Rating: T
Pairing: Slight Shirayuki/Zen
Summary: Zen is terrified of his future with Shirayuki, and Obi help him pull it together for her. (Hint: IT'S A BABY FIC :3)
-Just so you guys know, I am up to date with the manga and anime. I wrote this right after reading the last chapter :D
-Enjoy!
It started out just like any other day. Obi followed his Mistress around the castle, adding a few snarky comments here and there, happily carrying anything she needed him to. That is, until a certain Prince of Clarines took his place. He was used to that kind of thing now. In fact, he was glad his Master gave him a break every now and then, especially since of the somewhat recent events.
The ex-assassin uncrossed his legs from his perch on the balcony, letting them hang limply off the side. The sun had only just set, making the sky appear tinted with pinks and purples. It didn't take long for him to start getting nostalgic from sitting there watching the colors slowly fade to dark blue and black.
Obi remembered the time before his Mistress was even living in the castle. Back when she had little to no authority over those around her. There was one thing Obi was certain of though. Shirayuki can make even kings bow down to her. Maybe not literally, and maybe not even on purpose, but somehow she does it. King Izana can attest to that. After she'd married Zen, the older white-haired brother treated her as though he'd known her his whole life. A small smile appeared on Obi's lips when he remembered his Master's face when Izana danced with her at their wedding.
"Obi!" A sharp, stern voice interrupted his small flashback. "Huh?" The yellow-eyed man cast his gaze away from the sky to find his Master standing in the middle of the courtyard. Obi, being as nimble as he is, easily hopped down from the balcony and onto the nearest tree, then jumped to the ground.
"Hai... Master?" He dropped his smile when he noticed how worried Zen looked. His breathing was labored, as if he'd run there all the way from the opposite side of the castle. "What's happened?" The prince gripped the sword he always had by his side, and breathed out shakily, "It's Shirayuki."
At the name, Obi stood to full attention, both eager and dreading to learn more. "She's gone into labor." He nearly wheezed. The ex-assassin's eyes widened at the information. "What!? Now!?" Zen shook his head. "It'll be a few hours before anything really happens. I just needed to find you before that." Obi blinked at him, trying to process this whole thing.
The two stood silent for a few moments before Mitsuhide ran up behind the prince. "Zen." By his tone, he knew about Shirayuki's situation already. "I know!" He spit back at his friend. "I just... need a few minutes." With a sigh, Mitsuhide turned and ran back through the gate. And so, the two were left alone again.
"Yo... Master, shouldn't you be with Mistress?" Zen didn't say anything, which only made Obi suspect the obvious. "You're afraid, aren't you." A smirk grew when the blue-eyed prince tensed. "N-no! Of course not!"
"Oh?" He leaned closer, hands on his hips. "So why are you here when she needs you there?" The silence following answered far more than words ever would. Obi clapped Zen on the shoulder, getting another flinch out of the man. "Come on. Let's go."
While he didn't get any resistance, the messenger knew very well that his Master would've preferred to stay in the courtyard. "I'd bet even Mistress is scared right now." Now that seemed to get Zen's attention. Instead of dragging him down the halls, he shrugged the ex-assassin off his shoulder and walked on without help. Obi held his wrist behind his back, his smirk still staining his cheerful face. "I... I don't know why I feel like this now... I had eight months to get ready, but-..."
"But now it's real... isn't it?" The prince nodded his head and began walking faster. "When she'd told me back then, I... I just knew I had to get stronger for her..." His gloved hand became a fist by his side. "For both of them. But I've already failed them."
"What!? Master! You're plenty strong enough! You aren't the only guy scared of being a dad!" Obi hopped a few steps in front of the white-haired man and blocked his path. "Even so... here I am... being a coward." His eyes reverted back to staring at the ground.
By this point, Obi was at his breaking point. As much as he loved teasing his Master and Mistress, he couldn't stand seeing him like this. Not when he knew the solution was in the medical wing. "Oi, Master. Do I have to get Mistress to drag you there herself?" Zen sighed, giving a subtle shake of his head. "We both know she'd do it." The messenger continued, trying to urge him further.
"Alright, alright! I get it." The prince reluctantly followed the dark-haired man. They'd actually managed to reach the doors of the delivery room before either said anything. Mitsuhide sat on a bench not too far away, while Kiki stood beside him. All four of them winced when a muffled, pain-filled moan sounded through the wooden doors. "I'll wait out here, if you need me." Obi stood off to the side, allowing his Master to go on ahead.
But Zen stayed still, as if his feet had frozen to the spot.
"Don't you dare stop there, Zen." Kiki warned. "Shirayuki would never forgive you if you aren't in there for the birth of your child." Both Mitsuhide and Obi murmured an agreement with her. At first, it seemed like they hadn't convinced him, but then, step by step, he reached for the door's handle. "I'm counting on you guys to be the best aunts and uncles you can be when this is all over."
"Hai!" The three of them watched as he entered the room, overhearing a few complaints from the midwives. The last thing they heard before the doors shut behind him was Shirayuki's grateful voice, "Zen!"
Obi smiled and kicked off from the wall. He glanced over at his two friends and told them, "If I know how Shirayuki is... she's been hiding this from us all day." Mitsuhide scratched the back of his head and made a quiet laugh. "Yeah... Do you think she's been in pain all day?" Kiki rolled her eyes and retorted, "Even if her labor started as early as this morning, the beginning isn't that painful. Uncomfortable, yes, but no."
"And how did you become and expert on this stuff, Kiki-kun?" Obi leaned closer. "Easy. I've asked."
The ex-assassin sighed at her blunt response, and sat down next to the door. "How much longer do we have to wait?" Kiki scoffed at the impatience he had, while Mitsuhide just shook his head. "We've only been out here for a few minutes. It'll be at least an hour before they're done in there."
"Aww! But I can't sit here that long! I'll get bored!"
Poor Mitsuhide and Kiki had to put up with Obi's complaining for what seemed like an eternity. In reality though, it was only about an hour and a half. By then, the sounds from inside had all escalated to the point where you knew it wouldn't be much longer.
"Geez... That sounds like it hurts." Kiki glared over at Obi, already done listening to him. "My poor Mistress must be exhausted." He murmured to himself.
Another half an hour passed by until the louder noises died down. When all that was heard was the shuffling of the midwives, Obi tensed. Where was the crying? Fearing the worst already, he hopped to his feet and pressed his ear to the door. A few seconds later, the sound of a squealing infant echoed into the hall. Unable to help himself, the royal messenger smiled from ear to ear.
And yet, not another minute later, the door was flung open, effectively slamming him in the face. Cradling his nose, Obi looked up at the one responsible, only to have his heart melt at the sight. His Master stood in front of him, holding a squirming bundle of blankets.
"Oi, Obi. Mistuhide. Kiki." He called them over. "Come meet the new princess."
Despite his injured nose, Obi still gazed down at the baby in awe. The only thing he saw that immediately stood out was a little tuft of red hair on her head. "A girl, huh?" Mitsuhide smiled smugly. "I guess that means I win, Kiki." The blonde crossed her arms and grunted, "It's not like we bet anything. It was a guess."
"Oh! Master. By the way, what's her name?" The petty argument was cut off at the question. Zen shifted his hold on the baby in order to caress her cheek. "Nonoka." He breathed dreamily, as if he was confessing his love, which... by all means, he was.
"Prince Zen." He turned to the midwives as they started filing out of the room. "You can bring them in to see her now, but make sure she gets her rest afterwards. Is that clear?"
He nodded. "Could you send a message to my brother about his new niece?" She gave him a curt bow and left down the hall behind the other women.
"Zen." A soft voice sounded from behind him. "Hai, Shirayuki. Don't worry. I haven't left." He inclined his head to his three friends outside; an invitation to come inside.
The red-haired woman raised her arms towards her husband, and without a word, he placed their daughter in her hold. "I can already tell she's going to look like you, Shirayuki." Mistuhide patted the new mother's head. Meanwhile, Obi decided instead of standing behind the small group, to round the whole bed in order to kneel down beside it.
"That's what Zen said too." She laughed. The ex-assassin chuckled along with her, and added, "Let's hope she isn't as stubborn as you two are." Almost like she'd understood him, Nonoka began fidgeting around and whimpering. "Hah! See!? The Little Miss already knows who's in charge here."
Zen and Shirayuki only shook their heads. "How long have you had that nickname lying around?" Obi smirked, having obviously been found out. "Ever since you found out you were going to have her. It was either that, or Little Master. I'm glad you had a girl in the end though. Having a second Master would be tiring."
"Not to mention confusing." Mitsuhide stated.
The yellow-eyed man watched on as Nonoka was passed from person to person, smiling every time the infant made a noise. "She's beautiful already, isn't she?" Shirayuki asked from beside him. "Yeah..." Obi started, unable to make any words to appropriately describe her.
"Hey, Obi." He turned to face her. "Hm?"
"It's your turn to hold her."
The dark-haired messenger paled and backed away. "U-uh! N-no, I'm good, Mistress!" He held his palms out and stuttered. "Scared, Obi?" Zen asked with a self-satisfied tone. "Oh! N-n-"
"It's okay. You won't drop her." Obi relaxed his arms, giving up on the act. "I've... never held a baby before. How do I know I'm doing it right?"
Before more doubts could arise, Zen brought the princess over to the other side of the bed. "Hold out your arms." Hesitantly, Obi tried to copy what his Master's arms looked like. "Alright, now the only thing to make sure you do is to keep a hand under her head."
And with that, a warm weight was deposited into his arms. Listening to Zen's instructions, he held the infant's head up. "There. Not so hard, is it?"
Once again, Obi was at a loss for words. The princess weighed no more than nine pounds, and yet she already stole his heart, not to mention Kiki's, Mitsuhide's, and her parents'. "Obi. From now on, Nonoka is your priority." The man's eyes widened at his Master. "What-"
"Whenever Shirayuki and I can't be with her, it's your job to keep her safe."
"Ah..." He looked over at the other people in the room. Every single one of them smiled back warmly. Before he could think of the words to say, the baby in his arms wriggled and cooed. When he returned his attention to her, he realized why she sounded happy. Looking back up at him, were two sky-blue eyes, staring in wonder.
Those eyes almost seemed to resolve his answer, "With my life, Master."
Sorry if there are any typos... I worked on this for 3 hours straight. My brain's a bit dead right now. ANYWAYS!
In case you're curious, Nonoka actually has a bunch of different meanings. one being "Beautiful field flower". But as I said, there are a BUNCH of meanings for it.
I hoped I got the characters' personalities right, because I don't think I'm usually good with that kind of thing, and I hoped you liked it :)