Author's Notes: See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.
Love, Life, and Death By Annie-chan Chapter Ten: FirstbornIt had been six months since they had first arrived at Daikyoku-zan. Hôjun had finally come to be close to normal again. His long silences staring into space that had occurred quite often immediately after the flood were disappearing. He smiled like he used to, albeit without his previous happy-go-lucky nature. His innocence had been lost that terrible rainy day, and he could never again act as if he hadn't a care in the world. Even if the flood had never happened, his destiny as a Seishi would have forced him to grow up just as the disaster did. Nevertheless, he was making a valiant effort to put it behind him, despite his guilt over Hikô's death.
Hôjun spent most of his time training. He was gone for hours at a time in the gardens of Daikyoku-zan learning how to focus his powers. That skill came first, for without being able to focus magic, you cannot cast any sort of spells with it. The training sessions were hard, to say the least. Magic was, as Taiitsukun had explained, a very difficult and complex skill to learn. The three years he was to stay at Daikyoku-zan were for him to master the essentials, with some of the more advanced teachings near the end. He was to come back every once in a while to train more in the advanced teachings. Every once in a while entailed at least twice a year for a month at a time. Both he and Kôran were relieved that she could accompany him, for they didn't want to be separated for too long. Taiitsukun had warned them that, when Suzaku no Miko comes, they would most certainly be separated much more than a month. Neither of them was looking forward to it.
Lately, though, Kôran had been noticing some changes in her body. She felt a bit heavier than before, and her breasts seemed to be growing tender. Her monthly cycle had not occurred for three months either. She had also been feeling ill in the mornings, but that ill feeling usually faded by midday. She had her suspicions, but dare she believe them?
She had been looking for a Nyan-Nyan that was not busy with something to see if it could help her out. They seemed to know everything there was to know about medical stuff, so they ought to know something about this, right? Besides, she didn't want to bother Taiitsukun or Hôjun about anything right now. Hôjun was currently deep in meditation in the southern garden with Taiitsukun monitoring him.
She finally found one counting stones in a garden pathway, and it immediately grabbed her by the hand and led her back to her and Hôjun's room. It made her lay down on the bed, and to her dismay, stripped all her clothes off save her undergarments. It poked and prodded all over her, mostly focusing on her torso. As it explored, the Nyan-Nyan's eyes started to sparkle with an odd light. It looked much like a child excited over a new discovery. Suddenly, it stopped poking and looked her straight in the eye, a big grin on its face.
"Little Chichiri-sama!" it chirped.
"Nani?" Kôran asked, a bit confused by its choice of words.
"Kôran-san is Chichiri-sama's wife, yes?"
"Hai, I am."
The Nyan-Nyan pointed at her midsection. "Chichiri-sama put little Chichiri-sama in wife!" It seemed genuinely excited.
Kôran's eyes widened. She had thought of this as a very real possibility, but for it to actually be confirmed was something else altogether. A joyful smile was working its way across her face. "Hontô ni?"
"Hai!" the Nyan-Nyan squeaked, and jumped into her arms, giving her a big hug. There had never been a baby at Daikyoku-zan, so this was an extra special event.
Kôran was overjoyed. She had always wanted to give him children, and now, it was actually going to happen!
The door opened, and in walked Hôjun. He looked a little ragged, and he was a bit sweaty from concentration. He wore only his pants, his shoes and his shirt in his hand. He dropped them onto a chair, crossed over to the bed, sat down behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He laid his head on her shoulder and sighed. He need not say to her that he was exhausted from the past lesson and needed a few minutes to just sit and hold her. Kôran set the Nyan-Nyan on the floor and motioned for it to go. It looked disappointed, but left, for Taiitsukun had given the Nyan-Nyans strict orders to leave both Hôjun and Kôran alone if they were told.
"Kôran, no da?" Hôjun said, his head still on her shoulder. "Why was there a Nyan-Nyan in here, no da?" Neither of them ever let any Nyan-Nyans in their room unless for a specific reason. The hyperactive little girls were too annoying to tolerate otherwise. "Are you feeling all right, no da?"
She turned around in his arms and embraced him, a warm smile on her face. "Hai, Hôjun. I'm feeling just fine."
"Then, why the Nyan-Nyan, no da?" He looked into her face, curiosity in his eye.
She grinned at him. "Have I ever told you how much I wanted children?"
Realization started to dawn. "Are you saying—"
He was interrupted by her kiss. When they broke apart, she touched his cheek lovingly. "Hai, Hôjun. I'm carrying your child."
The look in his eye was both surprised and joyful. He gently laid a hand against her abdomen. "Are you serious, no da?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Would I lie about something like this?" she answered, burrowing deeper into his arms.
He embraced her tightly, not saying a word, simply enjoying the moment and turning the newfound discovery over in his head, still hardly believing it was true.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Four more months had passed. Kôran was now rather heavy with child, and was starting to have to keep from exerting herself much.
Now, Hôjun was walking to a village near Daikyoku-zan to get some red fabric. Kôran wanted to make some baby clothes, and there wasn't any red fabric at Daikyoku-zan. The Nyan-Nyans had used it all up for one thing or another, and they had yet to get some more. A Nyan-Nyan or two would be going to the village instead of Hôjun, but he had the day off from training and volunteered to go. He had not left Daikyoku-zan since being brought there ten months ago, and he was eager to get out for a while. He never liked being holed up in one place for too long. He wished Kôran could have come along, for it was a beautiful winter day, but she shouldn't be taking long walks in the cold weather in the state she was in. When he had left, she had just been laying down for a short nap.
As he neared the town, a feeling of apprehension started growing within him. This was his first time outside of Daikyoku-zan in ten months, and he was going to a strange town were he didn't know anybody and nobody knew him. How would they react when the saw his face? The scar had faded, and was no longer such an angry red, but it was still quite prominent. People, in his experience, didn't take well to people who looked strange, and a large red mark where his left eye should be was rather on the strange side.
The closer he got to the town, the more and more nervous he got. Would they be repulsed? Frightened? Hostile? Would he be able to get the fabric he was going for, or would the completely shun him?
Those questions and more kept running through his head until he found himself on the edge of town. He stopped, looked around to see if anybody was staring at him, then went forward when he found no one was. He was a little ways into the town when he came across some children playing at the roadside. They looked up as his shadow passed over to him, took one look at his face, and screamed. They jumped up and ran away, still screaming. Hôjun had frozen in place. The children's cries had alerted everyone else in the street, who were now all looking right at him. Everyone had a look of either shock or disgust, then they all turned back to what they were doing, only this time, whispering amongst themselves.
Hôjun had no choice but to keep walking. The whispers followed him everywhere as he searched for a cloth seller. He dared not ask anyone, for he didn't have the courage with them all whispering about him like they were. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but he understood a few words and phrases here and there. Some people spoke words of pity, but most spoke words of disgust and horror, and all the children he came across quickly ran away. Tears of embarrassment and shame stung his eye, but he refused to let them fall.
He finally found a shop that sold cloth, and went inside. Thankfully, he was the only one in there at the moment, but the shopkeeper saw him and quickly averted his eyes. Hôjun was able to get the cloth and pay without any problem, but the shopkeeper would not look him in the face. He didn't speak at all to Hôjun either, just gave him the cloth he asked for, took his money, and gave him change without a word.
Hôjun exited the shop and made a beeline for the nearest town exit that pointed toward Daikyoku-zan. He walked steady for a while, but as soon as a bend in the path put a large clump of trees between him and the town, he broke into a run, hot tears flowing down his face. Ever since coming to Daikyoku-zan, he had never felt to ashamed, so rejected.
He did not stop until he got to the foot of Daikyoku-zan. When he finally stopped and stared up at the mountain, he suddenly realized how worn out and exhausted he was from running. He dropped to his knees, breathing hard, and it wasn't more than a minute before weariness overtook him and he sank into unconsciousness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He awoke feeling warm. A soft hand was stroking his face, and he was about to open his eye when he remembered what had happened. He sat up suddenly, earning a squeak of surprise from Kôran, who was sitting on the bed next to him. He put a hand to his forehead and felt a thin layer of sweat that had broken out on his skin in the last few seconds. His breathing was labored, and his heartbeat was rapid.
"Hôjun?" Kôran asked tentatively. "Daijôbu ka?"
"I-iie, no da," he answered shakily. "How did I get up here, no da?"
"Taiitsukun saw you lying unconscious at the foot of the mountain in one of her mirrors," his wife answered. "She sent a few Nyan-Nyans to get you and bring you here. What in the world happened to you, Love?"
"I-I-I went into the town a few miles from here to get the fabric you wanted, no da," he started, and he felt a bit of relief when he saw said fabric in a bundle on the floor, apparently undamaged. "Some kids saw me…they ran away screaming, and everybody saw me, no da. They…they were whispering about me all after that, and…and they were horrified, disgusted…they didn't want me there, no da!" Tears were falling again. He reached out to Kôran and pulled her into an embrace, mindful of her growing belly. He cried softly against her shoulder as she stroked his back and shoulders, whispering assurances to him.
After several minutes, his tears tapered down, and she slowly extracted herself from his arms. She gently kissed his moist cheek and smoothed back his fringe of bangs, now longer than he usually let it grow.
"I have an idea," she said. "Wait in here." She walked out of the room and closed the door. She had learned not too long ago the most efficient way to find Nyan-Nyans. "Nyan-Nyan!" she called to no one in particular, and within ten seconds, she had a dozen little green-haired sprites at her knees. She knelt down in the midst of them. "You all like to fix things," she said. "Can any of you help fix Chichiri-sama's problem with people seeing his scar?"
The Nyan-Nyans thought a minute. "Heal face?" one asked, but Kôran knew that would never happen. She had once asked him about it, and he had vehemently refused to. As he had put it, he needed to keep the scar to remind himself of his sin against Hikô. The Nyan-Nyans thought a little more.
"Nyan-Nyan knows!" one piped up. Kôran and all the other Nyan-Nyans looked at the one that spoke. The little being cupped its hands together, and a soft pink glow shone in them. When the glow faded, in its hands lay a thin, curved object. The Nyan-Nyan gave it to Kôran. The young woman looked at it and giggled.
It was a mask. The eyes were squinty, and the mouth was set in an impish little grin. It reminded her so much of a fox. She wondered if Hôjun would take kindly to being called "Kitsune-san."
"Arigatô, Nyan-Nyan," she said, and they all surged forward and caught her in a group hug, almost squeezing the breath out of her. They let go after a minute and dispersed to different parts of Daikyoku-zan. Kôran heaved herself off the floor and reentered the room to give Hôjun the fox-faced mask.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Two more months had passed. The child was due to be born any day now. There was constantly at least one Nyan-Nyan in their room, keeping an eye on Kôran and helping her when she needed it, but she tried to need its help as little as possible.
Hôjun was now sitting in a solarium not too far from their room, hearing a lecture from Taiitsukun about how to establish mental contact with someone. He kept at complete attention, for Taiitsukun was not one who liked to repeat things, and she got a little annoyed if who she was talking to was not listening to her. And, as Hôjun found out the hard way, Taiitsukun tended to express her annoyance with bodily harm. If she was really annoyed, she just might sic the Nyan-Nyans on you, and that in itself was enough to make anybody pay attention to her.
As he sunk down into a meditative trance as she instructed him, he got the distinct feeling that something was about to happen. His suspicions were confirmed when he was jerked back to full alertness by a screech coming from the direction of his and Kôran's room.
He jumped up and streaked out of the room, not even waiting for permission to leave. He got to their doors in no time, and flung them open. Kôran was on her hands and knees in the middle of the room, one arm wrapped around her midsection, breathing hard. Her skin was covered in sweat, and her hair stuck to her forehead. The skirt of her dress looked like someone had thrown a vase full of water on it, and the floor under her was wet. Her water had broken. A Nyan-Nyan stood before her, dabbing at her face with a moist cloth, a look of genuine concern on its face. Kôran looked up as Hôjun entered.
"Hôjun," she rasped, her voice shaky. "The baby…"
He immediately rushed over to her, picked her up, laid her down on the bed as gently as he could, stripped her dress off, and hollered for the Nyan-Nyans. He felt something damp pressed into his hand, and he looked down and saw the Nyan-Nyan already there handing him the cloth it had been mopping her face with, as well as a small bowl of water. He thanked the Nyan-Nyan and dipped the cloth in the water. Her face was sweaty and pained, but it seemed to calm a little when she felt his soft touch. Hôjun finally noticed that Taiitsukun was floating in the air behind him.
"Keep doing that," she said, indicating the cloth in Hôjun's hand. "It will be a while before the real contractions start, and she needs you to keep her company for the time being. The Nyan-Nyans will help out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other business to tend to." She left. Several Nyan-Nyans jumped on the bed.
"Nyan-Nyans help Kôran-san?" one asked. "Take big pain away?"
"Iie," she gasped, her speech halted by her labored breathing. "All…my children…won't be born here…with you Nyan…Nyans. I…should…get used to…the pain…now…so I'll know…about what to…expect…next time." She suddenly clutched at Hôjun's hand. "Hôjun! It hurts!"
"Daijôbu, no da," he soothed. "I'm right here, no da." He gently sat her up, loosened her already messy hair from its binds, and laid her back down again. He began to bathe her face again, until she whimpered slightly, "Hô…j-jun…" He set the bowl and cloth down, stretched out beside her, and pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly, but cautiously. He stroked her back and hair, whispering assurances to her, trying to keep her calm.
Neither knew how long they lay like that. Kôran seemed to have leveled out pain-wise, but she suddenly tensed almost impossibly and screamed. It had begun.
Her pain became worse and worse as the contractions strengthened and came closer and closer together. She was drenched with sweat, and her eyes were glazed over, nearly unseeing. Her grip on Hôjun's hand proved most uncomfortable for him, but he barely noticed, all his attention on her. The Nyan-Nyans were gathered on the foot of the bed, watching and waiting for the baby to come. One was forward from the rest, the one who would make sure the baby came out okay. It wasn't long before a faint crying sound was heard, and Hôjun looked back and saw the Nyan-Nyan holding a red, wrinkled baby in its arms. Other Nyan-Nyans gathered around to see, while a few saw to cutting the umbilical cord and expelling the afterbirth. The one holding the baby looked at the new parents, grinning.
"Nyan-Nyans go clean baby off," it said. "Then, give back." It jumped off the bed, followed by the others.
Hôjun looked down at his wife, who seemed just barely conscious. "Omedetô, Kôran," he purred, stroking her cheek. "You did it."
"Mmm," was all she could manage, a slight smile on her face. The Nyan-Nyans soon returned, bearing a bundle wrapped in white cloth, its tiny head peeking out from the up end.
"It girl!" several of the Nyan-Nyans chirped, and the one holding it laid it on Kôran's chest. She pushed the sweat-soaked fabric of her undergarment away and held the baby to her breast. It pawed a bit, mewing, at first, but it soon took her nipple into its mouth, beginning to suckle. Kôran turned her face up to her daughter's father, taking his lips in a sweet kiss.
"What should we name her?" she asked when she broke the kiss.
He didn't have time to open his mouth before they heard a bird in a tree outside their window burst into song. It was spring again, and the bird was happy. It seemed to be celebrating life itself, it was singing so passionately. Hôjun turned back to his wife.
"How about Tori, no da?" he asked. Kôran smiled dreamily.
"That's perfect," she whispered, and dropped off to sleep. Hôjun rocked his wife and daughter slowly back and forth, more content at that moment than he had been in a long time.
To be continued…Author's Notes: Well, some of you asked for little Ris, so here ya go! Funny that I got requests for them the chapter before I meant to write a baby into this anyway. There would have been a baby whether people asked for one or not. I'm happy I know some of you really wanted one! ^_^ Expect more in the future! Please send any comments you have to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!