A/N: Alright, sorry for the long delay, but I'm FINALLY back to posting regularly in the Gaidenverse! This oneshot takes place at least a year after Kyoko's Home Birth, so Kiki is about 10, Mokubo is 3, and Koto & Kiri are about a year to 18 months old.

As a warning, I do want to disclose that autism spectrum disorder is a major theme in this oneshot. I am on the spectrum myself, though I do not claim to be an expert, so I have consulted with my mother who is a speech-language pathologist and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject, in order to ensure that the depiction of autism in this oneshot is reasonably accurate within the boundaries of a work of fiction.

I hope you enjoy this oneshot, please read and review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Mokubo's Diagnosis!

"Mom!" An annoyed Kiki exclaimed as she walked into the living room, slowed by her little brother Mokubo who clung happily to her leg.

"Hm? What is it, sweetie?" Kyoko asked, concerned with Kiki's sour mood as she fed her infant son Koto while Makoto fed his infant daughter Kiri.

"It's Mokubo! He won't let go of my leg!"

"Nee-nee!" Mokubo uttered in response.

"And that's all he says! He won't say anything else. He only lets go of my leg when Hogo's around!"

"Hogo!"

Makoto and Kyoko shared a look of concern; normally they would just pass off his behavior as merely being attached to his big sister and their puppy. But Makoto and Kyoko couldn't shake the feeling that this was different.

"Now that you mention it…" Makoto remembered "He hasn't been talking much lately. I've only heard him say single words at a time."

Kyoko nodded and agreed "As a three-year-old, he should be talking in simple sentences by now, but I haven't heard him put two words together at all." Kyoko kneeled in front of them and smiled warmly as she asked "Mokubo, why don't you let go of your sister and come to Mama, alright?"

To her disappointment, Mokubo merely cocked his head in confusion and silence.

My…my own son won't even come to me…?

Anxiety started to flood Kyoko as her husband frowned in concern. He decided to try his hand at the problem and kneeled beside his wife before he beckoned with his smile.

"Moku? You wanna come to Daddy? Nee-nee needs her space, Moku. Why not play with Daddy for a while."

"Dada…" Mokubo uttered and crawled over to his father who wrapped one arm around his son as he awkwardly shifted his daughter in his other arm.

Makoto frowned as he pondered "Okay, so he's extremely attached to Kiki and Hogo, he's somewhat attached to me, but he won't come to Kyoko at all."

"Makoto…" Kyoko sniffled, insecure tears streaming down her cheeks as she wondered "…Why won't my son come to me? Have I…Have I been a bad mother?"

"No Mom, don't be ridiculous!" Kiki beat her father to the punch as she assured her mother "You've been the best mom ever! To me, Koto, Kiri, and Moku too, even if he can't say it right now!"

"Kiki…" Kyoko uttered as she felt her eldest daughter embrace her in a reassuring hug.

Makoto smiled approvingly as he agreed "Kiki's right, honey. I don't know why Mokubo doesn't seem attached to you, but you're a really great mom! We all know so, and I know my mom would agree if she were present right now!"

"Ma…Makoto…" Kyoko smiled and wiped her tears before she assured her husband and daughter "I'm okay you two."

Kiki frowned as she let go of her mother before she pondered "But still…why is Moku acting like this?"

Makoto bit his lip and admitted "I don't know, Kiki." He turned to his wife and suggested "Perhaps we should call in Hajime and have him examine Mokubo."

"You…think this could be something medical?" Kyoko asked, a hint of fear bleeding into her voice.

"We won't know for sure unless we have him check. It can't hurt, right?"

Kyoko nodded hesitantly and agreed "…Yes, I suppose it can't."

"Ano…is Moku gonna be okay?" Kiki asked hesitantly, concerned for her little brother.

Makoto smiled reassuringly as he dug out his phone before he assured his daughter "Don't worry, Mokubo's gonna be fine. We're just gonna call a friend to help us brainstorm to see why your brother's acting unusually."

"…Okay Dad…" Kiki accepted as Makoto scrolled through his contacts and tapped on one of them before he held the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Hajime? It's Makoto. Listen, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind making a house call. It's nothing serious, but we could really use your help."

XXX

Makoto opened the door and smiled at his guest as he greeted "Hajime, thanks for coming."

Hajime smiled and nodded before he replied "It's good to see you, Makoto. So, shall we begin Mokubo's appointment?"

Makoto nodded and opened the door for him and offered "Right this way."

Hajime nodded and walked inside, Makoto following close behind him after he closed the door. A comfortable silence passed between the two survivors as they made their way to the living room where Kyoko waited with her children and Komaru.

"Kyoko." Hajime smiled and greeted "It's good to see you too."

"Likewise, Hajime." Kyoko replied with a small smile.

"And Komaru, right?" As Komaru nodded, Hajime commented "I don't think I've seen you since that whole fiasco at Kiki's fifth birthday party. Speakign of which…" He turned to face the now nine-year-old girl as she stood next to her brother before he greeted "It's good to see you."

Kiki nodded politely and greeted "Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu, Hinata-san."

Hajime chuckled and told Makoto "You've raised a polite young girl, Makoto."

Makoto chuckled and scratched his cheek before he replied "Th…thanks…but unfortunately this appointment isn't for Kiki."

"Right, her eldest brother." He turned to Kyoko and told her "Congratulations on being blessed with twins by the way."

Kyoko smiled as she held her youngest son in her arms and replied "Thank you. This here is Koto." She glanced towards Komaru and introduced "And the little girl in Komaru's arms is my daughter Kiri." Hogo barked next to Kiki, forcing Kyoko to introduce in amusement "And this is our puppy Hogo."

"It's a pleasure to meet them. Is everyone here going to participate in the house call?"

Makoto nodded and explained "Yeah. Mokubo's really attached to Kiki, so having here here is kind of necessary. We needed Komaru here to help take care of the twins while we're busy with the appointment, plus she likes to be here for all of the kids' important occasions."

"I see…that's very kind of you." Hajime complimented, which caused Komaru to grin with pride.

Makoto smiled as he glanced at the family dog and explained "And Hogo…well, it was easier to just have everyone in one room than to keep him locked in Kiki's room."

Hajime nodded in understanding before he asked "Alright, you want to run through your concerns with me one last time before we begin?"

Makoto nodded and explained "Lately, Mokubo's been extremely attached to his sister, to the point where he latches onto her leg and refuses to let go. He barely even register's Kyoko's existence, though he'll pay attention to me and Hogo."

"I see…" Hajime pondered over this information before he decided "I have a hunch, but I don't want to bank everything on my Ultimate Analyst talent. I'd like to observe him playing with some toys if that's okay."

Makoto nodded and agreed "Sure, I'll go get some of his toys from his room. I'll be right back."

As Makoto ran off, Kyoko looked towards Hajime and asked "So, what's your hunch?"

Hajime bit his lip before he shook his head and explained "I don't want to give a premature conclusion in case it turns out to be nothing. I'm going to reserve my final diagnosis until we finish the appointment."

"…Of course…" Kyoko sighed with disappointment as she glanced towards her eldest son who still clung to his sister's leg.

XXX

"Alright, we're back." Makoto announced as he entered with a box of Mokubo's toys. Hajime sat next to Kyoko as he watched kneel next to his eldest children and coo "Hey, buddy. You wanna play with some of your kana blocks?"

Mokubo tried to grab at the box before his father dumped the blocks onto the floor in front of him. As Mokubo crawled on the floor, he reached for the blocks and started to meticulously move them into rows. They all leaned forward with interest as they watched the three-year-old play with the blocks.

"Hey look, they look just like how they do in my kana book!" Kiki exclaimed as she saw how her brother arranged the blocks.

Kyoko nodded and commented "Indeed, and they're not a hair out of place." She turned to Hajime and asked "Is this indicative of anything, Hajime?"

"Well…" Hajime pondered "It's gives me more of an idea, but I can't conclude anything yet."

Makoto nodded before he turned back to his son and asked "So what do you wanna do next, Moku? You wanna play with the cars next?"

Mokubo glanced at his father as he carefully lined up the rows of blocks until they formed a perfect grid.

"Thanks, son." Makoto smiled as he pulled out the cars and put them on the floor for his son to play with.

They all watched as Mokubo started to interact with the toy cars. The boy bit his lip in concentration as he lined them up in a straight row. By the time he was done, they were organized into two categories. Primarily, they were arranged from shortest length to longest, and from there they were further organized by color, from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple.

"I see…" Hajime spoke hesitantly "I think I'm getting a clearer picture, but I want to test something just to make sure." He turned to Mokubo and asked as he pointed to one of the red cars "Mokubo, can you tell me what color that car over there is?"

Makobo looked around, a confused expression on his face as he looked anywhere except where Hajime was pointing to. Instead he kept analyzing the row of cars, moving each of them by miniscule amounts until they were perfectly aligned.

"Moku?" Kiki asked, which cause dher brother to stop what he was doing and look at her before she asked "What color is the car?"

"I don't think he's going to answer you, Kiki." Hajime explained "I think I have enough evidence to make a conclusion."

XXX

"Autism Spectrum Disorder?" Makoto and Kyoko exclaimed simultaneously as Hajime nodded.

"Ano…what's that?" Kiki asked as she frowned in concern.

Hajime bit his lip as he contemplated the best way to explain the situation to a child.

At last he sighed and explained "It's really complicated, but basically it means that Mokubo's brain is developing a little differently than ours."

"Differently how?" Kiki insisted.

"Well, it's a little too early to tell definitively. Autism manifests differently in different people. Some people can't function at all without someone to help them, other people can function perfectly normally with some help."

Kyoko bit her lip as she asked "And…where does Mokubo fit on the spectrum?"

Hajime nodded and explained "Well, like I said, it's too early to tell definitively, but I'd say that it mainly impacts his speech capabilities. He can't access all of his vocabulary yet, so he can't say the colors even if he understands them.

"You mean like with the cars earlier?" Kiki asked.

Hajime nodded and confirmed "That's right. It may also be the main cause of why he's so attached to you. Sometimes people with autism are very attached to one specific thing, almost to the point of obsession, and they won't easily interact with other people."

"So…is that why he won't smile when I try to interact with him, but he'll interact with Makoto and Kiki?"

"It…very well could be a contributing factor." Hajime conceded.

As Kyoko took all this in, Makoto asked "…Are there any…upsides to his condition?"

"Well…" Hajime began "Remember when he was playing with the blocks and cars, and he organized them very meticulously?" As the others nodded, Hajime explained "It shows that he has a very analytical mind and a fine attention to detail, probably above his peers. He's very intelligent for a three-year-old, but because of his speech difficulties and social difficulties, he can't express it."

"So…what do we do, Hajime?" Kyoko asked. "I don't want his life to be harder than it needs to be."

Hajime sighed and explained "I'm afraid that life will be challenging for him, Kyoko. He will have his own unique set of hurdles to overcome. But from what I can tell, they're not challenges that can't be overcome with proper support. With the proper amount of regular therapy, he can learn to overcome his speech delays and he can learn to interact normally with other kids. It's just going to be harder for him than it was for Kiki, that's all."

"I…I see…" Kyoko uttered as she looked down at her feet with a forlorn expression.

"Kyoko, it's not your fault." Kyoko looked up at Hajime in surprise, who smiled and tapped his forehead as he reminded her "Ultimate Analyst talent, remember?"

Right… Kyoko thought as she nodded, Junko's unofficial title a sore subject for her and her family.

"Even if I wasn't, I could tell just from looking at you. You're afraid that Mokubo's autism is your fault somehow. Kyoko, lots of parents blame themselves if their child receives an autism diagnosis, but it's not their fault. Experts don't even understand fully how autism happens, so how could you hope to prevent it?"

"…Okay…" Kyoko sighed, not completely convinced by Hajime's argument, but not pushing it further.

Makoto pushed his concern for his wife aside as he turned to Hajime and asked "So, what do you recommend for support, Hajime?"

"…Well, it would be easiest to provide him with speech and behavioral therapy in the home so that he can at least be in a comfortable environment. If you consent to it, I'm willing to spend your work hours here at the manor and give him therapy while you're busy at Hope's Peak Academy."

Makoto nodded and commented "I'm not opposed to it, but what if you need help to manage him while we're away? We should at least have someone with you to help out…"

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to Komaru, whose eyes blazed in determination.

"Komaru…" Makoto coughed into his fist as he pointed out "We appreciate your willingness to help very much, but…what about your classes with Toko? Doesn't she need you to help teach literature?"

"See…about that…" Komaru sighed and admitted "Toko's…been handling her lessons mostly by herself now. She's gotten much better at interacting with the other students, and she said that …that teaching the students has to be her primary responsibility as a teacher."

"Komaru…" Makoto uttered, shocked that Toko had almost completely taken the reins without his knowledge.

"Toko's really grown stronger, and I'm becoming less and less useful. So, if there's a way I can help my nephew overcome his hurdles…then I want to be useful. I want to be able to help, and to be a good Aunt to him, Makoto!"

"Komaru…" Tears trickled down his cheeks as he beamed proudly at his sister before he consented "If that's what you want, I have no objections. Kyoko, what do you think?"

Kyoko sighed and agreed "…If you think it's what's best for Mokubo, then…I'll agree."

Makoto kissed his wife on the cheek in gratitude before he turned to face Hajime and asked "Well Hajime? Do you have any objections to letting Komaru help you with Mokubo?"

Hajime shook his head and assured him "I have no objections at all." He then turned to Komaru and told her "I look forward to working with you, Komaru."

"Likewise." Komaru told him with a smile as she shook his hand.

"Alright, then…" Makoto told them "Komaru, I'll update your records as having resigned from your post as teacher's assistant. I'll pay you both a fair hourly wage out of pocket for private therapy."

Hajime nodded and replied "I appreciate that. I'll start a spreadsheet of our hours and e-mail it to you once a week."

Makoto nodded in acceptance before Hajime announced "Well, I'll be on my way, then. I'll start his therapy at the beginning of the month. I'll see you later Makoto, Kyoko, Kiki. Komaru, I look forward to working with you."

"Me too."

"Alright, Hajime, I'll see you at the start of February!" Makoto told him as he shook his hand.

Hajime smiled before he let go and bowed respectfully to the Naegi family. He then turned around and left the Naegi family alone with the news about Mokubo's diagnosis.

XXX

"Kyoko…" Makoto uttered as he held the sleeping Mokubo in his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked as he froned at his wife who laid next to him on their bed.

"…I failed, Makoto." Kyoko sniffled as she turned to look at her son.

"Hey, don't be like that." Makoto tried to assure her. "You heard what Hajime said, you couldn't have caused this…"

"I made a promise, Makoto!" Her husband trailed off and remained quiet as she explained "When all of my children were born, I made a promise to myself as their mother. I promised that I'd do everything I could to give them a happy and easy life. But now…even if Hajime's right and I'm not technically responsible, it still feels like I failed. Moku won't be able to communicate without therapy, he'll have a hard time making friends, and he'll be a ripe target for bullies once he goes to school. Kiki never had to deal with any of that, and it hurts that I can't give him the same quality of life she has."

"Hey, don't think like that, Kyoko." Makoto wrapped an arm around his wife whle their son lay snoozing between them as he argued "Sure, he'll need therapy, but you heard Hajime; Moku's a smart cookie, just like his Mama. And sure, he might have a hard time making friends at first, but so did I, but in time I was able to get better."

I…I guess that's right… Kyoko admitted to herself as she compared Makoto's stories of his social inaptitude as a kid to his complete proficiency at friendship when they met at Hope's Peak Academy.

"Furthermore…" Makoto told her "I can tell you from experience that bullies will find any reason to torment someone. Even if Moku wasn't on the spectrum, he'd probably get picked on for something totally unrelated. Kyoko, no parent wants to think of their child getting bullied, but the sad reality is that it does happen. We as parents just have to be there for them when they need our support. And that's all that Mokubo needs to make his way in the world; our support."

"…You realy think…things are going to be okay…?" Kyoko asked hopefully.

Makoto smiled lovingly at her as he promised "I know so. Besides, with Hajime and Komaru in his corner, he'll be just fine."

"…Okay…I'll try not to worry too much." Kyoko promised as she wrapped her arms around her son.

Makoto kissed the tip of her nose as he tightened his grip around the two of them. Koto and Kiri's infantile snores from their cribs made their eyes droop as they were lulled further into slumber.

Makoto yawned and told her "Good night, Kyoko…I love you."

"Good…night, Makoto. Good night, Moku. I love you both…" Kyoko yawned as she finally fell to sleep in the reassuring warmth of her husband.

She was so deep into dreamland that she didn't feel her son grasp her nightgown in his tiny hands and yawn against her.

"…Mama…"