A Deafening Scilence
Epilogue
G
"Chiba-san?"
Mamoru jolted from his seat in the waiting room and immediately stood up.
"Hai, yes? I am he."
The young nurse giggled a bit. "The doctor says that you can go in now."
Mamoru nodded and practically bolted down the hall and into the room in which his wife had just given birth to their child.
Once inside he saw quite possibly the most wonderful sight a man can see: his wife with their newborn baby in her arms.
Usagi turned to face her husband and smiled. "Whatcha doing all the way over there, baby?" she asked teasingly.
Mamoru shrugged and smiled one of those stupid endearing smiles only a new father can express. He walked over and knelt beside the bed where his wife and baby lay. He looked from her to the baby back to her again.
"Can, can I hold..."
Usagi shook her head. "No, first you have to put an apron on." She pointed to the nurse standing next to him with a hospital apron draped over one arm and a folder underneath the other.
"Oh..." Mamoru said, still a bit overwhelmed, taking the apron from her and putting it on.
The nurse bent over, picked up the child and placed it in Mamoru's waiting arms.
Mamoru couldn't breath. He couldn't move. He could do nothing but stare at the newborn infant in his arms, his newborn infant.
"Is it a boy, or a..."
"Girl." Usagi finished for him.
"A girl..." he repeated. He looked back at the baby. He marveled at how something that small could be alive. She was not quite the length of his arm.
He let out an odd laugh that was mixed with tears,
"So this is what a woman would give her life for." He looked down at Usagi, whose bright smile had gone dim for the moment as she turned away.
"Excuse me, Sir, Ma'am?" Mamoru and Usagi, snapping out of their sorrowful trance, turned to face the nurse who had just addressed them. The nurse continued,
"Sorry for interrupting, but do you have a name for the little darling?" She smiled at them expectantly.
"Aishin." They both said at once.
The nurse chucked. "You've obviously discussed this. Um, Aishin Chiba? That right? Any middle name?"
The young couple looked at each other dumbfounded. They hadn't said so much as a word of what they would name the child, and without even knowing what word was coming out of their mouths they both spoke a name they had not spoken in four months.
Mamoru was the first to be brought back. He looked at the nurse and then back to little Aishin.
"Irojiro. Aishin Irojiro Chiba."
The bubbly nurse hummed the name as she wrote it down on a piece of paper and walked away down the hall.
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi whispered.
"I know, but I've been trying to think of ways to honor Aishin, and I think this is it. We can keep Ai-chan's spirit alive through our own daughter, the person she gave up her life for."
Usagi smiled and propped her head up on her arm. "You loved her, didn't you?"
Mamoru gave her a confused glance. "Of course I loved her, she was my best friend."
Usagi shook her head. "She loved you, you know. Not the way you loved her, but the way I love you."
Mamoru looked back his child. "I know." He whispered. "If I could have loved her that way, I would have. Believe me, I tried, but I couldn't think of her as anything more than my sister. Then we met and well... I fell in love with you."
He handed the baby back to her to feed. He knelt down, kissed her brow and placed his head on her stomach.
"Mamo-chan. There is something I have to tell you. That I didn't before."
He raised his head curiously, "What's that?"
Usagi sighed and placed the baby where it would be comfortable. "During the switch between me and Aishin down there in Ky-," she swallowed, "HIS lab, just before he hit the self-detonation key, I saw Aishin in my place in that glass tube. She said something to me in that instant that we touched."
"She, she did?" he asked, stuttering.
Usagi closed her eyes. "Mm Hmm."
Mamoru swallowed. "Nani? What?"
"She said, 'Take good care of him.'"
"Take good care of him." He repeated. He stood and traced the lines of his child's face.
"Mamo-chan?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby. I love you too."
Mamoru bent down and kissed his wife as Aishin slept peacefully.
So yeah, this thing is mad old. As I said, almost two years. But it was my first complete story so I'm still proud of it and love it. Thanks for reading and if you want to, you can read my current stuff. My still pending: Love Labours Lost, and my completed: Sk8er Boi. Arigatoo gozaimasu!
Epilogue
G
"Chiba-san?"
Mamoru jolted from his seat in the waiting room and immediately stood up.
"Hai, yes? I am he."
The young nurse giggled a bit. "The doctor says that you can go in now."
Mamoru nodded and practically bolted down the hall and into the room in which his wife had just given birth to their child.
Once inside he saw quite possibly the most wonderful sight a man can see: his wife with their newborn baby in her arms.
Usagi turned to face her husband and smiled. "Whatcha doing all the way over there, baby?" she asked teasingly.
Mamoru shrugged and smiled one of those stupid endearing smiles only a new father can express. He walked over and knelt beside the bed where his wife and baby lay. He looked from her to the baby back to her again.
"Can, can I hold..."
Usagi shook her head. "No, first you have to put an apron on." She pointed to the nurse standing next to him with a hospital apron draped over one arm and a folder underneath the other.
"Oh..." Mamoru said, still a bit overwhelmed, taking the apron from her and putting it on.
The nurse bent over, picked up the child and placed it in Mamoru's waiting arms.
Mamoru couldn't breath. He couldn't move. He could do nothing but stare at the newborn infant in his arms, his newborn infant.
"Is it a boy, or a..."
"Girl." Usagi finished for him.
"A girl..." he repeated. He looked back at the baby. He marveled at how something that small could be alive. She was not quite the length of his arm.
He let out an odd laugh that was mixed with tears,
"So this is what a woman would give her life for." He looked down at Usagi, whose bright smile had gone dim for the moment as she turned away.
"Excuse me, Sir, Ma'am?" Mamoru and Usagi, snapping out of their sorrowful trance, turned to face the nurse who had just addressed them. The nurse continued,
"Sorry for interrupting, but do you have a name for the little darling?" She smiled at them expectantly.
"Aishin." They both said at once.
The nurse chucked. "You've obviously discussed this. Um, Aishin Chiba? That right? Any middle name?"
The young couple looked at each other dumbfounded. They hadn't said so much as a word of what they would name the child, and without even knowing what word was coming out of their mouths they both spoke a name they had not spoken in four months.
Mamoru was the first to be brought back. He looked at the nurse and then back to little Aishin.
"Irojiro. Aishin Irojiro Chiba."
The bubbly nurse hummed the name as she wrote it down on a piece of paper and walked away down the hall.
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi whispered.
"I know, but I've been trying to think of ways to honor Aishin, and I think this is it. We can keep Ai-chan's spirit alive through our own daughter, the person she gave up her life for."
Usagi smiled and propped her head up on her arm. "You loved her, didn't you?"
Mamoru gave her a confused glance. "Of course I loved her, she was my best friend."
Usagi shook her head. "She loved you, you know. Not the way you loved her, but the way I love you."
Mamoru looked back his child. "I know." He whispered. "If I could have loved her that way, I would have. Believe me, I tried, but I couldn't think of her as anything more than my sister. Then we met and well... I fell in love with you."
He handed the baby back to her to feed. He knelt down, kissed her brow and placed his head on her stomach.
"Mamo-chan. There is something I have to tell you. That I didn't before."
He raised his head curiously, "What's that?"
Usagi sighed and placed the baby where it would be comfortable. "During the switch between me and Aishin down there in Ky-," she swallowed, "HIS lab, just before he hit the self-detonation key, I saw Aishin in my place in that glass tube. She said something to me in that instant that we touched."
"She, she did?" he asked, stuttering.
Usagi closed her eyes. "Mm Hmm."
Mamoru swallowed. "Nani? What?"
"She said, 'Take good care of him.'"
"Take good care of him." He repeated. He stood and traced the lines of his child's face.
"Mamo-chan?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby. I love you too."
Mamoru bent down and kissed his wife as Aishin slept peacefully.
So yeah, this thing is mad old. As I said, almost two years. But it was my first complete story so I'm still proud of it and love it. Thanks for reading and if you want to, you can read my current stuff. My still pending: Love Labours Lost, and my completed: Sk8er Boi. Arigatoo gozaimasu!