Well, this is it folks! The big day! Hold your breath and keep those cigars in reserve. (Or not, considering Japan had no idea tobacco existed at this point in time. But that's beside the point.) Anyway, I thank all of my reviewers to date, all of the ones to come and hope you enjoy the show. Oh, and I apologize to Tsukiyo for the following events and make no apologies whatsoever for Sesshoumaru's male chauvinist attitude. ^_~
Have fun, minna!
Ladymage Samiko ; )
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Of Moonlight and Honor
Part 7
Two more weeks passed and it was the night of the full moon. The skies were clear, though the nights were still bitterly cold in the mountain ranges. Sesshoumaru was untroubled by this, though Tsukiyo was bundled practically to her eyebrows. The high belt to accommodate her swelling stomach didn't help matters much, either.
Despite the weather and Tsukiyo's difficulty in climbing, both she and Sesshoumaru were perched on the roof for moon viewing. They said little to each other; indeed, Sesshoumaru almost never said anything unless it was necessary and Tsukiyo was not yet comfortable enough to start a conversation. She didn't mind, however. It was enough just to be able to enjoy his presence.
It was nearing midnight when Sesshoumaru's ears heard a tiny whimper. "Is something wrong?" he asked mildly, ignoring the slight feeling of alarm.
"No," Tsukiyo replied, looking embarrassed. "It's nothing."
"Really?" An eyebrow lifted and he let disbelief color his question.
"Mm." She smiled at him. "Your child is just letting me know how strong it's going to be. It has quite a good kick." A slight discomfort passed over her face. "Your child is active tonight." Tsukiyo bit her lip uncertainly. "Come feel. Please."
Sesshoumaru blinked his astonishment as she parted the thick layers of kimono, baring her stomach to the night air. "Please?" she whispered. Slowly, he crossed the space between them, intrigued in spite of himself. He had never been around a pregnant woman before Tsukiyo and was curious as to what she wanted. Gingerly, he seated himself next to her and watched her carefully. "Please, give me your hand?" When he held it out to her, she took it gently in her own soft hand and guided it to her belly. Sesshoumaru felt the softness of her skin, the smoothly rounded contours that had once been flat. Again he wondered what he was waiting for and cocked a curious eyebrow back at the girl. But before she could say a word, he felt it.
For a youkai who had spent his years receiving and blocking blows, this was nothing. A mere ripple. But. . . This was his child. His son. Not even born into this world and still he, Sesshoumaru could feel him, feel the strong evidence of his existence. For the first time in many years, the mask slipped and he looked into Tsukiyo's eyes with an expression of sheer wonder. "That-- that is my son." She smiled back at him--that secret, knowing smile of an expectant mother.
With no more words, he removed his hand and carefully drew the layers of fabric back over her belly. Just as cautiously, he lifted her in his arms. Surprised, Tsukiyo clutched at him for a few seconds before relaxing against his shoulder. Sesshoumaru accepted this calmly and with no further display of emotion, he carried the girl down the stairs.
Two weeks more and Rin returned, towing her mother-in-law behind her. A brisk, no-nonsense woman, Kyoumi-sama was now comfortable with her "in-law" and quickly brought the household into an order that suited her and "that poor, sweet child." Slightly rankled at the invasion, Sesshoumaru nevertheless allowed Kyoumi-san to have her way. She knew better than he what the girl needed. And besides, any intelligent male knows when he's met his match.
Soon, all that was left to do was wait.
"And just why should I--?" Sesshoumaru drawled slowly, cocking an eyebrow.
Rin growled in irritation, pacing back and forth in front of the stoic youkai. "Because it's your child being born. Because you ought to see this through. Because she's asked for you, the gods only know why. Dammit, Sesshoumaru-sama, finish what you started! Get in there!"
"Very well," Sesshoumaru sighed rising slowly from the floor by the window. "If you insist. But everything seems to be going well. I don't see what I am needed for."
Rin stared at him, then threw her hands in the air. "Just go to her, Sesshoumaru-sama." Impossible youkai! Men, human or youkai, never had any idea about birthing. Well, he'd figure it out soon enough, she thought to herself as she bustled back to the chamber where Tsukiyo had already been in labor for the past two hours. It had taken her that long to break down and ask for Sesshoumaru-sama. But she still would not utter a moan, much less a scream. Mother-in-law took that as a sign that the child would be strong, but it worried Rin. The girl was so fragile and the strength it took to keep from screaming the pain could drain her before it was over. As she knew from the birth of her own daughter, first children could take a long, hard time to be born.
"You asked for me?" Sesshoumaru's voice was calm and emotionless as usual when he entered the birthing room.
"I--" Tsukiyo gasped, "I did not think you would--" Her sentence broke off as another contraction wracked her body. Tsukiyo, determined to give no sign of weakness in front of her lord, grit her teeth and willed away the cry her body wanted her to voice. A very small grunt escaped her.
"Is this normal?" Sesshoumaru asked mildly, still standing across the room. From what he had heard, youkai women dropped pups (or cubs or kits, depending on the kind) as easily as breathing.
"Yes and no," Rin answered, taking hold of Tsukiyo's hand and wiping her forehead with a cloth. "Yes, it is normal for human birthing to take a long time. Yes, it is normal for it to hurt like hell. No, it is not normal to remain silent. Any ordinary woman would be yelling her head off and cursing you to the furthest hells for doing this to her."
"Interesting," was all Sesshoumaru had to say in reply. He took a seat in the corner, resting his arm on the lacquered wooden rest placed there.
It was eight hours later when Tsukiyo broke down and started sobbing out of both pain and the humiliation at giving into it. But she was so very, very tired that it no longer seemed to matter. Kyoumi had stopped fussing hours before and now simply waited for something, anything to change. Rin continued holding her hand and whispering comforting things to her, though Sesshoumaru could see the worry lines between her eyes and smell her growing despair. In spite of himself, he began to worry. If the child should die, then, of course, his dilemma would be solved. But-- This was his son, Sesshoumaru-sama's son. It would be unthinkable for his son to be so weak as to die before he was born. Impossible!
"Watch her," Kyoumi-san told Rin softly before beckoning the youkai lord to follow her outside. He glanced at the gardens, their spring growth serene and untroubled by the events occurring beyond the walls that surrounded them.
"My lord," Kyoumi began without further preamble, "if this continues much longer, Tsukiyo-chan will die and take the child with her."
"And?" he questioned coolly.
The woman glared at him. "There is little we can do but wait and pray for her. If there is any sort of youkai magic that can help, I suggest you use it. If not, then at least show the girl a little sympathy. It may give her the strength she needs to see this through and if not, she will at least be comforted during her final moments. She loves you, it's plain to see, and anything you could do would make her happy beyond words. Even a small word of encouragement might help. She deserves that of you."
"It would seem that she deserves quite a bit for deceiving me," Sesshoumaru commented, "but if nothing else will please you. . ." He turned back and reentered the small room. He had to admit, however grudgingly, that he was beginning to admire this slip of a girl who lay exhausted on the futon before him. Youkai healed quickly; while they endured great pain on occasion, it was soon finished with. Tsukiyo had endured over ten hours of intense (from what he could determine) pain. It was little wonder that the tears had begun to slip down her face. Padding quietly over to her side, he knelt and took one of her hands in his own. "They say you are doing very well," he informed her.
He was rewarded with a small, tired smile that lasted for a split second before her face transformed into a mask of pain and her hand tightened its grip with a strength that amazed him. He blinked at the taut form for a few seconds. "She is strong," he said to no one in particular. "My son will be born."
"May the gods hear you," he heard Kyoumi mutter.
Perhaps the kami of the mountain heard him. Perhaps Kanon, the bodhisattva of mercy, looked upon the woman-child's fighting spirit with favor. Or perhaps it was simply Tsukiyo herself, buoyed by his words of confidence, who performed the miracle. But it was not even another hour later when the strong, healthy cry of a newborn baby filled the quiet rooms of the castle.
It was impossible to see much from his place at Tsukiyo's side as the other two women bustled about, tending to the young one's needs, cutting the umbilical cord, drying it off, wrapping the child in warm blankets. But he could clearly see the baby's round, rosy face as it was handed to him--Tsukiyo being to weak to hold the child--and he definitely heard the loud cries the babe uttered, evidence of strong, healthy lungs. His son may be a half-breed, but was a child worthy of his name.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin said, her voice happy, relieved, and proud. "Say hello to your new child, a healthy, beautiful little daughter." Sesshoumaru stared at his erstwhile ward.
"A healthy. . . beautiful. . . daughter?"
--tsuzuku
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Cultural Notes
None today, really. Giving birth is a fairly universal occurrence and doesn't require any translation. I love playing with Sesshoumaru's head. ^_~
