Mark found himself pregnant six months later and the most excited out of all of them at the news was Asami, just as Mark and Yuta had predicted. She was already proving to be an amazing big sister, even at twelve weeks along when they first told her she was going to be a big sister. Knowing there was a baby inside her mother's tummy, Asami had to make herself known right away. She had clung onto Mark's belly, which had the slightest bump already even though it had taken several more weeks for him to show with Asami and even more to show as much as he was now, small hands splayed across the expanse and introduced herself as 'Asami, your big sister'. It was so adorable that Mark and Yuta swore their hearts were going to burst with love for their oldest. Their qualms flew out the window once their daughter knew, realizing things would be okay and that she was excited for her upcoming baby sibling. They were just hoping things would remain the same come the time the baby was actually here. Their hopes were high and they had faith in Asami because they knew her. She would handle everything beautifully and with confidence. 

"How long is the drive, Daddy?" Asami questioned in Japanese, the first time she had chosen to use the language that day. She always switched to Japanese the more the day progressed and it gave Yuta a chance to practice his native tongue so he didn't lose that skill. She usually began the day with Korean, and Japanese and English were typically used later when she was more awake and aware, "Ten minutes?" she guessed, trying her best to get the answer before being told. 

"More like 15-20 minutes," Yuta corrected as he buckled his daughter into her booster seat, making sure the straps weren't too tight. She always asked how long their travels were, "It depends on how good or bad traffic is as well," he reminded as he shut the door and made his way into the driver's seat, continuing the conversation, "So we'll have to see." 

"Because it's lunchtime?" Asami asked, already fidgeting and playing with the toys that she chose to bring with her for the ride. She wanted to take more but Mark only allowed her two to minimize the chance of losing some. Her toys consisted of a dressed-up doll and the other a robot she received for her recent sixth birthday. She was setting up a narrative in her mind and was going to stick to the storyline the whole ride to their destination, one consisting of a fantasy world as she pleased. Stories always made car rides go faster. 

"Yes, because it's lunchtime," Yuta nodded with a smile, "Lots of people are going on their lunch breaks right around now, but you already knew that you small genius," Asami knew a lot because she asked so many questions and her curiosity was always met with detailed answers. Asami preened at the compliment, smile growing as she received praise. She loved her parents' attention, that was for sure. Yuta started backing out of their driveway carefully, starting their journey to the clinic. 

"Are you excited to see the doctor, Sami?" Mark asked from his spot in the passenger seat, turning over his shoulder with a wide and expectant smile on his features. He himself was excited because today was a big day for him, one that he would never get tired of no matter how many times it happened. 

"Yes!" Asami nodded, kicking her feet that hung over the booster seat's edge, glitter sneakers flashing light around the interior, "We get to see the baby too!" she reminded, all the more reason for her to kick harder and for excited giggles to leave , "We get to see my brother!" she had taken to calling the baby her brother despite the fact that she knew there was a fifty percent chance it could be a girl, "We get to see my baby brother!" she had been saying it all day and it never got old hearing her say it. 

"It could be a girl," Mark gently chided, too enamored by his daughter to care too much about firmly correcting her, "Keep your mind open just in case, okay?" today was his sixteen-week prenatal appointment and in addition to seeing the baby's progress, they were going to find out the as well. Mark let a hand stray to gently cradle his rounded belly, smiling as he felt a little wiggle under his palm. He had been feeling movement for weeks, much earlier than he had with Asami, and he was able to feel them under his palm much earlier than he had with Asami. So much of this pregnancy was different, but a good kind of different. A kind of different he looked forward to seeing progress. 

"I hoping it will be a girl," Yuta chimed in with a smile, "Daughters are kind of the best," he only had one daughter so far, but even through having just Asami, he knew how amazing daughters could be. And Mark had to agree. He was hoping for another daughter as well, but a son was just as good. They would all love them regardless of the because they were their baby, "Think of how upset your sister will be if she found out you kept calling her a boy." 

"Then we won't tell her," Asami giggled, flashing that million dollar smile knowingly with a nose scrunch that looked all too much like Mark's, "But I know it's a boy, Mommy, so we don't need to worry," Mark had to laugh. His daughter had such a smart mouth and he loved her so much for it. Her confidence could shine in the dark and she always had to make herself known. She was such a delight. 

"We have some time until the appointment so we can think what we want, but it won't be much longer until we know for sure," Yuta stated, "Then we can start thinking about names together," he suggested, reaching over and laying a hand flat against the crest of Mark's bump. Names had only momentarily been mentioned among Yuta and Mark on their own, but involving Asami would give them some great options and they were looking forward to those. Discovering the would make the 'name game' much easier. 

"Ooo, I have lots of names!" Asami exclaimed, then proceeding to list off the names of children she knew in her classes, only involving boy names since she was so sure she was having a brother. Yuta tossed in some Japanese names to keep to their children's heritage, and just for fun, Mark threw in a few of his favorite English names. He had no intention of using them as legal first names on their birth certificates, but they would come in handy when they visit Canada as they grow up. Asami's English name was Sam and their next baby would have their own as well.

Just as Yuta had predicted, they arrived at the prenatal clinic between fifteen and twenty minutes and once the building was in sight, Asami could hardly sit still. She had asked to be shown pictures of the building so she could spot it on her own the closer they drove. This would be the first ultrasound where she would be present since the first one she had been at school. Mark had told her all about what to expect and the whole process and she knew what would happen from start to finish. She was excited to see how it would all progress as well, surely ready to ask the nurse all about their job and how things worked the way they did. She had already asked the person at the front desk how many patients they had checked in so far and how many more they had left for the day. And before she could ask more questions about what their daily tasks were, Mark and Yuta had swept Asami away to sit in the lobby. The three maneuvered around the many patients present until they were sat down. Hopefully, they would be called up soon before the crowd of people already present. They were all losing patience, too excited to wait much longer to see their youngest family member. 

Asami sat in Mark's lap and spoke to the baby the whole duration they waited. She whispered names to her younger sibling, waiting for a response in the form of a kick or a nudge, and once she had moved on from names, she proceeded to describe the entire waiting room for her little brother or sister. Every little detail from the color of the muted yellow paint on the walls, to the sound of the faint waiting room music, to the squiggly pattern of the dark carpet was shared and the baby seemed to take to Asami’s being there. They wiggled when she spoke and made sure she knew they were there. It made Mark smile as he witnessed his children interact even before birth. Mark had been holding Asami in place in his lap with his right arm, and the left hand had been holding Yuta's, squeezing every now and then with a bright smile on his face. Yuta could look at Mark all day with how pretty he was. He always thought pregnancy really suited him, and he had been blessed to get that chance a second time. Mark glowed with radiance every minute of the day. 

It was less than ten minutes after their arrival that they were called back by an on-duty nurse, cheerily calling Mark's name so they could lead him to his examination room. Mark had let Asami hop off his lap first and before he knew it, she was standing right in front of the nurse and looking up at them expectantly. She was going to be friendly right off the bat, "Hello!" Asami greeted loudly and excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet and nearly reaching over to grab the nurse's robin egg blue scrubs so she could ask them to lead her to the room. 

"Asami, lower your volume a bit, sweetheart," Yuta interjected softly, chuckling under his breath because both he and Mark had told her so many times already that day but the message was just not sticking, "You need to speak softly," he reached forward and twirled her hair between his fingers, feeling how soft it was as it sat on her shoulders in her signature pigtails. 

Asami had nodded, and swallowed, speaking much softer this time, "Hello," then remembering to throw in a polite bow, something she was working on doing more. 

The nurse giggled, hiding it behind a careful hand. They saw many patients with young children and while Asami typically acted the same as the other children, she was much louder and much more her own person. She had a wonderful personality and they knew this visit would be fun, "Hello," the nurse greeted in return with an amused smile, taking a step back so they could see Asami better, and then took it to the next level by stooping lower so they could speak to her at eye level, "You must be Mark and Yuta's daughter," they had heard plenty of her from both men and meeting Asami in person, they could tell she was exactly as her parents had described her before. They noted how much she looked like Mark as well; his exact copy, "It's nice to finally meet you after hearing so much about you." 

"It's nice to meet you too," Asami nodded, holding her hand out for a proper handshake. She was far too polite and the nurse had to smile, reciprocating the polite gesture with their own bow added in, "Let me get you to your mom's room so we can get started." 

"Yes please!" Asami interjected a little too loudly again, Mark and Yuta again, gently chiding her to speak in a lower volume even minutes after telling her last. She was quick to adjust once more and obediently followed the nurse as they led the family into Mark's assigned room. They could see the ultrasound machine from the hallway and it kicked all of their hearts into a faster pace. Yuta discreetly grabbed Mark's hand as they continued walking, squeezing gently in excitement and stepping closer so their shoulders were centimeters from touching. They were so close to seeing their baby, their son or daughter, and this was a significant moment of pride for them. It had been the same with Asami, and it would be the same for this baby. 

Once sat down and established, the nurse went through the mundane process of asking questions, taking measurements, weighing Mark, and taking his blood pressure for his records. It was all very important information and took a good chunk of time out of the appointment and with no direction in the ultrasound, Asami was getting a little antsy. She wanted to get to the fun part so she could see her baby sibling. Yuta made sure to hold her as still as possible and occupy her in his lap, reminding her to be patient and wait a little longer. He started to play with her and her two toys to keep her busy but it was also a distraction for him as well. He wanted to see his baby just as bad as Asami did, "We'll get there soon," he would tell her, placing kisses on her cheek in hopes that it would help calm her down for even a second. 

And get there they did because lo and behold, Mark was doing exceptionally well physically and they were ready for an ultrasound screening. The nurse was replaced by an ultrasound technician and they started to prep Mark for the ultrasound process. They had him lay down flat on his back and lift his shirt to below his chest, exposing his round belly for everyone to see. It was flatter when he laid down, but there was still an obvious bump making it clear he was still pregnant. The technician tucked a paper guard in the waistband of Mark's maternity jeans and started the process, applying gel to the soft skin before placing the transducer on top, spreading the liquid around the area. The monitor was then displaying a black and white, grainy image and in the image was the very clear outline of the profile of a baby, and Asami gasped. She could plainly identify what she was looking at and she had to let everyone know she could see. 

"That's my baby brother! There he is!" she scrambled out of Yuta's lap as quickly as she could, dropping her toys and hopping right over to Mark's side on the table so she could look closer at the probe in the technician's hand. It was a strange device, "How is it doing that?" she asked curiously, "That thing in your hand. How is it taking that picture?" she pointed at the monitor again, lost in the image and feeling her heart pitter patter. 

The technician chuckled to themselves. They too had heard about Asami before and her reputation proceeded her indefinitely, "Would you like me to tell you in detail?" they asked, looking at Asami to gauge the sincerity in her features. She was genuinely interested in the mechanics and they had to admire her spunk for the craft, "Everything this machine does?" 

"Yes! Please!" Mark had to gently shush her, volume control an obvious issue with her today. But who could blame her? This was an exciting thing and if Mark was her age he was sure he would be just the same, maybe even louder and all over the room wreaking havoc. Mark liked to think he was showing the same amount of enthusiasm as his daughter but in the adult version. He used his hand to smooth the back of her head, careful of her pigtails, feeling himself smile wide. His daughter was pretty entertaining. 

The technician had to laugh at Asami before launching into a whole lesson about the ultrasound and the probe they held in their hand, all while continuing with the examination. They detailed how ultrasound imaging used the transducer to both transmit sound waves into the body and record the waves that echo back onto the monitor. Asami listened as the technician explained how the sound waves travel into the area being examined until they hit a boundary between tissues, such as between fluid and soft tissue, or soft tissue and bone, and how in this case the sound waves were hitting the baby so they could see them. It was a lot of technical and advanced terms but Asami kept along