Chapter Forty-Seven: In the Blink of an Eye

I entered the hospital room marked 'Okazaki' and quickly claimed the chair next to the bed to hold my wife's hand as she rested comfortably. Well, as comfortably as an expectant mother could reasonably expect, I supposed. Fortunately, she'd only suffered a few minor contractions on the way to the hospital, so the towel that I'd brought along ended up unused. "The doctor should be along in a few minutes," I told her, relaying the information that her mother had given me.

"Okay," she lightly grunted while giving my hand a squeeze.

I smiled down into her face; she had a faint sheen of sweat and the skin around her closed eyes appeared to be tightened, which told me that in spite of the accommodations she was feeling a fair amount of discomfort. "How are you feeling?" I gently probed.

She opened her eyes to smile up at me. "Like I've been doing sit-ups for the last five months straight," she said with a weak giggle. "But, you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything."

I couldn't say anything due to the lump in my throat, so I simply took her hand in both of mine and gave it a tender kiss as I looked into her eyes.

Our private moment was interrupted a short time later as the door clicked open, revealing an older gentleman with dark-brown hair marred only by a slight graying at the temples. "Good afternoon; I am Shimizu Asa, and I'll be your attending physician for your time here."

I quickly stood and bowed, though I kept hold of my wife's hand. "Good afternoon, doctor: I'm Okazaki Tomoya, and this is my wife, Mika."

"Pleasure to meet you, doctor," Mika greeted, though she sounded a little apprehensive.

He seemed to notice and smiled affably as he moved to the other side of the bed. "Don't worry, I won't be here for the actual birth; we've arranged for a midwife to assist you during the process. I'll be working more behind the scenes, checking your charts and seeing if you need anything."

"Oh, okay," I replied, not wanting to say too much; I didn't want to risk insulting his credentials, after all. "Thank you, doctor."

"You're quite welcome." He picked up a device that looked remarkably like a smartphone, with several buttons on its front panel. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to press this button and I or one of the nurses will be here to assist you. If you feel any major contractions, then press this button," he said, indicating a larger red button, and I made sure to note it just in case Mika ended up in no condition to press anything. "This button allows you to place calls; press '8' to call a number outside the hospital." He handed the device to Mika, who began to study it. "Do either of you have any questions?"

My wife and I exchanged a glance; her expression told me that she was fine so I looked to the doctor. "I think we're okay for now, thank you." A stray thought brought a lopsided grin to my face. "If we have any questions after this, at least we have a way to call you, right?"

"True," he chuckled, then headed for the door but paused after opening it to look back at us with a warm smile. "Please enjoy your stay at our hospital." What that, he left the room, the door quietly clicking shut behind him.

We chatted quietly after that, our conversation occasionally broken by a contraction. "Should I call a nurse?" I offered after one that appeared unusually strong.

Not yet," she grunted while rubbing her swollen abdomen. "They're more surprising than anything right now."

"Okay."

We held hands and looked out the window, simply enjoying the scenery beyond the sanitary walls of the room.

A knock at the door jarred me from my thoughts, and a twitch of Mika's hand told me that it had had the same effect on her. "Come in, please," I called.

The door clicked open, and I quickly stood to bow as Mom and Pops Furukawa entered the room. "Good afternoon Tomoya, Mika," Mom greeted with one of her trademarked radiant smiles. As I sat back down, she made her way to the other side of the bed to take Mika's other hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, like I was telling Tomoya; I feel like I've been doing sit-ups for the last five months," Mika replied with a giggle.

"Oh, my," Mom said, giggling as well. "I remember how that feels. When I was pregnant with Nagisa…" She trailed off, and her expression faded to something more somber. "I…I'm sorry; I spoke without thinking."

"You okay, Mom?" I asked while getting to my feet again.

"It's just…" she gestured to my wife. "I shouldn't be talking about...'her'…in front of your wife."

I exchanged a brief glance with Pops, and it seemed that our expressions agreed that we should keep our mouths shut.

Mika released my hand to take Mom's in both of hers. "It's okay, Mom; Nagisa-sama was an important part of your life as well as Tomoya's. I'm not bothered by it." She sent Mom a gentle smile. "Please don't try to forget her because of me."

Mom's smile returned, though she did end up wiping away a tear with a finger. "Thank you, sweetheart. Um, when I was pregnant with Nagisa I felt the way you describe; kind of bloated and tense."

Hearing both women's descriptions reminded me of when Nagisa described her pregnancy with Ushio but decided to keep it to myself.

"Tomoya?" Mika said, looking over at me. "Did Nagisa ever tell you how she felt when she was carrying Ushio?"

So much for keeping it to myself. "Um, funny you mention that…" I started while rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't remember her exact words, but the way you described your pregnancies reminded me of her."

"That girl was enormous toward the end," Pops remarked, then paled. "…of her pregnancy, I mean. Her pregnancy."

"Yeah…" I murmured, taking an internal step back from myself to gauge my reaction; fortunately, it wasn't as strong as I would have expected.

"Sorry about that," he followed up. "I know it's a common phrase, but I still spoke before I thought."

"It's fine, Dad," I replied with a reassuring smile. "I think I'm as past the pain as I'm going to get. I'm more concerned about you and Mom."

My late wife's parents shared a tender smile before returning their gaze to me. "We've done all the grieving we need to," Mom told me as Dad gave her a squeeze. "We took care of that a long time ago."

There was another knock at the door, helpfully giving us a reprieve from the awkwardness. "Come in," I called.

The door opened to rev- "Okazaki! Er, Okazakis!" Kappei bellowed as he entered the room followed by a stern-looking Tadashi. "How's my daughter doing?"

"Dad, we're in a hospital," the young man hissed as respectfully as he could. "If Mom hears you, she'll get mad again."

"Crap, you're right," the elder Hiiragi replied, his voice barely over a whisper. "Sorry about that."

"Hiiragi-san, it's good to see you again," Mom greeted, once again lighting the room with her smile. "When will your wife be able to come by?"

As Kappei talked with Mom and Dad, Tadashi joined me by his sister's bed. "How are you feeling, Nee-san?"

Mika and I couldn't help but share a smile at what had become the most-asked question that day. "I'm feeling fine, all things considered," she replied, choosing a less-poetic answer. "Just tired and full and ready to give you a niece or nephew."

"Huh?" Tadashi looked puzzled, and I couldn't help but smirk at his expression. He then suddenly blinked in comprehension. "Oh! Of course! It had not occurred to me that I would be an uncle to your children."

My smirk faltered at his typical eloquence; it was still hard to believe that he was an early high-schooler.

"I will do my best to be a good example as an uncle," he continued.

Mika reached out and laid a hand on her brother's cheek. "I know you will, Tadashi; that's just the kind of man you are."

Something in the young man's expression changed, and it seemed like he matured a few years in just a few seconds. "I will not let you or your husband or your children down." He shifted his intense gaze to me. "This I swear."

My eyebrows jumped at his words; they seemed even more serious, even for his usual stoic self. "Um…thanks, Tadashi." Just then my phone sounded a tone, one that I'd previously set up for my trading accounts. "You gonna be okay if I step out for just a minute?" I asked Mika while showing her the notification on my phone. "You're my first priority, of course, but this kinda helps with my first priority, if that makes sense. I won't be long."

"Go ahead," she replied with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. "Thank you for all your hard work."

I felt a little awkward as I left the room; after all, I really didn't think of my online trading as any real 'work', regardless of what the OnTrade instructors said. I understood what they meant, but still… "Guess I'll just have to get used to this," I muttered to myself as I stopped at the nearest lounge and opened my broker's app as I plopped into one of the many plush chairs.

The alert in question informed me that the price of the stock that my options trade was tied to had dropped to the 'trailing stop-loss' that I had set about a day into the trade; I had learned that this particular kind of stop-loss 'followed' the price of the stock as long as it was increasing but would alert me when the price eventually dropped once again.

Let's see…" I murmured as I checked the value that had triggered the stop-loss; my eyes then widened considerably. "Whoa…" I quickly confirmed the sale with my broker and quickly checked a couple of my other active trades and updated them as appropriate before pocketing my phone and heading back to my wife.

"How'd it go?" Mika asked as Tadashi got up from the seat that I had been using, allowing me to sit by her side again. "You look like everything's okay."

"You could say that," I said with a reserved smile as I got out my phone again to show her our earnings. My smile broadened as her eyes widened. "It looks like we won't have to worry about money anymore."

She looked up at me with eyes filled with awe...and a little mirth. "That's good; one less thing."


"Most people can take one look at your abdomen and figure out that you're pregnant," Shimizu-sensei said as he looked over Mika's chart yet again. "But I'm a doctor so I have to look at this to figure it out."

My attempt to suppress my laughter failed and I let out a snort, but the twinkle in his eye as he looked to my wife and I told us it was okay to enjoy his situation. "I just want to show your profession proper respect," I told him through a chuckle.

"I appreciate that," he said with a smile of his own as he hung the chart back on the end of Mika's bed. "I'll be back in an hour to either tell you that you're still pregnant or to congratulate you on a successful birth."

"Th-Thank you, doctor," Mika giggled. As the door closed behind the physician she turned twinkling eyes on me. "I'm glad he's funny."

"Does it put you at ease, then?" I asked, smiling as well.

"It does." She glanced over at the wall-mounted clock. "Do you remember what time Dad and Tadashi left? It seems like they've been gone a long time."

I narrowed my eyes at the timepiece. "I don't, but they went to lunch with Mom and Dad Furukawa so they might be enjoying their time together."

"That makes sense."

Almost on cue, there was a knock at the door; after my customary invitation it opened a moment later to reveal Jeff and Kyou. "I came here as soon as I could," he said, looking a bit disheveled and sounding somewhat out of breath.

"What happened?" I asked as I noticed that my old sparring partner seemed out-of-sorts as well. "You both look like you've been through the wringer."

"Bus accident," Jeff explained as he and his made their way to the bed; I quickly stood so Kyou could take my seat. "One of the commuter trains collided with a municipal bus."

I grunted, bringing my hand to my temple in response to a sudden…something. It was as though I was being forced to recall a memory, but there was nothing to recall.

"Is everyone all right?" I heard Mika ask worriedly as the throbbing in my head started to subside. "That must have been really bad."

It was hard to miss the look that the Ashtons exchanged. "Let's just say that…" Jeff rubbed abruptly and vigorously at his face. "Let's just say that I didn't have to do a lot of counseling and leave it at that, okay?"

"Sure thing," I replied, noting the tension in his voice.

"How sad…" Mika breathed.

"We'll be doing a lot of praying later," Kyou added with a cautious glance at her husband. "Anyway, sorry you had to see us like this. How are you two doing?"

Mika and I exchanged a grin. "Fine, all things considered," she replied on our behalf. "I feel like a blimp, and Tomoya's been fussing over me. Life couldn't be better."

We couldn't help but chuckle at her words. "Well, that's great to hear," Jeff said with a smile…which then faltered. "In a manner of speaking."

"Have you had any contractions since they admitted you?" Kyou asked while leaning forward with an eager expression.

"A few," my wife replied, "but they've mostly been small ones." She suddenly tensed up. "Oof; not that one, though."

Kyou quickly relinquished her seat so I could take my spot next to my wife again. "You okay?" I asked as I sat and took her hand again.

"I'm okay, it's just-" She suddenly convulsed. "HOO BOY!"

That did it. "I'm getting the doctor," I declared as I bolted from my seat to head toward the door; hopefully I could quickly find a nurse who could alert Shimizu-sensei. I slammed it open to find a semi-familiar head of blue hair as I suddenly remembered- "The phone!" I then released the door and hurried over to the smartphone-like thingy on the other side of the bed and snatched it up. "Which button was it?!"

"The red one," Jeff reminded me, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Kyou moving to Mika's side again to take her hand.

I had just mashed my finger down on the red button when I heard a timid voice coming from the direction of the door. "Is…it okay to come in?"

"It's okay, Tomoya," Mika huffed. "It's…It's my friends."

I looked over my shoulder to see Sachi peering around the edge of the door, and I realized that in my haste I had basically slammed the door in her face. "Come in! Come in!" I called while waving her into the room. "Sorry about that; I was busy panicking."

"O-Okay." As the rest of us watched, she slowly entered the room, followed by more familiar faces.

The red-haired girl – Sakura, if I remembered correctly – immediately glomped onto Mika while giving her abdomen plenty of room, much to my relief. "Hey, bae! You look amazing!"

"Thanks, Sak-ki," Mika gasped as she returned the hug. "I don't feel so amazing right now, though."

Sakura pulled away to look into Mika's face. "What's wrong?"

"She just had a couple of pretty big contractions," Kyou explained, then smiled at my wife's expression of gratitude.

"Ohmygosh…" the young woman breathed, then looked over at the rest of her group. "Should we take off? Or wait outside?"

"We're totally cool with doing that if you want," a girl with pink hair and blue eyes offered, and even though I couldn't remember her name I did remember her as the 'whoa' girl from the picnic.

Mika studied her friends for a moment before shifting her gaze to me. "Tomoya, could I have some time alone with them? No offense to any of you, but these are my friends from school, and I haven't been able to talk with them for a long time."

"We'll wait outside," Kyou said as she and Jeff got to their feet and started toward the door. "You coming, Tomoya?"

I turned to leave but paused to look back at my wife. "You sure you'll be okay?"

She nodded, though hesitantly. "You'll be right outside, right?" At my nod she continued. "If I have another big one, one of my friends will let you know."

"And I know how to use this thing," Mika's blonde-haired friend told me as she held up the smartphone thingy. "Don't worry."

I chuckled softly. "All right; have a good time." I turned and followed Kyou and Jeff out the door and into the hallway, leaving my beloved at the mercy of her friends. "How are you two doing?" I asked, partly to distract myself from my worry but also out of a genuine curiosity.

"We're doing fine," Kyou replied, but it appeared that she was trying to suppress a smile for some reason. "The truth is, well…" She looked up at her husband with an expression that appeared to be asking for permission. He gave a smile and a nod so she continued. "Jeff and I wanted to tell you both at the same time, but…" She took a deep breath, and I could see a glimmer in her eyes and a trembling of her lips. "Tomoya…I'm pregnant."

My eyes widened. "Seriously?" I was so surprised that I barely registered the nurse entering Mika's room. "That's great! Congratulations!"

"Thank you," she whimpered before quickly covering her mouth, barely holding back the tears. "Stop that, Tomoya; you're gonna make me cry."

"Stop what?" All I had done was congratulate her…

"You may not be aware of this," Jeff said in a low tone, "but you appear as though you're about to cry as well."

I reflexively brought my hand to my face and, sure enough, my fingertips came back wet. "Oh. Uh, sorry about that," I said through a rapidly-tightening throat. "I guess after all you've been through, I'm just really happy that-"

"I get it!" she interrupted with a hiccup. "Just…stop!"

I glanced over at Jeff, who gave an understanding nod, and I pulled my old sparring partner into my arms and held her. "Good for you, Kyou," I managed between my own sobs of relief. "I'm really happy for you."

Our celebration was interrupted by the door to Mika's room opening; her friends came out, and they all seemed to be in a hurry. "Okazaki-san!" one of them cried. "Hurry! Mika's…"

I didn't need to hear any more as I released my old friend and ran back into my wife's room where she lay, breathing heavily. "Mika? Is it time?"

She could barely nod, so the nurse answered on her behalf. "The midwife has been contacted and should be here shortly."

"Thank you, Nurse…Sagawa," I replied after a glance at her name badge.

She flashed me a smile as she headed for the door. "You're welcome. And congratulations."

"Thank you," I replied as I turned my focus to my wife and gently rested a hand on her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be," she gasped. Her eyes then snapped shut in pain, and I could feel her twitch under my hand. "That…really hurt."

Even though it had been many years, I'd been through a pregnancy before so I had some idea of what to expect. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Eyes still closed, she groped around with the hand nearest me, so I took it in both of mine and she seemed to calm almost immediately. The tender kiss that I gave it seemed to help even more.

The midwife came in a few minutes later. "How close are the contract-…" She trailed off as she saw my wife. "Never mind; she's ready." She looked to me. "Are you her father?"

My stomach soured; she and I hadn't met, so her confusion was understandable. Still… "No...I'm…her husband."

She paled appropriately. "Oh, um… My apologies." She bowed quickly. "I'm Watanabe Akiko, and I have had the privilege of assisting your wife through her pregnancy."

"Thank you very much," I said with a dip of my head, not wanting to release my wife's hand.

She quickly made her way to my wife's side and took her other hand. "Just breathe, Mika-san…breathe…"

I watched as my wife took a deliberate and deep breath and let it out slowly, though her face briefly contorted in pain.

A few minutes later Ryou arrived in her work attire, with Mom Furukawa close behind. "Am I too late?" Mom asked.

"Mom…" Mika murmured weakly, and I released her hand so Ryou could take it. "I'm tired already."

"I'll bet," Ryou replied, smiling down at her daughter. "Have you been eating properly?"

My wife nodded. "Everything they give me."

"Then you should be just fine."

Meanwhile, Mom Furukawa came to my side. "Akio's outside; perhaps you could-"

"No."

My gaze snapped to Mika, surprised at her even tone in spite of her situation.

"I…want…my Tomoya…with me," Mika declared, though it sounded as though she was struggling to speak.

Ryou and Mom exchanged glances with the midwife. "If that is what you want," Ryou told her. She then moved so I could take Mika's hand again and joined Mom on the other side of the bed.

We spent the next eternity waiting and watching as Mika occasionally grunted in response to another contraction. Of course I would never experience the pain involved with childbirth, but the intensity with which she occasionally squeezed my hand gave me a pretty good idea of the intensity of her discomfort.

Watanabe took a look under the sheet covering my wife and pursed her lips. "I think it's time to call the doctor." With that, she moved to a wall-mounted phone and picked up the receiver.

"I'll let whoever's outside know what's going on," Mom Furukawa said as she moved to the door. "I'll be back to assist after that."

I took a deep breath and looked down into my wife's face; her eyes were closed, and she was sweating and slightly reddened, but to her credit she was focused on her breathing. "You got this under control, love?"

Her eyes opened enough to look over at me, and in spite of the tightness around her eyes she was able to give me a nod and a weak smile, though she never stopped her practiced breathing.

"You're doing great," I told her as I dabbed at her forehead with a cloth; I'd been through the birthing process before, so much of what had been happening – and what was about to happen – didn't surprise me. "Just hang in there." A squeeze of my hand told me that she'd heard my attempts at encouragement.

Mom came in a moment later. "I think everyone's out there!" she exclaimed, though she kept her voice low. "Shio-chan's right outside the door, of course. Mika's father and brother are there, the Ashtons, Mika's friends, your science friend and her husband…" She giggled. "All of Mika's grandparents are out there as well." So Kiyoshi and Vemi had managed to make it; good.

"Is Papa demanding to come in?" Ryou asked, smiling in spite of the stress of the situation.

"He is," Mom said with another giggle.

Ryou sighed in mock exasperation. "Figures." She looked over at the midwife. "Do you think she has enough time for a visitor or two, Akiko?"

Watanabe sighed as she pushed her long, reddish-brown hair over her shoulder, then blinked. "That's right, I need to tie this back. Anyway, it's hard to say at this point; she could start giving birth any minute now."

"Would you be up to seeing anyone, Mika?" Ryou asked her daughter.

I felt my hand slightly shaken and realized what she was trying to communicate. "Not at this point," I replied on her behalf; a squeeze and a slight smile confirmed my hypothesis. "Sorry. Just tell them that we're both thankful that they're taking the time to be here." Another squeeze of my hand brought a smile to my face.

"I'll let them know," Mom said before leaving the room again. She came back in a minute later with a puzzled look. "Tomoya? Sakagami Tomoyo is here."

I blinked in surprise; even though we were on good terms, I wouldn't have expected one of Japan's ambassadors to show up at my child's birth. "Okay, thanks for letting me know."

"You're welcome."

"It's time," Watanabe declared, interrupting my musings. We closed the curtains and lowered the lighting, leaving only a soft white light over Mika; the creative part of my brain imagined her giving birth while bathed in an unearthly glow. "Tomoya, I may need you to hold her leg in case she loses control."

"Understood." Nagisa's pregnancy had been fairly mild, but this was not Nagis- I blinked at another realization that I no longer felt the intense grief that I had for so long around my late wife's death. Perhaps it was due to the immediate circumstances, but I couldn't help but think that it was another piece of evidence that I had somehow moved on.

Mom Furukawa moved to the other side of the bed while Ryou joined Watanabe at the end of the bed, and we carefully moved my wife's body into the birthing position. At first, Mika struggled against us, but with encouragement from all of us she eventually yielded, relaxing and breathing as we gently prepared her for bringing a new life into the world.

Mika suddenly tensed up and grunted. "I can see the head," Watanabe announced. "You're doing great, sweetheart."

"Good job, Mika," Mom cooed. "Keep it up."

From that point on, I spoke encouragement to my beloved in low tones as she struggled against her own body, grunting and straining.

Finally, a small cry echoed throughout the room, and Watanabe lifted up our new baby, its beautifully tiny limbs twitching as its precious mouth opened and closed with each wail. "Congratulations, you two!" she called over the din. "He's a boy!"

It was a good thing I hadn't been standing because I felt my knees suddenly go weak. A son! I had a son! With tears in my eyes I looked to my wife with the intention of kissing her on the cheek, but… "Mika? What's wrong?"

She was still twitching as though still in labor. "T-Tomoya…"

I looked to Watanabe, but she simply smiled as she passed my son over to Ryou. "You didn't know, huh?"

"Know what?" I demanded. "What's going-"

My words were cut off by a loud groan from Mika.

"She's fine," Ryou said with a smile, and…wait a minute…Ryou was a twin, so… it was possible that…

A new cry started almost as the first one faded, and Watanabe held up another baby. "Congratulations, you two!" she called over the new din. "She's s girl!"

A daughter? A DAUGHTER, TOO?! I couldn't contain my emotion anymore and burst into tears, sobs shaking my whole body, though I tried to keep from shaking my wife in the process. Not just one baby, but two! Two!

I felt a squeeze to my hand and looked over with what had to be a horribly messy face to see Mika smiling weakly at me with sweat mixed with tears. I love you so much she mouthed.

My throat was so tight that I couldn't reply, so I kissed her hand over and over again.


I smiled down at Mika and our babies as they slept. The birthing process had been exhausting for the three of them, and after their first nursing they had all fallen asleep pretty quickly.

At Mom's and Ryou's insistence I crept quietly from the room for some recovery time of my own; even though I hadn't been the one giving birth, the physical and emotional toil from supporting my wife and children through the process had been exhausting for me as well.

I focused on closing the door behind me as quietly and carefully as I could and turned to find family and friends, all applauding…well, quietly. "Congratulations, Tomoya," Jeff greeted in a low tone. "How did it go? It sounds like it went well."

"All things considered, fine," I said while rubbing my face to try to relieve myself of some fatigue. I then sent him a tired smile. "I'm now the proud father of twins." Remembering a request that my wife had made before falling I addressed Kyou. "Mika asked me to ask you to join her in there for when she wakes up. Both of her grandmothers, too."

Rinko and Vemi exchanged smiles before excusing themselves to join Kyou, and the three of them quietly entered Mika's room, the door clicking shut behind them.

"Congratulations, Okazaki," Kappei said as he clapped my shoulders and surprised me with his volume, which was much lower than his usual. "And thanks for giving me grandkids to spoil."

"You're welcome," I chuckled. I studied him as he stepped away. "And thank you for raising such a loving daughter; she's amazing."

"Isn't she?" he replied with a faux-cocky smile. "You can thank Ryou for that."

"I'm sure you had something to do with it," I countered while gently bopping him on the side of his shoulder. "You're twice the dad I've been."

"We'll see." He then appeared to take a turn studying me for a moment before stepping forward again, this time to hug me. "Thanks, Okazaki; I mean it."

It took me a moment for his action to process; we men generally weren't all huggy, but this wasn't a normal situation. In any case, I returned his embrace. "I'll try to do right by your grandkids," I promised.

Just then, the door to Mika's room opened, and I could hear the sound of fussing babies as I turned to see Kyou half-leaning out through the doorway. "Hey, Tomoya? Could you help out here?"

"What's the matter?' I asked, giving Kappei a final bop on the shoulder before re-entering the room. Inside, Mika had woken again, presumably due to the noisy newborns not two meters away. "Did they just start?"

"A couple of minutes ago," Ryou confirmed. "They weren't very loud at first, but it's been getting worse and we're not sure what to do."

"So you called me?" I wasn't sure what I'd be able to do that four mothers couldn't.

"Well, you're their father," Mom Furukawa said with a smile that looked slightly impish, as though that explained it.

I moved to the pair of beds that the twins had been put in and observed them; like most newborns, they'd been wrapped in blankets and placed in special beds to help keep them warm. So why were they being so fussy? I noticed that they each appeared to be struggling against their blankets, as though they were trying to free…themselves…? "Hold on…"

"What is it?" I heard Mom Hiiragi ask.

I gestured to my still-fussing twins. "Could we put them in the same bed and free their arms?"

"We usually wrap their arms in the blanket to simulate being in the womb," Ryou explained, then gasped. "I see!" She made her way to the beds and, after carefully sliding my daughter to the side of her bed, put my son in with her. After all that had been done she looked up at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Do you want to be the one to test your theory…dad?"

I chuckled softly. "Sure." She moved to the side, and I took her place and reached down to ever-so-carefully slide the blanket down to free my boy's arms; he immediately started to wave his arms, still fussing. I then did the same with my daughter, and she started doing the same. I then watched to see what would happen.

The moment their tiny, tiny hands touched they immediately calmed, the noise stopping as though someone had flipped a switch. I was further surprised when they somehow linked their fingers as well.

"Isn't that something…?" Mom Furukawa breathed.

"I feel kinda stupid for not thinking of that," Kyou admitted in a low tone as we all watched the twins fall asleep again. "I mean, Ryou and I have always been calming presences for each other, so…"

A movement drew my attention, and I looked to see Ryou move to her sister's side and wrap an arm around her. "I love you, too, Kyou."

My old sparring partner flinched at her sister's touch, but it wasn't long before she returned the gesture and the 'Fujibayashi twins' held each other with blissful expressions. It was nice to see the familial connection, even after so many years and all the changes in relationships.

I smiled to myself as I looked from the older twins to my own, and I hoped that my children's connection would be just as strong,


"According to your charts here…" Shimizu-sensei said as he examined Mika's records, "…you are now the proud mother of fraternal twins." He looked up at me. "I'm going to assume that you are the proud father."

Mika and I exchanged smiles, grateful that our doctor had a better sense of humor than most. "I hope so," I quipped, "or I might have to look at some charts myself."

He chuckled as he hung the chart at the foot of Mika's bed again. "Well, you've been doing really well; I don't see any reason why we couldn't discharge you tomorrow."

We waved as he left the room, then I felt Mika squeeze my hand. "Why don't you go for a walk, Tomoya? I may be stuck to this bed, but you don't have to be stuck to your chair."

I chuckled softly before tenderly kissing the back of her hand. "You sure?"

She briefly glanced over at our sleeping twins. "I think I'll be fine. I'm pretty tired, so I'll try to sleep while they let me."

I sighed but relented. "All right. I'll be back in, what, twenty minutes? A half-hour?"

"A half-hour should be fine."

I gave her another kiss on the hand before releasing it to head out of the room, though I stopped at the door to look back on my lovely bride before stepping out into the hallway.

After having been in Mika's room for so long, the rest of the hospital seemed almost alien to me. It was a little disorienting, being out after having been in a confined space for what seemed like a long time.

"Hey."

I blinked in surprise at being addressed; I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts that the vocalization caught me off-guard. I recognized the voice, however. "Hey, Sakagami," I greeted as Japan's ambassador to America approached me with an expression that I could only describe as 'determined'. "Sorry I missed you earlier." I looked around to an otherwise empty lounge. "Looks like everyone else left."

"They said that they were going to a sitting area farther away," she explained. "Your wife's father didn't want to risk waking the…the babies with their noise."

"That sounds like Kappei," I chuckled as I thought of my boisterous father-in-law. "Well, what can I do for you?"

She gazed at me, and I caught myself remembering her rather…intimate request during our 'date' from quite a while back. "I…know that I haven't been in your life much," she said, her gaze darting to the floor between us, "but I'd like that to change. You're a good man, Okazaki, and so…"

I waited patiently for her to finish, though I couldn't help but wonder where she was going with her train of thought.

She finally raised her eyes to mine. "I'm asking you to talk to your wife about allowing me to be a godmother to your kids."

"I…don't see why not…" I said as the memory of an earlier conversation came to mind. "I think I said this the last time you brought this up, but I'm sure Mika would be fine with it but yeah, I'll want to talk to her about it later." I gave her a lopsided smile. "Maybe you could teach my son how to fight so he can protect his sister?"

She snorted but quickly covered her mouth. "That'd be cool." She then lowered her hand to look at me with a gentle smile. "Thanks, Okazaki; Mika's a lucky girl."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"Well, I'd better get back to the office," she continued. "Before I go; would it be okay to take a peek at your kids?"

I reflexively glanced back at the door to Mika's room. Normally, I'd want my family left alone, but since this was an old schoolmate who had a busy schedule… "Yeah, that should be fine. We'll need to be quiet, though."

"I'll behave," she promised with a raised hand and an impish grin, causing me to chuckle. She then followed me as we silently entered the darkened room where Mika and our newborns slept. She quietly made her way over to the baby bed and, after a glance at my sleeping wife, looked down at the twins. A few seconds later she looked over at me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her. "They are so cute!" she mouthed.

"Thank you," I mouthed back.

After she observed the twins a little longer, we carefully left the room. "As far as I know, the rest of your family is down there," she said while pointing down a nearby hallway. "I gotta get back to the office, but it was really good to see you again, Okazaki."

"Thanks, you too."

She smiled up at me, and something about the way she looked up at me – maybe it was something about her eyes? – caused me to remember all those years ago, when I was a third-year and she was a second-year at Hikarizaka. "Well, I'd better get going," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"See you later."

She turned to leave, but then paused. Before I could react, she turned back, stepped up to me, and I unconsciously tensed up as I felt a gentle pressure on my cheek at the same time that I saw her rise up onto the balls of her feet. Without another word, she quickly lowered her heels to the floor again and spun to hurry toward the main entrance.

As I watched her leave I lifted a hand to my face where she had kissed me, and I felt an odd sense of sadness for her.


It took a few minutes, but I found the hospital chapel where Jeff spent his workdays – when he wasn't giving his sermons at the church, of course. "Does that guy ever get a day off?" I murmured to myself as I took in the sight of the smallish room. It looked like the sanctuary at Glory to God, but it didn't have a lobby or kitchen that I could see. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a toned-down version of the church…which made sense, when I thought about it.

A quick check of my watch told me that I had about ten minutes before I had to head back to my wife, so I plopped down into one of the pews and looked to the front of the room; it had a cross but didn't have the figure of Jesus on it. "Hm," I noted. From what Jeff had told me, I knew that Christians didn't need any kind of icon to pray, but it was still interesting to see the differences.

"Okazaki-san?"

I looked over my shoulder and scrambled to my feet at the sight of a familiar figure in the doorway. "Hey, it's you!" I exclaimed as my mysterious friend entered the chapel. "It's been a long time!"

He smiled broadly as he bowed. "It's good to see you again as well! I understand congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, but first…" I hurried up to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. "Before I forget for the hundredth time: What is your name?"

He leaned back and laughed loudly, and something about the sound brought a warmth and a peace to my heart, though it somehow brought a sense of unease as well. "It's perfectly understandable that you'd forget: my kind tends to be forgotten easily, so don't worry about it."

His answer piqued my curiosity, but I didn't reply as I kept my gaze on him; I really, really wanted to stay on topic.

He placed his hands on my shoulders as well; to an outsider it might have appeared as though we were wrestling. "You can call me 'Fukushin'. And before you ask: No, I don't have an 'official' surname."

I blinked at him; while it wasn't unheard of for children to be given Japanese words for their names, I'd never heard of that particular one being used before. And no last name…? "Um…okay…Fukushin."

"That's right," he said, giving my shoulders a couple of claps before lowering his hands. "Well, Okazaki-san; twins, eh? I can't tell you how happy I am for you!"

"Thank you," I replied before catching myself and releasing his shoulders. "It was exhausting for poor Mika; she's sleeping right now."

"I'll bet," he said with a sympathetic smile, then gave me a wink. "As long as the kids let her, right?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at what was starting to become a mantra of sorts. "Yeah, as long as the kids let her."

His smile broadened before he took a seat in the nearest pew. "So, how have things been since we last spoke?"

My face heated up at the memories surrounding our last conversation. "…Yeah, better, thanks."

"The online trading stuff working out?"

"Actually, now that you mention it…" I smiled as I brought out my phone. I then told him about my transaction from earlier in the day and my plans for reinvesting the money in more trades as well as some purchases for Mika and our newborns that I was thinking of making. As with the other times, he was a very patient fellow, and I eventually realized that I had been talking quite a bit. "Sorry about that," I said as I pocketed my phone. "It's just that my dad and I lived in poverty for so long that to have so much money, so much…I dunno, potential…"

"I understand," he said, his smile a seemingly permanent fixture. "And while I'm happy for your financial success, may I make a suggestion?"

"Of course," I replied without missing a beat; my formerly-mysterious friend had always been helpful in the past, though I didn't think of him as just a source of information.

He leaned back in his seat and tugged on the bottom of his dark-brown suit jacket. "Be about others," he said. "You'll be tempted to keep as much as you can to protect yourself and your family, and given this fallen world that's perfectly understandable. Nevertheless, be prepared to give to others."

His words caused me to remember the dream I'd had, the most recent one where I was giving money and resources to others. Funny; I hadn't had 'The Dream' in a long time. "I'll…certainly keep that in mind," I said as I made a mental note. "Enough about me, though; what brings you here today?"

"The usual," he said offhandedly as he straightened again. "Comforting those who need it and advising those who need it."

"Does Jeff know that you're here?" I asked. "He's the chaplain here, after all."

He pondered my question for a moment. "He does not. I…try to not get in his way, though I think it's about time for me to introduce myself."

"Tomoya?" We looked to the source of the voice to see the man in question as he entered the chapel. "The rest of us have been wondering where you were."

"Sorry," I said as I got to my feet. "I needed to clear my head and thought that this would be the best place for that."

He sent me an understanding smile and a nod before shifting his gaze to my companion. "And is this a friend of yours?" He stopped a respectful distance way and bowed. "Ashton Jeff; hospital chaplain. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I am Fukushin, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well," my conversation partner said as he rose to his feet to bow as well. "Tomoya-san here has spoken very highly of you, Ashton-sensei." He then seemed to catch himself and extended his right hand. "Americans greet his way, correct?"

Jeff blinked in surprise before smiling and reaching out to take my friend's hand. "That we do, sir." As their hands made contact, something…changed…in Jeff's expression. "Forgive me for asking, but…something about you…tells me that you are a brother in Christ."

Fukushin glanced over at me with his smile still in place. "In a manner of speaking, I am."

Puzzlement tinged Jeff's smile. "In a manner of speaking, huh? Well, God be with you."

"Thank you, Ashton-sensei," Fukushin replied as they released hands. "And Jehovah-Nissi is with you."

I blinked in surprise as I remembered him saying something similar to me the last time we spoke. What name had he used…?

Any further musings were interrupted by a huge sigh from the pastor. "Thank you; I've been needing to hear that."

"You feel like you're fighting the battle by yourself?"

"Sometimes," Jeff replied with another sigh. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but it does sometimes feel like I'm alone in the battle. What with everything that's going on in my home country, and the challenges with the church I'm shepherding over here…?"

I watched as Fukushin laid a hand on my pastor friend's shoulder. "May our Lord strengthen you, Jeffrey Tiberius Ashton. May He strengthen your hands for the tasks before you, may He strengthen your legs for the journey, and may He strengthen your heart for the trials before you."

My jaw dropped, not just from hearing Jeff's middle name for the first time, but also at the sight of tears in his eyes. "Um…thank you…" he murmured, humbled by the…blessing, was it?

I watched, still stunned, as Fukushin made his way to the entrance to the chapel. "Jehovah-Rapha is with you both, gentlemen; have a pleasant day." With that, he headed beyond the doorway and out of sight. I hurried after him but – to no surprise – he was gone.

I felt Jeff come up behind me. "Tomoya, have you talked with him before?"

I nodded, my eyes still on the spot where I last saw him. "A few times, yeah. Why?"

"Something about him…" he murmured, then I felt him grip my shoulder. "I'm going out on a limb here, but something about him tells me that he's…he's…not one of us."

Something about the way he said it… I looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head with an incredulous expression. "I think he may have been one of Jesus' messengers…an angel."


"Tomoya, are you sure you're okay?" Mika asked as the twins slept yet again. "You've been out-of-it since you came back."

"I'm sorry," I said, rubbing my face vigorously; I was still in a bit of shock from Jeff's revelation and had been trying to reconcile his words with my conversations with Fukushin. "I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"I guess," she said with a tired smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

She giggled. "I'm fine. In fact, while you were gone the doctor dropped by and told me again that I should be good to go home tomorrow, though he did encourage me to stay for a few more days." She giggled again. "I guess youth is on my side this time."

"It can certainly have its advantages," I agreed with a chuckle of my own. "We'll see how you're feeling in the morning and go from there, okay?"

"Okay."


Unsurprisingly, Mika was ready to leave the next day…in more ways than one.

"I'm going stir-crazy!" she complained as we waited for the wheelchair that would be used to take her to the hospital's entrance; the twins had already been loaded into the stroller that her parents had given us as a gift. "I want to get home and start raising my family!"

I exchanged a smile with Kyou, who had offered to help us get home and set up. Ushio was already there, doing what she could, but more would need to be done to get the apartment ready for her new siblings.

The attendant with the wheelchair arrived, and Mika all but climbed in herself. "This is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here," she quipped to the smiling young man behind the wheelchair as he pushed her out of the room.

As we made our way down the hallway to the entrance, a trio of familiar faces appeared. "Okazaki-san?"

"Gentlemen!" I greeted as Dr. Fujibayashi, Dr. Mori, and Dr. Miyamoto stopped our procession. "It's good to see you again!"

"Good to see you as well, Okazaki-san!" Dr. Fujibayashi gushed as he and his colleagues smiled at our group. "And this must be your wife and newborns?"

"Yes, sir," I replied proudly.

He smiled down at my wife. "Good job, sweetheart; I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you," she replied meekly. "And thank you for your advice back then."

I blinked; what advice had he given her?

"Well, we shouldn't detain you any longer," he said with a clap to my formerly-damaged shoulder. "I see that your shoulder's holding up well, but we'll save that for your next check-up. Congratulations to the both of you."

"Thank you, doctor," Mika and I answered in unison, then smiled at each other.

"Well, then; take care." With that, the three smiling doctors headed past us, down the hallway toward the lab.

As we continued toward the entrance I leaned toward my wife. "What was the 'advice' that he was talking about?"

Her face nearly erupted into flames. "I'm sorry Tomoya, but I can't tell you."

"A girl's gotta have some secrets, you know?" Kyou chimed in from the other side of the wheelchair.

I glanced at the attendant but, of course, he couldn't help.

We passed through the doorway to the great outdoors, and the attendant wheeled Mika to one side so as to not block the doorway while Kyou helped her stand. We then made our way to the curb to wait for the taxi that I had called for earlier.

"Nice weather today," Kyou remarked as she looked up to the blue sky; May had been kind enough to give us a clear, sunny day for our trip home.

I simply grunted in response before leaning over to check on my babies; fortunately they had fallen asleep shortly before the attendant's arrival, so I figured we'd have enough time to get home before they'd wake up to order their next meal. I sighed with a smile at their sleeping faces; I could remember very little from Ushio's birth due to Nagisa's situation, so I was glad to be able to just enjoy my newborns.

"E-Excuse me?"

I looked over to see a youngish-looking man in a rumpled brown business suit; his expression was clearly one of distress. "Yes, hi." I greeted while putting myself between him and my wife and children. "Is there something I can do for you?"

He bowed before speaking again. "I'm very sorry to ask, but I was hoping that you could spare some money; my wife is here in the hospital to give birth but I cannot afford all of the costs."

"So you can afford some of it?" I asked. "You just don't have enough?"

He bowed again, and when he spoke again his voice was trembling. "I am ashamed, but I lost my job recently; it was completely unexpected."

"Tomoya?" Kyou called, momentarily distracting me. "The taxi's here."

"Excuse me a moment," I told the man. I moved to Kyou and spoke in a low tone. "Could you help get Mika and the kids in the taxi? I'll try to take care of this quickly."

She glanced over at the man before looking back to me with an understanding smile. "Okay."

Knowing that my family was in good hands I returned to the man, who had straightened from his bow. "So let me get this straight; your wife is in the hospital right now, waiting to give birth, and you're out here panhandling because you lost your job?"

"I'm very sorry!" he cried with another bow. "I should be asking someone else!"

"What company did you work for?" The name of the company he gave was one I recognized as a 'black' company; he probably couldn't keep up with their unreasonable demands. "I don't know," I said while scratching the back of my head. "I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but I'm going home with twins myself, and I'm going to need all the money I can to-"

"You'll be tempted to keep as much as you can to protect yourself and your family… Nevertheless, be prepared to give to others."

I froze as my friend's words returned, unbidden, and I remembered the dreams, specifically the part where I was giving money and other things to people. "Uh…how much would you need?" The number he gave me was doable, but I had a greater concern. "What about after this? What are you going to do about employment?"

His face reddened, and he bowed again. "I will have to find part-time jobs, even if I have to work at night; I must provide for my family!"

I admired his tenacity, even though my heart broke for him at the thought of him not being able to spend much time with his baby. A stray thought crossed my mind, prompting me to ask: "What did you do at your old job?"

He straightened again. "I was in their Accounting department, sir."

'Sir'? "They must have really wrung you dry," I noted. "Most companies can't afford to lose financial…managers…" I trailed off as an idea came to mind…