November 1, 2006...I will never forget that date...Well, neither will Yomi. Heck, she even remembers the exact TIME. But that's not me. I can't remember details like that. I will say this, though – that basic date...I will never forget.

How can I forget it, though? It was a pretty crazy day, but...at the same time, there was a plus. A special kind of “plus.” A plus that changed our lives forever...

Tomo-Yomi Plus

By Funakounasoul

Disclaimer: I do not own the established Azu characters (Yomi, Tomo, and Osaka), but I do own everyone else.

Note: Only this part is in 1st-person. The rest of the story is done in 3rd-person. Also, language warning.

PROLOGUE

It was break time for some of us at the police academy. Even though I've been striving to become a police officer for some time at that point, training sure was long and boring. I just wanted to patrol the streets already! There's always a catch, though – obviously, you can't become an officer until you passed your training. Lucky for me, I was a college graduate, so my training time was halved.

I heard a phone ring by our instructor's office, but I didn't really care at first. It was snack time for me, after all. Before I could even sit down, however, the instructor called me up. Apparently, the call was for me. I figured it was probably Yomi again, reminding me to get some orange juice, or lemonade – whatever she felt like drinking. She has called here before just to tell me that. So much for my break...

Did I mention Yomi's pregnant? Yeah, we're both going to be mothers soon! Uh...long story...but it'll be explained later. Anyway, all this time, I've had to watch her and do any, and every, thing she told me to do. There were painful moments – plenty of them, in fact – but in the end, it's all worth it.

Anyway, I thanked my instructor and grabbed the phone. “Hello?” I tried to sound as nice and calm as possible. The last thing I wanted was for Yomi to lash out at me with another crazy mood swing.

“Ah, Tomo...Good thing you're there and all.”

“Osaka?” It was actually Osaka on the phone and not Yomi. That's a rarity. Then again, she does visit us often. It's a good thing her teaching at the nearby preschool allows her to check up on Yomi when I'm gone. “Uh...what's up?”

“Tomo, I have some news for you. It happened so fast...and it's really nice here. I just got some candy from a vending machine!”

“Osaka, what the heck are you talking about?”

“Well, Moriya-san's here, too...He's pretty shaken up...”

“Ryo-kun?” Osaka was referring to a good friend, and neighbor, of Yomi and me. His name's Ryo Moriya – really nice guy, actually. He's been our neighbor since me and Yomi moved into the apartment complex 4 years ago. As soon as I entered this training, he promised to watch over Yomi...but why is he shaken up? Don't tell me... “Did Yomi...have an extreme mood swing?”

“Not really...” In the background, I could hear Ryo shout unintelligibly, followed by Osaka calming him down. “Well, she was pretty wild on the way here...”

“Wait a minute.” Now I was confused. “What do you mean 'on the way here'? Where are you guys?!”

At that moment, I could hear Ryo scramble up to wherever Osaka was. “T-T-T-T-T-TAKINO-SAN! MIZUHARA-SAN'S I-I-I-I-I-N...SH-SHE'S IN...”

“WHAT?! WHAT'S UP WITH YOMI?!”

“Er...DAAAAHHHHH!! TOMOOOOOOO!!” That scream was so loud, it blew me away...figuratively. I recognized it, too – it belonged to Yomi. It actually sent shivers down my spine. It sounded like she was in a difficult position.

Before I could ask what was going on again, Osaka regained access to her phone. “Wow, Yomi's all the way over there, and we could clearly hear her...” I heard Ryo shout again. “Okay Moriya-san, I'll tell her...Yomi's havin' the baby.”

I froze...literally. I even dropped the phone, much to my instructor's annoyance. Finally, after nine, long, painful months, it was time. I remember being a little disappointed that I wasn't actually there for the first moments, but at least I could make it there in time for the most important part...right?

“Takino-san...What is the meaning of this?” I blinked out of my trance to find my instructor holding up a cracked phone.

I didn't even bother to chuckle like usual. “Sir...Mizuhara-san...my roommate...She's in labor and she needs me.” No one at the academy knew Yomi and I were together in a romantic sense, so they only knew her as my roommate. “May I be excused to be by her side?”

He looked over me for a moment, but fortunately, he accepted my request. As soon as I heard him say those magic words, I zoomed out of the building like a bolt of lightning. The hospital was nearby, too. I could only hope I would get there in time. Luckily, with my energy, I got there within five minutes. That was good, seeing as if I got here slower, I would surely miss the most important moment of all. After running into the building, and running up some stairs, I turned a corner and opened a door...

“YOMI! I'M HERE!!”

...Okay, so I missed the maternity ward by a floor. I apologized to the people in the room and quickly made my way upstairs. Hopefully, that would be my only mistake today.

When I reached my real destination, I was greeted by both Osaka and Ryo. Ryo was still shaking, but he seemed better than what he sounded like on the phone. Osaka, meanwhile, was as calm as usual, chewing on some sort of candy.

“Takino-san, thank goodness you're here! It was so sudden...It was a good thing Kasuga-san was there in time.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, he's talkin' about the moment Yomi's water broke...though I didn't see any leaky pipes...”

The two went on to explain the strangeness that was the ride to the hospital. Luckily, the door to our apartment was unlocked – just as I told Yomi to leave it during these days – so Ryo easily rushed in to lead Yomi downstairs. Osaka managed to grab the suitcase, though she was continuously talking about leaking pipes, even throughout the car ride. Poor Ryo, on the other hand, was stuck consoling a pretty pissed off Yomi up until they reached this floor. Even so, she was getting angrier by the minute, and it was all because she wanted me to come here.

“Takino-san, there you are.” I turned around to find Dr. Matsumoto, the man who had been there for us since the beginning, nervously standing behind all of us. He's helped us during all this time – even with our jobs and stuff, but that story's for another day – and he was the man who was in charge of that experiment me and Yomi decided to enter. He looked kind of worried, though. “Mizuhara-san seriously would like you to be by her side. She keeps shouting your name...”

“TOMOOOO!! GET THE...HELL IN HERE...DAMMIT!! GAAHHH!!”

“...Just get sanitized and get in there as soon as possible.”

I twitched. I had to go in there...with Yomi acting ten – no, a hundred times worse than those mood swings?...I had to go. I had no choice. We both made it this far, we might as well face our final challenges together. After sanitizing myself, I quickly dashed into the room before Yomi exploded in fury like the last two times. Ryo and Osaka waved goodbye, though they looked as if we were all never going to see each other again. That only made me feel worse...

When I entered the room, I could tell Yomi had been here for a while now. Her face was contorted in pain. She was still screaming, though not as loudly as before, and if she wasn't screaming, she was performing some incredible breathing exercises. They were pretty loud, to say the least. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and even her glasses were a little fogged up. Two nurses were trying their best to calm her down, but she kept insisting that she needed me. I felt sorry for them – Yomi's wrath is one you don't really want to witness firsthand, especially if you're not used to it like I was. Good thing I had rushed up to her side by then...

“Yomi! I'm here! I'm finally here...” I even clasped her hand to calm her down somewhat.

That didn't really help.

“Tomo...” she whispered harshly, though her voice was getting louder, “Where...the hell were you?! I'm in AHH – FUCKING AGONY RIGHT NOW!!”

Well, that was expected. I tried to recompose myself. “I was training, of course! I came here as fast as I could...really, I did!”

“HA! For all I know...you could've taken a...stop at...some stupid vending machine!”

At that moment, Dr. Matsumoto decided to talk, thank goodness. “Now that Takino-san is here...I suggest we start this as soon as possible. Ten minutes was a long wait...No more waiting.”

“FINALLY-EEEE!!” I had no idea what had just happened, but I was being yanked forward from my uniform's tie by Yomi's left hand. Needless to say, I was gasping for breath. She was actually choking me!

“Ono-san! Get Takino-san free, but do it fast!” I noticed a nurse approach me and helped me loosen my tie as I broke free from Yomi's grasp. I knew I forgot to do something...Well, I hoped that would be the last thing that would happen to me. I didn't really care if Yomi yelled at me (which she was, and quite fiercely, by the way) or even bopped me on the head (she was doing that, too). I just didn't want to get hurt too badly on this special day.

After being rescued from suffocation, I turned my attention back to Yomi. I was a little too squeamish for the real action, to tell the truth. I did look at the doctors occasionally, however – I didn't want to cancel out everything. I also needed to watch Yomi in case she got rowdy again. Actually, all the doctors and nurses there were truly depending on me to keep her as calm as possible.

As calm as possible...which wasn't that calm, anyway. Heck, even I began to sweat from all the effort. Nothing could really calm her down, that is, until this was all over...but that wouldn't be for a while, unfortunately.

“Come on, Yomi! You can do it...You can do it...No pain no gain!”

“No pain? I'M FEELING ALL SORTS AAAAHHH-F PAIN RIGHT NOW!! DAMMIT!!”

“Er...I mean...Really! Relax...and push!”

I could hear Dr. Matsumoto exclaiming something about the baby at that point – something good, by the look of his face – but I couldn't hear him over Yomi's voice. “YOU WANT ME TO – GAAAHHH – FUCKING RELAX AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!” She then hit me square in the middle of my head. “I'LL SHOW YOU – EEERRRGGG – YOUR DAMN RELAXING!!”

That hit really hurt my head. It was now pounding slightly, but I had to ignore it...for Yomi's sake. “Yomi...just a little more...Seriously! You can do it! Think about the kid you're gonna hold in your arms soon! Our kid!”

“You...” Yomi sneered, grabbing me by the collar. “You're so happy about the end of this whole thing, huh? There you are, pain-free and happy...telling me to be happy and to...relax...THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT I'M IN PAIN RIGHT NOW!! WHY CAN'T YOU BE IN MY PLACE?! WHY?!”

Hold it. First of all, it's not really my fault – Yomi and I both agreed to do this. Also, she volunteered herself to bear the child. I did suggest myself, but she refused it and said she wanted to do it. She knew very well what she was getting into, and she volunteered anyway. She did...Then again, do you think I should really be correcting her right now?

I didn't think so.

Though I had lost track of time, I do remember quite of bit of time had passed since this all started. We were all showing signs of fatigue, yet by the looks of the others, I could tell we were almost there. We were all now trying to calm Yomi down, spouting out any and all compliments we could come up with. She was relaxing a little, thankfully, but she still had a ways to go. Just a few more pushes...I was sure of it.

As if on cue, Dr. Matsumoto told Yomi that the girl was almost out – she just needed to help up just a few more times. Yomi was gasping by now, though she was not yelling anymore. I was already congratulating her, patting her hand and kissing it as if we were never going to see each other again. I could already feel the tears streaming down my cheeks...Ah, we had finally reached the finish line!

“Almost...almost...There she is!”

I instantly turned around to try to catch a glimpse of the baby, but...I soon realized that was a terrible mistake.

“GAHH!!”

POW!!

I could feel myself stumble backwards, but I couldn't stop myself. Why? Yomi, in a last effort to push the baby out, had sent an uppercut straight to my right eye. The shock, and power, of it all caused me to black out...at the most precious moment of all...

Poor me...Poor, poor me...

“...Tomo?”

I noticed nothing but darkness around me, though I could hear someone calling my name. It was a voice I knew very well, but the tone used was one I haven't heard in a long time. It was calm and soft – a kind and gentle voice. I tried to open my eyes at that moment, but realized my right eye was in pain. I touched it and noticed it was swollen. It was then I remembered the uppercut; Yomi had punched me so hard, I received a black eye. Still, I managed to open it somewhat, as well as my good eye, and found Yomi looking right at me.

We were all alone now, and everything was quiet. I was now sitting in a chair by the wall which was farther away from my previous location of Yomi's bedside. Yomi, meanwhile, did not have her glasses on, yet she was looking right at me. It seemed she had been looking at me all this time, actually. Her expression was a mix of worry, tiredness, and relief.

“Tomo...I'm so glad you're finally awake,” she whispered. She raised her hand, motioning me to come closer. I nodded, scooting my chair closer to the bed since my legs felt a little weak. When I reached the bed, she took a closer look at what I knew was my injured eye and frowned. “I hurt you pretty bad, didn't I?”

“...Yeah, you did...but it's okay. It was my fault, really.”

“No...It's mine. I know it is.” We looked at each other eye-to-eye – well as much as we could – and I noticed a hint of sorrow in Yomi's eyes. “I'm sorry...I'm sorry for earlier...and everything you had to go through all this time. I know I had some crazy moods, but I just couldn't control them. You understand...right?”

I could only nod in reply. While it was true, she was still unaware of all the physical pain I had to endure all this time. That was a good thing, though – I didn't want her to feel like she was more of a burden, especially after what she had to go through earlier. Yomi then smiled and kissed my blackened eye. “At least you won't have to worry about all that anymore...”

We were silent for a while before I realized something. “Yomi! The baby! You got to see her, right?!”

“Ah yes...I saw her...and held her...”

“So?! Is she cute or what?!”

Yomi laughed. “Of course she's cute! She's a beautiful girl...Our beautiful girl.”

“What's she look like?”

“Oh...you'll find out, soon. They're going to bring her in a little bit, actually. I told them not to bring her until you were awake.”

I could feel myself smile, inside and out. I was going to see our daughter soon. I secretly thanked Yomi for making that request. I guess that was just one way she could make up for all the things she had done during these past nine months.

Just then, Dr. Matsumoto walked in, smiling slightly. “Takino-san, I'm glad you're finally awake. You received quite a blow there...” He then took out a clipboard and began to write a few things. “Out of those 25 couples, 7 managed to conceive. Even still, only 4 made it this far, including yourselves. Congratulations, you two...You are the proud mothers of a wonderful, healthy baby girl.”

I finally couldn't contain my excitement from it all. “So? Where is she?”

“Oh, she's right outside, actually...You can bring her inside now!”

A nurse then stepped into the room, pushing a cart in front of her. I quickly got up from my seat. I didn't even have to move after that – the nurse gently handed the baby over to me. I was actually a little nervous, so I sat back down. I did not want to make another stupid mistake; not now, especially with a newborn in my arms. I had to admit, though, this was a really happy occasion. You couldn't really sit still at a time like this.

“So,” the doctor began, “As you know, she can only take one of your family names officially. Have you decided which one?”

“Takino.” I looked at Yomi, surprised. “She'll use Tomo's family name.”

“Okay...What about her name? Have you decided on what to name her yet?”

“Ah, Tomo should know what it is...right?”

I blinked. That's right...I was supposed to name our child. We had planned that for some time now – Yomi thought it was the least I could do, seeing as she was going to be the pregnant one. I took this duty to heart, actually; I wanted our child to have a great name, a memorable name, a unique name. The thing is, there aren't many unique-sounding names in Japanese...and I didn't want to go through baby-naming books to find some exotic, foreign names. Still, I've been searching for the perfect name, but sadly, I could not come up with one.

I looked down at the sleeping girl. It was then I noticed some things. Even though I couldn't see much from my right eye, I could clearly see her features now that she was this close to me. Her small tuft of hair...it was dark, so that obviously meant she had my hair color, though it was still too early to figure out if she had my flip or Yomi's straight style. Her lips looked a lot like mine, and I figured she would probably smile like me later on, as well. Her little nose was just a little pointy at the end, similar to Yomi's nose. When I took a closer look, I noticed she also had Yomi's ears...and her eyes. Even though she was sleeping, I could definitely tell she had Yomi's gentle-looking eyes.

That was it. It struck me like a hammer. I had finally figured out a name for this child. I looked over at Yomi, who smiled back. She did tell me long ago that as long as the name wasn't completely ridiculous, she would instantly accept the name I have chosen for our daughter. I knew for certain she would love this name. I already loved it. It was truly a great name, a memorable name...

And most of all, it was very unique.

“Takino-san? Do you have a name for her?”

“Yeah...I do. Her name is...” I looked at Yomi one last time and grinned. I was feeling proud at that moment. I felt like I had just accomplished a large sports event, made up of every single sports event I could think of. I knew Yomi felt the same way – she had that look on her face, too.

After today, it wasn't going to be just Tomo Takino and Koyomi Mizuhara. Oh no...We had an addition, a spectacular addition. She was going to be a great child, I knew she was. Yomi would make sure of it. I would make sure of it. From now, it was Tomo and Yomi plus one more...and she will be known as...

Koyomiko.

Well, this idea's been bugging me for a long time now (since fall 2007, actually). At first, I wanted to get "Wildkitten Koyomiko" out, so I could properly introduce Ryo Moriya better...but...man, this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. And especially after writing "Endurance" (from my "Break Time" series) did this story resurface...with a vengeance.

Well, this is obviously out before "Wildkitten", and to all my fans who REALLY wanted to see that come out first, I'm sorry...This idea just needed to be exposed once and for all. Also, sorry for the lack of...er...childbirthing process. I did my research (a lot of it, too), but I guess I was just too chicken to go into detail. Forgive me!

Anyway, the rest of this series is going to be written in 3rd-person, just as a reminder. It was cool seeing this day in Tomo's POV (and grammar), though, wasn't it? Also, expect to see more of Ryo...as well as some other OCs, some familiar, some not. Also, expect "Wildkitten Koyomiko" to FINALLY-FINALLY debut...I won't say when, though, as that seems to be a curse...See you next time!