Recap

"It's good to be back home."
-Amu

"Rima. Will you hide these(necklaces) for me? Nami may want them back. It could be a clue to this whole mystery."
-Rei

She(Rei) hugged everyone goodbye and then got in the back of her parent's car. They drove off.
-Rima POV

I can't let that evil man get into my head. For all I know, he could have made it up to create a wedge in my family.
-Mrs. Fujisaki's POV

"She's(Mrs. Fujisaki) hiding something,"
-Hikari

"My top scientist says that the machine is overheated so we're going to take a break from the ? eggs. Think of it as a little vacation,"
-Mr. Valentine

"Nade is my best friend. Who cares what Mr. Valentine said. We're taking a break anyway. I can do whatever I want."
-Lulu

Rima: It's weird to have my own room again

Nagi: It's weird that I can walk normally again

Hikari: It's weird that Mrs. Fujisaki is suspicious

Kusukusu: It's weird that Rima will be a big sister soon

Rhythm: You guys are weird

Chapter 32 Welcome Yukiko Mashiro

*Nagi's POV*

"Nade it's time to go," I said as I knocked on her door. A few seconds later she came out looking perfect.

"I'm ready," she said. We put our shoes on.

"Bye mother. Bye Auntie," I said.

"Goodbye children. Have a good day at school," mother said. Everything seemed normal, not with my mom but with everything else. Mother seemed a little suspicious but overall she acted normal. My leg is fine. The hot and cold thing hasn't come back. We haven't seen a ? egg since we've been in America. We haven't seen or heard from Nami. School is going well. It's a bit odd not having Rei here though. School has been difficult for Rima. She misses Rei and she's worried about her big sister responsability. Besides that, it's been a great break from drama the last two months. I tried out for the basketball team and made it. I still listened to the doctor and compressed it every practice. We haven't had a game yet but the first one is today.

Nade knocked on the Mashiro's door. Mrs. Mashiro greeted us. Her stomach was a lot bigger than when we first got home. She was due to go into labor in about two weeks.

"Nadeshiko, Nagihiko come in. Rima is finishing her breakfast." She let us in.

"I'm done. We can go now," Rima said as she grabbed her bag and put her shoes on.

"Have a fun day," Mrs. Mashiro said as we walked out the door.

"Your mother looks well for being about nine months pregnant," Nade said.

"We're really excited for Yukiko's birth," Rima said with a smile. I held her hand and intertwined our fingers.

"She's going to love her big sister," I said.

"I hope so."

"Are you coming to Nagi's game today?" Nade asked.

"Of course. It's his first game," Rima said.

"It's been too long since he played basketball," Rhythm said.

"You guys better hurry to class," Temari warned.

"It will be fine if they're a little late Temari," Hikari said.

"I can't tell if you're laid back or strict. You keep changing," Nade sweatdropped.

"I'm your chara," Hikari pointed out.

"She's what you want to be," Kusukusu pointed out.

"I know but I am having a little hard time figuring her out," Nade said.

"Don't try so hard. Relax a little. Just chill," Hikari said.

"She's a mixture of Temari and Rhythm," Rima said.

"She's in Rhythm mode right now," Kusukusu said and then laughed.

"I had a hard time getting used to Rhythm. He would character change every time someone said play boy but Rima was the only one that called me that. After we started dating she stopped that," I said.

"He would character change all the time after he was born too," Temari said.

"That explains why you guys ran off without me that one time," Nade said.

"Yeah. I only use that for emerganices now or when I'm really tired," Rima said.

"Thanks Rima," I sweatdropped.

"Let's head to class," Temari said.

*Time Skip*

"This is our first game. Let's show that other school what we're made of!" the coach pep talked us. We out our hands in the middle and yelled "Go team!"

"Let's get out there. You know your positions." We headed out of the locker room to the basketball court. Coach didn't have me start. He was still cautious of my previous injury. I spotted my friends in the crowd. They were right in front so they didn't miss any of the action. My mother and Baya were there too. They were a row behind all my friends. What surprised me was the Mr. Mashiro was here as well. I didn't expect him to show up at all. I assumed he was occupied with work or his very pregnant wife who must be at home. I looked away from him and right at Rima. She noticed and smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I gave her one back.

"Begin!" the referee yelled as he threw the ball in the air. The opposite team got the ball. I watched as the teams went back and forth across the court. No one scored any points.

"Alright Fujisaki you're in. Prove to me that you're completely healed," coach said.

"Will do." I took my spot. My friends and family cheered when they saw that I was playing now.

"Go Nagi!" Yaya cheered the loudest. Our team got the ball. It was passed. I ran toward the basket. An opponent on my heals. I stopped and spun around to lose him. It was an advantage from years of dancing. I was a a lot more graceful.

"Fujisaki!" The ball was passed to me. I dribbled and dodged an opponent. A tall blonde stood in my way. I looked to my teammates but no one was open. I had to pass or shoot. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one of my teammates was running behind me. I pretended I was going to shoot but at the last minute I knocked the ball behind me and my teammate dribbled it closer to the basket. I moved away from the tall blonde kid. I was pretty tall but this guy would make playing difficult. The ball was passed around the court as we went back and forth. At half time it was tied with the score being zero.

"Way to stay in there," Kukai said as all my friends came up to me.

"We haven't made a basket at all," I said.

"But you kept them from making one," Nade said.

"True," I said. Rima handed me a waterbottle.

"Thanks." I drank half of it down in a few seconds. I was exhausted. This game was tough.

"You got this man," Kukai said as he lightly hit me on the back.

"Thanks." Rima came up to me and kiss my cheek.

"Good luck."

"Fujisaki! Get over here!" coach called for me. I waved to my friends and joined my team.

"Alright boys we can do this. Watch the big kid. Get out there and win!" coach said. I took my spot. Luckily the person blocking me was a smaller guy. The ball was passed around.

"Fujisaki!" The ball was passed to me. I gracefully dodged the guy blocking me. I took a second to line up my aim and I threw the ball. It hit the rim and then fell in. The crowd cheered.

"Nice one Fujisaki!" I heard my coach yell. I looked over at my friends to see Mr. Mashiro standing and looking worried. My mother is calming him down. Rima grabs her dad's hand. He says something to her. Then he starts to leave with Rima.

"Fujisaki wake up!" I snapped out of it and looked to see the game still going. I need to focus. I ran blocked my target but out of the corner of my eye I saw Mr. Mashiro leave with Rima. They both seem in a hurry. Where are they going? Is something wrong?

"Time out!" I hustled to my coach.

"Fujisaki what's wrong with you. You just made a basket but you seem somewhere else," coach said.

"I'm sorry coach."

"Why don't you sit out for a little bit? I don't want you pushing your leg too much anyway."

"Alright." I saw on the bench. My focus wasn't on the game though.

"Nagi!" Rhythm yelled. I didn't say anything since I had people near me but I looked at him.

"Rima's mom is in labor! They went to go pick her up and take her to the hospital!"

*Rima's POV*

"Ahh" mama let out a small whine.

"Mama are you ok?" I asked.

"I'm alright Rima. Childbirth is painful but it's worth it in the end. Also the doctors will give me medicine so it won't hurt as bad. Your sister is being stubborn and decided to be born a little early," she said. She started to take short breaths to calm herself down a little. I didn't realize that she was in a lot of pain. I knew her back hurt since her stomach was huge but I didn't know labor was painful.

"It won't be as bad. Doctors say that the second child takes less time in labor. I'm ok Rima."

"What if the baby is born in the car?"

"It takes a long time for a baby to be born. You took about seven hours. We have plenty of time to get to the hospital," papa answered since mama had another contraction, at least that's what they told me. He was going pretty fast though. We managed to get to the hospital. Papa grabbed a wheelchair, helped mama in it, and rushed her inside. I struggled to keep up.

"She's going into labor," papa told the secretary. She called a nurse and they escorted mama and papa away to have the baby. I was left in the waiting room. Mama and Papa told me ahead of time that childbirth isn't pretty and that it was best for me to wait outside the room. Papa also said mama gets a little mouthy during labor and they didn't want me to hear that too. I found it a little ironic since I knew both my parents could get verbally vicious. I had heard them fight each other for years. I decided to just agree with him at the time. My phone went off, gaining my attention.

"Hello?"

"Rima!"

"Rei?!"

"Hey, we heard the news. We're heading over right now. We should be there in a few hours. Mama said she was going to stay with you guys a week before the planned time but Yukino is just like her stubborn big sister."

"Hey, it's not my fault the doctor got her due date wrong."

"Doctors give an estimate on the birthday. There is no way they can actually know."

"Anyway, I'm by myself. Get your butt down here."

"I am as fast as I can. Papa is speeding pretty fast."

"Alright. I'll talk to you when you get here."

"Kiss that baby for me if she's born before I get there."

"Will do."

She hung up. I'm glad I'll get to see Rei again.

"I wonder how long it will take," Kusukusu thought aloud. I looked around the waiting room. There were a few people in the room with me but they didn't seem to be paying attention to me..

"Mama said it would take hours," I whispered.

"We're in for a long day"

*Time Skip*

*Nagi's POV*

"Mrs. Mashiro said this is the hospital she wanted Yukino born at," mother said. We walked in and noticed Rima in the waiting room right away.

"Rima!"

"Nagi!" She ran up to me and hugged me.

"How is your mother doing?" Nade asked.

"I'm not sure. I wasn't allowed in there. Childbirth takes hours and it's painful, at least that's what my mother told me," Rima said.

"She should try having two at the same time," Mrs. Fujisaki joked.

"Mother, can we help her?" Nade asked.

"I will check on her. We don't want to crowd her though so you two stay here. Rima looks like she could use the company anyway," Mrs. Fujisaki said. She left after that.

"How did that game go?" Rima asked.

"We won. I was the only one to score," I said.

"That doesn't surprise me. You are the best basketball player," Rime said.

"I wouldn't say that," I said.

"Are you exicted to see your sister?" Nade asked.

"I am. I hope she hurries. Mama seemed in pain."

"If it's like the movies then it does seem very painful. I'm sure she knows what she's doing. Mother told me that mothers tend to know what they're doing by the second child," Nade assured her.

"My parents said the same thing. I still worry though. I know she'lll be fine. I can't wait to see my little sister though. I don't really know how to react. I've never been around of babies. Yaya's baby brother is the only one I was around and I didn't even touch him," she said.

"You catch on quick. When I lived in Europe, I had a friend who had a newborn brother. She was freaking out about how to take care of a baby. She had no clue. I saw her less but after a while I got to talk to her and she said that her brother was a lot of work but it's not too difficult," Nade said.

"You sure do know a lot about babies Nade," I said.

"Women tend to know more than men. Besides I have a little brother I have to look out for," she said.

"I was born the same time you were. There was no way you could take care of me of gain knowledge of how to take care of me," I sweatdropped.

"I'm just teasing Nagi. I've been around a lot of babies, mainly in Europe. You should've seen father when he was babysitting for our neightbor one time. I had to rescue him," Nade giggled.

"You think he would know how to take care of babies since he has two," I said.

"What is your father like?" Rima asked. Nade and I looked at her. Rima covered her mouth as if she didn't mean to ask that question out loud.

"Well he is really tall and he has long black hair, and...uh...he-"

"He is a tall guy who has short black hair now, he has a bit of stubble, he wears little glasses to read. He's very funny. Mother tells me that's how he won her over. Also he's very good at traditional dance and he's a big fan of basketball. That's where Nagi gets it." Nade kept going on and on about our father. I never realized before but my dad has been gone for so long that I don't know him at all. He's a complete stranger to me. Sure we were close when I was little and he lived in Japan but so much time has passed. He cut his hair and he grew his facial hair out. Traditionally, Fujisaki men aren't allowed to either of those things since short hair and facial hair are considered masculine. Although with society now I could probably get away with short hair. Amu and Yaya have short hair.

"Nagi?" Rima took me out of my thoughts.

"I'm ok," I said with a fake smile.

"We're not stupid Nagi," she said. I knew she wasn't going to fall for that.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

*Time Skip*

*Rima's POV*

"Rima!"

"Rei!" She ran up to me and squeezed me. I didn't care either. I had missed her. It's been a few months since I've seen her.

"How is your mom?"

"She's been in labor for about three and a half hours now," I informed her.

"It will probably be another hour or two but since Yukiko decided to to come early then it may take less time," auntie said. I hugged her and my uncle.

"We'll stay with you kids. I imagine Rima's mother is not in the mood for too many guests," auntie said.

"Our mother is in there with her and Mr. Mashiro so she has plenty of support," Nade informed.

"Alright time to pass the time," uncle said.

*One hour later*

"Any 3's?" Rei asked.

"Go fish," Nagi said.

"Nade any 8's?"

"Yes." She hands over a card to Nagi.

"I wish we could play," Kusukusu said.

"We can't with Rei's parents here," Angel said.

"This is super boring. When is she going to be born?" I asked.

"It could be another couple hours," auntie said. I grunted and fell back in my chair.

*One hour later*

"We're going to get some food for everyone. Please write down what you want," uncle said. We all wrote down what we wanted and the adults left the waiting room.

"I'm starving," I whined.

"You're cranky," Rhythm said.

"Can you really blame her? Her sister is being born somewhere in this building," Temari said.

"Yeah, I would be eager to see my little sister as soon as possible," Hikari said.

"I was eager to meet Rhythm," Temari added.

"You were in your egg when I was born though," Rhythm pointed out.

"I still knew you were alive. I am half of Nagi just like you are," she pouted. I was ignoring them. The waiting was torture. I felt like a was frozen in time and I couldn't do anything to speed it up. How long have I been waiting? Five hours? Five and a half? I've lost count. Mama said it wouldn't take as long as me but Yukiko is taking forever.

"Rima." I looked up to see Mrs. Fujisaki. She looked tired. Her hair had strands out of place. She usually looked perfect.

"You can see your parents now. Yukiko is a very healthy girl," she informed. My hunger was completely forgotton.

"Take me to them right now," I demanded. I then realzied how rude I sounded.

"Sorry."

"It's alright Rima. I know you want to see her. Follow me." She lead me through a bunch of confusing hallways, up a floor, and through a mess of nurses. I noticed a window where you could view the newborns. I wonder if Yukiko is there or if she's with mama.

"Here we are. You're mother is pretty tired right now, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Go easy on her," she said.

"Thank you." I knocked on the door. I remembered that during the time Nagi was in the hospital, that you're supposed to knock before entering a hospital room.

"Come in." I opened the door and walked in.

"Rima," papa said with a smile. I saw him standing next to mama. She held a bundle in her arms but I couldn't get a good look.

"Come here," papa said. I walked over to him. He picked me up and sat me down on the edge of the bed next to mama. She looked very tired but she had a smile on her face when she saw me.

"Look at your new sister Rima." She moved the blanket so I could get a better look. Yukiko's eyes were closed but she was moving a little bit. I never saw a newborn baby before. She was very wrinkly and she wasn't super pretty. I was a little shocked.

"The doctors have to clean her up. Babies don't come out very pretty," papa laughed when he saw my face.

"Who does she look more like?" I asked.

"It's hard to tell. She hasn't even opened her eyes yet but she does have a little bit of hair," mama said. She pulled the blanket of Yukiko's head so I could see the few blonde hairs on the baby's head.

"She has blonde hair like me," I said.

"We hope she'll be beautiful like her sister," mama said. Yukiko squirmed a bit and then she opened her eyes. She had pretty honey colored eyes.

"Look at that Rima. She wanted to see you," papa said.

"Say something to her," mama said. I didn't really know what to say. I know she wouldn't understand me.

"H-hi Yukiko. I'm Rima, your big sister. I've been waiting a long time to meet you," I said. I felt very akward saying it but it was nice at the same time.

"Want to hold her?"

"I don't know how to hold a baby really," I said.

"All you have to do is support her head. She can't hold her head up yet," mama said as she put Yukiko in my arms. I didn't move. I supported her head like I was told but I was afraid I would drop her. She's so fragile and little and I didn't want to break her.

"Smile," papa said. I looked up to see him take a picture on his phone.

"Our beautiful girls," he said. I looked back at Yukiko. She was looking up at me. She was just observing me as if waiting for me to do something.

"Welcome Yukiko Mashiro and happy birthday," Kusukusu said.

*Mr. Valentine POV*

"You called for me?" Lulu asked.

"Yes. The machine has had plenty of time to cool down. It's set our plans back a bit so I need you to work hard as ever," I said.

"Of course sir. I will get on it."

"How is my step-daughter?"

"Obidient. She hasn't seen her chara in months."

"Keep up the good work."

"Yes sir." She left the room.

"This break was needed. The machine is working better than ever," Thomas said.

"Great. I feel the final battle is very close. Who will win? Valentine or Fujisaki. What she doesn't know is that I have both of her children in the palms of my hands and she doesn't even know. Shugo Charas will be her downfall."

"Sir there are children. Are you sure you're not going too far? The Fujisaki boy was in bad shape and has recently gone back to normal."

"I'm aware Thomas. The Fujisaki's are good at covering their tracks but it won't be long till they turn on each other. Trust between mother and son is strong but once it breaks it can't be rebuilt so easily.

Kusukusu: Yukiko is so cute

Rima: babies aren't super cute when they're first born

Kusukusu: But she will look cute because she sort of looks like your Rima

Rima: Anyway Question #34, what do you think of Yukiko?

Kusukusu: She's little

Rima: She's bigger than you and she's going to grow

Kusukusu: She'll grow taller than Rima

Rima: -_-'

Author's Note: (you don't have to read)

I want to apologize for not updating in a very very long time. I'm not going to go into detail but I am healthy again and I am ready to get back into writing. I will try to update at least once a week. One good thing that came out of this long hiatus was that I have a bunch of different ideas. I pretty much have the ending planned but suggestions are always welcomed. I also thought I would start off the story with little Yukiko being born. I was going to wait a few chapters but oh well. Thank you for sticking with me.

P.S. Also to the guest who reviewed June 18th. I am sorry to you especially. I want to thank you. I wasn't going to start writing till school started but thanks to your review I decided to start ASAP.