Chapter Twenty Eight: Without Warning
And so, Motoko headed out to Tomobiki district in Tokyo with Sara and Haruka. They had high hopes for the meeting with the Moroboshi family. But none of them could have ever imagined the tragedy that was awaiting them in—OWW! What the hell, Naru?
"Just knock off that weird narration crap!" Naru grumbled, waddling past to a seat. She rubbed her knuckles while Kitsune rubbed her scalp.
"You're in a bad mood," Kitsune grumbled.
"Of course I am! I'm at the size where I'm too uncomfortable to walk. The only reason I'm here at the tea shop is I have cabin fever after the earthquake and— oh." Naru broke off apologetically. "I'm sorry. With what you told me about your past, you probably don't need to hear about my complaints."
Well, I didn't need to hear about you remembering my past, Kitsune thought wryly. "No, it's okay," she said, reassuringly. "If I didn't hear it from you, I'd probably hear it from Haruka. You're just the first one here to go through it. So, ya hafta vent ta us." Ugh, I better watch my accent! I don't wanna sound like a bumpkin in front of Dae-Jeong.
"True, I guess," Naru nodded. "With the little girl inside me, it's hard to do anything that doesn't leave me feeling cramped inside my own body. And even if the doctor hadn't told Keitaro and I to put sex on hold until after I had the baby and recovered, it's impossible to find a comfortable position to do it in. So that's frustrating too. And my stomach is cramping up. So, maybe some ginger tea will help." She sighed. "I've been feeling kind of off since the earthquake hit earlier."
Kitsune nodded. The earthquake in question had hit this morning. It had probably been less than 5.0 on the Richter scale. It disrupted nothing, outside of sleeping late, but it had apparently started a fire downtown. So there had been sirens.
"So, where is the intrepid husband?" she asked, jumping up and hurrying behind the counter, partially to alleviate Naru's suffering as soon as possible and partially to head off more details about her sex life. It was fun teasing her when she was a virgin, but now that she's experienced, it's just TMI!.
"Todai," Naru grunted in discomfort and shifted her position. "As a guest lecturer, some of his material will be on the archaeology finals. But he doesn't want to be trapped there when I'm due. So he's sorting it out in advance." She inhaled sharply.
"So, when are ya due?" Kitsune asked, watching her friends discomfort with some concern.
"Two weeks is the prediction," Naru grunted. "If it wasn't for the fear of what labor pains are going to be like, I'd say 'I wish I could get it over with.'"
"Better not!" Kitsune chuckled. "I think you're the only responsible person here today."
"Who is here?" Naru asked.
"Su. I'll be going out with Dae-Jeong, but not until Kanako gets back from dropping Hachi off at the Vet, to make sure you're covered."
"Fine," Naru said wearily. She was too uncomfortable to argue that she wasn't an idiot child who needed supervision.
"I'm here too," Shinobu said, as she entered the room with Su. She looked well recovered from her cold. "I have a date with Takane later though. We're meeting his parents. But if you need me to, we can delay until Keitaro gets back." Her look said she hoped she wouldn't be needed.
Small wonder, considering what happened last time they were going to meet his parents. Thanks Shinobu," Naru smiled… or grimaced. "I don't know if that will be necessary or not. Let's see how I feel when Kanako gets back."
"Yeah…" Shinobu laughed, nervously. She doesn't look so good… "I hope you didn't get my cold!" she said to Naru
"Ya don't look so good, Naru-yan," Su said with zero filter between brain and mouth."
"Knock it off!" Kitsune growled, smacking Su with the harisen Haruka left behind.
"I feel awful," Naru sighed, admiring Kitsune's techniques with the harisen. "But it's not your cold, Shinobu. It was probably a mistake to drag myself out here. I just want to lie down." She cringed at her whining and rubbed her abdomen.
Keeping her voice casual, Kitsune turned to the others. "Go drag that bench out here so Naru can lay down. I think there's a spare pillow upstairs." Kneeling down next to Naru, she whispered, "Are you sick? Do… we need to call an ambulance for ya?" She placed her hand on Naru's shoulder.
"Ehh…" Naru grunted. "It's more like a phantom pain of the menstrual aches I used to get, only more intense."
"I wish Mutsumi were here," Shinobu said anxiously. This was different from Naru's usual pregnancy discomforts. Unfortunately, Mutsumi was in the midst of moving her belongings to Nagasaki and wouldn't be back until tonight.
"Well, she ain't," Kitsune said wearily. "Naru's stuck with us. So, if something comes up, we need ta overcome our usual style and not act like idiots for once."
Su's expression was one of a person trying to grasp an alien concept.
Turning back to Naru, Kitsune said, "Do ya need ta lie down?"
Naru wearily looked at the distance and weighed it against the discomfort of sitting upright. "Maybe I should at least move there in case I need to?"
"Okay, Su?" Kitsune ordered. Su was stronger than Shinobu. "Help me support her. Shinobu? You try ta steady her if she starts ta lose her balance. Naru? You just do the best ya can to walk. Ready?"
"Okay" the others said.
Naru eased herself off the stool… and froze as a warm, wet stain spread across her crotch. She blushed in shame. "Shit! I think I pissed myself!"
The others blushed in embarrassment and averted their eyes.
"I- I'll get you a change of clothes!" Shinobu said, heading for the door.
"Put the closed sign up!" Kitsune said. Let's give her some privacy.
"I don't believe it!" Naru moaned, embarrassed at the volume produced. "I haven't done that since I was a baby!" Unconsciously, she sniffed her hand… and froze. That wasn't the smell of urine. Her eyes went wide. "No. I didn't piss myself. I think… my water broke!"
They all panicked.
"What are going to do?" Shinobu wailed.
"I don't know, Shinomu!" Su replied, much less cocky than normal.
Kitsune was the first to recover, though she was shaking. She'd tuned out most of Mutsumi's flash card sessions, but knew just enough to be aware of dangers. "Just shut up and let me think!" She gripped the beaded necklace thing Sister Shakti had given her in Nagasaki. Help! she thought.
An idea did come to her. "Su, you call 119 for an ambulance! Shinobu! Call Takane! I'll call Dae-Jeong! Whoever gets here first is gonna take her to the hospital! Move!"
Grateful that her arm was out of the cast, she guided Naru to the bench with one arm while the other worked the phone. She awkwardly got her onto the bench safely, belatedly remembering from Mutsumi that amni—whatever the hell it was called—fluid was a protection for the baby from falls and other impacts, and Naru no longer had it.
Shinobu sat at one end of the bench. "Lie your head on my lap," she said.
Naru promptly laid down on the bench, trying to remember the breathing techniques.
"They'll send an ambulance!" Su announced. "But with the fire, it will be half an hour!"
Kitsune swore and looked at Naru, wondering if she even had half an hour. "Shinobu?"
"Umm, he's on the way, but he's an hour away!" Shinobu said, looking up from the damp cloth she was applying to Naru's forehead. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault… or his," Naru said through clenched teeth.
"Hello?" a voice came from Kitsune's phone. "Kitsune?"
"Dae!" Kitsune cried out in relief. "It's an emergency! Can ya get over here?" She winced as her Kansai dialect started spilling out. "Naru's goin' inta labor and we can't get an ambulance for a half hour!"
"I'll try!" Dae-Jeong said. He must have turned away from the phone for second. "May I have your attention? It's an emergency! I need to close down now! I'm sorry for the inconvenience! No charge for the meals! But you must leave!" Then he was back to the phone. "You still there, Kit? I'll try to find a detour around the blocked off area. I'll try to be there fast as I can! But if you can get a ride sooner, take it!"
"Okay, thanks! Keep in touch!" She knew he was doing all he could do, but she felt very alone.
"Now what?" Shinobu asked in a small voice.
"What the hell is going on?" Kanako shouted, bursting through the door.
"Naru's goin' inta labor!" Kitsune snapped. "Go boil some water and get some sheets!"
"How's that supposed to help?" Kanako asked, blindsided.
"How the fuck should I know? That's what they say in the movies!" She whirled. "Su, how long ago did you reach the ambulance?"
"Um, three minutes ago."
"Shit!"
"Hey, didn't Seta leave his car here? Didn't Motoko, Haruka and Sara take the trolley?" Kanako suddenly remembered.
The others (sans Naru, who was still doing her breathing) turned to Kitsune.
Kitsune blanched. "What? I- I don't have a license anymore!" If I get caught, I'm getting three years from my suspended sentence in the slammer, plus whatever I get for driving without a license!
"Kitsune!" Naru said, struggling to sit up. "You can't go to jail because of m—AAAHHHH!" Naru cried out suddenly from another contraction. "The… pain…"
Kitsune had no idea how long Naru could hold out or whether they could safely deliver the baby here. Probably not. I wish I paid more attention to Mutsumi doing her flashcards. But her friend was in danger. She sighed. "Dammit! Fine, if I gotta, I'll go ta jail. Kanako, go get the keys! Now how are we gonna move her to the garage?"
Awkward silence. There was no way Naru would be able to walk it.
"I don't fucking believe it!" Kitsune moaned, burying her face in her hands as she thought of the distance and number of steps. "We were so close!" She gritted her teeth as Naru moaned. We should be timing these contractions. "Okay, I am officially desperate enough to consider any idea!"
Su raised her hand sheepishly. "I know you don't wanna hear it, but I do have a Mechatama invention I was working on…"
"No S…" Kitsune began, before breaking off. "All right. I'm desperate enough to consider even that."
"Well," Su began, surprised to get that far. "I designed a flying throne for myself for… no reason. Anyway, it's wide enough for Naru to sit next to me as I pilot it."
"Is it safe?" Kanako growled.
"Well, it's not like my Mechatama. It's tested. I designed it for me to ride in after all," Su said defensively. "So, I'm not afraid to fly in it."
The others looked at Naru, who wearily raised her head from Shinobu's lap. She looked like hell. "Su, would you fly it if you were in my condition?"
"If I couldn't get an ambulance with medical staff, I would," Su said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm just being over cautious 'cause it's yours and Keitaro's baby."
Naru nodded. "Do it!" She moaned, hoping she wasn't making a mistake. "How long before it gets here?"
Su pushed a button on a bracelet. There was a whoosh and the tea house shook. "Now. Open those doors as wide as it will go!"
Kitsune sweatdropped as she opened the doors. It looked like an oversized hovering BarcaLounger with a canopy.
Tapping a keypad on her bracelet, Su guided it inside. The four women guided Naru to the chair. Kitsune hoped and prayed this wasn't one of the situations where it was unsafe to move a pregnant woman.
Naru gritted her teeth. "Thank you," she said weakly, obviously relieved that some unreasonable facsimile of progress was happening.
Su carefully fastened a harness around Naru, making sure it didn't cross her abdomen. She climbed in next to her and fastened her own harness. "Stand clear!" She began moving forward out of the building.
"Okay, we'll see you at the carport!" Kitsune said, jogging alongside. And I hope that if I get caught, the judge will be merciful.
As they ran along, the throne began to gain altitude and change direction.
Oh no! "Su!" Kitsune shouted. "You're supposed ta take her to the garage!"
"Sorry!" Naru's voice came weakly over a loudspeaker. "I told Su I need to get there fast! Besides, I can't let you go to prison! I have a good feeling about this."
The chair wobbled for a moment before straightening. It accelerated and climbed further into the sky.
"Can I breathe now?" Shinobu asked weakly.
Kitsune, who had anything but a good feeling about this, felt ill. Grabbing the beaded necklace thing, she whispered, "keep them safe, please!"
When the chair was out of sight, Shinobu turned to Kitsune. "I honestly forgot about your suspended sentence. You were willing to go to prison to help her?" There was a touch of awe in her tone. "That's so brave!"
Kitsune shrugged. "We'll, I was scared. But if it was a choice of me goin' to prison or risking Naru and the baby's life, the choice was a no-brainer. I just hope Naru didn't make a bad choice for my sake."
"Kit! Kit!" a voice came from the direction of the garage.
"Dae?" Kitsune called back.
"I'm sorry it took so long!" Dae-Jeong gasped, reaching them. "What was that thing? It looked like a flying La-Z Boy!"
"BarcaLounger," Kitsune said. She quickly filled him in on the situation, desperately trying to suppress her Kansai accent.
"Sounds like you were pretty brave under pressure," he said when she was finished.
"Are you kidding!" Kitsune laughed bitterly. "I was scared the whole time!"
"I said you were brave, Kit. Not that you were fearless. There's a difference." He smiled. "You were afraid, but you didn't run from it or try to push it off on others. You just kept trying to help your friend."
He turned to the others. "The two of you also. You worked as a team."
The three smiled shyly under the praise.
"So, Kit, I'm going to assume that you're probably going to want to join your friend?" His smile said he wouldn't be offended if she said yes.
"If ya don't mind," Kitsune said… then froze. Dammit, I blew it!
"I don't," Dae-Jeong said with a wink. "I also don't mind you speaking with your natural dialect. It suits you and it's probably easier than forcing yourself into something else."
"Ya knew?" Kitsune said, blushing, but keeping her dialect. "I mean before I called ya?"
"No, but I suspected it." He shrugged. "You always seemed to tense up before you speak. But some of my people try to bury their differences too, so I didn't want to call attention to it. Anyway, how about you two?" He turned to Kanako and Shinobu. "Do you want to come along?"
Kanako nodded. "Family should be there for her, and since oniisan isn't here, I'm the closest."
After seeing Naru in labor, Shinobu decided that the temptations from being alone with Takane could have consequences she wasn't ready for. "I'll go. But I guess I should call Takane and let him know."
"Okay," Kitsune said. "You call him. Kanako, you call the father to be, and I'll cancel the ambulance. Then we can call the others."
They made a beeline for the car.
It's strange, Shinobu thought. It used to be that Kitsune wanted nothing to do with responsibility. Now she's taking charge.
.
.
Motoko and Haruka winced, and even Sara seemed dismayed. The Moroboshi family were warm and welcoming, but their manners left something to be desired. The mother met them at the door. She was blue haired like the son and wore a headscarf. The husband joined her, and then Kokeru joined them. The father began hitting on Haruka, Kokeru began hitting on Motoko.
"Hey, ne-chan!" they chorused. "Do you want to get some tea?"
With baleful glares, Motoko, Haruka, and Sara made fists and prepared for violence.
"DAA-LING! KOKERU! BEHAVE, WHY DON'CHA?" The blue haired woman grabbed the two males. Electricity coursed through the three of them.
"Please come in and be seated," she continued sweetly, letting go of her son and husband. They collapsed, twitching.
Things went downhill from there.
"It just seems like they're too young for a serious relationship," Haruka said, waving aside a flitting Tama-chan. How did that turtle get here?
Ataru shrugged. "In the Moroboshi family we do things earlier. I mean, my father married early because he got my mother pregnant. I married Lum here early after I got her pregnant…."
"Daa-ling!" Lum protested.
Kokeru looked at Sara and made a lewd chuckle.
Sara slammed his head into the coffee table. "NOT HAPPENING! GOT IT?"
"Daa-ling," Lum cooed. "They're like us at that age…"
The chirp of Motoko's cell phone broke the awkward silence. She picked it up, not caring about being rude to these creatures, and hoping it wasn't her new publisher saying there was a problem with the contract. Looking at the message, she inhaled sharply. "I think we need to get back.
"Go back?" Haruka was surprised. As boorish as the Moroboshis were, this was rude behavior.
"Look!" Motoko held up her phone. The text from Kitsune read, NARU IN LABOR. AT HOSPITAL.
Haruka turned to Sara. It was her day after all. "Are you-" she began.
"Hell yeah," Sara replied, glaring at Kokeru. "I'm not planning on procreating today."
.
.
Keitaro, reading the text, was determined not to get involved in panicky hijinks. Sliding his chair back, he got to his feet. "If you'll excuse me Gentlemen," he said to the professors he was working with. "My wife is in labor and I need to get to the hospital to join her."
Keitaro had gotten along well with the faculty, so the meeting broke up with congratulations and well wishes.
"I've called you a cab," one of them said. "I hope it's a strong boy to carry on your family line!"
It's going to be a girl, Keitaro thought.
.
.
Mutsumi, on the other hand, had just stepped off the train in Tokyo. Between studying and moving her belongings to Nagasaki, she was exhausted. She was trudging her way over to make her streetcar connection when the text arrived from Shinobu:
NARU IN LABOR. SU TAKING HER TO HOSPITAL. DON'T WORRY.
"Like hell I won't worry!" she shrieked, sprinting towards the streetcar, visions of miscarriage disasters flashing through her mind. How could I have left Nacchan in the hands of those girls? They're not aware of anything!
At that moment, she collided with a trio who were also headed to the streetcar. The four of them went sprawling.
"Why don't you watch where we're going?" a familiar teenage voice snapped.
There was a pounding of running feet. "Um, ladies? Are you all right?" The man tripped over Tama-chan and went sprawling, somehow managing to grope all four of them despite having two hands and one face.
"Ara! Hello Kei-kun!" Mutsumi said, knowing that only one person in Japan could manage that.
"What are you? An Octopus?" Haruka growled, punching him.
"Sorry, Aunt Haruka." Keitaro responded sheepishly.
Haruka punched him again.
"Ahem," a police officer said, walking over.
"I'd say, it's not what it looks like," Motoko sighed. "But I'm not even sure what this is supposed to look like…"
After disentangling themselves from a tangle that would have impressed professional Twister players, they hurried over to the streetcar stop, only to learn that it departed during the collision.
"This is as ridiculous as a slapstick rom-com manga," Sara growled. "How are we gonna get back now?"
"Ara! Look out for the car!" Sure enough, a rental car came racing towards them, stopping only when it slammed into a barrier. The driver staggered out, bleeding and on fire.
"No," Motoko said wearily to Sara. "This is too contrived for even a manga. This is like some bad fanfiction."
"Haruka! Sara!" Seta said, walking over to them, arms open wide for an embrace. "Sorry I haven't been in touch. I've been in the desert on a dig and couldn't get any reception. And, when I did finally get to an area with reception, I accidentally dropped my phone into a lava fissure. So, what'd I miss for the past few months?"
Haruka and Sara punched him simultaneously.
"You're on fire, Seta," Haruka said wearily.
"Oh, right." He produced a fire extinguisher from nowhere and doused himself.
.
.
Labor was getting old quickly, Naru decided. The contractions were causing dull aches in her back, lower abdomen and pelvis leaving her in a miserable state. Doctor Juse was there, offering her encouragement and mild reprimands.
"Honestly, Naru. How did you miss the warning signs? Most women are in and out of the hospital with false labor a few times before it really starts."
Naru grunted with another contraction. "I was expecting it to be like spasms or jerks," she gasped defensively when it was over. "This was more like a constant pressure." Now that she was checked into the hospital, she was learning that there was a wave from her back to her abdomen.
"Well, your friends go you here in good time in that… thing." In fact, Su had driven it through the front doors of the hospital, right up to the reception desk. "If it wasn't so insane, it would probably make a great way to transport patients comfortably."
There was the sound of a crash outside.
"What on earth was that?" Dr. Juse asked.
"I assume it's my husband and friends come to help," Naru said.
Dr. Juse had no idea whether the wince came from another contraction or the news.
.
.
After all the rushing around, it was anticlimactic to learn that none of them were going to be allowed into the delivery room. Not even Keitaro. That caused a lot of grumbling.
"It is a Hospital regulation," Motoko said wearily. "I hate it too. But the hospital could legally eject us if we made a scene. So, please calm down."
"That's right," Mutsumi joined in. "This is about health and safety. When they bring the mother into the delivery room, they want a controlled environment so the mother and baby can have a safe delivery and not be exposed to infection. The doctors and nurses are trained in the required techniques. Most people are not."
Kitsune sighed. "I guess she has a point. None of us are getting in there."
"That's right," Mutsumi said sweetly. She turned to the nurse. "Could you tell the doctor in charge of the delivery that a final year medical student is interested in viewing the delivery and ask if it would be okay to go in?"
"HEY!" the others protested.
.
.
And so they waited. That included Mutsumi who had been ejected when everybody kept texting her for updates. The doctors said it was a distraction.
"Isn't this rather long?" Keitaro asked after three hours. He'd begun pacing after two.
Mutsumi sighed. "Actually, the average for the final stage of labor for a first time mother is about four to six hours. Don't worry, Keitaro. Before I was thrown out, she was progressing fine."
"That's a relief," Su said. "I flew Naru-yan in because of how long it would take for the ambulance to arrive. I wished you'd have been here to say if it was okay."
Mutsumi looked embarrassed. "Ara. I was very worried when I got the text. But Dr. Juse told me you didn't get her here too early. So, let's call it a case of, 'Good job but don't do it again.'"
.
.
It was a half hour later that the nurse called Keitaro back. "Just the Father please," she said as the others jumped to their feet.
The others sat back, grumbling.
An hour after that, a different nurse came out. "The parents are ready to see you now. I think we can begin w-"
An avalanche of people rushed past her.
.
.
They found Keitaro sitting next to the bed, leaning into Naru, who was leaning into him. They were staring lovingly at the little bundle in Naru's lap.
"Baby Hima… Baby Hima…" Naru cooed.
"Umm," Motoko said shyly, hoping to hint for information. "What is Hima short for?"
"Because she has tiny legs," Kitsune said with a grin. "Congratulations, you two!"
Naru looked up and smiled, somehow radiant through her exhaustion. "Thank you, Kitsune… for everything." Turning to the rest, she said, "Keitaro and I wanted to name her after Grandma Hina, but as you know, she shot that down. So, her name is Himawari."
She gingerly shifted the baby so the others could see. As they pressed in, Keitaro moved closer to shield mother and baby.
"Easy guys," he cautioned. "Don't get too cl-"
Himawari, flailing around, hit Keitaro in the nose.
Kitsune smiled. "I think she takes after you, Naru!"
Turning to Himawari, she smiled. "Welcome to Hinata House, kid. Looks like you'll fit in just fine!"
The End.
Author's Notes
And so ends the story and the trilogy. I have to say I never expected to make it a trilogy after I published Forever and a Day in 2019. For a while, I thought this one might join the ranks of unfinished stories on .
Will I make another sequel? I doubt it. Someday I might try a different fanfic. But I think I need a break for now.
I want to thank all of you who followed me, Favorited the story, or offered feedback. I hope you enjoyed what I produced.