The Question

By Kysra

Takara Kaiba had always been told by her parents that every question was a valid one and to always ask a trusted adult if she was confused about something or wanted an answer. This was very apt of them as Takara-chan was a very curious child, and the question currently burning her tongue was especially important for it had to do with her very near future role as Big Sister. She was very adamant about doing a good job in this very prestigious role; therefore, answers were needed in order for her to better prepare herself for the impending responsibility.

However, her house was currently being overrun by her parents' friends, family, and associates. They were calling it a "baby shower," but it looked like a pool party/bbq in the way of her birthday this past year. But she supposed that was only fitting. She didn't think all of these adults would fit in a shower for a baby anyway, because - young as she was - Takara knew that babies were little. And since the house and pool area was crowded with big people, Takara was lost and separated from her parents, who were currently entertaining their guests.

Still, her question would not rest, and she was beginning to grind her teeth (a habit her father reprimanded her for on a weekly basis) in frustration - the very first signs of a projected hissy fit. She didn't understand why everyone was making such a big fuss, anyway. Her best friend, Izumi, just got a new baby sister and all she did was sleep, poop, cry, and drool. Takara really couldn't see the appeal in something like that, but Mommy and the other women were all smiles and the men kept patting her Daddy on the back saying how "proud" he must be. It was making Takara near crazy with curiosity.

Shuffling towards the row of lounge chairs set up near the pool, Takara latched onto the first familiar person she saw, tugging the hem of an organza skirt, "Aunt Mai! Aunt Mai! I need to know something."

Excusing herself from the nicely-dressed man she had been in conversation with, Aunt Mai knelt down to Takara's level, wine glass placed firmly out of reach. "What is it, sweetie?

"Aunt Mai, where do babies come from?"

Aunt Mai was one of those wonderful people whom Takara could always rely on to be cool and collected at all times, even when Takara had ruined all of her pretty dresses with make-up stains after playing an un-sanctioned game of dress-up. This time, however, Takara was severly disappointed. "Go ask your mom, kid."

"But Aunt Mai --"

"Takara, I can't give you an answer without possibly traumatizing you for life, and I don't have the kind of cash needed to settle the kind of lawsuit your father will slap me with if I tell you what you want to know."

"But Mommy's talking!" Takara was now passing the grinding stage and entering into "whining."

Aunt Mai ruffled her loose brown hair. "Then ask your dad."

"He's busy too, and --"

"Then wait until they aren't busy." Takara pouted mightily as Aunt Mai stood to full height and turned back to her companion, an obvious sign that her last word on the matter had been spoken. Still confused and a little angry now, Takara turned on her heel and stomped away, frustrated.

"Hey, Angelface. Why the pout?" She was suddenly lifted from behind, a strong arm wrapped protectively over her tummy.

"Uncle Joey!" She laughed as he showered one side of her face with kisses and spun them about, her bad mood effectively destroyed.

Her second favorite uncle fell into a nearby lounge chair with an exaggerated "ooph" before shifting her from his lap to cradle her against his side. "Now, what's wrong? Did your dad piss you off?"

"Uncle Joey! Mommy said cursing is bad!"

"Sorry, kid. What's got you so down?" He tweaked her nose, a sure-fire way to get a giggle out of her. He wasn't disappointed.

"I have a question, and Aunt Mai wouldn't answer it."

"Shoot."

"Where do babies come from?" Takara was accustomed to Uncle Joey acting funny, but she had never seen him look as if he had swallowed his tongue before. Hitting his back as hard as she could, she waited patiently for his coughing fit to subside.

"Look, Angelface, maybe you should ask your Mommy."

"But Mommy's talking with some other people! I want to know now." Her lower lip jutted out as she tightly crossed her arms and made to wriggle off of him.

"Ok, ok . . . Takara, the stork brings the babies." Uncle Joey seemed uncertain for, though he was smiling widely, there was a lot of sweat breaking upon his brow.

Takara thought about his answer then asked, "When?"

"Um . . . when they're finished being made."

"Who makes them?"

Uncle Joey tensed then let out a long breath, "I can't answer that for you, Takara-chan. You'll have to go ask Kai - your dad."

"But --"

"Now, scoot before I sic Red Eyes on ya."

And so, Takara was turned away from another potential informer. Sighing heavily, she made her way inside the kitchen doors to find her Uncle Yugi enjoying a quiet game of Duel Monsters with a strange white-haired man. Slightly ashamed for ignoring Daddy's #1 rule (Thou shalt never interrupt a Duel Monsters match), Takara reached out to tug on Uncle Yugi's white dress shirt. "Uncle Yugi? I'm sorry, but can you tell me something?"

Smiling kindly, her uncle picked her up to set her on his lap before kindly explaining who the white-haired man was (Uncle Ryou just come from England) and asking her what he could help her with.

"I wanted to know where babies come from. No one seems to want to tell me . . . Well, Uncle Joey said they come from the stork, but he wouldn't say when."

Uncle Yugi's smile never faltered but his face did become kind of pale while Uncle Ryou quietly laughed at the other end of the table. "Takara-chan, babies . . . it's complicated."

"I don't understand. Mommy and Daddy said a baby was coming. I just wanna know where it's coming from!" Takara had now graduated from grinding and whining to "wailing."

Rocking her gently as if she were still a baby, Uncle Yugi spoke the first explanation that came to his mind, "Babies come from miracles."

Takara blinked, pacified for the moment. "You mean like magic?"

"Yes."

Tapping her finger to her lips, the little girl thought about that. "Then . . . anyone can have a baby?"

"Er . . ."

"Even you, Uncle Yugi?" By now, Uncle Ryou could not contain himself, and Takara wondered briefly what was so funny. This was a very serious conversation.

But before Uncle Yugi could correct her misguided assumption, Uncle Tristan came into to find another cold beer and grinned when he saw his favorite (and only) niece. "Hey Princess, havin' fun? Don't tell me you're gonna be a cut-throat duelist like your old man."

Uncle Tristan ALWAYS told the truth, and Uncle Yugi's answers had left her unsatisfied (and even more confused than before). Hopping down from Uncle Yugi's knee, she ran into Uncle Tristan's arms. "Where do babies come from, Uncle Tristan? Please tell me! Uncle Joey says the stork, Uncle Yugi says from magic, but I think they're wrong and I know you always tell the truth, right?"

Uncle Tristan's smile fell into a serious line as he nodded, "Right." Then a pause. "Babies, huh?"

Takara nodded emphatically, feeling that she would soon solve this mystery.

"They come from cabbages."

Blinking, Takara stepped away from her Uncle, disbelieving. "Cabbages? But cabbage is icky!"

Grinning, her Pencil-head uncle nodded again. "Smelly too."

Now that made some sense. "Is that why babies poop so much?"

"Something like that."

Takara stared at the floor for a moment, digesting what she had just learned. Soon enough, her chin began to quiver as she passed from grinding, whining and wailing to "crying." "But . . . Uncle Tristan . . ."

Confused as to what had upset her, Uncle Tristan picked her up and began to bounce her in his arms while giving the equally confused Yugi and Ryou a helpless look. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

All Takara could think about was the cabbage casserole Mrs. Tsubasa made last night. "I ate my baby brother or sister!" Then she broke down into sobs.

- TK -

Unable to calm her, Yugi ran to find the nearest Kaiba in the vicinity - Mokuba. The young man took his niece deeper into the house, away from the party chaos and rocked her until she quieted enough to tell him what had distressed her so. Once he had been informed of Takara's misadventures in pursuit of the great mystery, he dried her eyes and gathered some tissue around her nose to allow her a good blow before urging her head to his shoulder and assuring her, "Oh Takara-chan, babies don't come from the stork or magic or cabbages."

She sniffled lightly against his neck. "Really?"

"Really."

And suddenly all was right with the world again, because she had not eaten her little brother or sister . . ., but that still didn't answer her question.

"But Uncle Mo-mo, where do babies come from?"

Uncle Mo-mo took a deep breath. "Well, Takara-chan, ever watch the birds and the bees . . . ?"

- TK -

Night time had fallen, Takara had had her bath, and dinner would be ready any minute; but she was probably even more confused with Uncle Mo-mo's answer than she had been before with Uncles Joey, Yugi, and Tristan's answers. Maybe Aunt Mai had been right. She should have asked Mommy or Daddy first.

Besides encouraging her to indulge in her curiosity, her parents had also taught her that time was of the essence but late was better than never. So, she padded along in her favorite nightdress (the silk one with the BIG green bow in the back) dragging her beloved teddy bear, Wally (a name choice her parents STILL couldn't understand), happily behind her.

Daddy's office was sacred. She was only allowed in there when he was in there, and she was required to always, always, always knock first. So she did, three times. The door opened with a long cccrrrreeeeaaaaakkkkk, and her father's face appeared above her. "Takara-chan? What do you need?" He took her free hand and led her into the office. It was always so clean in there, like a museum or a bank. Takara LOVED banks.

Sitting upon the roll-y chair, Daddy lifted her onto his lap and watched her patiently. "Daddy, I've asked everyone but, I'm still so confused . . . Uncle Joey said it was the stork, Uncle Yugi said it was magic, Uncle Tristan said it was cabbage, and Uncle Mo-mo --" There was no way she could think of to explain that. What did bees and birds have to do with babies, anyway? She hated bees, and Takara knew she must have been a baby at one time. Mommy had pictures and --

"What was the stork, magic, and cabbage?"

"Where do babies come from?"

Takara knew, without a shred of doubt, that her father knew everything there was to know, so she was completely blown away and about to revisit her half-formed hissy fit when his mouth went slack and he began, "I don't --"

"Daddy!" Her temper, Daddy had always said, must have come from Mommy.

"They come from the hospital."

At this point, Takara was almost willing to accept ANYTHING, but . . .

"Are they sick?"

"No."

"Then why are they in the hospital, Daddy? Aren't hospitals for sick people?"

"Because babies need to be taken care of."

"But don't they have mommies and daddies to take care of them?"

"Yes." Daddy's leg was jumping and effectively jostling her. That meant he was losing patience, but Takara's curiosity was stronger than any sort of caution she might have felt had the circumstances been different.

"Then why --"

Mommy saved both of them from a potentially awkward situation by knocking and entering to let them know that dinner was ready. She must have noticed the way Daddy's leg was bouncing and the way Takara was pouting. "Takara-chan." Mommy looked at Daddy with a look that said whatever's-wrong-had-better-not-be-your-fault. "Is something wrong?"

"MOMMY!" Mommy would tell the truth. Mommy wouldn't make up silly stories about cabbage or bees! Takara couldn't get to her mother fast enough, jumping on the balls of her feet and raising her arms to be held. "Mommy! Where do babies come from? Uncle Joey said they come from the stork (and what is a stork, Mommy?), Uncle Yugi said magic, Uncle Tristan said cabbage and made me cry, Uncle Mo-mo said something about bees and birds and plants that I don't understand, and Daddy said the hospital but I said only sick people are there and he said they weren't sick but needed to be taken care of but they must have mommies and daddies like you and Daddy to take care of them so I know that can't be it. Please, Mommy!"

Shaking her head in obvious disgust, Mommy shot a glare at Daddy before kneeling and taking Takara into a warm embrace and looking her in the eyes. "Sweetie, do Mommy a favor and forget EVERYTHING that was told to you today - including what Daddy said, ok?"

Takara nodded, relieved, "Ok, Mommy."

With infinite patience, Mommy smiled at her. "Now, do you have a question?"

"Yes, Mommy. Where do babies come from?"

Then, Mommy asked something no one else had thought to ask. "Why do you want to know, Baby?"

Wide-eyed and happy to have someone smart to talk to, Takara fairly swooned. "Well, you and Daddy said a baby was coming, and that it would be my little brother or sister, but then you said it would be a little while before I could see the baby, so I thought it must be on its way from far, far away, and . . . I just wondered where is it coming from? Cuz I wanna know when it'll get here so I can be ready and a good Big Sister."

Mommy smirked over Takara's head at Daddy before taking a little hand and placing it on her tummy, just over her belly button. "Right there, Honey. Babies come from mommies' tummies. The baby just needs to grow a little before you can see him or her. Just like Miss Noriko. Remember how her kittens were born?"

"Oh." That. Made sense.

Standing again, Mommy smiled at Daddy and shook her head ruefully. "Coming to dinner?"

Daddy looked embarrassed. He was even blushing! Daddy NEVER blushed!

"In a minute."

Nodding, Mommy took Takara's hand to lead her to the dining room, but now that her question was answered, there was another that began bothering her.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Baby?"

"How did the baby get in your tummy?"

Daddy's barking laugh followed them all the way downstairs.