"So, then what happened?" Elizabeth spoke as she sipped a cup of coffee
"Well, I told her I never wanted kids, I don't love her anymore and I'm leaving her for Rise Kujikawa" Minato said calmly as he held his coffee in his hand
"Wait, What!?" She said in a shocked tone
"Of course not, Are you crazy. Whole of SEES would've hunted me down if I dumped Yukari like that" He laughed and spoke
"Although with how paranoid she can be at times, I wouldn't be surprised if she did half expect me to dump her for getting pregnant" He continued
"Well, what did you do then" A more relieved Elizabeth spoke
"I hugged her, assured her everything would be fine. We went to the doctor the next day and he confirmed the pregnancy. It's been a wild ride since, The Morning Sickness. Cravings and Mood Swings are taking a lot out of both us" He finished his rundown with an exhausted sigh.
"Should you really be meeting with other women when your girlfriend is pregnant" She teased
"Firstly she's gone to break the news to her mother and she said she wanted to do it alone and well, you're the only friend I don't share with Yukari and I really needed to talk with someone" He said calmly
"Glad to know I'm of service to you" She said proudly
"I must say that pregnancy announcement did kinda hit me out of nowhere. I Was not expecting that announcement when I woke up that morning" He said with a sigh
"Do you not want a child?" She questioned him
"It's Not like I don't, just not this early, I guess. I expected we'd have kids eventually but I always kinda assumed it'd happen in our early thirties not at 26. It's kind of a lot to take in" He mused
"Are you nervous about having a child?" She continued the questioning
"Of course! I barely remember my own parents and was stuck in an orphanage for most of my life. Can't say I really know what being a parent is about. Will I be able to do justice by this kid? It's definitely a very daunting task"
"Why haven't you brought this up with your partner? I think she would be the best to talk to you about this" Elizabeth enquired
"I feel like bringing this up would lead to her jumping to conclusions. I love her but she is really clingy and paranoid. She'll think I don't want the child and go down some weird rabbit hole that'll take me a while to dig her out of and convince her I'm not against the baby" He confided
"Look it's fine to be nervous. It's always kinda nerve-wracking to have new experiences. I was nervous going into the human world with you and learning about it but now I'm glad I did so, I was able to befriend you on a closer scale and learn about this magnificent world. As long as you push forward regardless and make an effort to embrace the new experience you will come out the other side being grateful. I'm sure your child will be extremely happy having you as his father." She spoke
"Wow. I really needed to hear that. You're right, I just need to go embrace it and do the best job I can" Minato replied after a moment of silence
"What are friends for otherwise" She retorted
"Well, if it hadn't been for your efforts in reviving me, this wouldn't have been possible to begin with. I can't imagine what that must've been like but I will always be in your debt for giving me a second chance at life" He said gratefully
"It was not. During my journey, I would constantly second guess myself and wondering if leaving the Velvet room was worth it and whether this journey had any point to it. But then I would remember our moments together and how our world just seemed darker without you in it. My life would've been a miserable existence If I had just stood and continued on with my life, Guilty thoughts plaguing me everywhere I went, that maybe I could've been able to save you and bring you back. I just couldn't stand by and do nothing, I couldn't let you, the man I respected and loved, be forced to carry the world by being trapped in the Great Seal. I wanted you to return and lead the life that was taken from you, I wanted you to be happy after so many years of being unable to do so. Seeing you here talking about your new family and how much you've changed makes me happy beyond comprehension" Elizabeth finished nearly in tears, clearly wanting to get that off her chest for a long while.
Minato stood up and embraced the crying girl, holding her tight.
"I became the seal willingly. At that point and still do feel that the world needed to continue existing and if one person needed to be sacrificed to ensure that, I was willing to do it. That doesn't mean I didn't regret being forced to leave everything behind and all I hoped was that one day I would be able to return and reunite with my loved ones. You ensured that, you sacrificed so much time and effort so that I could come back and live my life. I feel the best way to honour your sacrifice is to live my life to the fullest and ensure that it was not in vain. You are the reason I'm here and I'll never forget that" He finished
"Thank you" She spoke
"You are welcome anytime to visit us and the new baby once they arrive. They'd love to see one of their godmothers" He said patiently
"Really. You'd make me their godmother. That's amazing" She said as her tears dried up
"Well, I'll have to confirm with Yukari but I don't think she'll mind that much" He speculated
"Thank you for everything" She said soaking in the hug for a bit more time
"Exactly the same to you" He said hugging back as well
Minato came out of the bedroom, dressed in a business casual look of a blue dress shirt and black slacks. He reached the kitchen where his lovely fiancée was busy putting the final touches on the dinner all while dressed in a lovely loose red dress that reached just below her knees. Minato snuck up from behind and embraced her body, putting his hands on her barely noticeable bump and resting it there.
"Come on… I still haven't finished making the dinner" Yukari said with a smile as she continued to be cradled
"It's looks finished and delicious. Don't overthink it" He replied while placing his head on her shoulder
"I just need everything to be perfect for the announcement to our friends" Yukari said as Minato finally let go of her
"It's not that big a deal. We could've just posted a message on our chat group or posted something on your Instagram; I've heard people do that" He replied as he started to lean against the counter
"Because. this is a big announcement and I want it to be special" She said with a tone of finality
"Fine. Too late to cancel anyway." He said with a shrug "Although not sure how we are going to top 'Arriving from a journey with a pregnant woman, he eloped with' and 'Mentioning it off-handedly six months in, after he forgot to mention it to us' for 'special"
Yukari couldn't help but snigger at how both those revelations had played out.
"Those disasters are exactly why I want ours to be perfect. We invite everyone over for a dinner party, we eat a delicious meal and then as we finish You and I rise up and announce the baby to the group. Simple but elegant" Yukari said with a posh tone.
"Fine. Whatever" Minato said while rolling his eyes as suddenly the loud sound of the bell rung across the house
"Look's like our first guests are here" Yukari said straightening out her dress and heading to answer the door
Fuuka was the first to arrive, followed by Aigis and Ken soon after. Junpei and a heavily pregnant Chidori showed up a little while later. Mitsuru reached just before the acceptable time to reach was up.
"Where are Minako and Akihiko" Yukari grumbled as everyone avoided the obviously agitated woman
"I'm sure they are on their way" Minato said in an attempt to soothe his annoyed fiancée when the bell finally rang "Speak of the devil" He said relieved that he would no longer have to deal with her agitation.
He ran to open the door and as expected found the husband-wife duo on the other side, one that looked exhausted, huge dark circles under their eyes and their clothes and hair all slightly off. Little Shinji however looked a happy child cradled in his dad's arms.
"Welcome" He said as the family moved in.
"Where were you? It's been an hour since the invite time" Yukari said still annoyed but relieved that nothing had happened to them.
"We're really sorry. Shinji has been keeping us up all night, so when he went to sleep in the evening we dozed off as well. Next thing you know it's two hours later and we were late to the party, we tried to come as fast as we could" Minako tried to sound energetic though her voice and appearance betrayed her.
Yukari and Minato gave each other a slightly fearful glance before letting them settle in.
Yukari led Akihiko inside to the rest while Minako went towards Minato and whispered in his ear "I assume this dinner is for that announcement"
They started walking towards the living room while he replied quietly "Ya. It's for that announcement"
As they reentered the living room, they saw Junpei offer Yukari a glass from the wine bottle Mitsuru had brought.
Before Yukari even had a chance to decline it, Aigis popped up and spoke to Yukari
"Yukari, I do not think it is a wise move to consume alcohol when you are currently expecting a human child. It would be wise to rebuff Junpei's offer for alcohol"
These words stunned everyone into silence, including the hosts themselves and their eyes towards the Android.
"Why is everyone suddenly so silent. I only offered Yukari some helpful advice during the gestation period of her pregnancy" She asked obliviously
It took a few more moments for someone else to speak.
"Congratulations" Junpei managed to finally spit out, thus awakening everyone from the stupor.
The girls soon surrounded Yukari asking for more details while the guys went to congratulate Minato.
"Wow, you and Yukari too, huh. Congratulations" Akihiko said with a smile
"Dude, we should totally have playdates once your kid is born" Junpei said cheerfully
"I Can't wait to meet and play with little Arisato. I'll be the best uncle" Ken said happily
Minato gave one of his rare full smiles and said "Thanks"