(About eight months Later on Planet Kinmokusei)
Setsuna walked around the palace gardens or rather waddled around them. She was due any day now and the birthing maiden had told her to keep walking around. She could no longer take the pain she was getting from her back and sat in a chair. Now she knew how Michiru felt and was going to apologize to her when she went home for making her walk around.
"My back is killing me. You keep kicking my spine little one." She said stroking her belly which had grown quite large though Setsuna could swear it was from all the weird meals she had been eating lately. She was certain that the palace cook had most certainly had it with her and her odd requests.
"I knew you would be out here. You don't seem to like the indoors much." Taiki said coming through the archway and standing behind her his hands on the back of the chair.
"I feel as if the rooms are going to swallow me up. When did you get here?" She said straining her neck trying to look at him.
"I don't see how massive chambers can swallow you up. Anyway, I got a break from the tour. We are all here by the way; we got here about an hour ago. I decided to come find you and see how you were doing." He said kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand while his other rested on her belly.
"That's very sweet of you. So, how are things back on earth?" She asked adjusting the pillow behind her.
"Quiet for the most part. Though it seems that blondie is restless about finding out about your whereabouts. She's been the penthouse twice trying to squeeze us for info." Taiki said looking behind Setsuna.
"Blondie? You mean Haruka?" Setsuna asked chuckling at the nickname Haruka would kill the Starlights if she knew they were calling her that.
"Yeah, that's Seiya's name for her. She thinks he knows something about this and he doesn't. He isn't even aware you are here and he won't know if you keep a low profile. He doesn't even come over to this section of the palace, technically these are the princess's private chambers and nobody but she and her servants are allowed in here. We aren't even allowed over here. I got special permission because you are here." He said leaning up and kissing her on the cheek.
"I should have known that Haruka wouldn't have let it be. Either that or Michiru is bugging her so much that she is searching to keep her Michi at bay. She wouldn't be able to confirm my story because nobody can even get to the time gates but me." Setsuna said.
"Don't worry about it. Nobody but the princess and I know you're here. After you have the baby you can return to earth and the child can be raised here." Taiki said.
"Eventually he will have to come back to the solar system and be trained." She said a knowing smile on her face.
"He? What makes you so certain it's a boy?" Taiki asked.
"Taiki, this child has been growing inside of me for the past nine months. Call it a mother's intuition." Setsuna replied placing a hand on her stomach thoughtfully.
"Why does 'he' have to be trained in your solar system? We have sufficient facilities here for the training of senshi. And he's half starlight." Taiki protested.
"I realize that Taiki, but when his talisman and henshin appear. He has to come back; I don't intend to bring him to earth right away. But, he will have to be in the solar system. And I can't keep him from the others forever. There will come a time when the new generation has to be trained to protect the queen. When that time comes he has to bond with the others. More so with his fellow outers then with the rest of them." She said
"The princess told me that a talisman has already appeared. Doesn't that mean he has to be trained here as well?" he asked.
"I have been analyzing it. It doesn't seem to be anything more then a dark purple crystal. It don't think it's his Senshi crystal though." She replied.
"May I see it?" Taiki asked.
"Yes, of course." Setsuna said pulling the crystal out of her maternity robes and handing the palm-sized crystal to Taiki. Taiki took it into his hand and closed his fingers around it. The dark purple crystal resonated to a bright purple color and a blue aura surrounded Taiki. He opened his hand and gave the now dark crystal back to Setsuna who was surprised by its warmth.
"What did you do to it?" She asked
"I didn't do anything to it. It responded to my body though. I think I know what it is now." He responded
"What?" Setsuna asked.
"There have been legends in the history of my people. Legends that talk about people who can switch their sex at will. And they all talk about a strange crystal that each one of them possessed." Taiki said.
"Well, can't you do that? What about what happened to Haruka?" She asked remembering the unique situation that had been brought about so that Haruka and Michiru could conceive children.
"Those two situations are different. Star Senshi can only keep a female form by transforming into Senshi. We can't hold a female form outside of that for long periods of time. And the only reason we were able to turn Haruka male was by using the silver imperium crystal as a buffer. And if we hadn't changed Haruka back, she would have stayed male for the rest of her lifetime." He responded.
"I get that, but how is this different?" Setsuna asked.
"It's different because this child will be able to hold either form for however long they want. If he is male, he could turn female and stay that way for over a hundred years if he wished and then turn back to being male. He wouldn't be stuck in either form or have a time limit like normal Starlights." Taiki explained.
"So you're saying he can be male or female at will and for as long as he wants?" She asked.
"That's right, or at least according to the ancient texts." He answered.
"He would also be immortal." Setsuna said.
"How so? Even you've died before." Taiki said.
"Taiki, I've lived many lifetimes, longer then any other Senshi. I stopped ageing at about twenty five and I've been around for many eras. The standard moon person can live a thousand years without ageing past their twenties. And being the guardians of the solar system we are reborn when we die. Though it may be many years in between our death and rebirth. Additionally, if this child is to replace me as the guardian of time, he will be part of time itself." She said.
"Ok, I get that now, but what kind of Senshi will he be?" He asked.
"I don't know, and what I do know is fact because it happened to me. I don't know what his powers will ultimately be or what he will be capable of. That's why he will be going to Pluto when it's time. I can have the fairies raise him and record his progress." She said.
"He's a child Setsuna, not a science project! He needs his mother to be a mother and not a researcher to poke and prod him." Taiki said annoyed.
"Hey, I was raised by the fairies and I turned out ok! Plus after I know what's going on with him as far as his powers are concerned I'll summon him to come to earth and live with me at the Outer manor." She replied.
"I don't like it. I want him to have a normal childhood." Taiki again protested.
"That's simply not possible; he's not a normal child. He must be brought up to respect his powers and himself! Ouch!" Setsuna yelped and clutched at her belly.
"What's wrong? Is it tim…" Taiki trialed off as he saw a puddle form under Setsuna and the water reached his feet.
"Shimatta! Not now!" Taiki exclaimed.
"This baby is ready and is coming weather you like it or not!" Setsuna hollered.
Taiki went over and chimed a bell and a servant appeared and bowed.
"Get the birthing maiden and your lady! Mistress Setsuna is in labor!" Taiki bellowed at the girl Not at all sure what he should be doing he just stared as the girl bowed and then ran off.
"Taiki! Get your skinny ass over here. You did this to me. You fucking prick!" Setsuna shrieked as the pains of labor started kicking in.
A few moments later the birthing maiden arrived getting her to lean back as far as she could as she pulled a small table over placing Setsuna's feet on it. She lifted Setsuna's robes and examined her. "She's dilated three centimeters. This baby is coming."
"I could have told you that! My crotch is going to burst! Where did that shitfaced prick go? Taiki, you motherfucker! Get over here!" Setsuna screamed again looking around for Taiki who stood a few feet away scared to go near her.
With the help of two orderlies Setsuna was lifted and taken to her chambers where she was stripped down and placed in the bath. It had been decided that she would have a water birth. She was given some herbs to calm her and all they could do now was wait.
(53 hours later)
"Get this fucking thing out of me! I want it out! I've been here for two days and it still hasn't come out." Setsuna said crying. She had been in the worst pain of her life for the past two days. Her hands were pruned for being in the water for so long. Granted the chambermaids had been changing out the water every two hours or so. Last she had been checked she was dilated 10 centimeters. She could not figure out for the life of her why the baby didn't want to come out. Her contractions had been on and off for hours at a time.
"Calm down Setsuna." Said a weary Taiki trying to calm her with no avail as it had been for the last 53 hours his eyes red a blood shot from no sleep and his head hurting from her constantly yelling at him.
"You try pushing this out of your vagina and see how you feel!" she snapped as she felt another contraction coming. "Oh gods! Does it ever end?" She said looking over at the table and seeing a small surgical knife. "Taiki, dear love, sweetheart, give me that knife. I'll cut this little bugger out of me! The pain is too much!" She said showing signs of delusion.
Taiki looked upon her and cringed. Her hair stuck matted to her back and her shoulders as she had refused to let them put it up saying her "hair hurt too and if they touched it she'd freeze them in time forever." They had taken her henshin stick and talisman away from her hours ago but she still had a few innate powers. And aside from being bloated from the baby her body looked like it had overloaded and fried out a long time ago. Her breasts had become swollen and leaked milk out of preparation of the coming child. She looked terrible and probably no did feel like it too.
The birthing maiden entered the room and checked the screaming Setsuna. "She's at twelve and I can see the baby. Come on Mistress, push." She said lowering Setsuna's hips into the water and let her rest her legs on her shoulders. She knelt down into the water getting ready to deliver the baby. Setsuna pushed as she felt her body giving out. She screamed and pulled Taiki's ponytail and yelled more profanities.
"You fucker, you dirty fucker! I'll never let you near me again! I don't care how horny I get! I'll buy a toy! AHHHHH! Sweet fuck! My legs are going to fall off!" Setsuna could no longer control her body. It just started pushing the baby on its own.
"I can see the head, one more good push!" asked the maiden chuckling a little of all the babies she had brought into the world this mother had to have the funniest labor comments she almost felt sorry for the young Starlight father.
"Shut up! You fucking bitch! How 'bout we switch places eh? You can push this out of your snatch and I'll catch!" Setsuna said. Her violet eyes brimming with insanity. The maiden shrugged it off. She had been called far worse. "That fucking bitch Michiru had a c-section why hell couldn't I?" Setsuna yelled pulling on Taiki's ponytail more near forcing his face into the water. However Setsuna's body complied and gave the final push and she instantly felt the pain fade away. She heard the screaming of a baby and looked over to see maidservants already cleaning it off as the birthing maiden remained to catch the afterbirth.
"Congratulations Mistress and Master, it's a boy." The maidservant said handing the baby to Setsuna wrapped in a purple blanket. Setsuna forgot about all the pain she had just felt and smiled at the little ball of warmth resting on her chest.
"He looks like a prune." Taiki said.
"Did you think that babies came out wrapped in blankets?" Setsuna said dividing her attention between the baby softly stroking his head and looking up to Taiki. The sign of Pluto resonated on the child's head as well as her own.
"Well we know he's yours." Taiki responded.
"He's yours too, ass." Setsuna chided. She guided the child down to one of her breasts and he latched on without even opening his eyes.
"How did you know he was hungry?" Taiki asked.
"I'm his mother, I just know." She responded.
"What are we gonna name him?" Taiki asked gently stroking the child's head then leaning down and kissing Setsuna on the cheek.
"Shizuo … Meioh Shizuo." Setsuna said softly adjusting him in her arms.
"Meioh? Why not Kou?" Taiki asked.
"Because nobody is supposed to know he's your son." Setsuna said.
Notes: We hope that everybody gets the story so far. In the case of Shizuo or Shi as he'll come to be known after he arrives on earth. He's a complicated character as far as what he exactly is and that's why we had the Q&A session between Setsuna and Taiki to try to explain him better. There's more to him but what has been explained should be enough until the plot develops to the point where he'll have to use his powers with the other characters of the 2nd gen.