Naegiri Week 2022 (Creepercraftguy)

Day 6 - First Encounter

"Nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago...Nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago...Nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago..."

"You need to stop..."

It was early in the morning, and Komaru Naegi sat alongside her partner, Toko Fukawa, in the waiting room of a hospital maternity ward. It was very sudden when she got the call at 3am in the morning from her brother Makoto, letting her know that his wife, Kyoko, had been taken into the hospital.

Kyoko had gone into labor and been pregnant with Makoto's child for a long while now. Though she wasn't the one bearing any children, Komaru was panicked and nervous, and didn't know what to make of herself. This, unfortunately, left Toko to be the only one to try and console her, since Makoto was with his wife in the ward.

"Look, I get that you're nervous, but you SERIOUSLY need to relax," Toko grumbled, "everything's going to be fine."

"And how do you know that!?" Komaru exclaimed, "what if something bad happens to Kyoko!? Or what if something bad happens to the baby!"

"Look, I'M supposed to be the pessimist in this relationship! Stop making me be the responsible one," Toko snapped, "Kyoko is a strong woman. One of the strongest I've known in fact. She's going to be fine. And as for the baby, if it's anything as strong as her mother, it will get through fine too. The nurses and Kyoko herself are not gonna let any harm come to it."

"You...you're right..." Komaru kept sweating bullets, "it's just that the longer this takes, the more nervous I become...! And there's so many ways this could go wrong, it's not hard to keep playing on your mind repeatedly."

"If I'm being honest, I'm also preparing myself for the worse-case scenario," Toko confessed, "but that's just what you've gotta do in this sort of situation. Prepare for the best...Hope for the worst."

"You really are acting weird today," Komaru chuckled, "it's not like you to make such inspiring speeches."

"Your brother's not here to do it, so it falls to me," Toko wrapped her arm around Komaru and pulled her close, "and as much as I hate to admit it, I don't like seeing you like this."

Komaru was calmed by Toko's actions and words, but for all but a few seconds. All of a sudden, her brother Makoto burst out into the waiting room, his eyes wide and his face flustered and panicked. Upon seeing his sister, he calmed a bit, but Komaru launched to her feet, forcefully yanking Toko up with her.

"IBABGBIABUGBUBAGHB-!?" Komaru rambled, unable to form words due to her axiety. 

"I think she meant to ask, "what's going on, what happened?"" Toko translated. She retained her composure, but her face was also full of anticipation.

Makoto didn't say a word to them. Instead, he slowly trudged off to the side. They girl's eyes followed him, both incredibly nervous thanks to the way he was acting.

They watched...until Makoto stopped in front of the mini-gift store. He walked inside, and picked up a balloon, turning back to his family.

The balloon had the words "IT'S A GIRL!" written on them.

A few minutes later, Makoto, Toko and Komaru were all taken into the ward. The first thing all of them saw when they stepped in was an exhausted-looking Kyoko. She was wearing a dressing gown, and had even removed her trademark purple gloves that covered up the burns on her hands. However, she didn't seem to mind very much. She looked up briefly as everyone came in, but her attention was on the little bundle of joy in her hands.

"Sorry I rushed off like that," Makoto approached the bed, holding back tears, "I just knew that if I kept Komaru waiting any longer, she might explode."

"She looks like she's exploding already..." Kyoko laughed quietly. Makoto turned around to see that indeed, Komaru looked like she was trying incredibly hard to hold back snot and tears of joy. Toko rubbed her back. 

"I'll take care of this big baby," Toko smiled a very rare, warm and affectionate smile to the couple, "you take care of your little one."

Toko and Komaru left the room, giving the couple the space they needed. Makoto knelt down next to the bed and stared at his newborn child, tears of joy leaking from his eyes.

"So? Did you decide on a name for her?" he asked.

"I was thinking...Kuroba. Like you suggested before." Kyoko told him, brushing Kuroba's hair "had it been a boy, I might have named them after my father, but you said Kuroba was your mother's maiden name..."

"It's a lovely name," he laughed. He reached out a single finger towards the child. Kuroba reached over with a weak and tiny hand and grabbed it. The feeling of euphoria filled Makoto's soul, and he had to force himself to hold back from balling his eyes out.

"I'm so happy she was born healthy..." Kyoko also looked to be on the verge of tears as she gazed down at the child in her arms.

"Yeah...healthy and beautiful, just like her mother..." Makoto kept a gentle grip on Kuroba's hand, as if he was afraid if he'd let go, she'd disappear, "though I wonder...What do you think she'll grow up to be? A detective, like her mother? Or something else?"

"I'll tell you what she'll be," Kyoko whispered, "whatever it is she wants to be...

But as her parents, it's our job to make sure that her dreams come true..."

"Do you have to tell this story every time?" in the present day, a 10 year old Kuroba Naegi sat at the dinner table with parents, aunt and a few family friends as her father told her the story of her birth, "you don't even consider that it might embarrass me?"

"I'm your father Kuroba," Makoto chuckled, "embarrassing you is part of the job."

"Well, if that's the case, then you might as well get your money for free," Kuroba snarked, "you embarrass me just by being my father."

"Kuroba!" Kyoko, who sat on the other side of the table snapped at her, "don't say such horrible things about your father!"

"Calm down Mom, I'm only joking," Kuroba sighed, "I wouldn't be that legitimately mean to my own dad."

"I should hope not young lady," Kyoko frowned, "just be careful that you don't influence your little brother in any way."

As she said this, Kyoko fed some carrots to Kuroba's 3-year old younger brother, Jin. 

"I just remember being a huge mess that day, and it wasn't even my kid that was being born" Komaru giggled.

"That makes sense, you always dote on me Aunt Komaru."

"Yeah, I'd say a little too much sometimes," Makoto frowned, "what are you gonna do if she or her brother grow up to be spoiled?"

"That's not MY problem," Komaru raised her nose to the sky, "an aunt SHOULD dote on her niece. It's not like I see her as often as you two do."

"Well, it's still not going to be our fault if that happens," Makoto sighed, "by the way, didn't you say Toko would be coming round? What time did she say she would be showing up?"

"Uuuuh...Can't remember." Komaru admitted.

"You can't!?"

"I-I mean, I was talking to her for a while, but that was mostly about other stuff! Oh, but I remember it was around 4-4:30-ish!"

"Komaru...could you learn to be a bit more organized?"

"Don't tell me who needs to get organized! Your desk is every bit as wacky as it was back when we were kids!"

"You only know that because you always used to steal the stuff that was on it! When am I gonna get my favorite pen back that you snatched?"

"That was a long time ago!"

"I still have the receipts!"

"Hoo boy..." Kuroba sighed, "they're at it again. I really hope that we don't grow up to be like that."

Kuroba affectionately pinched little Jin's nose, which made him giggle.

"Even if you do, I have faith that you'll work it out in the end, just as your father and aunt do," Kyoko smiled, "you're family after all. And right from the moment they meet, family always sticks together."