointed for hiding this from us, or impressed that you managed to pull it off for two weeks… Kyoko mused as she looked to her husband.

"So…that's what happened."

"I see…"

"Mom…can we…"

"No. You can't keep the dog." Kyoko immediately shot her down, which caused Kiki to look down in disappointment and sorrow.

To be rejected so simply… Kiki thought as Makoto's eyes softened, the young man knowing all too well what it was like to be told no by Kyoko. "B…but why not?" Kiki demanded before she pointed out "Dad got to have a dog when he was my age!"

"Your father never had to lie to his parents in order to get one."

"Ano…technically she never lied to us, Kyoko. She just…withheld information…"

Makoto trailed off as Kyoko glared at him before she turned her gaze back to her nervous daughter and stated "Frankly Kiki, I don't think you deserve the privilege of owning a pet right now. Whether it was a lie or simply not telling us, the fact is that you should have told us, and you didn't."

"I didn't think it would be a big deal at the time." Kiki defended "By the time I knew I was attached to him, I…didn't know how to bring him up was all…"

Makoto nodded in sympathy and suggested "Kyoko, this seems like a pretty harmless secret she kept, and I think she learned her lesson. Why don't we let bygones be bygones?"

As Kiki stared up at her hopefully, Kyoko sighed and countered "Even if I were to dismiss this whole incident…Kiki, taking care of a dog is a big responsibility. You need to remember to feed him, walk him, play with him, take him outside every morning and evening, and he'll have to sleep with you when you go to bed."

"Ah come on, Kyoko. Like she said, Komaru and I had a pet dog when we were her age. As long as it's what she really wants, taking care of a dog isn't that much work. Besides, he looks kind of cute." Makoto tried to persuade as he kneeled down in front of the dog and smiled at it as he looked up at the former Luckster.

"Makoto, we're already taking care of two kids, and we have a third one on the way." Kyoko pointed out as she gestured to her baby bump. "Do you really think it's a good idea to throw a pet into the mix too?"

"Please Mommy? I'll take really good care of him, I promise!" Kiki begged, her puppy dog eyes causing Kyoko to briefly falter in her opposition.

"Kiki…Our house is really big; he could easily get lost. And you're only eight years old. I'm just not sure you're ready to…"

"Inu!" The others turned their heads to Makoto as Mokubo squirmed in his arms before he escaped and landed on the grass. "Inu!" He exclaimed as he crawled over to the dog and loosely hugged its head, earning a lick to the face.

Makoto smiled warmly as he watched Mokubo smile and giggle before he turned back to his wife and commented "Well? Moku seems to have taken a shine to him. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him so happy in my life."

"Please Mom?" Kiki begged one more time. "Please can I keep him?"

Faced with the pressure of her entire family's pleading stares, Kyoko caved and relented with a sigh "It seems I'm outvoted…alright, how about a compromise? I'll permit a one-month trial period. If you can prove that you can take care of him by yourself, then we'll adopt him. I'll take him to the vet this weekend and get dog food, a leash, and a collar. I'll help you get used to your new routine for the first week, but after that, you're on your own, Kiki. Are we understood?"

Kiki nodded eagerly as she smiled and agreed "Yes, I'll do it Mom! I'll take care of him, I promise!"

Kyoko sighed "…Okay…then for the next month at least…he's a tenant in this house."

"YAY!" Kiki cheered gleefully as Kyoko's heart warmed at her daughter's happiness.

Makoto shook his head in amusement as he stood up and gently pulled Mokubo away before he told his son "Alright, little guy, let's leave the inu alone for now, okay?" As Mokubo pouted cutely, Makoto went to the door and opened it before he called "Alright Kiki, bath time. Call in your new dog."

"Okay, Dad! Come on boy!" Kiki called before the dog woofed and trotted inside after her.

Kyoko stared with worry as her daughter disappeared into the house with her new pet before she felt Makoto's gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Kyoko. This new dog is gonna be a good addition to the family, I can just feel it."

"Let's hope so…" Kyoko replied hesitantly, then smiled as she followed her husband inside and closed the door behind her.

None of them noticed the predatory yellow eyes peering from the distance.