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Aug. 26th, 2010 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meimichiShuri trails Hayama wearing a teenybopper-ish disguise (she also drew freckles on her face, so detailed, lol), he just goes to the bookstore to look at medical texts and to buy food, and she thinks cheating is unlikely given how his evenings are hardly *~thrilling~*.
She starts following him back to his house but loses him en route, and as she's turning around looking for him, he leaps off a short ledge he was hiding on and grabs her arm, asking why she's following him. "Are you a fan of Sana's?"
Shuri realizes she can read him easily while he's close and touching her, so she runs with it and bursts into tears, saying she's a huge fan and Sana hasn't been working as much lately as usual, and so she came to her neighborhood to check and see if she was sick.
Hayama says she's been putting work on the backburner at the moment but she has jobs lined up up to a year from now so not to worry. Shuri presses, "She's not sick?"
There's a page just of Sana getting hit with Hayama feelings and memories (old Kodocha flashbacks, largely related to Hayama's issues with his mom) while he thinks, "It's too dangerous, her life is in danger, I don't want her to be in danger, it's too scary, if something ever happened to her..."
"She's not sick," he says to Shuri. "Don't worry."
A tear escapes and runs down Shuri's cheek as she's totally overcome with his feelings. "Thank you so much. Sorry for following you."
"Don't do this anymore, okay?"
"Yeah, sorry."
He walks away and she watches him go. "He was never cheating. It's the total opposite. Sana-san is too precious to him..."
Sana comes to meet Shuri for their third and final session. Shuri thinks Sana's way more open now; probably because her secret was discovered and Shuri already saw her cry, so now anything goes lol. Sana apologizes for her crying before, and says it's really all about the hormones, and there's a bit where she says she wants to name the baby Hor-ko and Shuri is like, "Please...don't." XD
Sana lets slip that she's living back at home, and Shuri pounces and asks what's up with her husband then. Sana says it's just for the best if they live separately for a while because Hayama has had *~issues~* with pregnancy his entire life. "I think even he's embarrassed that he still can't get over it at this age, but it's like... Well, he did a lot of bad things a long time ago. And it's like he's convinced he's gonna get punished for his bad karma? He just can't shake that feeling." Her thoughts read: He probably thinks I'm gonna die or whatever, geez... "At first he totally seriously told me, 'Don't have this baby!' and we had a massive fight. He's really an idiot."
(One-panel flashback to the fight we saw in the previous chapter, with Sana shrieking indignantly, "And who was it who got so caught up in the moment that he couldn't be bothered with contraception? OH RIGHT IT WAS YOU!" and Hayama's like, "...." with an arrow pointing to him saying, "He's got no comeback to that one.")
Sana says airily that Hayama's a stubborn idiot so there's nothing for it, she'll just have to have the baby in perfect health and then he'll get over his issues, and her plan is to go through labor laughing the entire time to chase his trauma away.
But at the same time her thoughts read, "There's a danger of the baby being born premature, but if I just keep healthy and take my medicine then it'll be fine!"
Sana says, "I actually thought he'd given up yesterday, he came to pick me up and take me back to our place last night."
"Huh? Yesterday?!" Shuri thinks it's after she met up with him.
"Yeah. But every time he even glanced at my stomach, he would just go deathly pale. So I decided to go back to my mom's. It's not that unusual to spend your final trimester back at home anyway, I think? I'm a little lonely, but... I'm manufacturing a life that's going to live on this earth for tens of years, and I'm going to be raising it for years. I might be lonely or in pain for a couple months, but it's no time to be complaining! Right, Horko?!" It'll be fine.
"Please quit that, it sounds like a name for a cow..."
Shuri thinks Sana seems calm enough, and her inner and outer voices don't change much, much like Youta and Minori. But Sana is different from them. "It feels like...over and over, she's gotten muddled and stuck in one place, and fought her way out to keep on going. But on top of all that, her aura's very clear. 'Deep clear.' That's what she feels like."
Sana asks about Shuri's love life and asks if she's dating Youta. Shuri says definitely not, and anyway she's a pessimistic, hopeless person who has trouble getting along with people, and she wishes she could change herself to be more like Sana.
"Do you really need to change?" Sana asks, surprised. She says people who are pessimists usually have gone through life and discovered that's the way of living that works for them.
Thinking: "There are people who don't live too openly. So they don't get hurt. But there are people who like you that way, just the way you are. I know I do!"
"I don't think there's any need for you to change," Sana says. "Well, not like I know what I'm talking about! Acting's the same way, but there's no 'one right answer' for life either. Don't worry about what works for people in general. If the 'right answer' you find for yourself works for you, then go with that! Like for me, right now, living separately is the 'right answer' for me now!"
Shuri smiles, looking kind of amazed at her, and thinks she understands why someone like this who can see so deeply into people is loved so dearly by so many...
Shuri brings her report to Rei. It seems he pretty much knew what was going on the whole time and didn't really think of Hayama as a cheater, she just wanted Shuri to confirm everything that was going on.
Time passes. Sana's pregnancy finally gets announced to the media, Shuri and Youta hook up, time passes some more...
And then Sana invites Shuri to her house for extra research on the drama she wants to do. Apparently the psychic detective drama is something Sana's working on with a scriptwriter friend for production next year, and they're doing the research together.
Shuri says Sana is finally showing, with two more months to go. Sana asks about Shuri's love life and if she's dating the boy from work yet, and Shuri admits she is, and Sana triumphantly thinks she's not as dense as she's been accused of XD
As they're talking, Shuri realizes she can no longer sense the baby. She freaks out and urgently tells Sana that she has powers to sense people's auras and she believes the baby's in trouble, and they have to get to the hospital right away. Sana is like OMG NO WAY YOU HAVE POWERS THAT IS THE COOLEST EVER and yells to Mama that she's worried about the baby so they're taking off, Mama tells them to go right away (looking the same as ever XD)
Sana says that the hospital is always crowded and you have to wait an hour even with an appointment. Shuri tells her she needs to use her acting skillz to make it look like an emergency, and they burst into the ER with Sana all doubled over and Shuri screaming for them to be let through because it's urgent. They're quickly admitted and Shuri and Sana exchange a grin as partners in crime.
The doctor sees them right away and Shuri can easily hear his thoughts. He checks the baby and thinks, "It's not moving...? ...is it gone...?" and Shuri freaks. But no, the baby moves, and it's okay. Apparently the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby and it was having trouble breathing, and Sana says if Shuri hadn't gotten there it could have been too late. "You're my savior!"
And right then her water breaks and the doctor has to be called right back in, lol. Sana gets wheeled away by the nurse to another room and she yells for Shuri to call her mom to the hospital.
"Where's your husband today?"
"At his clinic, but..." I don't think he can handle it, I kinda want him here but then again I kinda don't...ugh, here comes another contraction... "...well, whatever!" She's wheeled away and waves at Shuri.
Shuri dashes to the pay phone. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Otoki, an acquaintance of Sana-san's from work? I was together with her today, and just now her water broke and she's going into labor."
There's a really loud crash on Hayama's end. Shuri thinks, "He totally just dropped the reciever..."
Shuri tells him it's two months early but the doctors are all saying it should be fine, and she tells him to hurry and come to the hospital. Hayama is like =________________= and his staff is wondering what tragedy happened, and he mumbles that he's gotta to because his wife is having a baby, and the staff is like, "GO GO GO! Shouldn't we be partying?" LOL.
Shuri is sitting with Sana in her hospital room, and Sana is wailing that she's in pain she's never experienced before with her contractions, and glares down at her stomach and tells the baby she's going to give it a truly horrible name as revenge for her suffering XD
Shuri runs outside and sees Mama being blocked by nurses at the door because animals aren't allowed. Mama's like, "But Maro-chan the third is totally hygenic! I take him in the bath with me!" Rei volunteers to drive Maro-chan home. Through the window, Shuri sees a giant cloudy black aura, and she goes outside to see Hayama in the middle of it, with his face in his hands.
Shuri rushes out and tells him to come inside (he doesn't recognize her from her previous disguise) but he stands up and says he's going back to work. Shuri tells him to wait and grabs his arm, and is hit with a crazy wave of depressing: "SHE'S GOING TO DIE, IT'S A PREMATURE BIRTH AFTER ALL, TOO DANGEROUS, SANA WILL DIE, THE BABY WILL DIE, EVERYONE WILL DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE..." and Shuri is just like O_____O hooooly shit this dude has issues
"Hayama-san!" she says urgently, trying to get through to him. "Sana-san is doing fine! I was just talking to her, and she was cracking jokes and laughing like always. We were talking a lot. She was really happy, and she said something like... 'I finally understand the real meaning of what I said all that time ago.'
"'I gave birth to you because I loved you before you were even born.'"
Hayama's eyes widen. Flashback panels to Kodocha.
"She didn't tell me exactly what it meant, but she said she was really happy to have finally experienced that for herself firsthand. And she said it with a huge smile..."
Hayama gives one of his little not-really-there smiles.
Shuri urges him to at least move to the waiting room inside. He does so, and you can hear Sana screaming her head off through the doors all, "WHAT THE HELLLLLLLL HAHAHAHA OH NO LAUGHING ISN'T GONNA WORK," as Mama is telling her to ganbatte, and Rei is kneeling on the floor with prayer beads praying like crazy lol. Shuri is like, omg you can hear her every scream maybe this wasn't a good idea, awkward... XD
Eight hours pass, and Hayama is in the chair next to Shuri sort of curled in on himself. Sana is looking totally worn out inside and the doctor yells that the baby's heart rate is dropping. Sana starts to pass out and the doctors yell at her to wake up as Shuri freaks out.
Hayama stands up and presses both his hands against the closed door, and whispers, "...Sana."
Shuri says Sana won't be able to hear him through the door like that, and reaches out to him, about to touch his shoulder. Before she touches him, she gets hit with a massive psychic wave coming from him, desperately pressing his hands against the door: "Sana!! If you die, then I'll die too!!"
The "wave" seems to hit Sana through the door and she's revived. Shuri has been knocked flat on her butt on the floor, and she's blushing furiously, thinking she's never seen the aura of someone's love for another move like that.
Hayama still has his hands pressed against the door when they hear crying from the other side. And then:
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The nurses hand the baby to Sana (it's a girl). Sana dissolves into giggles. "She looks just like her papa!" The nurses remark they've never seen someone who was in labor burst into giggles so quickly like that afterwards.
Hayama drops to his knees outside the door, and Rei is still doing prayers of thanks in the background, lol. Shuri laughs, "They're saying she looks just like you, Hayama-san! Congratulations!"
Hayama has his hands over his face, but you can see a tiny tear sneak out.
Later, he goes into the room: "They took her for some tests, and she's small but they say she's healthy."
"She's strong, huh. I'm glad...!"
"Yeah." Hayama runs his fingers through Sana's hair.
"Where's Tama-chan?"
"Huh?"
"Otoki-san, I mean."
"Oh, she went home and said she didn't want to be in the way."
"Ugh, no waaaay! You're kidding! She's my savior!"
Shuri walks home and thinks going through labor really is tough, and she couldn't believe the nurses were saying Sana actually had it pretty easy comparatively. She thinks even her own mother who can't bear to look at her anymore had to go through that to bring her into the world. "When I think of that...I feel like I can forgive her just a little..."
She goes back to the office and excitedly tells Youta the whole story. He suggests they go drinking together to celebrate, but this is after the big first groping attempt disaster and she blows him off awkwardly saying she's busy.
The next day, she's called to Sana's home again. There's a party ongoing and when she enters, they set off party poppers and open a big banner declaring her *~SAVIOR~* XD
There's one panel of the party: Mama and Hayama's dad clink their drink glasses together in a toast in the background (Maro-chan the third is trying to jump onto his head). Sana talks to Shuri, while Tsuyoshi, Aya, and Fuuka stand to the side. (Aya: "Didn't she invite Naozumi-kun?" Fuuka: "He's in America.")
Tsuyoshi (HOTTER THAN EXPECTED) says they're having a brainstorming session to think up names for the baby, still unnamed.
The whiteboard says stuff like: NASA, Maro-mi, Massako, Gonzalez. Shuri notes, "There's not a single good one up there." (Aya: "Tama-chan's such a cool beauty!" Fuuka: "She's nice, Tama-chan! The type of character who was never in Kodocha!")
Hayama bursts in with the baby looking freaked, and hands her off to Sana. He was supposed to be changing her diaper: "It's a big one, I pass!" Sana laughs that men are so useless with these things, even though he totally tried to be cool all "leave it to me!"
Shuri is leaving later, and Sana sees her out at the genkan. "Tama-chan, thank you! And please come by to tell me more about your powers later!"
"It's really not a big deal. Forget about it...."
"Um... Tama-chan... That's not your real name, is it?"
"Huh?"
"During our sessions, you mentioned that you use fake ones during work a lot. And one time Youta-kun called you, 'Sh....Tamako-san!'"
Shuri thinks she's very observant. "I'm sorry, but...not being able to reveal my real name is also part of my job, so..."
Sana smiles sadly. "........I see."
Shuri hesitates. "...but...I didn't come here today for work. So...here's my real business card."
Sana squeals and excitedly takes it. "Otokawa Shuri-chan, then! Shuri-chan, thank you so much! Come back again!"
Sana waves goodbye to her, holding the baby, with Hayama behind her. Shuri smiles as she leaves, thinking that she never had interest in marriage or a baby. "But for a boy and a girl to meet, fall in love, and become a family... And that this world is overflowing with those things... On that day a bit before my nineteenth birthday, that was a day where I was able to genuinely think from the heart that it was wonderful."
Later on, Shuri is studying for her driving exam, thinking if she passes she wants to take Youta on a date somewhere. Just then, her phone beeps with an incoming mail.
It's a photo of the baby: "To Tama-chan, or rather, Shuri-chan! We decided on the name! She's Hayama Sari! Please come and play with us again! SANA."
The kanji are, of course, Sana's "Sa" and Shuri's "ri." :)
THE END.
PRETTY MUCH AWESOME
I wish there had been moar Sana and Hayama interaction but the big Kodocha callback to Sana's old line was amazing...
After Obana's interview saying she wanted to use the Kodocha gang sparingly, I was not expecting to see any more cameos outside of Mama, so to get the whole gang was such a treat!!! EVERYONE STAYED TOGETHER FOREVER FROM ELEMENTARY INTO GROWNUP WORLD. <333333 I wish she'd put Nao in there, I like that he apparently hangs out with the gang now?! (OMG Nao and a Sana baby, I am somehow sure this would be adorable XD)
