Chapter 203 - Little Sunshine
The first cry resounded through the corridors of the hospital.
For one single moment...
Time ceased to exist.
Kuro stood petrified outside the birthing room, his hands barely trembling.
Hours earlier, Akari had pressed her hand so hard into his that she nearly cut off the circulation.
"Don’t you dare leave me!"
"I won’t."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
All he could do now was wait.
The doors of the birthing room slowly opened.
A smiling nurse walked out.
"Congratulations."
"You have a healthy baby girl."
Kuro blinked.
"...A daughter?"
The nurse nodded.
"The mother and baby are both doing fine."
The tension that had accumulated in his chest dissipated in a split second.
Without even noticing, he released a long breath.
"...Thank goodness."
---
Several minutes later, Kuro quietly entered the room.
Akari was completely exhausted.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes were red.
But she wore the most radiant smile he had ever seen.
"Hey..."
She murmured.
"We did it."
Kuro approached her bedside and took her hand.
"You were great."
She laughed weakly.
"I don’t feel great."
"I feel like I have run ten marathons."
"You probably worked harder than that."
She smiled.
"I will accept that."
The nurse carefully handed the tiny infant to Kuro’s arms.
He had counseled countless anxious people in his years of practice.
He had stayed calm in countless challenging situations.
But to hold someone so tiny...
Was the thing that made him the most nervous of all in his life.
The baby slowly opened its eyes.
Small hands grabbed one of his.
His heart instantly softened.
"...Hello."
Akari watched silently.
"She already holds your hand."
"I guess..."
Kuro smiled tenderly.
"...I am already wrapped around hers."
---
Several days later, the new family finally came back home.
The small house that used to resonate with laughter of Akari was now greeted by an even smaller sound.
Sometimes it cried.
Loudly.
At three o’clock in the morning.
Akari sat on the sofa, gently rocking the baby.
"I changed her diaper."
"I fed her."
"I sang to her."
"Why is she crying?"
Kuro looked at the baby.
The tiny girl yawned abruptly and fell asleep in his arms.
Akari stared.
"...What?"
"How?"
"I don’t know."
She folded her arms dramatically.
"I carried her for twenty minutes."
"You hold her for twenty seconds."
"And she falls asleep?"
Kuro smiled apologetically.
"I think I got lucky."
"No."
"I think she has taken sides already."
---
Life had become wonderfully hectic.
Some mornings started before sunrise.
Some nights ended with both parents lying on the floor of the living room because they had been too tired to get into the bed.
Coffee had become essential.
Sleep had become an amenity.
One day, Akari carefully placed their daughter on a soft blanket in the living room.
"I’ll be right there."
She rushed into the kitchen.
Thirty seconds later—
"Kuro!"
"Our daughter has disappeared!"
Kuro calmly looked at the hallway.
The little girl somehow managed to crawl half of the way to the bookshelf.
He lifted her.
"I have found her."
Akari put her face in her hands.
"She is so fast!"
Kuro looked at the giggling baby.
"I wonder from whom she has got that."
Akari pointed at herself proudly.
"Definitely me."
"But she smiles like you."
Kuro looked down as the little girl reached for his cheek.
"...Maybe she has inherited something from both of us."
---
Many months passed, and their daughter learned to walk.
Unfortunately...
She also learned to run.
Very fast.
One rainy afternoon, she ran through the house wearing one of Kuro’s large slippers.
"I am a giant!"
Akari ran after her.
"Slow down!"
"I am too powerful!"
Kuro watched the scene from the sofa with a pleased smile.
Within seconds...
Both mother and daughter slipped safely onto a pile of pillows that Akari forgot to clear away.
Silence.
Then...
Laughter.
Very soon, all three of them were laughing.
---
That evening, having finally put their daughter to bed, Akari leaned on Kuro on the porch.
The house had become quiet again.
For the time being.
She smiled tiredly.
"I am so tired."
"So am I."
"But..."
She looked through the window into the small bedroom where their daughter was sleeping peacefully.
"...I have never felt happier."
Kuro intertwined his fingers with hers.
He remembered the quiet apartment where they had settled right after their wedding.
Back then, he had thought that their home is already filled with laughter.
But now...
It is filled even more than he ever would have imagined.
There are toys scattered all over the living room.
Tiny shoes left near the front door.
Drawings attached with tape to the refrigerator.
And in every corner of the house, there was warmth of the family they have built together.
Having glanced one more time in the direction of the bedroom, Kuro smiled.
"Our little sunshine..."
"...made this place brighter than either of us."
Akari leaned her head on his shoulder.
"And I think..."
"Our greatest adventure..."
"...has just begun."
The seasons kept changing.
Spring passed into summer and then autumn started taking hold.
Kuro and Akari did not even notice how soon their little sunshine learned to walk while gripping the living room sofa.
Akari gasped.
"Kuro!"
"Hurry!"
"I think she is going to do it!"
Kuro came from the kitchen with two cups of tea.
"What happened?"
Akari pointed with her finger.
"Our little sunshine!"
"She is standing alone!"
The little girl glanced at her father and her mother.
Determined look was on her face.
She lifted one leg.
Then the other.
Small step.
Kuro and Akari could see how she wobbles.
Akari stretched her hand to the little girl.
Kuro held her back.
"Wait."
"But she is going to fall!"
"If we hold her too soon..."
"...she will never realize that she can do it on her own."
Akari lowered her hands reluctantly.
The little girl took a couple more steps.
She lost her balance.
She gently landed on the thick play mat with a "oof".
There was silence in the room for one second.
And...
Instead of crying...
She started laughing!
Akari laughed along, relieved.
"She is exactly like me."
Kuro smiled.
"No."
"I think she is braver."
The little girl started pushing herself up again.
And again.
Every time she fell, she immediately started climbing back on her feet.
Looking at her, Akari remembered Kuro’s words some years ago after the failed university festival.
"You always stand back up."
She looked at her daughter and smiled.
"Maybe she got it from both of us."
---
A few weeks later, the house changed completely.
Colorful alphabet blocks were lying everywhere.
Books were put in lower bookshelves.
Tiny socks were appearing in unexpected places.
Kuro opened the refrigerator one morning and saw there one of the stuffed rabbits belonging to the baby.
He stared at it confused.
"...Akari?"
"Yes?"
"Why is there a rabbit in the refrigerator?"
Akari peeked from the kitchen door and laughed.
"Oh!"
"We were playing grocery store yesterday."
"I guess she forgot to check out."
Kuro took out the stuffed rabbit.
"I suppose it is fresh."
Their daughter happily clapped her hands, believing that her game was understood.
---
One Saturday afternoon the old high school group gathered again.
Yui brought homemade cookies.
Rika had a sketchbook and immediately started drawing baby’s funny faces.
Aoi brought educational toys as she spent an entire week researching about child development.
Mina brought balloons that somehow turned out to be twice the size of the child.
Living room became even noisier.
Their daughter went from one guest to another without any sign of shyness.
And when she met Kuro, she lifted her arms to him.
"Up!"
He easily picked her up.
She threw her little arms around his neck and leaned on his shoulder.
Yui smiled.
"She really trusts you."
Kuro looked at the sleepy little face.
"I think I am the lucky one."
Akari looked at them from across the room.
For a minute she said nothing.
She just enjoyed the peaceful picture.
Years ago, she fell in love with Kuro because he made people feel safe.
Now she finally realized something more.
The same kindness that calmed the strangers, encouraged the friends and supported her during hard times naturally became the source of warmness for their little sunshine.
Laughter filled the rooms until evening.
And looking around, Akari realized that this is the kind of life she used to dream about.
It was not perfect.
Toys needed to be cleaned up.
Someone would definitely spill the juice on the carpet before the end of the day.
Dishes needed to be washed after dinner.
Their daughter definitely would wake them up long before the sunrise next morning.
But...
She would never trade any of those moments.
Their home was not quiet.
It was not tidy.
But it was full of love .
A lot of love .
And every laugh of their little sunshine reminded them that the happiest pages of their story belonged to their family now.