Hello guys, it's time for a new chapter! I'm focusing a little on Mimi's storyline in this one. Shout out to LlamaVillana for indirectly inspiring me in it. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Reviews are appreciated.

Chapter 2: The Unexpected

The apartment was still the same as Sora remembered it to be. It still felt like home, but at the same time it felt odd. She stood by the door so she could hear Kouji's cry when he'd wake up. Toshiko was sitting on the opposite side of the kitchen; a very familiar expression on her face. Sora knew it meant she was pissed at her two-year disappearance and she didn't expect any less.
"What has gotten into you?!" Her mother finally spoken; the words cutting Sora like a knife.
The red haired woman sighed. "I was offered a really tempting and great job opportunity I couldn't turn down."
"So you left your family for something you could turn down?" Toshiko slammed her hand over the table, startling Sora. Maybe she had underestimated her mother's reaction.
Haruhiko felt like it was time to interfere before things got out of control. He knew how both Sora and Toshiko could get into very heated arguments sometimes. "We understand that, but couldn't you have called us or told us somehow?
"If I did that, I would turn it down. It would be too painful to hear Yamato's voice having to tell him about it."
"You had a baby." Toshiko's voice was utterly bitter. "Aiko was less than a year old when you left. Didn't you think about her not even once?"
"I did." Sora tried to remain as calm as possible, but she was getting desperate. "There wasn't a single day in these past two years that I haven't thought about her. Or Yamato."
"That's called guilt." Toshiko shouted. "Have you even thought about how much he would have to handle on his own?!"
"Mom, please!" Sora shouted back. "Yamato knows damn well how to take care of a child. He helped me whenever he could – and even when he couldn't – with Aiko. Besides, he does housework better than me and I'm not even joking."
"Toshiko." Haruhiko placed his hand over hers and that seemed to calm her down a little. "Sora is back now and seems to be willing to make up for everything."
"I am." She nodded. "Besides, times have changed. Women are now able to speak up more and do things for themselves they couldn't in the past. I get to decide my future. I had to take that job, and I'm back now. I understand it won't be easy to regain Yamato's love and trust again, but I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not planning to leave them ever again."
"Well, that's the least you could do."
Sora turned towards the hall and peeked outside to make sure she wasn't hearing things. She returned her focus back to her parents after a minute or two. "There is someone else I'd like you to meet."

.

Yamato had a few bags in his right hand. He had stopped at the supermarket to buy some food for him and Aiko, who was holding his left hand. He was exhausted from work that night, and was thankful Takeru picked his daughter at school since Hikari only worked at the Odaiba Kindergarten School for half period. Once Yamato finished his grocery shopping, he went to their apartment to pick her up. Like always, she was so into playing with Yamazaki that she didn't want to go home. It took Yamato having to promise her he would let her sleep over there next weekend to make her leave with him. He stared down at her and noticed she was rubbing her eyes with her free hand.
"Tired from playing with Yamazaki?" He asked and she looked at him with a confused expression. Instead, she threw her arms up towards him. Yamato did his best to pick her up with only one arm and he had to admit he was getting better at it by each time. When he was on his feet again, he glanced over to the other side of Tokyo Bay. He had a feeling there was someone there just waiting for him. He shook his head, thinking he must be delusional, and continued his path to his apartment.

.

Mimi had anxiously rang the doorbell for the Kido residence. Her heart was pounding on her chest even though she was sure of the decision she had made. But she was still afraid she would end up frustrated afterwards. The thoughts were pushed away from her mind when Jou opened the door.
"Hello, Mimi." He greeted her with a smile and then stepped aside to give her space to walk inside his apartment. "Please, come in."
"Hi, Jou. Thank you." She returned the smile and entered his home.
Not to her surprise at all, everything was neatly in place and clean. Almost all furniture were light colored, mostly white, with the exception of the ones in the living room, which were light wooden made.
"You sounded nervous on the call. Did something happen?"
"Not exactly." Mimi replied as she turned around to look at him. "I just need some help with something."
"Alright. Please, sit down." Jou motioned the couch next to him with his hand. "If I can help you."
"You most certainly can."
"You don't need to use formal language with me, Mimi." He said lightly. "I'm a doctor, but I'm not in my office right now. And also, I'm not Koushiro."
The woman let out a warm laugh. "Of course."
"Do you want anything to drink?"
"Do you have vodka?" Mimi smiled when she noticed Jou's panicky expression. "I'm just joking, Jou! Water would be fine."
"Alright." He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water for her. "So what do you want to ask me about?"
"Oh." She placed her hands on her thighs and turned to look at him when he came back to the living room. "I want to become a mother."
"That's amazing, Mimi! Are you dating a guy?"
"Not at the moment. But I decided I don't want to wait anymore."
"Okay, but what are you going to do if you don't have a boyfriend?" Jou sat down on a stool near the kitchen bench.
"That's where you come in. I was doing some research about sperm bank and I want to know what you think about it."
"Wait, what?" The tone of his voice was alarmed. "You want the father to be someone you don't even know?!"
"Yes." Mimi took a sip from the water.
"But a sperm bank, Mimi?! There are other ways to be a single mother."
"I know. I could try adoption, but I really want to have a biological child first. Then I can consider adopting another one."
"Alright." Jou sighed. "On sperm banks, privacy is taken very seriously. All donors remain anonymous, so the people who turned to it for a baby won't ever know who the father is like or his name. In other words, your child's father can have a lot of children over the world."
"I'm not really concerned about this, to be honest."
"You seem pretty determined about this."
"I am. Once I make up my mind, nothing can make me change it. I'm surprised you still get shocked over this."
"I guess I never thought you'd resort to sperm bank."
"This can be my only chance, Jou."
"Alright. There's one thing I want you to consider then."
"What is it?"
"Don't use a stranger's sperm. Ask a friend to be a donor."
"I don't think any friends of mine would accept this, Jou." Mimi said seriously. "But I'll think about it."

.

Sora, Toshiko and Haruhiko were standing in a semi-circle around the crib. The elder Takenouchis were speechless. Sora couldn't blame them, a lot had happened in just one same day.
"Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Kouji."
"You had a baby in France?" Toshiko asked, still trying to process everything. "How is that even possible?"
"Well, Yamato and I had sex and…"
"This I know." She cut Sora off. "You were away for two years."
"I was three months pregnant when I went to the Congress. I didn't know I was until the Congress was over and I was still getting sick at the mere mention of the word food."
"Were you and Yamato planning to have another child?"
"Yes and no. We were talking about it and began trying to conceive. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Haruhiko was the first one to approach the crib. He stared down at his grandson, who immediately smiled and stretched his little arms at him. He couldn't help but smile back at the baby. Sora came closer to the furniture.
"He's much calmer than Aiko was, but he still has some very agitated moments."
"I can tell just by looking at him. These two will have so much fun together."
"That's what I hope. And for them to get along too."
"I have no doubt they will." Haruhiko grabbed Kouji from his crib and held him close to his chest. He was surprised to notice that he didn't cry at all, unlike his granddaughter.
"Kouji is very sociable, dad. It's very rare for him to cry."
"Haruhiko always had a way with children." Toshiko approached her husband. "You would always feel less agitated in his arms."
"I guess they both got it from me."
"Kouji is a mini Yamato." Sora's mother stated as she stroked her grandson's blond hair. "Does he know about him?"
"No, he doesn't." Sora replied. "By the time I found out, I had already cut contact with everyone. I'm a little afraid of telling him though. Sometimes his reactions can be unpredictable."
"It's not gonna be an easy situation, but I'm sure you two will work things out for their sake."
"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "I also hope he can forgive me."
"Time will tell you about this."
"As long as there's a spark just waiting to be ignited again, anything is possible."
"Haruhiko, you shouldn't keep her hopes so high. She might end up being disappointed."
"Sora knows she should keep her feet on the ground, Toshiko." His answer was very firm. "She's aware of what she's doing. I really believe they can find their way back to each other. A love like theirs just can't end."
"Thanks, dad." A smile appeared on Sora's lips. "It means a lot to me hearing that from you."
"You deserve to love and be loved, Sora. I always believed you and Yamato are soulmates. So if you are genuinely sorry about what you did and are willing to make things right with him again, you have my full support."
"Thank you so much, dad." She hugged him tight. "I am, really. I love Yamato so much."
"Then fight for him."
"That's what I'm going to do."

.

Mimi was returning home and enjoying the beautiful sunset. She was thinking about how she wanted to become a mother, but having a boyfriend seemed a very distant idea. She tried dating some guys in the past, but they never lasted more than weeks. She was so absorbed in her thoughts when she accidentally bumped into a person that was leaving a market. She turned to apologize to them, and her eyes went wide. "Koushiro?"
"Mimi, I'm sorry. I was distracted."
"It's okay." She smiled at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Taichi gave me a list of things I needed to buy for the apartment. It was my turn to do grocery shopping."
"Is he already at home?"
"I suppose so. At least he didn't tell me he was going to work overtime today."
"Great!" She exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "You just made my life a lot easier."
"What are you talking about, Mimi?"
"I need to talk to the two of you and it has to be tonight. Let's go!" Mimi grabbed his forearm and dragged him towards his car.
"Mimi, you're hurting me!"

.

Yamato sighed with relief when he closed the door of Aiko's bedroom. She had finally fallen asleep after playing with him for what seemed like hours. He was exhausted from work, but he would always find extra energy for his daughter. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. His plan was to sit on the couch and watch some bad quality TV program, but watching Tokyo from his balcony seemed a much more interesting thing to do. So he slid the glass door with his free hand and walked outside. It was chilly that night, much more pleasant than the excessive hot temperature during the day. Yamato was glad he didn't have to wear the heavy clothes astronauts have to when they go a mission for work. He would absolutely hate that. He took a long sip of the drink in his hand and stared at the dark sky. Sora loved watching the sky during summer. She said it was the best season to observe the stars and that they made her miss him less than usual. As he looked down, something from the other side of the Tokyo bay caught his attention. He couldn't tell what it was, but he just knew there was someone very familiar over there.
"You're delusional, Yamato." He shook his head and drank another sip of his beer; his eyes still focused on the opposite side of the bay. "Stop seeing Sora everywhere you look, she's not coming back. You need to figure out another excuse to tell your daughter tomorrow. It's time to accept your marriage is more than over." He dropped his head and sighed. "But you don't really believe that, do you? Two years had gone by and you still refuse to accept the truth."

.

"Taichi, I'm home." Koushiro announced when he dropped his keys into the bowl next to the door.
"Oh finally!" Taichi came from the kitchen. He was wearing a dark blue apron and was holding a wooden spoon. "I need the to… Mimi, what are you doing here?"
"Hello!" Mimi said cheerfully. "I came to have dinner with you two!"
"What? Koushiro, you didn't tell me she was coming."
"I bumped into her in the street. I'm sorry."
"I'm joking, silly." She laughed. "I didn't come to have dinner with you. But there's something I need to talk to you both about."

Taichi and Koushiro were sitting on their couch while Mimi made herself comfortable in a chair she had taken from their kitchen. She had her legs crossed and was staring at the two men with a very serious expression.
"Mimi, what's going on?" Taichi asked unsurely. He was terrified of the way she looked, which was something very odd for her.
"Well, as you know, we are the only ones single from our group."
"Yeah, so?" Koushiro said annoyed. He hated having people throwing such a fact in his face.
"So I want to propose something to you."
Taichi seemed genuinely interested in this, so he gestured for Mimi to go on though he was beginning to feel nervous about what it would be.
"I want to become a mother." She announced.
"Okay, there's nothing…"
"And I want one of you to be the father."
Taichi and Koushiro exchanged glances. They were both sort of expecting bombastic news, but were still caught off guard. The two men had the same questions about this proposal, but they were too scared to even voice them out loud.
"I know it's shocking at first. But think about it, you won't need to have a relationship with me and you'll get to see your child grow up."
"What happens if or when one of us gets married?" Koushiro questioned.
"Nothing changes. Only our group will know the real thing. For the others, I will be an independent mother." Mimi placed her hands on her thighs for a brief moment and then stood up. "You can take your time to think carefully about this and then let me know what you decided. I'll let you two have dinner now." She grabbed her purse and walked out of their apartment.

.

Yamato had lost account of how many beers he had drunken already. He absolutely hated how low he had gotten lately. However, he was happy his daughter was sleeping peacefully in her room and was very little, so she had no idea what was going on. Therefore, she couldn't feel ashamed of him. A sharp pain stabbed him in the heart. Guilt.