I'm back, everyone! I had to go on hiatus because of school, and will be doing so again come January through March and a bit into April. And aside from random one-shot plot bunnies that don't take too long, I will be taking a break from most of my fandoms to work on my Digimon Frontier series 'Return to the Digital World', the fourth installment of which has been on-hold for years. This is a much newer fandom for me, as this time last year I was just getting into Kamen Rider.

So it'll be a while before anything new comes out for Knightverse, but I'm also posting a new KR Drive fic very soon, possibly even later today - keep an eye out for it.

This chapter is much, much longer than the other two, so you might want to make yourself comfortable before reading.

Enjoy!

Also thanks to Iccirion for becoming the official Beta for all my Kamen Rider stories!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kamen Rider Kiva or any of its characters.

WORD COUNT: 7298
TOTAL: 13256

In the days after their marriage, Chōko and Taiga had developed an unspoken arrangement. She had her own private bedchambers, but every few nights they would sleep in his room together, and attempt to conceive a child, because her primary duty as Queen was to produce an heir for him.

They both had mixed feelings about that.

Taiga knew he had a strong sense of duty, but he couldn't help but wish that it was Mio who would be bearing his child. Mio… The hole her death had left in his heart was like a gaping pit of sorrow and regret. He wished he'd listened to her, considered her feelings more. Even if a small part of him knew that if she'd lived, the rift between him and Wataru would have grown instead of healing. Maybe it was that regret that had him feeling so sorry for this new Queen, who was just as trapped now as Mio had been. Even more so, possibly.

On the other hand, he was determined to be a good father. Had he lived long enough for Taiga to at least have memories of him, his own father would most likely not have been the best example; far from it, in fact. If he'd truly been completely fine with murdering his own son to punish Kaa-san, then Taiga wanted to be nothing like the last King. His childhood with Shima-san had also been less than ideal, though at least now the two of them were owning up to their screw-ups regarding each other, and Taiga found himself getting along with his foster-father much better. Either way, he wanted to give his future child the care and support that he himself had been denied.

Chōko's situation was a bit more complicated. She'd never really planned on having a child, hadn't even given much thought to it. So she was suddenly finding herself in a situation where impending motherhood was pretty much a given, and quite frankly, it scared the hell out of her. Her own mother, of course, was already working out the best possible way to use it to her – sorry, their advantage.

As Chōko had guessed, she was being instructed to gain the King's trust, and to find the cracks in his relationships with his supporters. There would be more to the plan, of course, but that all depended on what she learned. From her observation, the King's closest ties were with his brother, the Knight. His relationships with his mother and human foster-father were warm but a bit strained, and all his other supporters, mostly all humans, seemed to actually be the Knight's friends, not his own. It appeared that he actually had some bad history with them, giving Chōko the impression that Knight was the only reason they worked with the King. Only Eritate Kengo was really making an effort; Chōko had heard that he'd been a bit of an ass in the past, and was trying to make up for it.

As for the child – or possibly even children – Mari was positive that it would help greatly in the trust department. She also planned on being heavily involved in raising her grandchild, teaching it the good old, traditional values of the Fangires. After all, if Chōko bore a son, he would eventually become the new King one day.

At least, Chōko came to realise, she was actually somewhat lucky, in that her husband was a good person. They often spent a good portion of their nights together just talking, after they were done with their other activities. The King did his best to not push her boundaries, or force her into anything she was unwilling to do. He actually apologised for their situation until Chōko finally got tired of it and told him to cut it out, that it wasn't his fault. He even started asking her for her opinion on small matters. He shared bits of his past with her, like the time he and Knight had first become friends as children. This, of course, had led to him explaining how they'd been separated when they were very young, and hadn't even known they were brothers until less than a year ago.

What was strange was that Chōko found herself opening up to him as well. She told him about her work with the volunteer society, going into far more detail than she would have if she'd been talking to her mother. She could share her views and opinions of her peers as people, not as stupid humans she had to use and put up with.

Chōko wasn't sure, but she thought that maybe she and her husband were now friends.

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Chōko groaned as she flushed the toilet again. She'd been throwing up a lot for the past couple of weeks, and she'd missed her last period three weeks ago, but hadn't realised it until yesterday. Hoping her suspicions were wrong, she glanced over at the little white test she'd taken a couple minutes ago. It still hadn't beeped, yet.

She didn't want to be pregnant, not yet. Sure, they'd been trying to conceive since the wedding night less than three months ago, but that was more out of duty than anything. It hadn't occurred to Chōko that it would happen this fast. It had felt like something much farther into the future, but now here it was. She'd been planning on starting graduate studies next September, too, in Law.

The test beeped, startling her, and Chōko picked it up with shaky hands. She closed her eyes, praying that she'd just had food poisoning, and that it would come up negative. No such luck. When she looked, the young Queen was faced with a little blue plus sign staring defiantly up at her.

Graduate studies were going to have to wait a bit.

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

As it stood, it took Chōko three full weeks to tell the King that they were going be parents. She did her best to keep her symptoms under wraps, watching what she ate despite the growth in her appetite and hiding her morning sickness. To her frustration, she was still putting on weight, and had to wear looser clothing to conceal it.

It wasn't even her husband's reaction that she was worried about. It was her mother's. The woman was eager for grandchildren, but Chōko didn't really… want her to influence this baby. She'd formed her own opinions on the world long ago, and they didn't quite all agree with the values that Mari would undoubtedly try to force on the child.

It was when the King pulled her aside one morning, concerned about her recent secretive behaviour, that she decided to tell him.

The look on his face was a mix of surprise, relief (he'd probably been worried about something more sinister), and a touch of excitement. "You're… you're sure?" he asked, once he regained his voice.

Chōko nodded, keeping a poker face on. "I've taken a home test, and I've been experiencing the expected symptoms, but I still don't know how far along I am."

"Oh. Okay. That's… Are you alright? Do you need to sit down?"

She shook her head, refraining from commenting that he looked like he was the one who needed to sit down. "No, I'm fine right now."

They announced it at dinner that night. Chōko's mother promptly burst into tears of pride and joy. The human Eritate Kengo, who'd popped by to visit the brothers (mainly Knight), pounded King on the back in congratulations.

Most of the others reacted with surprise and varying degrees of happiness for the parents-to-be. The only one who didn't seem shocked was the Wolfen Jirō, who, when asked, simply rolled his eyes and tapped his nose. Of course he had smelled the hormone changes that came with pregnancy. At least he'd respected her privacy enough to keep silent on the matter.

Friday, July 31th, 2009 – 10 Weeks

The next day, Chōko, her mother, King, and Knight went to a local clinic to get the baby checked out. Chōko found out that she just over ten weeks along, and got a couple copies of the ultrasound photo and a list of recommended gynecologists.

Mari fussed over her the whole time, to the point that Chōko was feeling more than a little claustrophobic. She wanted to send announcements to all her colleagues, for the same reason she'd wanted certain guests at the wedding – to show off. King, thankfully, had put a stop to that. Chōko had been lucky to have not been a target in the recent attacks yet, but that could change once word got out that she was carrying his child. That reality had been enough to shut her mother up.

For her part, Chōko was just getting sick of being used to elevate Mari's position. Her mother hadn't been expecting to have her, either, and had simply turned her situation to her advantage. Chōko wondered if she'd be expected to put her own child through the same thing. Her hand drifted subconsciously over her still-flat stomach, a habit she'd developed since it had first occurred to her that she might be pregnant.

Friday, October 30th, 2009 – 23½ Weeks

Three months had passed since her pregnancy was announced, and Chōko was bored to tears. She was barely allowed to do anything besides sit around all day, what she ate was strictly regulated, and she had nothing to do! For the first couple of days, she didn't mind the rest, but Chōko had never been an idle person – she'd always had some sort of assignment or project to work on – and the inactivity was driving her insane!

Right now, she was in one of the Castle's sitting rooms, reading a random novel, but if she were asked what it was about, she wouldn't be able to say. The Castle was all but deserted at the moment. King was at work, with Knight ever-present at his side. They were meeting with the new Rook to discuss recruitment plans. Her mother was off taking care of… something, Chōko wasn't really sure what. Maybe picking out baby clothes, or cribs, something that the parents-to-be should really be doing themselves, but that she insisted on doing, anyway. The three Arms Monsters were taking care of other matters within the Castle, but giving her some much-needed space. And the King's mother was visiting Rook's wife and son, recently relocated from the New York Enclave, in their new apartment.

They'd been trying to keep the pregnancy secret for as long as possible, to lower the chances of Chōko being targeted, but by late August, either she'd gotten big enough for someone to have noticed, or her mother hadn't been able to keep the secret to herself, as word reached them that it had become public knowledge in the Fangire community, so she stayed indoors as often as they could manage it, which was actually quite a lot.

Chōko stared blankly at the page before her, trying to focus on the words and ignore the fact that she felt tired, sore, and utterly bloated. At five months, she now had a noticeable bump in her stomach, her feet were constantly swollen, and she'd had to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe because absolutely nothing fit her anymore. She wondered just how much of the extra weight actually came from the baby itself and how much was just the result of eating so much and getting no exercise.

She sighed, and started to get up (just thinking about food for a moment was making her hungry), when something happened that made her freeze in place.

At first, Chōko wondered if she was just imagining it. She'd been feeling the occasional fluttering sensation in her abdomen for the past couple of weeks, but had dismissed them as gas bubbles (and wasn't that another embarrassing downside to being pregnant?). But the odd sensation in her abdomen was felt again, and it wasn't gas. She sat back down heavily, pressing both hands over the bump. Something on the inside pushed against the heel of her right palm.

Her baby was kicking. It was inside her, alive, and moving. The reality of it all hit home, and she couldn't help the tear that escaped from her eye, or the excitement that seemed to bubble up inside her. Her child was already right there with her.

"I'm home." Chōko jumped slightly as the King entered the room. "How are you f- What's wrong?"

Chōko beckoned him over. "Nothing," she insisted, "Nothing is wrong, but come here!" She grabbed his ungloved right hand and placed it on the spot where she'd felt the child's movement. Sure enough, it started kicking a couple seconds later, and she got the pleasure of seeing a look of shock on his face before a huge grin overtook it.

"Oh my God," he whispered. He looked up at her, and all Chōko could think was that she wished she could see that smile more often. It was probably the only time she'd seen him so happy.

A knock on the door interrupted them, causing King to pull his hand away. Knight poked his head in, his expression apologetic. "Sorry, Nii-san, but we need to head back. One of the recruits is apparently being difficult, at least according to Nago-san."

"Again?" King groaned. Only a handful of his former retinue had remained loyal to his new cause, so the new Rook, Shirakawa Katsurō, had begun recruiting new soldiers for the Royal Army. Many were Fangires who'd fallen in love with humans, who were grateful for the protection the King was offering them and their loved ones. But a few were a bit suspicious of his motives, or were offended by the idea of taking orders from a foreign-raised Fangire, or had other issues. "Okay, we'll go back and deal with that." He looked back at Chōko almost apologetically.

"It's fine," she assured him, before he could say anything, "It's your responsibility, after all."

He nodded somewhat reluctantly. "All right. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Saturday, December 12th, 2009 – 29½ Weeks

Tons of shoppers flooded the mall, causing a lot of confusion and chaos, but that was to be expected with the Christmas season approaching. Chōko elbowed her way through the crowd, shopping bags on her arms and the exit in her sights. The fact that she now took up nearly twice as much space as she did last year made her feel a bit more claustrophobic. She was now over six and a half months along, so her stomach had expanded to the point that she could only just barely see the tips of her toes if she put the effort in, and that wouldn't last much longer. Frankly, she felt like a whale.

After finally extracting herself from the crowd, Chōko began to make her way to the car her mother had bought her as a wedding gift. She was just glad to have finished with her Christmas shopping before the rush really started, and looked forward to getting back to Castle Doran (she was still having trouble thinking of it as home) and maybe taking a nap.

"Chōko-sempai!" The sound of her name being called drew the young Queen's attention to a small café situated across the street from the shopping centre. It took her a few seconds, but she spotted her old schoolmate and fellow member of the university's volunteering society, Ichijo Mio. The girl who'd designed her wedding dress. She was sitting at one of the outdoor tables, wearing a red scarf and a white toque with a sprig of fake holly on it, and waving at Chōko excitedly.

Deciding that her bed could wait a little while longer, Chōko walked – more like waddled – over. Her kōhai greeted her with an enthusiastic hug. "I haven't seen you since April, how are you? Well, obviously you're doing well, I mean, look at you! When are you due?"

"In February," Chōko replied, "On the twenty-second."

"Wow, you two didn't wait very long, did you?" Ichijo commented with a suggestive grin on her face, "Wait, when did you find out?"

Chōko blushed. "Early July. I was more than a month along, by that point. Now I'm at twenty-eight weeks. How have you been?" She purposely diverted the conversation, as her pregnancy seemed to be the only thing people wanted to discuss with her, lately.

Ichijo's grin spread even wider in response, and she held up her left hand, displaying the shiny rock. "Akio-kun proposed!" she declared, "Two weeks ago!"

"That's wonderful! Have you set a date yet?"

"Not yet. Actually, I'm here waiting for him so we can discuss that. You haven't met him yet, have you?"

Chōko thought for a minute, and realised that though she'd heard plenty about Hachisuka Akio, she'd never actually met Ichijo's sweetheart.

"Well, if you're not in a rush, I'd love to introduce you two, finally. He should be along any minute."

Chōko chose to stay, her back and legs grateful for the rest. They talked about what ideas Ichijo had for the wedding; the bride-to-be was hoping for an outdoor ceremony in or around June, and was dead set on designing her gown and the bridesmaids' dresses herself. Eventually, they did move on to other topics, though.

Right when Ichijo was starting to talk about her latest classes, a guy her age ran up to them. "Mio!" he gasped, out of breath like he'd been running a marathon.

"Akio-kun! It's about time you got here! This is-"

Her fiancé didn't let her finish, instead grabbing her by the hand and hauling her up out of her chair. "We need to hurry; I'll explain on the way."

"What is going on? What are you so freaked out about? Seriously Akio-kun, you look like you're being chased by a ghost."

"I'll tell you when we're safe, come on!" Ichijo barely had time to snatch her purse from the table before Hachisuka began to tug her away, Chōko watching in bewilderment. However, the couple didn't get far; someone unexpected stepped into their path.

It was Chōko's mother. "Running away with your little whore, are you? You gave your head start up for the human. Weak Fangires like you with no survival instinct, putting meager meals before your own lives; you're a disgrace. You don't deserve to live." Her Fangire markings appeared, and she shifted into her true form, the Widow Fangire.

Hachisuka shielded a terrified Ichijo while all the other shoppers screamed and ran. Mari ignored them. Chōko was stunned. Ichijo's fiancé was a Fangire?

"Akio-kun, what is that?! What is she talking about?"

"Kaa-san?" Chōko gasped, "What are you doing?!" The couple glanced back at her, stunned and, in Hachisuka's case, angry.

"I'm simply carrying out your duty," Mari replied calmly, "Until we can convince the King to allow you to do it yourself. Just as I have been doing for the past eight months."

Chōko's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. "You… what? You've been murdering Fangires since the wedding?!"

"They would have been ready to murder their own kind just to protect some worthless humans. They had to be executed, along with the vermin that drove them to that madness."

"Like hell," Hachisuka snarled, his own markings appearing. He pushed Ichijo back. "Mio, run. Run and don't stop." Then he launched himself at Chōko's mother, transforming into a Coyote Fangire as he did so. Chōko got out of her chair and hurried over to Ichijo, who'd stumbled and fallen, as quickly as she could, given her condition.

"Come on," she insisted, pulling the younger woman along, "He's right, we need to run." With some difficulty, the Queen managed to steer a shocked Ichijo away and around the nearest corner.

"What was that?" Ichijo whimpered, "How did Akio-kun turn into that thing? Chōko-sempai, what's going on? What do you know?!"

Chōko made to reach for her cell phone, but belatedly remembered that it was in her purse, which she'd left behind with her shopping bags. "Do you have your cell with you? I need to call for help."

Ichijo pulled her own purse closer to her chest. "Not until you tell me what's going on!" Her eyes were filling up with tears.

Chōko sighed, exasperated and impatient. "Your fiancé is a being known as a Fangire. So am I, and so is my mother. She thinks he's a traitor of our kind for falling in love with you. Now, please, I don't know how long he'll be able to hold her off, so I need to call someone to help us."

Her kōhai handed the device over with shaking hands. Chōko dialled her husband's number, trying to ignore the crashes and battle noises that sounded too close for comfort. She ushered Ichijo away as the King picked up.

"You need to get to the café in front of the mall. Kaa-san… she's attacking another Fangire. He's engaged to an old classmate of mine. Please, hurry and stop her." She fought down tears, as she knew that they were unlikely to let her mother off with a warning.

"Mio!" Hachisuka appeared from around the corner, covered in blue Fangire blood and staggering with a hand clamped to his side. "Get away from her!" He grabbed Chōko and shoved her away, into a wall. The cell phone fell out of her hand and smashed on the sidewalk.

"Akio-kun!"

Chōko shook her head. "No, I'm not helping her!" she insisted, "I had no idea she was even doing this stuff!"

"Like hell! You're the Queen, aren't you? She's just filling in for you! I should have known those rumours were bull!"

"No! If you mean that loving a human is no longer illegal, that's true! We had no idea she was killing people!" Her heart was thundering wildly when she realised that he still didn't believe her.

"Akio-kun, stop!" Ichijo insisted, "I believe her! She doesn't mean us any harm!"

"You don't know who this is, Mio," Hachisuka growled, his Fangire markings appearing again, "If it weren't for her current condition, she'd've tried to kill us herself. She probably led her mother right to you!"

"No, you don't know her! She's my friend!"

"Ichijo…" Chōko whispered. That was the first time anyone had called her their friend.

A pair of giant, translucent fangs appeared in the air above the younger woman, and before the two Fangires could do or say anything, they jammed into either side of her neck and drained her completely. Ichijo's transparent, lifeless husk of a body collapsed to the ground, her holly hat falling off her head as it did so.

"MIO!" Hachisuka ignored Chōko completely and ran over to his fiancée, but there was nothing that could be done to save her. "Mio, no!" He started sobbing over her.

It felt to Chōko like her heart had just stopped. Her first friend… was gone. Her mother came within view, still in her Fangire form. "You cry over spoiled food. Pathetic wretch. I will put an end to this blight on our Race." The four extra appendages growing out of her back, ending in razor-sharp tips, extended and made to strike.

"NO!" Chōko threw out her hand, the Queen Mark flashing on her palm and her new, unique Fangire Queen marks appearing on her face. A torrent of dark energy burst from her hand and hit the Widow Fangire, knocking Mari back into her human form.

"Chōko? What are you doing?!"

Tears were running hot and fast down her face. "Leave," she ordered, "Leave Japan, and never come back!"

"What are you talking about?" Mari stood up, staring at her daughter with a mix of confusion and frustration. "I've only been upholding the law!"

"No. The cruel law has been revoked, and you know it. What you've been doing is premeditated, unprovoked murder of your own kind. As Queen, I hereby banish you for your crimes."

"Chōko… Y-you can't banish your own mother!"

"The fact that you're my mother is the only reason I won't execute you. I am Queen, not a tool for your own agenda. This power is mine, not yours. So you can stop trying to use it to get your way. Now go!"

Mari seemed to realise that her daughter was serious and not backing down. She drew herself upright and looked Chōko in the eye. "It seems you have chosen the other side. I will welcome you with open arms when you come back to your senses." And she stalked away.

All the energy seemed to go out of Chōko once her mother was out of sight. She dropped her arm and fell to her knees, hugging herself as sobs overtook her.

Her mother's betrayal stung her to the core. To think, she'd been murdering innocents in Chōko's name for months. She looked over at Ichijo and Hachisuka; the latter was still weeping over his fiancée. How could she not have realised that Ichijo had considered her a friend? The younger woman had been so nice to her, undaunted by her cold, standoffish attitude. And now she was dead, gone before Chōko could return the favour.

A hand touched her shoulder, and Chōko flinched violently before realising that the King had arrived. He was looking down at her worriedly. Chōko looked around and saw Nago Megumi kneeling by Ichijo and Hachisuka while Knight and the new Rook stood guard over them all, mournful expressions on their faces.

"What happened?" the King asked gently, "Where is your mother?"

Chōko shook her head. "I-I… She's gone. She got away. I'm sorry."

Sunday, December 13th, 2009 – 29½ Weeks

No one could find any trace of Yamamoto Mari. The Fangire Hunters checked out her apartment, but it seemed she'd been smart enough to not go back there, where they were certain to look first. Shima had people going through it now, trying to figure out what she'd been planning.

Chōko had told them everything she knew with surprisingly little hesitation, but even she wasn't sure if Mari had had a concrete plan any more detailed than 'somehow turn the King against his pro-human supporters'. The revelation of her own role in the plot made them very wary of her; she didn't blame them one bit.

She spent the entirety of the following day in her personal bedchambers, her only company the tiny baby kicking around inside her. She mourned Ichijo, she was furious with her mother, she despaired and worried about what would become of her, and most of all, she replayed the moment in her head, over and over again, of the King's reaction when he'd learned that gaining his trust had been all part of her mother's plans.

But had it?

She hadn't really put that much effort in; nearly all her behaviour towards him had been done with the intent of merely keeping things peaceful between the two of them. So had he simply started to trust her on his own, then?

She looked up when a knock sounded at her door, and glumly allowed whomever it was to enter. It was none other than the King himself. He didn't say anything at first, just shutting the door behind him softly and standing there awkwardly.

"What was your plan?" he asked quietly, once the silence had gone on for more than a minute, "I know what your mother was plotting, but I want to know what your designs were. Please be honest with me, for once."

Chōko ran her hand over her belly absentmindedly. "Ichijo Mio was my friend. My mother always told me that humans were animals, useless for anything other than food, but the people I've met through school… they're nothing like that. I actually have respect for certain humans. So when I heard what you were planning, I was relieved that I wasn't the only one who felt that way. But my mother was already scheming, making plans before I could even voice my opinion.

"After our conversation at the restaurant the day after we met, I decided I'd just make the best of what fate had thrown my way. All I wanted was to get along with you; I never even put any effort in trying to lure you to my mother's side." Her child moved within her softly. "What I don't want is for this child to grow up like I did. I've always been a tool for my mother's ambition; my success bolstered her own reputation. My becoming Queen was just a boost in status for her. And I'm done with being used like that."

She didn't notice the tears until the King hesitantly came over and brushed a couple away with the tips of his fingers. "I believe you," he whispered, "Maybe some would call me a fool to do so, but I do."

The knot that had formed in her gut loosened considerably. She'd been so worried that she might have been punished for her mother's actions, and about what would happen to her baby.

Monday, March 1st, 2010 – 41 Weeks – Early Morning

Chōko wasn't sure, at first, what had woken her. She looked up at her alarm clock display; 3:49 blinked at her in red, boxy numerals. Then she felt it, the growing dampness between her legs. She sat up, now fully awake with her heart pounding.

Her water had finally broken. It was about time, as she'd been due a week ago. Her baby was finally coming.

She clumsily got out of bed, in more than a bit of a panic. She still wasn't ready, especially not for labour. Pain relief drugs didn't work on Fangires, which meant it would be a natural birth with a lot of pain. About halfway down the hall to the King's chambers, the first contraction hit Chōko, causing her to double over and hiss in pain and nausea.

It passed after a minute or so. She straightened, feeling nauseous, but continued on. The King's chambers actually consisted of three rooms; a front room, a private bathroom, and his actual bedchamber, so she had to go a bit further to knock on his door.

"It's coming," she told him, as soon as he opened the door a few seconds later, "My water just broke."

King took a couple seconds to process her statement, then he snapped to action, leading her out gently by the arm. "How are you feeling?" he asked, slight panic in his voice.

"Only one contraction so far, but it's passed. And I feel like I'm going to be sick." She clamped her mouth shut as another wave of nausea rolled over her.

They arrived at the room that had been set up for her delivery weeks ago, and he went to fetch his mother and the midwife (an experienced human midwife who'd married a Fangire man). Chōko laid down on the bed, trying to keep her breathing under control.

Maya and the midwife came in soon enough. "How far apart are your contractions?" the midwife asked, calm and in control despite having been woken up so early in the morning.

"I don't know, I've only had the one."

"Alright, then, there's no need to panic just yet. Not if labour's only just started. Once they're five minutes apart or less for at least an hour, then I'll check your dilation. Now, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous," she admitted truthfully. Her anxiety had been mounting as her due date had approached and passed, and it seemed to have reached its peak. Then again, she'd thought that yesterday, too.

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 – 41 Weeks – 1:24am

Chōko groaned as another contraction began. The pain was constant, now, coming in waves of intensity. It had been for hours, now. The midwife had said she was nearly nine centimetres dilated the last time she'd checked, with just one more to go, but that had been an hour ago.

Caitlin Shirakawa, Rook's human wife and a practicing nurse, ran a cool cloth over her forehead. "You're nearly there," she said in surprisingly good Japanese, "You're doing really well."

All Chōko had really been doing was lying there in pain while two humans and the formerly-exiled ex-Queen tended to her, but if that was doing well, then so be it. If only her mother could see her choice in caretakers now…

Her train of thought was abruptly interrupted as her stomach suddenly emptied itself into the plastic bucket beside her once again. At this point, nothing was coming up but watery bile, as water was all she'd been having for the past few hours. Maya waited until she was done before taking it away to be rinsed.

The midwife checked again and announced: "Alright, you're at ten centimetres. It's time to push when the next contraction comes."

Chōko sat up and grabbed the handles attached to the sides of the bed while bracing her feet. She really wanted this to be over so she could hold her baby already.

1:31am

Nearly seven minutes had passed since Chōko had started pushing, but she still wasn't finished. She was in more pain than ever and cursing whatever powers had decided to put women through this kind of torture.

"Okay, the head is out!" the midwife announced, "Just one more push!"

Chōko bore down, pushing as hard as she could as the pain mounted even further. A scream tore from her throat.

Then the pain eased as she felt something finally slide out and a cry could be heard, little lungs clearly functional. "It's a girl," the midwife declared. Chōko sighed in relief and laid back down. It was over, and now she had a daughter.

When the baby's cry could be heard through the door, Taiga sagged in relief. He'd been pacing even more than he had before the wedding, and anyone who tried to calm him down was snapped at. Never before had he felt so helpless.

Wataru grinned, also clearly relieved, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I told you it would be fine," he said.

A minute or two later, the door opened and Maya and Caitlin (as she insisted they call her) slipped out. "Well?" Taiga asked anxiously, hoping that mother and baby were both healthy.

Maya hugged her son while Caitlin went off in search of hers (he and his father were in another part of the Castle, keeping the five-year-old away from the birth, as he'd been asking questions that he wasn't yet old enough to have answered, although the child was probably asleep by now). "You have a healthy baby girl," she told him, "Six pounds, fifteen ounces."

He embraced her back. A daughter. They'd been considering finding out beforehand what they'd be having, but the Queen had said she'd wanted it to be a surprise, and since she'd been the one carrying the child, Taiga had willingly backed her decision, going up against her mother, who'd been insisting they find out anyway.

The new Bishop, Kuroda Daichi, made another note on his PDA. Then he pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning lazily against, a small grin on his youthful face. "I'll add that to the records. Let me know when you come up with a name."

"Can I see them?" Taiga asked breathlessly.

"She's feeding the baby right now, so in a minute or two."

Chōko watched her new daughter settling to sleep, wrapped in a soft, red blanket. Twenty-plus hours of labour had been worth the warm little bundle in her arms. The other women had congratulated her and, once she was done nursing, allowed the King admittance, leaving to give them some privacy.

He approached hesitantly, eyes fixed on the baby in unmasked awe. She was now asleep, breathing softly. He came to a stop and sat down in an empty chair left by the bed. "Wow," he whispered, "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Gorgeous," Chōko agreed, "You know, she's going to need a name."

"Have you thought of one?" He was always leaving decisions regarding the baby up to her, only giving his input when she asked for it. He'd said that she was the one having to carry the child and give birth to it, so what she said would go.

"I have," she admitted, "Mio. After Ichijo."

He got an odd look on his face. "Has anyone told you what the last Queen was named?"

She shook her head, wondering why he was suddenly bringing that up. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Her name was Suzuki Mio. Bit of a coincidence, isn't it?"

"She could have two namesakes."

The King's smile grew. "Nobori Mio. I think it's perfect."

Mio made a small noise in her sleep, drawing her parents' attention back to her, not that it had been fully away from her. Her father reached out and stroked her little face with his finger. Her tiny fist grasped the digit when they brushed together. Chōko knew at that moment that Mio had completely stolen his heart right there.

The new mother settled back into her reclined chair/bed, tired out from the delivery. Her husband didn't miss it. "Rest. You more than deserve it. I'll introduce her to the rest of the family."

Chōko nodded, grateful for the chance to sleep. She carefully transferred Mio to his arms, the baby's hand still clasping his finger, and watched as he slowly carried her out to the hallway.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

The two weeks that followed Mio's birth were far from restful for the new parents. Like any other newborn, she woke every few hours, wailing to be fed or changed. They took turns getting up to tend to her, but one night they got mixed up over whose turn it was, and Chōko wandered into the nursery to find the King already there, feeding Mio from a bottle.

It would have had the traditionalists tied up in knots to see their High Ruler actually taking part in caring for his child. Even the Queen wasn't to have that much involvement, allowing a nanny to do most of the work. But given how many traditional rules were being thrown out the window, it shouldn't be that surprising.

The King was staring down at his daughter with an odd sort of sadness. Chōko wasn't sure if he'd noticed her arrival, until he spoke: "My father killed his first two Queens because they bore him daughters instead of sons. He killed my sisters, too. How could he have been so ungrateful? Looked at his own children and wiped them out?" There was genuine sorrow and confusion in his tone. The way he cradled Mio in his arms showed how incomprehensible the idea was to him.

"You don't sound like you got along with him," Chōko commented, moving a bit closer.

"I was only a year old when he was killed, so it's not like I knew him, but I doubt we would have gotten along. The old Bishop told me he was a great King, but he's the only one I've met who said that and actually seemed to believe it. He was… when my mother fell in love with Wataru's father, Kurenai Otoya, my father was ready to kill me, just to punish her, and because he didn't want a 'traitor's child' as his heir. The fact that I was his son didn't even factor in." He pulled the bottle away after Mio was done with it, and draped a towel over his shoulder before lifting her up to it and gently patting her back. "I just don't get how he could have taken his own children for granted."

It struck a chord with Chōko. And she realised how much he wanted, needed, to be as utterly unlike his father as possible. It was something they had in common; Chōko was determined to do better by her daughter than her mother had by her. They both were striving to be their own persons and live up to their own beliefs.

She went up to him and touched his free shoulder. "You're not him," she whispered, "You've already proven to be so much better than that. The way you treat your friends and family, the way you've treated me. You're a good man."

He looked up at her, surprise and gratitude mixed in his expression. Silence hung between them until Mio gave a little burp. King smiled faintly and gently settled her back into her crib. Her parents continued gazing at her, watching her fall back to sleep.

Chōko felt immensely glad that, even if the universe had chosen her to be Queen without her consent, at least she had a man like him as her King. God only knew how she would have survived if she'd wound up with someone like his father. Her respect for Maya rose significantly for getting through married life with him.

She glanced up at King and caught him staring at her. "Queen, I… Chōko… Thank you. For saying that."

The new use of her given name threw her for a second. "I-I meant every word."

He was leaning, closer, hesitant. The way he always seemed to be around her, like he was afraid of crossing a line that would upset her. "Every word?"

She moved closer to him. "Every word."

This kiss was even better than their first. She overcame her hesitation first, wrapping her arms around his neck, then he fixed his own around her waist. When they came up for air, both were smiling.

"You know," Chōko whispered, "You still need a male heir."

"Are you suggesting we start now?"

"Oh no, I'm not all that eager to go through all that again so soon after. But maybe later down the road…"

"I wouldn't mind that at all." He held her tighter. "I'm glad the Powers chose you."

She sighed, inhaling his scent. "Me, too."

THE END

So that wraps that up! The chapter title is a misnomer, I guess - like Chōko said, the actual heir to the title of King needs to be male, but the point is that they have their love and their first child.

'Bishop' will be coming next, though not for a while, and is set in December of 2009, so after Ichijo Mio's death and before Nobori Mio's birth. Here's a small preview:

Daichi stood, approaching the pair calmly. "Excuse me," he said politely, "I was hoping I might have a moment of your time."

The King stared at him. "I beg your pradon?" A hint of wariness coloured his tone. Daichi didn't blame him; there were a lot of threats to the King's life right now. Whether or not Daichi was one would depend on how their conversation went.

...

Daichi was fully aware of their suspicious stares throughout the trip. He wouldn't expect anything less; in fact, he'd be mildly offended if they dismissed his potential to be a threat. Though he knew he was easily underestimated. He was young, slim, and a bit delicate-looking. It wasn't something he could help, so Daichi used it to his advantage as often as he could.