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Published:
2024-06-19
Updated:
2024-06-29
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3,794
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3/5
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Secrets Revealed

Summary:

Kenji had always been a withdrawn person. He rarely associated himself with his teammates, rarely talked to anyone about his childhood. But when a certain…curious reporter starts to prod right at all his weak spots, he suddenly is filled with a new emotion—fear.

Notes:

Set in the middle of the movie when Kenji and Ami have their dinner date

Disclaimer: Updates WILL happen, but they are entirely dependent on how much writing inspo I have

*I just watched this movie and I am in love. It has immediately eradicated all my writer’s block and has temporarily quelled my depression. Hoorah!*

Sorry for not posting for half a year, been dealing with insane chronic illness, my GERD came back with a vengeance (haha acid reflux just like Emi, you have no idea how seen I felt when she was having heartburn and indigestion the poor baby).
- also Kenji better love coconut water now because I’m drinking it rn and it is literally my saviour from GERD. He should give some to Emi. I love his banner endorsements 😂

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Risky Endeavors Aren’t Always So Clever

Chapter Text

Kenji tapped his foot nervously.

 

Sat next to Wakita, the journalist reporter who was so keen on knowing him better, he wasn’t sure on how much to divulge.

 

“Ichiro warned me that you could get the devil himself to confess his sins,” he chuckles, picking at his food with his chopsticks.

 

She raises an eyebrow in amusement at him, saying something along the lines of it being “her job.”

 

A colorful flash whizzes across his retinas, and he glances down at his watch. 

 

His heart sinks at the image of his baby kaiju escaping.

 

“I have to go,” he stammers, tripping his way out of the shop.

 

“Why?” She asks, her features falling into a look of what could only be described as growing concern.

 

“Family emergency,” he tries to say, stumbling down the hall.

 

“Wait!” She says, looking at him.

 

“I hope everything turns out ok.” She smiles worriedly at him.

 

He gives her a small half-smile and bursts out the doors.

 

…only to return five seconds later, his voice panicked.

 

“Actually, can you step outside with me for a moment?” His voice is high-pitched and trembles like the waves when he found the egg.

 

“Of course,” she says, a little taken aback.

 

She parts from her food and dips into the hallway with him.

 

He slides up against a wall, burying his head into his hands. 

 

“I don’t know what to do,” he says, his hands shaking.

 

“What’s wrong?” She says, looking at him confused but concerned.

 

He makes a noise of urgency and frustration, pointing down at his watch. “That.”

 

She looks down and sees the kaiju.

 

All is silent for a minute in the hallway.

 

“Why are you getting reports about a kaiju?” She says, wary.

 

“Because that thing just left my house!” He exclaims, trying to stick to a cover story.

 

“What was it doing there?!” She says, alarmed.

 

“…I may have…encountered one not so long ago,” he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“You’re Ultraman aren’t you,” she deadpans with all the grace of a sloth.

 

“Maybe?” He says, shrinking.

 

“Oh god, and I even joked about it!” She looks mortified, her face pallid and ashamed.

 

“No no no!” He says, waving his hands side by side, “don’t worry about that.”

 

“That’s the least of our problems right now, I suppose,” she says after a few seconds.

 

“You think?” He scoffs and sighs exasperatedly.

 

“Come on,” she says, extending her hand out in reach of his.

 

“We’re not gonna capture that thing standing here all day,” she smirks.

 

He smirks back slowly once he realizes that yes, this partnership could actually turn out good.

 

He takes her hand and lets her help him up, dashing off to find his daughter. 


He zooms through the streets of Tokyo on his electric bike, Wakita sitting on the back of it. 

 

“So that explains why you’ve been so tired,” she mutters quietly under her breath.

 

“What are you talking about?” He says, glancing back at her. 

 

“You’ve been sleepwalking through this baseball season with the Giants, and I finally understand why,” she looks back up at him.

 

“Ever-observant,” he chuckles, looking back at the road.

 

“Ha ha,” she laughs dryly. “But seriously, I can’t imagine dealing with a giant baby kaiju plus being a professional athlete is easy.”

 

“That’s why I called you, remember? 5 minutes off record,” he remarks, swerving between cars on the busy streets leading further into the city.

 

“Turns out you really were dealing with a baby of your own,” she chuckles, gripping onto him tighter as he speeds up.

 

He feels warm all of a sudden. “You’re gripping me kind of tight,” he says nervously. 

 

“Oh, sorry!” She lets go and grips him with significantly less pressure. 

 

Ami opens her mouth to ask a question but is cut off by a giant pink blur entering their vision. 

 

“There!” He shouts, skidding to the side, parallel parking.

 

He dismounts and breaks for it, seeing his baby wandering through the streets among masses of people, cars, and mayhem.

 

“I have to get there, I need to save her!” His mind screams.

Ducking into an alleyway, he observes his rampaging child. 

 

She was stomping across the roads, causing sizeable potholes in the asphalt roads.

 

In a blink, she disappears into a secluded abbey, trailed by Mina clones.

 

He narrows his eyes. “That’s not Mina.”

 

He rushes into the abbey, trying to stop her before she trusts these false robots, screaming, “Baby!”

 

...but he was too late.

 

Fwoosh!

 

She’s hit with a tranquilizer.

 

She lets out a shrill screech of pain, reverberating through his eardrums.

 

Wakita catches up to him.

 

His daughter runs faster after that tranquilizer is lodged into her leg, breaking into a sprint as she follows a flapping banner in the sky, an endorsement he recognizes.

 

“No!” He thinks in frustration, “I’ll never catch up with her!”

 

Wakita catches that glance in his eye and speaks up. “I can go get the motorbike you know?”

 

“No time,” he shakes his head. 

 

Instead, he transforms.

 

His shifting form rises like the great waves of the ocean, taller and taller, till he towers over Ami.

 

Ami gazes up at him in shock and awe, barely registering that Kenji was Ultraman even after her correct guess earlier.

 

“Hop on,” he says, lowering his flattened palm so that she could climb up.

 

She walks closer and stands in the middle of his hand. 

 

He gently closes his fingers around her, being careful not to crush her.

 

Then he breaks for it, speeding after his daughter.

 

He follows that familiar pink blur as it dodges the KDF Mina clones, batting at it with loose, broken lamp posts.

 

“Attagirl!” He whispers proudly. Ami smiles.

 

They dart after her as she quickly approaches Le Tour Eiffel in the middle of the city.

 

Her claws clamp over the metal rungs and she scales the tall tower, a good quarter of the way up by the time they reach the tower.

 

Government drones swarm her and them as she makes her way further up.

 

Kenji—Ultraman—looks down. “I can’t climb the tower with you in my hand. I don’t want you to get in danger. Go home. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

 

“Kenji—“

 

“Not here,” he warns, his eyes darkening.

 

“Go!” He puts her down, his eyes full of tears.

 

He takes a great leap and mounts the tower, trying to catch up with his daughter as fast as he can.

 

Down on the ground, Ami is still standing there dumbstruck. She was rooted to the ground and she was not budging.

 

His daughter lets out more pained screeches as the drones barrage her back with more green-tipped tranquilizers.

 

His heart breaks every time he has to hear her cry out in pain.

 

He’s filled with a vengeance, his body red-hot. “No one hurts my daughter,” he growls.

 

He scales the tower even faster, almost there when…he notices a blur of pink… falling.

 

No!” He screams. 

 

He extends an arm out urgently, trying to catch her. He just barely catches her arm, hearing a sickening snap.

 

His stomach lurches. He reels her in quickly and cradles her to his chest.

 

“Shhh, it’s ok, baby, it’s ok,” he croons, his voice shaking.

 

The drones drone on in his ear, muttering some nonsense warnings and regulations. He pays them no mind. All that matters is his daughter is in pain and he caused it.

 

Ami had heard the crack all the way from the bottom. It jolted her awake and to attention, her face plastered with horror.

 

Kenji glares up at the sky behind his mask and scowls at the drones. He would get back at them another time.

 

He slides down the tower, his daughter in hand.

 

He notices Ami is still there.

 

“Let’s go,” he growls, more at himself than her. 

 

His color timer starts to flash; he growls even harder.

 

He launches into the sky, flying through the clouds. Ami gets lightheaded and her head spins a bit, feeling dizzy, unable to breathe.

 

He looks down and immediately feels guilty.

 

He quickly touches down and walks on foot for the rest of the way to his “house.”

 

He swims through the ocean entrance to his place. 

 

He’s still fuming. His daughter chirps sadly in his arms.

 

His heart breaks even more. He presses a kiss to her forehead. 

 

“It’s gonna be ok,” he whispers to her, more for himself than for her.

 

Ami looks up at him sadly. Her heart is warmed by his affection.

 

He sets her down on a spare mattress so she has some comfort. He detransforms.

 

Mina circles him, asking if he’s ok. “I’m fine,” he snaps defensively.

 

“Scan her,” he orders.

 

Mina obliges silently.

 

“Her arm is broken,” she remarks.

 

“I know that,” he bristles. “There’s only person who can help,” he then says morosely.

 

“Call him,” he says after a lapse in speaking.

 

A sound of ringing fills the room.

 

A cyan-rimmed square appears, a distinct bushy mustache filling the space.

 

“Kenji,” an old voice rasps out.

 

“Dad,” Kenji says tiredly. “You better come quick.”

 

He looks mildly shocked, but nods his head. 

 

Kenji paces after the call ends, glancing at his baby every few seconds.

 

Suddenly, the sliding glass doors part, and a drenched Professor Sato enters the room, limping.

 

“What is the matter?” He asks, his voice raspy.

 

“That,” he gestures to the sleeping form of his baby on the mattress.

 

“Why do you have a baby kaiju in your house!?” His voice is astonished, surprised, and mildly envious.

 

“Shh!” He admonishes. “She’s sleeping!”

 

He shrinks and lets out a whispered “sorry.”

 

Ami is sitting on the couch on the side, watching this interaction.

 

She had a feeling she shouldn’t pry, but her curiosity as a reporter won over. 

 

“Is that your dad?” She asks. 

 

“I did call him that, yes,” he deadpans.

 

She lets out a sheepish “heh.”

 

Kenji gestures both of them over to his passed out child, sprawled over the mattress, drooling.

 

The mattress sagged under her weight, but it worked as a makeshift bed, and it was certainly more comfortable than a glass container. 

 

“Dad,” he whispers in hushed tones, “can you check her arm? It’s broken.”

 

He inches closer and inspects her unconscious form. 

 

Her back was littered with green-tipped tranquilizers, and her mouth was slightly open, sucking her claw in her sleep, a line of drool sticking to the padded cushioning underneath her.

 

He gently strokes the smooth skin on her arm. She whimpers a bit in her sleep.

 

Kenji lulls her back to sleep. He hums a little nameless tune to get her back into a deep sleep.

 

“I’m going to need to re-set the arm, Kenji,” his dad looks up at him.

 

“Will it cause her pain?” He asks, his eyes attentively looking into his.

 

“We can’t just leave it broken,” he says adamantly.

 

“I know you don’t trust me Kenji, but you have to trust me here,” he pleads.

 

“Ok,” he sighs reluctantly.

 

Kenji transforms and rests her sleeping form on his lap and his legs, so that his dad could get a better look.

 

Ami fetches some lights and tools so Professor Sato can focus.

 

His daughter stirs, whining a bit as her eyes adjust to the light.

 

“Shhh, shh, I know, it’s ok,” he lightly strokes her head.

 

He plucks out all the tranquilizers one by one, slowly, to ensure he doesn’t cause her pain.

 

She squirms a bit, but is still a bit lethargic.

 

After he pulls out the last one, Sato grips her arm lightly. 

 

She whimpers again, but lets him after Kenji encourages her.

 

He grips harder and then twists.

 

A piercing scream echoes into the room, bouncing around the walls.

 

They all wince, covering their ears.

 

Kenji recovers first. “Shhh, shh, it’s ok,” he whispers, stroking her now tranquilizer-free back. 


She slowly settles down, curling into him, nuzzling his shirt for comfort.

 

He pecks her forehead, rocking her in his lap.

 

Ami watches with a newfound respect for Kenji, seeing how quickly he takes to caring for this new creature he has welcomed into his life.

 

At first, when she realized that Kenji was Ultraman, she only thought of the baby kaiju exiting his house as a rampaging danger, not something he was actively welcoming into his home.

 

But now she realizes he truly cared for the baby as if it were his own.

 

It reminded her of her own daughter, Chiho.

 

Ami whispers. “Emi reminds me of my daughter.”

 

He looks back at her, his eyes softening. “Really?”

 

“Yes,” she says, “and you remind me of myself too.”

 

“You have a big heart Kenji, more than you’ve ever shown to anyone else. Emi helped show you that,” she smiles gently.

 

He looks back at Emi and then down at himself, still in his giant form.

 

“I guess I do,” he chuckles quietly. 

 

She places her hand on his arm. “You do,” she dips her head.

 

And for the first time since the incident today, he smiled. 

Chapter 2: Rekindled Flames

Summary:

Kenji and Ami learn to discover what it means to find someone to confide in.

Notes:

My Plan: Events altered/AN

Done - finding Emi, taking Ami to his underwater base
Doing - I want them to have a dinner date in his “house”

Ami helps out Emi because she is experienced with being a mother

(If it is ever safe, Ami introduces Chiho to Emi and Ultraman/Kenji, if she won’t tell (I know she’s a tiny excited kid)) - got this idea from a reaction on Youtube

Basically Ami just helping raise Emi with Kenji, so he’s not always so stressed. And maybe Kenji can also look after Chiho after some time if Emi is looked after by Sato

Any others I have no idea

Chapter Text

Emi was finally asleep.

 

His dad was watching over her, dismissing the both of them to get some rest.

 

“I should really call my mom and tell her why I’ve been gone for so long,” Ami says awkwardly, digging her foot into the ground, creating circular grooves into the wooden floors. 

 

“Ok,” he says. “You can call her and rest in one of my guest rooms.”

 

He leads her to one of the rooms on the same floor as his bedroom. “Right here,” he gestures, pointing to a door at the end of the hall.

 

“There’s a bathroom with a shower in your room, the kitchen is downstairs if you wanna grab a bite. I’ll be down there eating something if you wanna join,” he offers.

 

“Thank you,” she says, her eyes shining earnestly.

 

She retreats to her room and takes her shoes off, sitting on the bed.

 

She pulls out her phone and dials her mom. “Hey mama?”

 

“Yes aya (nickname)?” She says on the other end of the line.

 

“Sorry for calling so late. I didn’t realize the time. Is Chiho ok?” Ami says worriedly.

 

“Yes, Ami. Don’t worry, I just put her to bed a little while ago,” she says kindly.

 

“Ok, thank you mama. I have a place to stay for the night, I’ll come back in the morning, I promise.”

 

“Ok sweetie. See you tomorrow, jaa ne (goodbye).”

 

Ami hangs up the phone and sighs.

 

She plops down on the bed. Then she gets up, stretches, and uses the restroom.

 

She doesn’t have any clothes so she can’t take a shower, but she was still somewhat wet from their entrance into Kenji’s…”house.”

 

She decided the next best course of action would be to join Kenji for dinner.

 

Their previous escapade had been kind of exhausting and she was famished.

 

She exits the room and slowly descends the staircase.

 

She sees Kenji sitting alone at the dining table, eating from a paper bowl full of instant ramen.

 

“Late night snack?” Her voice rings out into the quiet as she walks in.

 

He looks up, and looks at her a bit blankly, caught off guard. He stammers, “Yeah, I was a bit hungry after earlier.”

 

“I understand,” she takes a chair next to him. 

 

“Can I get you anything?” He asks, motioning to his fridge, standing up.

 

“Whatever you have, I’m not picky.”

 

Kenji takes out some sushi he had left over from earlier, it was still clean and fresh.

 

He hands it over to her. “You like sushi?”

 

“Yeah. Thank you.” She takes some and starts to dig in.

 

He watches her for a few moments, then sits back down and eats alongside her. 


There’s a comfortable silence that settles between them as they devour their meals.

 

“Man, I was hungry,” he leans back into his chair.

 

“Same,” she chuckles, nudging his elbow. “Thanks for the room.”

 

“Of course, we’re both exhausted after today,” he wipes his messy mop of jet black hair away from his forehead.

 

They both eat in silence.

 

Kenji asks after a few seconds, “How’s your kid? What’s her name again?”

 

Ami smiles. “Chiho. She’s doing well. I’ll see her again in the morning.”

 

“It’s past midnight,” Kenji remarks. “We should probably get some sleep.”

 

Ami picks up a piece of sushi in her chopsticks and plops it in her mouth. 

 

“Once you’re done eating of course,” he chuckles.

 

She chews, covering her mouth with her hands.

 

She swallows and smiles cheekily, “Of course. You’re not gonna send me to bed without dinner, are you?”

 

His cheeks turn pink. “Of course not,” he puts his hand on hers.

 

She blushes in turn. Her fingers wrap around his knuckles and interlace between his own, sliding in as if they were two perfect puzzle pieces, lock and key.

 

He gently squeezes them. Her heart hammers a bit. She hadn’t felt this way since her husband had divorced her.

 

“Ami?” His voice rings out, searching her face. “You there?”

 

“Sorry!” She squeaks and laughs a bit nervously. “I was just a bit lost in my mind.”

 

He smiles reassuringly. “It’s ok, I do that sometimes too,” he chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his hands. 

 

She giggles a bit unbecomingly.

 

His face betrays a bit of shock and surprise. “The Ami Wakita, probing journalistic reporter, giggling because of me?” He says incredulously, teasing.

 

“Oh stop it, I am capable of laughing too,” she raises her chin up defiantly, her seriousness not reaching her eyes. 

 

“Sure you are,” he smirks smugly, poking her arm gently.

 

“I am!” She says in between laughs. “What’s a woman gotta do to make a man believe her?” She chuckles.

 

“Laugh,” he answers softly.

 

“Whatever do you mean by that?” She looks at him, confused.

 

“Laugh. I like how it sounds,” he says honestly, looking into her eyes.

 

Her cheeks tinge with red. “Do you really mean that?” She whispers, a lump in her throat.

 

“I do.”

 

Their fingers reach for each other’s, this time not separating.

 

They reach in closer, their faces illuminated by the warm light illuminating them from above.

 

Inches away from each other’s faces, their heads tilt slightly.

 

Before their lips touch, an alarm rings.

 

They jerk back, surprised.

 

“What is it now?” Kenji groans.

 

He looks down at his watch and sees that his daughter had escaped her nighttime enclosure.

 

He rubs his face and then motions to go help put her back to sleep, but Ami stands up too.

 

“I’m coming as well.”

 

“You sure? You should probably head to bed. It’s late,” he says, the bags under his eyes shining under the amber lighting of the overhead dangling lights.

 

“I mean it. Two hands are always better than one.”

 

He smirks, “Sure, but she might just scream your sleep away.”

 

She smirks back. “I’ll take your bet on that.”

 

They both ascend the stairs and reach the living room, where Mina and Professor Sato were coaxing his baby back into her sleeping container.

 

Once she sees Kenji, she claps and coos.

 

She waddles over to him, her large steps causing a sizable thud.

 

Ami watches out for her large steps, making sure she doesn’t get stepped on.

 

Professor Sato catches up to them, panting. “I chose a name for her while you two were elsewhere. I was just reading some books when it hit me.”

 

“Well, what is it?” Kenji asks, his hands occupied with giving his scaly daughter some scritches under her chin. 

 

“Emi,” he says softly. 

 

Kenji stops for a moment, realization dawning upon him. 

 

“You gave her mom’s name?” His voice is softer than Ami had ever heard it.

 

“I did,” his dad smiles back gently.

 

His eyes tear up a bit. “It’s perfect,” his voice is choked.

 

Ami grips his arm. He looks at her, smiling as a few tears drop down.

 

Emi chirps, licking his tears.

 

“I’m alright Emi,” he laughs waterily, brushing up against her.

 

She chirps again, nuzzling him back.

 

Ami smiles looking at the both of them.

 

He yawns, “Well girl, we better get you back to sleep.”

 

Once Kenji gets to it, she falls asleep fast.

 

They say their goodbyes to each other, heading off to bed.

 

Ami climbs into bed and pulls the covers over her head.

 

She couldn’t wait to see her mom and Chiho in the morning.

Chapter 3: Dancing Under A Starry Sky

Summary:

Romance can mean many different things.

Kenji and Ami go on a nighttime date, except it’s not exactly what either of them expected

Notes:

I finally came back...sort of!

Sorry for the weeklong Edit: weeks long break, but we’re in the end game now. I’ve just been so busy with summer school work.

-
IV: Ami takes care of Emi - have an idea how to do it

V: Kenji - Chiho, meets her mom, realizes it’s the grandma, doesn’t reveal he’s Ultraman

Chapter Text

The sky was alight with stars. 

 

Stars, were subjective.

 

Bright white dots distantly perched up high.

 

That description could fit mansion lights as well as any night sky. 


Ami had awoken in a room not her own, soon remembering where she was. She blushed.

 

After a quick freshening up, she heads downstairs for breakfast.

 

Kenji is in the dining room with his dad, shoveling some cereal in his face.

 

He slows his pace when he sees Ami enter the room.

 

“Good morning,” he greets, “ready to head back?”

 

“Eager to get rid of me so soon, hm?” She teases, sliding down into the chair opposite him.

 

“No,” his eyes twinkle, “just trying to save my breakfast supplies,” he leans in, smirking.

 

Professor Sato watches with interest, but makes no comment.

 

Ami grabs some cereal and eats it absentmindedly, lost in thought.

 

Breakfast is uneventful at the mahogany dining table, illuminated by the bright white lights above.

 

“Well, you’d better get going,” Kenji says to Ami after they both finish.

 

“Guess I should,” she sighs.

 

She grabs her things and heads to the living room.

 

“Goodbye Emi, see you soon,” she says, giving his chin scratches.

 

Emi chirps. 

 

Kenji walks her to the door, transforms, and swims up to the surface, heading to his motorcycle. 

 

He drives her to her house, where her mom was watching Chiho.

 

“See you again soon?” Kenji’s voice ends on a higher-pitched inflection, indicating hope, still on the motorbike.

 

Ami was on the sidewalk, almost up the steps to the door. “Yeah,” she says, “call me later. 5 minutes only,” she teases.

 

“You got it,” he salutes.

 

Casting a short sideways glance back at her, as she walks up the steps gazing back, he revs his bike and leaves. 

 

4 hours later:

 

“Wanna meet up at 7? I have something to show you,” appears on the screen of Ami Wakita’s phone at 3 PM, on the dot.

 

She was currently playing with Chiho, her mom having headed back to her place.

 

“Sure, I’m free. Mom can watch Chiho for a few hours. Can’t stay the night though. What do you have in mind?” She replies back. 

 

“It’s a surprise,” is the next message she receives, and she can almost hear the sass behind the message. 

 

TBC

Notes:

WHY DO Y’ALL LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH help i’m crying 😭
The fact that within 1-2 days this fic has 20+ kudos is insane to me, because it is barely a concept
(Most of my fics take ages to hit double digits this is crazy — in the best way)

Edit (update): HOLY HELL WHY DO 200+ OF YOU LIKE THIS?????
Also so sorry for the long hiatus in between chapters, writers block and summer work kicking my butt draining me of any will to live. Slowly getting back to writing for this. In a hyperfixation for some other series now too.