Disclaimer:

All intellectual and property rights of Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu. Manga and anime rights belong to whomever holds them for each country or region. The world of Love Hina is being used without permission and without the intent of infringing upon these rights. No profit is being made. If you recognize it, it belongs to Ken Akamatsu. If you don't recognize it, there is still a strong chance it belongs to Akamatsu. The seldom and rare things that Akamatsu doesn't claim as his own and could be construed as mine I release to Public Domain.

This work was not beta read. If you, the reader, find anything in error, feel free to let me know and I will endeavor to fix it if I can. As such, thank you for making this better for the next reader. Those who wish to beta read this story merely has to let me know.

Chapter Six:

Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble when you are most alone
the memory of love will bring you home

Keitaro stretched and yawned as he walked from his quarters towards the mess. He knew he'd find Motoko there. She tended to get up early to train and let him sleep in until breakfast. Ever since the Yulvians had helped her, slowly, break their chi bond – she could practice freely.

The two had been unbonded for a couple years now, but it still felt strange for both. Keitaro was musing on just that topic as he sleepily shuffled along the passageway. When he got to the mess, he saw Motoko, a vision of loveliness, resting at a table with two trays out. He smiled as he joined her at the table.

"Ah, I see today's menu is pink goop with a side of yellow gel." Their diet still subsisted of highly synthesized chemical mixtures designed to provide as much nutrients as the aliens knew how.

Motoko giggled. "Taste like crap, but I feel as healthy as ever so it must be good for you."

"How is it that they can understand everything about our biology except how taste buds work?" Keitaro good naturedly mocked. "Once I finally get my hands on a honest to goodness, straight from the cow, steak, I don't think I'll be able to handle the taste. My brain will explode from extreme taste shock."

Motoko laughed harder. "Well, the brown goo almost has a tolerable taste. Though I wouldn't be surprised if all the goo were actually the same compound and they just color it differently day to day."

Keitaro smiled as he dug in; at which point he grimaced as his spoon reached his mouth. "So, how was practice?" he asked as he scowled at his plate.

"It was good. I haven't been in a good fight since we started working on this ship."

Keitaro nodded. "You miss being on the pirate's ship because then you had plenty of battles."

"Is it that obvious? What does it say about me?"

Keitaro winked at her. "Just that you're a bloodthirsty, battle hungry deviant."

Motoko giggled and playfully punched Keitaro's arm. "It's not that I am ungrateful for the job. And any time their research requires us to suit up and go outside the ship, it's a lot of fun. But working on a research ship is so boring. we're too far out from the shipping lanes for pirates to attack. And we have yet to stumble upon a hostile alien species."

"Hey, I am sure they're happy to have it be event free. Excitement means a risk to their mission."

"I know," Motoko said grumpily. "I just … You ever miss us?"

Keitaro frowned. "I though we were right here. What am I missing?"

Motoko rolled her eyes. "I mean back on the transport, when we were still linked. You kept me sane. Do you miss those days?"

Keitaro nodded. "Often. But it was a kind of relationship cheat. So maybe it's better we learn how to be strong without a crutch holding us together?"

"I was thinking of trying to figure out how to do it again with chi. We were exposed to those worms for so long … I wonder if I could recreate their ability."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous? Sort of like how we had to drop the other chi technique, because it really could have messed things up if you ever got pregnant."

Motoko blushed and dipped her head. "About that ..."

Keitaro looked up from his breakfast at the edge in her words. "About what?"

Motoko smiled at him such a serene and joyful smile. "I'm late. So I went to the med-hold. Scans show we're going to be parents."

Keitaro was flabbergasted. Then he was overjoyed. He launched himself out of his seat as he screamed in joy, to the amusement of those Yulvians that were currently in the mess. "That's great news!" He dived over the table to give Motoko a hug. "I'm just sorry we're not actually married."

Motoko shrugged. "In my heart, a wedding would only count if I could have my family and friends there."

"Me too. Though any sort of alien joining festival or celebration would have been fun. Too bad the concept of marriage is so unknown to the Yulv."

Motoko nodded. "Be that as it may-"

Keitaro cut her off. "Wait. Is you wanting a mental link connected to you being pregnant? I'm not sure I want you risking our baby by experimenting like that."

Motoko rubbed her head in a nervous manner. "I'm afraid. Would the idea of fatherhood scare you away? Would a child come between our love? Would it make parenting easier? I'm afraid and I wanted to take shelter in the warmth of your thoughts and love."

Keitaro tightened his embrace. "I'm not going anywhere. We're going to raise this kid and it'll be great."

Motoko snuggled deeper into his arms and breathed in his scent deeply. She hummed a happy note. Then, she began to giggle, which soon became laughter.

"What is it?"

"I was just imaging introducing our eighty-five Yulvian years old child to our friends when we finally get back home."

Keitaro barked a rough laughter. "That's not going to go over well."

"Not at all."

Keitaro sighed. "By then, our kids will be adults and would have never known our home. They'll probably want to stay out here. It'll be more like the Hinata Retirement Home for us two. Being put out out to pasture by our young and ungrateful offspring. They never call, never visit. And we'll keep yelling at Shinobu to bring us more ice cream."

Motoko laughed into Keitaro's shirt. "Come on, Dad. Let's go announce the good news to everyone else."

Keitaro and Motoko laughed as they stumbled into their quarters. It was late as their fellow crew members wanted to celebrate their joyous news. The party went long and hard.

"That was quite the party," Keitaro whispered as he tickled Motoko under her ribcage.

Motoko swatted his fingers away. "Yeah, they never struck me as party animals. Perhaps offsprings are very important in their culture?"

"Or, they're just overjoyed because now they can study how our species reproduces and develops. It's probably a research thing for them."

Motoko laughed. "That does sound like a very Yulvian scientist outlook. Either way, that was fun. For a while, I forgot how much I miss being home. I should be sharing such news with my mom and sister. I should be celebrating with the others Shinmei."

"Yeah. By the time we get back, all of these firsts and milestones will have been used up. I don't think my mom will forgive me for cheating her out of meeting her grandchildren."

"And Tsuruko will have wanted to spoil her nephew or niece. And mother would have given me all kinds of advice. Father would insist on teaching my children sword forms as soon as they could walk. Sister would probably buy them toy swords."

Keitaro nodded. "Mom and dad would probably bring fresh baked sweet buns every time they visited. Insist on us visiting all the time. Kanako would babysit." Then Keitaro broke into a laugh. "And then there's Su. Probably build a Mecha-Tama baby stroller or something like that."

Motoko laughed alongside him. "Shinobu would hand make the baby food, refusing to get store bought. And Kitsune would sit the baby on her lap as she watched the horses."

Keitaro sighed. "Instead we have the Yulv scientist aboard this mission. Probably teach our kid all about astrophysics and advanced calculus. Probably could pass the Tokyo University exam at the age of twelve."

"They'd fall in love with a Yulvian. Not get married, since Yulvians don't. Adopt Yulvian kids of their own." Motoko cuddled into Keitaro. "But even so, I would still have your child."

Keitaro nudged his lover. "There's only one woman I would want to be the mother of my children."

"But since Naru isn't here, you'll settle for me," Motoko teased him.

After a loud laugh, Keitaro kissed Motoko on the lips. "There's no settling involved."

She smiled. "I do often think, though. What if we were never sent so far away from Earth? How would life have unfolded then? Would we have found love, or would you have ended up with someone else."

"I think we would have realized how perfect we are together and that would be that."

Motoko gave him a sad smile. "But without the chi technique or the mind worms, without the fear of dying at any moment … I don't think I would have wised up so easily. I was so shy around you. I refused to acknowledge that I had feelings for you. I would use anger to keep you distant. That version of me would only have understood her heart when it was too late."

"Hey … no more silly talk. That wasn't the hand we were dealt, so why worry about it? It doesn't change who were are now and what we now have. That's all that matter." Keitaro caressed his beloved's hair. "How about we go get some rest. Tomorrow might be a busy day. Or not. We still have a few weeks before we arrive at the next destination."

Keitaro and Motoko found themselves sitting in the med-bay, being interviewed by the ship's medic.

"To better understand the medical care that will be needed to be provided for when you spawn your offspring, I have a few questions. There seems to be great variety between the two of you. Is your race always so divided?"

Keitaro shot Motoko a confused look. Motoko shrug. "I think they don't quite get the concept of human gender."

"Oh!" Keitaro felt that made a lot of sense. "Well, yes. Our race is divided in boys and girls."

The medic made a confused whistling noise. "Children? But are there not also adults?"

"He means male and female. I am a female of my species."

However, the alien language had no words for male or female, and thus the medic was not any more enlightened. "I shall call you the type-one, then."

"I'm a male." Keitaro said hoping to be helpful.

"Type-two."

The two Earthlings shrugged, used to the language barrier. The medic tooted softly to itself. "So, I have observed some traits. Type-one is extremely aggressive and offensive. Type-two excels at defensive aspects such as healing. Type-two also exaggerates emotional displays while the displays of type-one are much subdued in comparison. Your spawn will follow this model, no?"

"Heh, heh, heh." Keitaro nervously scratched at his head. "Well, you'll never get to meet others like us. So you can't know that regardless of type-one or two, everyone is a bit different. And those observations can easily be swapped for other cases."

Motoko nodded. "Our child may be different yet, perhaps combining different aspects of Keitaro and myself."

"So inter-individual variability is high, and melding of the parents is a likelihood?"

"We'll just have to wait and see," Motoko answered.

Keitaro was half wearing a space-suit, standing in front of his open locker, when Motoko came into the room. "Motoko!" He smiled, then frowned thoughtfully. "Is it safe for you to be working extra-vehicular?"

Motoko nodded. "I'm only four months along. The medic is carefully monitoring everything day by day, they'll let me know when I should take it easy." She began to strip out of the heavy fabric clothing they wore casually around the ship.

"That's good. Today shouldn't be too bad. Just repairing a sensor array so they can do a broad electromagnetic spectrum analysis of the binary star we're approaching."

Motoko hummed her agreement. "I was told that the graviton detectors are acting up again. We'll have to give that a look at, as well."

Keitaro sighed. "Not again," he groaned.

"And preliminary readings indicate a potential life bearing planet in the system. They're gearing up their xenobiology equipment. I suspect their hoping for an early phase, so they an study an example of life getting a kickstart." Motoko began to slip her space-suit on.

Keitaro scratched his head in thought. "I take it still nothing that could look like Earth?"

"Ooh," Motoko squealed as she rubbed her belly.

Keitaro blinked. "What was that?"

"It was nothing. And no, nothing that looks like Earth."

"Hmm. Yulvians still okay with us asteroid mining asteroids for mineral wealth while they study the system? I'd like to be able to buy a spaceship of our own. But what to name it?"

Motoko shook her head. "Hey, have you been thinking of baby names? Or just ones for a ship?"

"Yeah. Haven't thought of a good one yet. I think the ship would be easier. Except it'll likely be our family home for the next few decades." Keitaro smiled at the thought of a family.

"We could call it Hinata, in honor of the dorms. Which should have been where we raised our family."

Keitaro sighed as he got a far away look. "So a 'Hinata-maru' to pair with the 'Hinata-sou'? Yeah, that would be a great idea. Thanks!"

"What have you thought of, so far, for our child's name?" Motoko slipped on the gloves to her suit.

"Well," Keitaro said as he zipped up his own suit, "I'm pretty sure I like 'Hope' … but it's an English name."

Motoko waddled into the quarters she shared with Keitaro and collapsed into a soft seat the Yulvians had designed for them. It was a tough membrane filled with a gel like substance shaped vaguely like a kidney bean. Keitaro followed soon after, closing the door after him.

"Can I get you anything? A foot rub perhaps?" He asked his lover as he leaned against her chair.

Motoko shook her head. "I have such a craving for Earth food. Rice, pickled vegetables, tempura …" She sighed.

"Maybe in eighty-three, eighty-four years." He bent over her and kissed her softly. "But I can go get a ration of goo or two if you're feeling hungry."

Motoko rubbed her head. "No, I've already had plenty. I'm just … my back is sore, I feel some discomfort, and all I've done for the past week was training. And now, tomorrow when there is finally something fun for us to do, the Yulvians don't want me taking unnecessary risks.

"I just feel so useless." Motoko hung her head in shame.

Keitaro embraced her. "Nonsense. You're, right now, doing the most important thing in the entire universe. You are ensuring our little wasabi-bean grows strong and healthy. I'm the one who doesn't feel adequate enough. What can I do that could ever compare to this?"

Motoko smiled softly. "You charmer, you. If our children inherit even half of your ability to heal, they'll be healthier than an ox. That's a feat I'll never match." They smiled at each other, content to just look into each others' eyes and bask in the feelings of love. "Ooh!" Motoko exclaimed as her hand came down to rub her belly.

"Everything alright?" Keitaro's concern shone from his eyes.

Motoko nodded. "Just a quick pang of pain. I'm sure it was nothing."

Keitaro frowned, but nodded. "Just make sure to let the Doc know if something doesn't feel right.

Keitaro's face mask fogged from his breath. He glanced down at an image display, showing a photo of Motoko and himself taken when they had first joined the crew. The image flipped to another, a more recent photo of him and Motoko – her bare belly hanging out with Keitaro's head resting upon it.

Keitaro's eyes than raised again to focus on the task at hand. 'Gotta be safe; get back to Motoko.'

The Yulvians finally reached the point in their journey where they wanted to probe a black hole … from the inside. To do so, they had designed and built a number of probes to launch over the event horizon. The main design problem being getting a high enough data rate in the telemetry transmissions to receive all of the readings before the probes were utterly destroyed by the gravitational forces. The predicted lifespan of a probe was less than one heartbeat of Keitaro's pulse.

The solution was to position a receiver close to, and just outside of, the event horizon so that a strong reception would insure minimal data loss. And as the Yulvians were not going to park their spaceship in such a precarious and risky location, they built a small shuttle that would be used to both launch probes and maintain radio contact with them. All of this was planned and built well before Motoko and Keitaro came to Yulv. With the humans joining the team, the Yulvians merely retrofitted the shuttle to better adapt it to Human ergonomics.

Which is why Keitaro was now flying a shuttle and trying his darndest to not get too close to the black hole, while still trying to get close enough. He felt like he was walking a tight rope.

His headset chirped, "Arriving at Waypoint four. You may commence launching probe BH007 and BH008."

Keitaro nodded as he replied, "Roger. Launching probe BH007 and 8 in three … two … one … launch!"

Two devices blasted out from his shuttle, making Keitaro think of war movies he saw where torpedoes where launched from a submarine. Their navigation was slaved to his console, and with a deft flick of a joystick, they veered towards the event horizon and immediately appeared to stretch like taffy before blinking out of existence as they were swallowed in the absolute blackness of the singularity.

Keitaro checked the data stream and was pleased to see a flow of incomprehensible symbols, showing that the probes were making measurements and readings and that the data link was stable. After about a heartbeat, or so, the stream abruptly stopped. Keitaro knew the probes were destroyed.

Clicking the headset to send, Keitaro reported back, "Success. Moving on to Waypoint five." He then, gingerly, began to apply thrusters. Keitaro gulped as he carefully steered the shuttle as he made his way further around the event horizon that encircled the black hole. He once again let his gaze shift to the slide show of photos, the current image being one of Motoko wearing a space-suit, with nothing else on underneath, and a seam coyingly and teasingly open to suggest more than it revealed.

'Keep your eyes on the prize.'

Keitaro balanced the tray of food in his left hand as he worked the door control with his right. As the door slid open, he could see Motoko resting in the chair, with a warming gel-pack on her forehead. Closing the door behind him, he softly announced himself, "Dinner is served."

Motoko, without opening her eyes, replied. "I heard you come in, just meditating."

Keitaro nodded. He placed the tray on a counter, near one wall, and began sorting out the food. "I also grabbed the nutrient-pack from the med-lab on my way to the mess. How are you feeling?"

Motoko eased herself onto her feet. "I'm feeling good. I find meditating helps. It's amazing, I can feel the flow of chi in my womb. How was work? They let you salvage the rest of that comet once they took all of their samples and mined it for ice?"

Keitaro nodded happily. "Yeah. Once they got the precious stuff, water and simple organic compounds, they let me have the 'useless' metals and the 'worthless' silicon." Keitaro said this with a smirk, knowing full well the scientists hadn't any need for those. And as they're easily mined, cheap to buy in any open market. "We'll be able to trade those in for some extra credit when we return from voyaging through the boondocks of space. Add to our nest-egg."

"That is wonderful! At least we won't be returning home empty handed."

Keitaro moved to be by her side and placed an arm as support behind her back. He gently helped her towards dinner. "Though, I'd be happy to just be home again, even if we had nothing but the clothes on our backs."

"Oh!" Motoko rubbed her belly. "I think the baby is doing some katas."

Keitaro gave her a loving smile. "Just like Mom."

The two began to eat their dinners. "I been thinking," Keitaro said in between bites, "about us, about the baby. Thinking of all the things my parents had done for me, and missing that I can't do the same. Picnics under blossoming cherry trees. Kanji and kana lessons. Playing games. Stories before bedtime. Going to school and making friends … OK, I wasn't so good at that last one.

"I realize we can still tell stories, and get the Yulvians to make us some simple toys like a ball. But there's so much I would look forward to that we'll never get to experience with our own child."

Motoko nodded. "Certainly, I can share the family art. But I too have been remembering the little things. Going out on trips around Kyoto, festivals, and sleep overs. We'll just have to adapt." She scowled and grimaced; Keitaro thinking it was both the topic and that she just took a spoonful of the nutrient pack.

"We're halfway done with this mission. But when we get back, we'll probably have to join another. There isn't much else we can do as an occupation."

Motoko nodded. "And so, we'll just have to be the best parents we can, raising our baby on spaceships."

Keitaro sent her a smirk. "We'll just have to have a few more so they don't get lonely."

Motoko giggled and playfully swatted at his arm. "Oh, behave you."

Keitaro smiled and quietly ate a few more brights. When he looked at her again, he noticed a tightness around her eyes. "Are you feeling alright? Need anything?"

Motoko shook her head. "I'll be fine. Thank you, love."

"If you say so. Oh, yeah. I was talking with the Quartermaster earlier. He's going to help us set up a nursery in the corner. I thought you might like to join us, we'll be going over ideas in a couple of days."

Motoko smiled. "That would be splendid. Thank you for thinking of it. I wish I had my mother and sister to help with such. I'm afraid I don't know all of what we'll need."

"Me neither, but we can figure it out as we go."

A couple sleep cycles had passed. Early on, Motoko had commented that the Yulvian timing for their day seemed longer than back on Earth and it would sometimes cause her physical stress. But the two adapted as best they could and had grown used to the timing. The duo had just finished their breakfast and were slowly making their way to the Quartermaster's office.

"Some sort of crib, clearly. I don't know if the Yulvians have something better than diapers or if we'll need to get a supply of cloth squares to make do. So maybe a diaper pail? Uh … What else do babies need?" Keitaro smiled to Motoko as he held her hand.

She was frowning, being cranky that morning. "How should I know? I never had one before nor anyone else in my family."

Ketaro calmly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "If you're tired, we can go back. There's no hurry."

Motoko growled and pouted. "Let's just get this over with," she whined.

Keitaro was concerned; Motoko was in a bad mood and he wasn't sure why.

The meeting was a bit tiresome. The Quartermaster kept asking about dimensions and measurements, and Keitaro had to guess at how big the furnishings needed to be. Keitaro was happy with himself that he remembered to ask for a rocking chair, so Motoko could relax and rock the baby. He was rewarded with the tiny smile that graced Motoko's lips.

After what seemed like an overly long meeting, the two were returning to their quarters.

"While you rest, I am going to go get some work done," Keitaro casually mentioned. "There's a dark body which could either be the remnants of a very large star or the dark matter equivalent of a brown star. The captain wants me to take the shuttle near it and I'll need to help get a sensory array installed in place of the probe bay."

Motoko nodded. "If I feel up to it, I'll visit the Med-bay for the daily check up. I'll also inquire if the Yulvians have anything like diapers or not. If not, I'll try to get us something to use."

Keitaro patted the hand he held with his other hand. "When I get the shuttle ready, you could always come with me when I take it out to test run the sensors. I won't need to go far or anyplace risky, so you should be cleared for it. It'll do you good to get out a bit more again."

"I'd like that. To be able to look out at the stars again."

The first sign Keitaro had of trouble was the iron like grip on his shoulder and the sound of Motoko gasping in pain. He shot awake immediately. "What's wrong?"

Motoko whimpered, amplifying his worry, before answering, "Something's wrong and I think my water just broke."

Keitaro nodded as he got out of bed. He scooped the woman he considered to be his wife, even if they had yet to legally or ceremonially wed, into his arms and began carrying her out of their quarters. "Just hang on, I'll get you down to the med bay," he soothed his love as he walked quickly – but not too quickly as he did not want to jostle her too much.

Motoko burrowed into his grip, latching an arm around his neck. "Please hurry."

The medic had not been in, being so late into the sleep cycle, but Keitaro knew what button to press to send an alarm to the medic. So after gently placing Motoko onto an urgent care bed, he hit the alarm and then waited by Motoko's side, gently caressing her arm.

The medic, who didn't sleep far from the medical sector, was quick to arrive. "What's the prob … Oh, dear! Quick, help me get these monitors into place." The medic and Keitaro worked quickly, prepping Motoko for delivery.

"I'll need you to stay calm," the medic advised.

"Here that?" Keitaro said from where he was practically vibrating in place, "just remain calm."

"I meant you, Keitaro," the medic said with amusement. "If you could stand here, try to distract the patient."

Keitaro nodded and took Motoko's hand into his. "Just breathe deep."

The medic whistled softly. "I wonder if it is normal that so many pain receptors engage during the process? That seems biologically a conundrum."

"Can you do anything for the pain?" Keitaro asked as he saw a grimace pass over Motoko's face.

"Only so much, but this should help some."

Keitaro was pleased to see Motoko's face ease and relax a bit. The sweat on her brow captivated him as she worked on breath control, as if she was preparing to train or meditate. "Try meditating, love. Maybe you can help with some kind of chi trick."

Motoko nodded and turned her focus inwards.

"Oh dear," the medic exclaimed with a shocked hoot. "Vitals are erratic, blood pressure is dropping. I'll have to induce a quickening of the natural pace. If you two can just relax, I'll get some needed tools."

Keitato nodded and made a point not to look at what the medic might be needing. His imagination was conjuring up high-tech saws to cut Motoko open.

Motoko hadn't heard, she was deep in a trance following the chi flows in her womb. She traced it until she felt the core of her own child. 'Stay strong little one. I have someone very important to us both who desperately wants to meet you.' She diverted some of her own natural chi to try to reinforce that of her child. As the chi mixed, Motoko felt something familiar within her offspring.

'Could this be?' Motoko recognized where she felt it before. While not as developed or as strong as she was used to, she knew it was something that must have been inherited from the father. Motoko knew what she needed to attempt to do.

Reaching out with her chi, she easily found Keitaro to her side. Ever since they been bonded for so long, he was always easy for her to find. She quickly found his tap point again, knowing intimately well where to find it. With a slow and cautious prod, she began to linked back up, and as his chi began to flow into hers, she diverted it into the child's own tap. The results were instant.

The medic trilled as vitals stabilized and the baby's heart beat became strong again. However, Keitaro wasn't use to having such a rapid heartbeat – Motoko wisely choosing the let the child influence the tempo – and his breathing stopped. Keitaro passed out, and Motoko knew she had to give birth right away to save them both.

"Quickly, we must act," she exhorted to the medic in a pain filled voice.

"Administering sedatives." The medic intent upon its work was the last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her.

When Motoko came to, she was greeted with the sight of Keitaro looking elated as he held a bundle close.

"Oh look, your momma has awakened." He smiled down at her as he turned the bundle around. Motoko gazed upon the face of their child and tears came to her eyes. Keitaro gently laid the child against her chest and her arms came up to cradle it.

"How long was I out?"

"Not long," Keitaro told her. "The baby was born about ten minutes ago. Then once the medic was pleased with the health of the baby, he gave you a stimulant to wake you up."

Motoko nodded and smiled down at the baby as she cooed at it. "So everyone's good then?"

Keitaro nodded. "Yeah, once the medic figured out how to make the baby cry, I came to. The bonding dissolved slowly soon after, probably as you were out of the loop of it by that point. But it was long enough to make the difference. Thanks! You did great with that idea."

Motoko gave a gentle kiss to the baby's forehead. She used the contact for a gentle probe and found a better developed tap point on the child. 'Looks like I might have awaken Daddy's little gift. Good, you'll need all the help you can get to survive out here so far from our real home.'

"I think I know what I want to call our son." Motoko glanced up to find Keitaro smiling at her, eyes full of love and support. "Our little, precious miracle. You're going to be as powerfully healthy as your father. As such, I'll name thee 'Kentaro'."

Keitaro smiled abashedly. "Kentaro Urashima, I like it."

Author's notes: The name (which works out well for canon – but imagine this is manga where there never was a rival for Naru named Kentaro) I derived from Ken, which has one reading meaning healthy and strong. Keitaro isn't 'strong' but he does have a 'strong health'. Ta meaning big or thick and Ro (Rou) meaning son. A really healthy son, or the son of one really healthy. And it sounds pretty close to Keitaro. That's pretty much the limit of my abiltiy to name things, read a website with the meaning of Japanese names and jury rig word parts together.