Ultraman: Rising Fanfic

21 | Emi

In the living room, Ken sat on the couch while the baby Kaiju, wary of his presence, was thankfully being distracted by Mina. Ken had just finished summarizing what happened, and they both sat in silence for a moment.

"So... a baby Kaiju is in your house," Amari finally voiced.

"... Yeah," Ken replied.

"And it thinks you're her mom?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"... Yeah," he sighed.

"Does this make you a Dilf or a Milf?" she asked with a stifled giggle.

Ken gave her a deadpan look, silently urging her to focus.

"Alright, alright." she lifted her hands in surrender. "So Mina has no information about her?" she asked again.

"... No," Ken sighed, the hopelessness evident in his tone.

"Mari, do you know anything involving Kaiju, specifically baby Kaiju?" Amari asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not have that information, but it may be in your mother's office. Kaiju was Dr. R. Akashe’s longest ongoing research project," Mari responded, piquing their interest.

Of course, how could she forget? Hope filled them both. Amari quickly picked up her phone and tried to call her mother, but it went straight to voicemail.

"I'll try to check her office tomorrow," she sighed after trying two more times with no success. She turned back and saw Ken's worried gaze lingering on her.

"You look stressed," she noted, sliding back on the couch beside him.

"And you're hurt," he shot back.

"I'm alive," she huffed, standing and opening her arms to show him.

"That's not enough for me," Ken sighed, gently pulling her to him. "Amari..." he rested his head on her stomach as her fingers played with the ends of his hair.

"Yes, Kenji?" she whispered.

"You were limping, you have bandages. You shouldn't be scarred up like this. It just means I'm doing bad at my job," he stressed, his hand gently massaging her thigh.

"Ken..."

"Gigantron's dead," he finally confessed. "I-- I failed to save-- I failed at my one job," his eyes glossed over.

Thoughts raced through her mind. "Do you... want to keep her?" she asked awkwardly. "I'm here with you regardless of what you choose," she said softly.

"Ken, no matter how strong or big or powerful some heroes are, they can't do everything. So don't fault yourself. You've done great things, as Sato and Ultraman. One mess-up doesn't mean you're a failure," she said, her hands holding his face, her thumb gently rubbing his cheek. "As disheartening as some mess-ups are, what matters is what you choose to do after. Some people stay down, but others get back up. Personally, I'll spare an arm and leg to make sure you get back up," she smiled.

Her words never failed to comfort him. "You've been practicing this, haven't you?" he teased.

"Duh, it was in the job description," she rolled her eyes.

"But really, Ken, we should give her a name," she smiled, thinking.

"What about Emi?" she grinned. "It means blessed with beauty and favor. Plus, it's in honor of your mother," she added.

Ken narrowed his eyes. "You've been planning that one, haven't you?"

"It was either Emi or Emaya," she shrugged. "I've had countless little ones to try and figure out a name for," she sighed, recalling the last dream she had where she had another baby with Ken.

"Little ones?" he asked, lifting a brow.

Amari pointed to her stomach, causing Kenji to laugh lightly. The thought of someday having little ones brought a warmth to his heart. He lifted her shirt and planted a tender kiss on the exposed skin.

"So, will you step up as mom?" she teased, trying to ignore the shivers his kiss gave her. Ken chuckled in response.

"Will you?" he hesitantly asked, just as Emi's screaming interrupted them. Ken sighed, covering his face with his hands. Her screams were so loud it was impossible to think straight.

Turning, he realized Amari was already gone, rushing to tend to the baby.

"I'll take that as a yes," he sighed, standing up to follow her, unaware of the disheveled state of his hair.

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