The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Kyoko's Maternal Insecurities

Chapter Three: Surprise!

After a lengthy conversation in which Hana gleefully gave Kyoko advice on everything from diaper changing to breastfeeding to what bedtime stories to read, Makoto and Shingi returned through the door, finished with their outing. Smiling, Makoto walked up to the couch where the two women were sitting and leaned down to kiss his wife.

"Hey, honey! Are you ready to go home and have lunch?"

Hearing her stomach growl in response, Kyoko smiled and held out her hands, replying as her husband helped her up "Lunch sounds great!"

Smiling at her answer, Makoto turned to his parents and offered "Mom, Dad, why don't you two join us?"

"That sounds great, son" Shingi agreed before kneeling nest to his wife and whispering into her ear.

Hana smiled and stood up, dusting off her jeans as she accepted "We'd love to, Makoto. Shall we go?"

A confused Kyoko found herself ushered out the door and towards the car, being buckled in by her husband as their parents climbed into the back seats. Makoto soon climbed into the driver's seat, smiling at Kyoko as he turned the key in the ignition and slowly backed out of the driveway.

XXX

Kyoko stepped out of the car, supported by her mother-in-law as Makoto and Shingi led their party back to the apartment, slowly walking up the stairs until they reached the door to their apartment. Opening the door, Makoto gestured to let his wife enter first. Smiling at him, Kyoko entered with Hana's support before her eyes widened at hearing a familiar feminine yell.

"SURPRISE!"

Hina?!

Kyoko looked to her husband and father-in-law, who walked in with grins on their faces, feeling completely caught off guard. She then turned to see Hina and Komaru with grins on their faces. Standing around them were Byakuya, Hiro, and Toko.

Her jaw gaping open, Kyoko stammered "What…what's the occasion?"

It was then that Makoto pointed up at the ceiling; adjusting her gaze, Kyoko spotted a blue and pink banner banner hanging from their large TV with the words printed in big, lavender and green font "Congratulations! Welcome, Baby Naegi!"

Looking to her husband, Kyoko asked "Makoto…is this what you were working on while Mom and I were alone?"

Grinning sheepishly, Makoto teased "Hey, come on, Kyoko! What's a pregnancy without a baby shower?"

…Shouldn't that be the mother's prerogative? Kyoko deadpanned.

Hina then exclaimed, practically hopping up and down in excitement "We used the pink and blue decorations because you guys still haven't told us whether it's a boy or a girl. So, which is it? Come on, don't keep me, er, us in suspense!"

Smiling at Hina's antics, Kyoko informed her "WE don't even know what the baby's gonna be. We agreed that we wanted the birth to be a surprise."

Pouting, Hina groaned "Noo faiiirrrrr!"

It was then that Komaru stepped up and shrugged "Ah, forget about that! Come on; I bet you and my niece or nephew are hungry. And we still have to open presents!"

Shifting her gaze to the corner of the room, Kyoko indeed saw a small stack of similarly colored gift boxes. She suddenly felt herself overcome with gratitude, barely able to hold back her tears of joy as she closed her eyes, a soft smile appearing on her face.

Resting her palms over her belly, she mused "Our baby and I are truly blessed, to have such thoughtful friends and family."

Hiro then piped up "Well, all of us except for Byakuya here helped to decorate and cook. He claimed that such menial labor was beneath him, so we stuck him with paying for everything."

Byakuya scoffed, turning up his nose and protesting "A Togami doesn't sully their hands with such menial labor. Besides, if it wasn't for me, you'd have no way of paying for this party."

Hina simply gave him a cheeky smirk and replied "Whatever you say, Byakuya."

Whatever conversation was going to continue was interrupted by the growl of Kyoko's stomach. Smiling sheepishly, Kyoko moved to sit down on the sofa, an assortment of dishes on display on their coffee table next to a stack of plates and bundles of silverware. Everyone soon followed suit, plopping down on the various sofas and chairs as they all grabbed their lunches.

"Itadakimasu!"

XXX

"Bye, Kyoko!" Komaru called out as she closed the door behind her, the last of their guests to exit.

Exhaling in a sigh of exhausted relief, Kyoko walked over to the now opened pile of presents her friends and family had gotten for her. Hana and Shingi, of course, had gotten her a good supply of diapers, baby wipes, various baby toys, and baby bottles to get her started. Byakuya had gotten some custom-made hoodie-footie pajamas that were as soft as silk. Komaru had gotten her a wooden crib, which her husband was now assembling in their bedroom, the gentle whacks of a hammer occasionally making their way to her ears. Toko had decided to handwrite several baby stories for her, surprisingly deviating from her previous romantic and dark styles in favor of one that was cuter and more family-friendly.

"They're…they're too young for lo…love! And I don't wanna sca…scare them! So even though this cuu…cutesy style disgusts me…I'm making an excep…exception thisss once!"

As Kyoko shook the memory from her thoughts, her gaze wandered to Hina's present; a small, soft blanket that read in bright, red text "Auntie/Godmother Hina is my favorite!"

Kyoko looked up at the sheepishly smiling former Ultimate Swimming Pro before deadpanning "But we're not Christian."

Looking at her with pleading eyes, Hina begged "But it's the thought that counts! Besides, nobody ELSE has offered, so pleeeeassseee?!"

Kyoko sighed in surrender, giving a small smile and acquiescing "I suppose if that's what you want the baby to call you, I won't object to it."

Pumping her fist in the air, Hina cheered "I'll take it!"

Shaking her head in amusement, Kyoko stared appreciatively at the pile of gifts, feeling grateful for having such thoughtful friends and family. The only gift she and Makoto had outright rejected was Hiro's, who gave them a coupon for one absolutely free fortune with no strings attached.

"No."

"Wh…Whaat?! But come on, guys! This is the deal of a lifetime! I never give out free fortunes, you know that!"

"Which is why I'm worried. You might decide to "collect" the instant you go into debt again. Our baby will do just fine without your fortunes."

"Hey, don't be mean!"

Shaking her head again, Kyoko's gaze wandered until she saw resting on top of the pile a simple lavender book with a plain brown bookmark sticking out from the middle.

I don't remember opening this during the shower…

Her curiosity piqued, she took the book to the couth, plopping down and taking a moment to rub her belly before opening it at the bookmarked page and beginning to read.

"September 1st, 1997

I just came back from my doctor's appointment today. We found out that we're expecting a baby girl. The news made me feel slightly calmer; at least being a woman myself, I have some idea of what experiences a girl needs to navigate.

Be that as it may, I still find myself growing more and more nervous and scared with each passing day my daughter grows in my womb. My husband and I are both only children; we have no siblings we can call upon for guidance. My parents immigrated to America and left no indication of where they live now, so I can't ask them. I've considered seeking out my father-in-law for help, but Jin-kun is still on bad terms with his father. He swears that Fuhito will look upon his granddaughter and only see an heir, a continuation to his Detective legacy, not a granddaughter to love and hold and snuggle. He genuinely fears for our baby's happiness should Fuhito learn of her existence. So for now at least, we can't depend on my father-in-law for guidance.

I feel so lost and helpless; I have nobody to guide me in my new role as a mother to this girl. My only saving grace has been Jin-kun, who has assured me that he would never abandon me or his daughter. Only his assurances that we would be in this together, every step of the way, have kept me from losing my mind. I'll trust in his love for us, and hope that we'll end up a happy, loving family in the end.

We started discussing names and settled on one we like; Kyoko. The sound of a child…I hope our darling Kyoko will only make happy sounds. Kyoko, if you're reading this one day, maybe if you're about to have children of your own, I hope that you'll take comfort in the fact that your mother was scared too. Just trust in your husband to be there for you, as I will trust in Jin-kun to be there for me.

I'm going to stop this entry here and go to bed early. I hope that my dreams will be filled with premonitions of a wonderful motherhood.

-Hibiki Kirigiri"

Kyoko's eyes started to water as she closed her mother's diary, placing it on the coffee table. Although hearing the story of Makoto's pregnancy and getting maternal advice from Hana had eased her worries quite a bit, knowing that her mother had been just as nervous and scared while carrying her. It was then that Kyoko felt a warm, comforting presence embrace her around her belly, though as far as she could tell, she was alone. It was then that she heard a feminine, nostalgic voice whisper in her ear before the embrace disappeared.

Don't worry, Kyoko. You'll be a great Mom.

"Mom…Mommy…"

Kyoko smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes just before her husband came back into the living room, plopping down next to her on the sofa.

"Okay; the crib's all set up in our room for the baby."

"Thank you, Makoto."

Kyoko smiled at her husband before shuffling and swinging her body to lay on the couch and on his lap. Smiling at his wife's change in position, Makoto curled her shirt up again so that he could rub her bare belly.

"I take it you had a good day today?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and hummed in agreement before replying "Yes, today was wonderful." Opening her eyes again, she looked up into her husband's emerald eyes as she continued "Thank you for everything Makoto. Holding me, soothing me, having me talk to your mother about my anxieties, and even this baby shower! I couldn't have asked for a better husband, or a better father."

Makoto smiled, his pointer finger tracing soothing circles around the rim of her belly button as he assured her "Hey, you don't need to thank me. I promised that I would do everything I could to make this pregnancy comfortable for you, and I wasn't going to break me word for anything."

If Kyoko had anything else to say, it was interrupted by their baby's flutters in her belly, making the expectant mother giggle at the ticklish sensations.

Once they had subsided, Kyoko looked up at her husband who had taken to rubbing her swelled sides with his palms as she cooed "Makoto, I'm so excited for this baby! I'll do my best to be a good mother to them, and I'll always be there for them. I won't make my father's mistakes, and I won't let my dream come true."

His eyes sparkling at seeing his wife's fiery determination burn in her eyes again, he gently took her right hand in his own and placed a gentle kiss on her palm, his left hand still rubbing soothing spirals on the top of her baby bump.

"I'm glad to see your confidence is back, honey. And I promise I'll be there to help you every step of the way."

Intertwining her fingers with his, she replied "I know you will, Makoto. You'll be an excellent father, and I love you so much, Makoto Naegi."

"You'll be an excellent mother, and I love you too, Kyoko Naegi."