A/N: Here's Chapter Five of "Hana's Surprise!" Please read, review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Hana's Surprise!

Chapter Five: Hana's Decision!

Though the lobby was deadly silent, there may as well have been a racket going on in Hana's heart and mind. Though her unexpected talk with Hibiki was undoubtedly pleasant and cathartic, the expectant woman had left her with more to think about than she had anticipated when she walked into that clinic.

Was she right? Am I just being a scaredy-cat? Was I really wrong to cave to my parents' demands? Can Shingi and I…can we really raise a baby…?

"Morime-san?"

"Huh?" Hana nearly jumped in her seat, frantically turning her head until she relaxed at the sight of the nurse standing at the door.

"The doctor's ready to begin the procedure, Morime-san. Are you ready to begin?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hana nodded. "H-Hai, I'm coming…"

Getting to her feet, she walked to the nurse, who held the door open. As she was about to take her first step towards the point of no return, however, she stopped.

"Morime-san?" The concerned nurse asked, waving her hand in front of Hana's distant eyes. "Are you alright, Morime-san?"

Hana was completely oblivious, however. Her mind had completely tuned out her surroundings, overtaken by the strange, warm sensation in her belly.

What…what the…? What's going on…? Hana wondered, feeling the soothing warmth in her belly spread from head to toe. I don't know why, but I'm…I'm feeling like…like someone turned on a nightlight in my body. It's emitting a warm, yet resolute light. It's banishing all my darkness, like all my anxieties and troubles are evaporating away…

"Morime-san!"

"Huh?!" Looking around, Hana saw the nurse snapping her fingers in front of her eyes. "Are you ill? You suddenly stopped responding. Do you need to see a doctor before the procedure?"

The procedure, right…I was about to abort my baby…my baby… Hana's eyes widened in realization. Did my baby…do that…? No, it's impossible…but still…is this a…a sign?! No, Hana, you must be crazy! There's no way you're prepared to have a baby! You can't have a baby right now…but…

Though the warmth had receded, Hana still felt a warm, pleasant tingling in her womb. The more she focused on it, the more attached she felt to the presence growing within.

"I…can't…"

"Can't…?" The nurse's brow furrowed in confusion. "Can't what, Morime-san?"

"I…I'm sorry, but I…I can't go through with this." Finally catching her second wind, Hana shook her head. "Tell the doctor I'm sorry for cancelling, but I can't go through with this!"

Though thoroughly confused, the nurse nodded. "Very well, Morime-san. I'll let the doctor know you cancelled."

"Arigatou Gozaimasu."

Hana bowed gratefully before turning around and walking out the door. The moment the clinic doors closed behind her, she couldn't help but grin, feeling free as a bird for the first time since she got the news of her pregnancy.

It's totally crazy! We're not even remotely prepared for this, not at all! But even so… She rested her hands on her womb for the first time, giggling. This baby is far too precious to give up! I don't know how…but we'll make it work! Shingi and I will make this work!

"Hana, I'm home." Shingi called as he entered the apartment, though his voice seemed more monotone and robotic than it usually was. "Hana?"

Despite his calls, Shingi didn't see hide nor hair of her in their kitchen/dining room. He frowned, confused as to why she wasn't waiting at the table where he usually found her.

That's strange…is she late coming back from her…appointment? Or is she somewhere else in the apartment…?

He left the kitchen, walking through their apartment until he saw their bedroom door slightly ajar. Did she decide to take a nap after the procedure? I guess I couldn't blame her if she did…

Gently pushing the door open with his hand, he peeked his head in. To his relief, Hana was sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly kicking her legs back and forth. The young man was surprised to see a brighter smile on her face than he had seen in days.

I'm glad she looks lighter, at the very least…maybe she was right. Maybe we weren't ready to become parents yet…

Shaking the thought from his head, he walked into their bedroom. Finally noticing him, Hana patted next to her on the mattress. Confused, Shingi nonetheless took a seat next to her.

"You seem happy…did something happen?"

"…I guess you could say that…" A faint blush filled her cheeks before she looked him in the eye. "Shingi, can I ask you something?"

Her boyfriend nodded. "Of course, Hana. You know you can ask me anything."

"After you came back from telling your parents about…you know…were you excited to be a father?"

Shingi raised an eyebrow, wondering what the point of that question was. It's a little late for that, isn't it…? Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and admitted, "…I'll admit, part of me did start to feel that way once the shock wore off and I thought about it a little more…"

"…Me too…"

"Huh?!" Shingi blinked in surprise, baffled by his girlfriend's words. "But…didn't you…?"

Hana shook her head, making Shingi feel strangely elated. "I…couldn't go through with it, Shingi. I had every intention of going through with the procedure, but…when it finally came time to walk through the door…I realized I couldn't do it, Shingi." She rested her hand over her still-flat belly. "This baby is too special to give up, Shingi. We can't give them up. I know our apartment is too small, I know we haven't budgeted for it, I know we're not married, but still…"

"…Maybe we could do something about that last part…" Shingi's eyes widened as he played back what he said. Wait…did I just say that…?

"Shingi!" Hana gasped, her own eyes threatening to bulge out of her head. "Are you…?"

…Well…it's too late to turn back now… Shingi took a deep breath, gathering his courage along with his thoughts. "Hana…I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else but you. And now that we have a baby on the way…if we're going to raise them together…I want them to grow up with a loving mother and father in their life. Hana…will you marry me…?"

Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, her lips stretching from ear to ear. "Shingi…yes…of course I'll marry you!"

Shingi grinned, wrapping his arms around his fiancée. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, Hana! I know i don't have a ring to give you yet, but I promise, I'll…mmph!"

Shingi sat silent as Hana mashed her lips against his own. He quickly surrendered to the loving gesture, kissing her back while she wrapped her arms around him. They leaned down together, collapsing on the bed.

The newly engaged couple allowed their more lustful sides to take control; their hands began roaming each other's bodies as a warm, pleasant heat built within them. That heat grew and grew until it eventually erupted in a night of love and passion, the couple celebrating for the first time the evolution and expansion of their family.

Shingi chuckled under the covers, finally recovering from their shared climax. "You know, Hana…if we celebrate like this every time something good happens, we'll have more children than we'll know what to do with."

Hana rolled her eyes, absentmindedly tracing patterns on his chest. "I'm already pregnant, Shingi. I don't think it matters for the next few months how many times we make love."

Shingi nodded, wrapping an arm around his fiancée's shoulders. "So…you're serious, right? We're going to keep this baby?"

"Yes…I'm dead serious, Shingi." Hana nodded solemnly. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We've got to find a proper house, we've got to get our budgets in order, I have to figure out what to do about my job, we have to plan our wedding so this baby isn't born out of wedlock…but I'm looking forward to doing that with you as your wife." Hana giggled "Naegi Hana…it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Shingi chuckled. "I'm gonna miss calling you my flower maiden…but yes, I'm lookign forward to the day I can call you my wife…" Shingi frowned suddenly, wondering, "…What about your parents, though?"

Hana sighed, admitting, "I'll have to tell them about my decision. I'm not looking forward to defying them so openly…" She looked pleadingly into his eyes. "Will you be there for me when I do, Shingi? I don't want to chicken out again…not with this…"

Shingi smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Of course, Hana. This is my baby too, and you're my blushing bride-to-be. I'll defend you both, even if it's against your parents."

"Shingi…" Hana hummed, nuzzling his cheek. "I love you, Shingi."

He kissed her once more before whispering, "I love you too, my beautiful flower. And you too, my little sapling." Hana giggled at Shingi's expression to their unborn baby. "I'll always be there for the both of you, no matter what."

Hana closed her eyes, a content smile gracing her beautiful face. Somehow, the task of openly standing in defiance of her demanding parents seemed a lot easier, now that her husband-to-be was going to be by her side, backing her up until the very end.

"…What…?!"

With Shingi holding her hand, Hana stood in front of her parents. The Morimes fell silent, stunned by their daughter's unbelievably blunt revelation. In a moment of incredible bravery, Hana narrowed her eyes in defiance at her parents for the first time in her life.

"You heard me. We're. Keeping. The Baby."

"Has our entire conversation gone in one ear and out the other, Hana?" Her father demanded. "You were supposed to go to the health clinic and terminate the pregnancy, not throw your life away bearing an illegitimate child."

"Dear, be careful what you say." His wife gently scolded in his ear. "If we go about this the wrong way, we'll only drive her away…"

The man scowled, but held his tongue, allowing his daughter to speak. "You may think I'm throwing my life away, but I refuse to throw my baby's life away! And they won't be illegitimate; Shingi proposed to me, and I accepted. We're going to be a family, and raise our baby together!"

Their eyes threatened to bulge out of their heads. Clearing his throat, Shingi let go of Hana's hand and stepped forward, slightly bowing before his future in-laws.

"Mr. and Mrs. Morime…I know the circumstances aren't exactly the most ideal, and I'll openly admit we didn't plan on having children or getting married so soon. But…I love your daughter more than anyone, and we can never be ashamed of any baby born of our union. I promise, I'll do everything I can to support them both, with or without your approval!"

"Shingi…" Tears of joy trickled down her cheeks, the young woman beaming as she took her fiancé's hand once more. "Mom, Dad…he's right. This might not have been what we planned, we might not be totally ready for this…but whether you like it or not, we've decided we're going to start a family together. We'll do everything we can to be ready by the time I give birth, and I don't know exactly how yet…but we'll get through the hard times together."

"…If you're certain…"

The husband gaped at his wife. "D-Dear! What are you saying?!"

The older woman sighed, shaking her head. "Look at her, dear. Can you think of a single time she's looked so determined, so openly defiant in spite of what we've told her? If she's willing to take a stand now…then who are we to stand in her way?"

"B-But-!"

"They have shown that they are willing to do what's necessary to change course and give their baby a safe, loving home. These two aren't hormonal teenagers, but young adults who have made this decision together. And even if I don't agree with it, even if I don't think this is the right decision at this point in her life…I can't help but admire her resolve…and her fiancé's loyalty to her."

Her husband grimaced, obviously grappling with his wife's surrender. Eventually, however, he sighed, bowing his head in resignation.

"You're truly not gonna change your mind…are you…? Alright…I won't stop you. I'll..we'll help you prepare."

Hana gasped in surprise. "R-Really…?"

Her mother nodded. "I'll reach out to the Naegis and see if we can collaborate on a timely wedding. And your father can check the housing market…see if he can help you find any affordable single family homes."

"Mom…Dad…" A joyful Hana bowed her head in gratitude. "…Thank you…so much…"

Shingi couldn't help but beam at how well things had turned out. His and Hana's baby's life had been saved at the last minute, they had gotten engaged, she had finally stood up to her parents, and they were even offering to help them prepare for the baby's arrival. For the first time since they had found out Hana was pregnant, things were finally starting to go right.