Disclaimer: I don't own Wutai, Lord Kisaragi, the Turks, SOLDIER, Midgar, the slums, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn and Miyuki, and the story itself.
Pre-story A/N: Hey guys, here you go! Please review!
Pregnancy was, for the most part, a positive thing for Miyuki. The villagers were very kind to her, and Shintaro was more attentive. Miyuki was very tall, so her belly didn't show until the worst of the rains passed, when by her count, she was at least 4 months along. And even then, Shintaro would tease, claiming that she looked like a pregnant string. Still, Miyuki knew his first priority would always be the guerrilla, as he bartered for information, sometimes leaving on information-gathering quests that had him away from her for weeks at a time.
And he always acted surprised when he found her, young and expecting their child.
Fall arrived, and with it the chill mornings, the dampness in the air. Miyuki had gotten ill with the damp, a fever coursing through her body, and she struggled against it with all her will, struggled to become healthy so her baby was well. The villagers helped, preparing teas and herbal medicines meant for her newborn to remain strong, for Miyuki herself to cast off the sickness like a veil and become her usual self again. The sickness left her weak, bedridden, and Miyuki had to spend the remainder of her pregnancy at the small hut she lived in, staying almost always in the room the old married couple who lived in the hut had given her and Shintaro. It began to snow, a deep freeze hung in the air.
It was the end of her pregnancy, and Shintaro often came to sit with her. The quality of his visits, however, couldn't be determined as easily. Sometimes he would stroke her hair, tell her news he'd found out, express his fervent belief that the baby would be a boy, tell Miyuki she was special to him, that he loved her.
And sometimes he would just sit and look at her, throwing out small verbal darts, that maybe Miyuki having the baby wasn't such a good idea. What would they do with the baby when the snows cleared and they left the village? Would they cart the baby around, would Miyuki suckle the child at her breast with one hand while holding the sniper gun in the other? These arguments often got heated, and the old couple sheltering them usually came in to break them up before the arguing got worse.
Until one day in early December. They had had one of those screaming matches, and once the head of the family drew Shintaro away, everyone acted as if this were like the usual times, but Miyuki felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She gasped, eyes wide, looking at the old woman who sheltered her. The old woman knelt by Miyuki's side and without preamble, lifted her clothes. "Her water broke," she informed them all in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
Miyuki looked at Shintaro, who'd paled a bit as he stammered, "I'll go get the midwife." The old man went to get clean cloth and make the house ready for the midwife's visit, and the woman stroked Miyuki's forehead, "All that bad temper finally angered the baby. You be still now."
A few hours after that, and the pain Miyuki felt was unbelievable. She groaned, drops of sweat beading her forehead, and felt the sudden urge to push down hard. The midwife helped her sit up, and told her, "You need to give me good, solid pushes, no screaming or crying." Miyuki nodded, clamping her teeth against a terrific surge of pain. Shintaro stepped into the room on occasion, but hurriedly left once Miyuki began to bleed, crying with pain.
It was a long and difficult birth, but one great push and suddenly, Miyuki felt a large weight drop from her body into the waiting hands of the midwife. She panted harshly, trying to look at her newborn, but the midwife had rushed away from sight, wiping the baby clean. And finally, the baby drew a breath and began to cry in loud squalls. "You have a fine boy, Miyuki-san!" the midwife crowed, handing her the newborn, swaddled in a blanket. Miyuki laughed, in a daze. She couldn't believe this tiny, angry thing had come out of her body. Suddenly, Shintaro crashed into the room. With wild, wide eyes, he looked at the still-laughing Miyuki, saw her holding their newborn. "I have a son!!" he cried out, beginning to laugh crazily, "Miyuki has given me a son!" He ran out, cheering loudly, while Miyuki ignored him, staring at the newborn's face, letting the midwife put him to her breast. She watched this small bundle of life latch on, begin to suckle, and she shuddered to think she could've gone through all this years ago, thinking how happy her father would be, to know she had given birth to such an exceptional little boy, regardless of his disapproval of Shintaro and her involvement in the guerrilla.
And she knew this was a strong and most exceptional boy! A woman who cast out many unborn infants was believed to be unable to hold a baby full-term, and Miyuki had gone through half her pregnancy scared her body would betray her and she'd lose this pudgy little baby. She stroked his curled arms, his bowed legs, the delicate curve of his ear, grinning widely in delight that he was so beautiful, so complete and perfect, having such a good time meeting her son for the first time she didn't even feel the midwife finishing with the whole birth process, cleaning her. Miyuki sighed; the baby stopped suckling and fell asleep against her breast. She lay back with her baby sleeping on her chest, and murmured, "Little Katsuo . . . I love you so much . . ."
A/N: Yay, Miyuki has a baby!! Yeah, so where's Katsuo now, in the years-later DCiS? Keep tuned!