A/N: This oneshot is the result of an ask sent by Moiloru, and takes place after "Kiki's Martial Arts Training!" Please read and review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Mokubo's Defender!
"Phew!" Kiki sighed as she stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered after her training with Kenshiro.
Droplets of water sparsely clung to her hair as she, now dressed in her standard pink T-shirt and purple skirt, walked over to the dinner table to have lunch with her family.
"Itadakimasu!" They all chanted once Kiki sat down before they began to eat.
"So, Kiki, did you have fun with your training today?" Makoto asked in between bites.
Kiki smiled and nodded before she commented "Yeah, it's getting a lot easier now that I'm a little more used to it. I even saw in the mirror while I was getting dressed after my shower that my physique is getting a little more toned."
Kyoko smiled, proud of how far her daughter had come in the weeks since the start of her training with Kenshiro.
She's growing up so fast… Kyoko thought as she saw her teenage daughter chat excitedly with her father and siblings about her training. Where has the time gone that my baby girl who used to beg for tickles and bedtime stories is now this teenage middle-school girl who can hold her own in a fight?
Kyoko shook the thought from her head as Makoto suggested "Say Kiki, why don't you take Moku to the playground nearby? Your Aunt Komaru asked me to pick her up from her doctor's appointment today. It'd be a good chance to bond with your brother, and Aunt Komaru and I can meet you there after we're done at the checkup."
"Okay, Dad." Kiki agreed before she continued to eat her lunch.
Mokubo meanwhile stared at Kiki, smiling excitedly at the thought of spending time with his older sister. Koto and Kiri pouted in their seats, jealous of the fun their older brother would be having with their older sister.
"Komaru!" Makoto greeted as he embraced his sister in the lobby.
"Makoto, thanks for coming." She greeted as he let go and sat down.
"Of course, anything for my baby sister." Makoto laughed as Komaru pouted before he asked "I'm surprised Hajime didn't take you. Why didn't he?"
"Oh, he's got a lot of that therapy paperwork to finish this weekend." Makoto nodded in understand, all too familiar with the joys of paperwork before she finished with a sly grin "But he promised to make it up to me later tonight when we're in bed."
"Komaru, there are children here, now's not the time for those kinds of jokes." Makoto playfully scolded. A comfortable silence passed as they waited in their chairs before he asked "So…the big day is coming up, huh?"
Komaru giggled "Onii-chan, we're still weeks and weeks away from any big day."
"Yeah, but you'd be surprised how fast time flies." Makoto replied. "I caught Kyoko staring at Kiki with this expression that only a parent could have. She's probably wondering where our little girl went now that she's a teenager."
Komaru giggled and replied "Well, thankfully I'm not gonna have to deal with that any time soon…"
"Sumimasen, Miss Naegi…?" The brother and sister turned to see a nurse peek her head out from the door and said "The doctor's ready to see you now."
Komaru nodded and stood up before she turned to her brother and told him "I'll be out in a bit."
"Sure, then we can meet Kiki and Mokubo at the playground."
Komaru grinned and nodded before she followed the nurse into the hallway. Makoto grabbed a nearby magazine and leaned back in the chair, flipping through the pages to pass the time.
"Make sure to hold my hand, Moku." Kiki advised as they walked down the sidewalk. "These streets can get really busy sometimes."
"Okay, Nee-chan." Mokubo replied as he tightened his grip on his sister's hand.
He glanced around shyly as the two siblings passed the various crowds, inching closer to his sister when they passed through a particularly dense crowd of people walking by.
"It's okay, Moku." Kiki assured him in a soothing voice. "They're just people going about their business. Just keep holding my hand and they won't bother you, I promise."
Mokubo shyly nodded as they passed through the crowd, letting out a sigh of relief once they passed.
Kiki smiled at her brother and commented "You're still so shy, but you've made a lot of progress, Moku. I know you'll get over this shyness one day, little brother" as she ruffled his hair playfully. Mokubo giggled and gently swatted her hand away before she announced "Well, here we are!"
Mokubo beamed as they came across the small playground, complete with swings, slides, a jungle gym, and monkey bars.
Kiki giggled at her brother's enthusiasm as she asked "So, what do you wanna do first, Moku?"
"Slide!" Mokubo chirped.
"Alright, slide it is. Let's go!"
"So, how did your appointment go, little sister?" Makoto asked as he drove Komaru in his car.
"It went well, thanks. Like I said, it was just a regular checkup, and there wasn't anything wrong, so it was pretty in and out."
Makoto smiled in approval before he focused on the road. The two sat in silence as the car moved leisurely through the streets of Tokyo.
"So, how are Maki and the twins doing?" Komaru asked.
"They're doing fine." Makoto answered. "Kyoko's playing with Koto and Kiri, and Maki's settled in, waiting for the baby to arrive." He smiled wryly as he suggested playfully "Perhaps your two little ones can be playmates. They'd certainly be close enough in age."
"Maybe…" Komaru giggled as she playfully slapped Makoto's shoulder.
"Oh, here we are." Makoto announced as they drove into the playground's parking lot.
Once it came to a stop and Makoto shut off the car, the two siblings unbuckled their seat belts and stepped out of the car.
"Kiki should be at the playground with Mokubo." Makoto informed them. "Oh, I think I see their silhouettes over at the swing set."
"Hey yeah." Komaru furrowed her brow as she questioned "But I wonder who those other people with them are. Could they be her friends from school?"
"You mean Gonta and Tsumugi?" Makoto asked before he squinted his eyes. He frowned as he shook his head and denied "No, those don't look like them. I don't know who they are…"
"Well, no sense standing around here speculating. Let's go and find out." Komaru suggested as she walked with a certain urgency towards her niece and nephew.
"Komaru, wait up!" Makoto called as he ran after her.
"Wheee!" Mokubo giggled as he swung in his swing while his sister swung happily in the seat next to him.
"Are you having fun, Moku?" Komaru giggled as she swung higher and higher.
"Yeah!" Mokubo chirped. "Arigato, Onee…"
"Well, whadda ya know, mute Naegi can actually talk."
Mokubo trailed off and stopped swinging as two elementary school girls walked up to him. Kiki scowled as the two girls completely ignored her in favor of grinning at her brother.
"What, what happened to your voice, Naegi? Don't tell me you've gotten all shy all of a sudden." One of them asked tauntingly as Mokubo bit his lip in anxiety. "Here, maybe a little push will get the words out." She taunted as she pushed him off the swing, causing him to fall on his back.
Kiki gaped in horror as she saw her brother groan in pain, her heart breaking as tears trickled down his cheeks and he started to cry.
"Hahaha!" The leader laughed as she taunted "What, no words? You're just gonna lie there and cry like a baby, just like in class…"
"Leave him alone."
"Huh? Who are you?" The girl asked as Kiki jumped off the swing.
Kiki clenched her fists and stood in front of her brother before she told them "I'm his big sister, and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's bullies. Now, I don't want to hurt a couple of kids, so just do me a favor and walk away, now."
Just as the lead girl opened her mouth to argue, she felt a tug on her wrist. She turned her head to see her cohort staring into her eyes with a worried expression.
"What, can't you see I'm…"
"Let's just go." She urged. "I heard from my brother in middle school about a Naegi girl who crippled three bullies at once. I think that's her!"
The ringleader exhaled through her nose before she muttered "Whatever…" She turned around and dismissed "See you in class, Naegi" before she walked away, her cohort following close behind as they disappeared from view.
Kiki sighed before she turned around and helped support her brother as he stood back up.
"You okay, Moku? She didn't hurt you too bad, did she?"
"…Yeah, I'm okay…"
"KIKI! MOKUBO!"
"Dad? Aunt Komaru?" Kiki exclaimed as she turned around, seeing her father and aunt run up worriedly to him.
"Kiki, are you two okay?" Makoto asked as he kneeled in front of his son.
"Yeah, we were swinging and a couple of girls from Mokubo's elementary school came up and pushed him off the swing, but I drove them off before it got really bad."
"Well, that's a relief." Makoto sighed before he started to briefly examine his son. Makoto frowned as he announced "Ouch, looks like you got scraped during your fall, little guy. Come on, let's get you home so your mother can give you a band-aid."
Kiki nodded as Makoto picked up his son, carrying the boy in his arms. "Kiki, Komaru, let's go to the car."
The two girls nodded as they followed Makoto and Mokubo to the car.
"…Onee-chan…?"
"Hm? What is it, Moku?" Kiki asked as she sat in the back seat next to him, riding in the car as their father drove.
"Why…? Why did you…de…defend me…?"
"…Isn't it obvious? You're my brother, and you needed my help. That's all the reason I need to help you, Moku!"
"Nee-nee…" Mokubo uttered in awe before he leaned his head as close to her as his booster seat would allow.
Kiki smiled as she reached out and rubbed the top of his head soothingly, making the injured boy smile in contentment. Makoto and Komaru smiled as they witnessed the scene through the rear-view mirror, their minds flashing back to one particular memory.
"And done!" Hana finished as she finished applying the band-aid to Makoto's scrape.
"There you go, sport! You're all good to go!"
Makoto smiled at his parents and thanked "Thanks Mom, thanks Dad. I'm okay now, and at least Komaru didn't get hurt."
"…Why, Onii-chan?" Makoto turned his head to look at his bewildered sister as she questioned "Why did you defend me? When you got bullied, you cried like a baby, and you didn't even want to tell us. So why risk getting hurt by bullies who weren't after you?"
Makoto smiled and told her "You're my sister, and you needed my help. That's all the reason I need to help you, Komaru!"
"Onii-chan…"
"Looks like history is repeating itself, huh big brother?" Komaru asked in amusement.
"Yeah, those two really are a pair." Makoto commented, smiling at the sight of the two siblings having fallen asleep next to each other.
The smiles of contentment on their faces warmed his heart as Makoto and Komaru shared an amused smile before they refocused on the road. A comfortable silence passed in the vehicle as it leisurely passed through the street, as if to preserve the tranquility that the Naegi family was currently appreciating.