April 3rd, 2010
Yukari and Aigis' Room
Evening
"Fuka-san told me about your situation," Aigis inquired as she sat on the edge of her own bed. "So what is this, 'pregnancy' thing? I have never heard of it before..."
Yukari looked down at her no longer flat stomach. Instead, it was starting to grow a bit rounded. She gave a soft smile and touched her belly with her whole hand.
"It's... Really complicated and embarrassing to explain..." The younger girl awkwardly laughed. "Essentially, inside of me is growing a human. A very small human called a baby. And that baby, once born, will slowly grow into any other human you've seen before,"
The living robot turned her head to the side. "How did it get in there?" Her curiosity was blossoming, making it hard for Yukari to keep a calm composer without fidgeting and blushing.
"I... Let me just say that... Makoto had some part in it," she nervously laughed again, her blushing increasing to a brighter color of pink. "So, inside me grows... our child..." She rubbed her belly again, her eyes starting to water from the thought of it, but she shook them off and smiled.
Aigis took a moment of thinking, a finger on her chin and a focused gaze in her eyes, looking away from her. Then she turned back to her. "So, once this 'human baby' comes out, it will be like Makoto-san?" She proposed.
"Well, a mix of him and me," Yukari responded, but then stopped. "Though I don't know how much would be him or me..." She too took her turn to think, also looking away from Aigis.
"I'm excited," the robot girl declared, gaining the human girl's attention. "It's like our Makoto-san is being reborn, right?" Her question rang in the girl's mind, then made her smile.
"Maybe..."
...
All throughout those nine months, the girls of the dorm were with her, taking care of her every need. Even Aigis, who knew the least about human babies, was more than excited to help. Even though during the school days, when Yukari was alone in the dorm, Mitsuru sent a family worker to aid her and keep an eye on her throughout every step of the way. That wasn't to say the girls didn't do much to help. Every afternoon, when they came home, Aigis would have the day's schoolwork and homework for her to do, while Fuka had a treat for her every day.
They weren't judgemental towards the young mother at all. Instead, they encouraged her to stay herself and not worry about those at school whispering and spreading rumors about her. They let her leave it up to them to quell and disband the falsehood of their gossip-hungry classmates.
After all they went through, it was like a sisterhood they all always wanted.
So when that day in late October finally came, they never left her side...
...
November 1st, 2010
Yukari and Aigis' Room
Evening
"I made a special place in our room for Little Makoto-san," the metal girl pointed towards a spacious section of their shared room. In it, Aigis and the other girls set up an area with a crib, changing station, and a rocking chair, all in accents of the color of a peaceful, sky blue.
Fuka gave a giggle, pressing a hand to her lips. "His name is Hisato, Aigis," She reminded her friend with a wide smile. She turned her gaze to Mitsuru, who also gave a chuckle as well.
"I don't blame her," the older girl replied with a small smile. "He does look strikingly like him already..." They both turned their gaze to the newborn they spoke of in the arms of his mother. The infant payed no mind to the others in the room. All he did was curl up into his mother's arms, grasping with all his strength to her shirt. Her friends comments were on point. Little Hisato hadn't opened his eyes much, but when he did, he had his mother's light brown eyes; however, the little hair he did have atop his head was the familiar blue they haven't seen in a long time. Overall, he was, in Aigis' words, indeed Little Makoto-san.
As she slowly walked over to his corner, she stared at her newborn son. This little life in her hand was more than just a child. He was a gift, a blessing from his late father to his mother. As any other teenage girl, carrying a child as a high school student was both a physically and mentally draining job. If it wasn't for whom the boy's father was, she wouldn't have made the choice to carry full term. Of course, she was scared, frightened and, most of all, unsure, but with the support of her amazing friends, she was able to get ahold of herself and make the best decision of her life.
Once in front of the crib, she held Hisato out in front of her, watching as the newborn made noises of a small protest, kicking his little feet. Though as she lowered him into his crib, he calmed at the realization that she was here to stay.
"It was really nice of you to come visit, Mitsuru-sempai," Fuka commented to her older friend, looking up due to the slight height difference. The older girl smiled, watching as the new mother stared at her son as she gently rocked the crib. The little boy made a few more soft noises before going silent.
"Well, there was no way I could ever forgive myself if I didn't," She finally replied, closing her eyes and smiling. "Besides, school isn't going anywhere. This short moment of Hisato's new life is fleeting as we speak... Before we know it, he'll be starting his first day elementary school," She chuckled at the thought herself.
"Come on, Mitsuru-sempai..." Yukari slightly whined, but smiling wide. "He was only born a few days ago. Let me sink into the fact that I'm a mother before I start thinking about that!" Everyone had a laugh, as well as Hisato, who gave out a loud, happy shriek before settling down into a few softer sounds like before.
"Besides," Fuka started again. "Being a mother is already hard enough. Being a single mother is a whole different challenge..." She looked down at the ground, and the others took a solemn moment, thinking about their loss almost half a year past.
Aigis perked up with an honest question. "What does 'single mother' mean?" she asked her fellow females.
"It means that the mother is raising her children on her own, without a spouse or the father of said children," Fuka gladly explained, more than happy to help the mother's roommate settle in to the whole new life.
"I see..." Aigis responded, turning her head away from the others. But only for a moment because she turned right back to them, Yukari in particular. "Then I'll be Hisato-san's surrogate father for him," she declared with a clenched fist to her chest.
Fuka couldn't help but giggle and Mitsuru let a smile spread across her face. "You mean his second mother, Aigis..." Yukari chuckled, smiling as much as she was thankful.
The robot girl turned her head to the side once again. "Is that possible?" she questioned with great curiosity.
"Of course it is!" Fuka answered, her hands pressed together in front of her. "A child can have more than one mother,"
Mitsuru raised a polite hand. "How does godmother sound, Aigis?" she suggested in reasoning for a more accurate title.
"'Godmother'..." Aigis repeated the word.
"Hisato's godmother, Aigis!" Fuka cheerfully stringed the words together. "That sound wonderful! What do you say, Aigis?" She turned to the robot girl, who already had given an answer. She walked over to Hisato's crib and peered in at the infant.
"I'm Aigis," she introduced herself to mini Makoto. "I'm your godmother. Nice to meet you, Hisato-san," She touched the baby's small hand with a metal finger. Hisato flinched at first, but then relaxed his small hand around it.
The other girls gasped in awe, smiles plastered on their faces. "He has grabbed my finger," Aigis announced to the others, keeping her gaze locked on Hisato. The little boy made small gurgles and pulled her finger closer into his curled up ball. She continued to stare, as if studying everything about him by a single gaze.
Yukari let out a loud yawn, covering her mouth in politeness, then sat on the edge of her bed. "All this excitement is enough for me," she told the others, slightly slouching from drained energy. "I think I'm going to rest till morning for now," She didn't even bother to remove her clothes, since they were baggy enough to sleep in. Pulling up the covers, she slid into bed and covered herself up.
"She's right," Mitsuru responded, softly. "Even though it's been a over a week, recovering is a long road ahead of her..." They all looked at the new mother, whom was already drifting off to sleep, then to the infant boy, who too was tried from the long day, as any newborn should.
"Well, goodnight Yukari," Fuka quietly told the sleepy mother. All that was give in return was inaudible mumbles, shifting in her bed before settling back down. Her and Mitsuru left the room together, quietly closing the door behind them. Aigis was left, still staring intently at little Hisato. The little one only moved now and again, but still, was full of life, compared to his father.
"Makoto-san..." She murmured, staring at Hisato with low eyes. She may not know much about these human babies, but she felt peace when she watched her late friend's son, sleeping softly and safe, just like that day. The day he left this world behind...
She shook her head. Then smiled.
This time, it was different.