Chapter 39: Birth

Shimi the succubus was nervous and in pain.

She was sitting in Tokyo Medical University Hospital in intense labor. Giving birth isn't easy no matter what species you are. But the birth of her new daughter wasn't just cause for personal celebration.

Months ago just a few weeks into her pregnancy she was offered the chance to use CRISPR in order to change her daughter's DNA. The procedure, if successful, would allow her daughter to give birth not only to mamono girls but human boys and potentially human girls as well. This trait would also pass onto her daughter's mamono children and so on.

Needless to say she and her new husband, Roshi, quickly accepted. It was an expensive and risky procedure however. Thankfully Shimi suffered no complications and seven months later she was well on her way to delivering a healthy baby.

Now, if successful, Shimi's daughter would be the first Mamono born with the ability to give birth to humans. Given how important this was, their pregnancy was widely followed across Japan's medical and mamono circles. Before long the rest of the world had caught on with this remarkable event.

For this reason camera and news crews laid in wait just outside the hospital, waiting for the moment for a doctor to come out and announce the results. The anticipation was palpable and there was much speculation. For if the CRISPR change was successful it would mean that humans and mamono could really live alongside each other without short-term or long-term consequences. Consequences that at least wouldn't end one species or the other.

"Push, Shimi push!" the doctor cried out as the ravenette cried out in agony. She was holding her husband's hand tightly, however with such pain she was likely to fracture at least a few of her husband's hand bones with her superior strength. Nonetheless Roshi powered on and held her tightly in return.

Suddenly small yet powerful cries filled the room as Shimi gave one last powerful push and her child tumbled out of her and into the doctor's awaiting arms. The baby was just a little under the average size of the average human baby. The child was no doubt a girl, but she also sported a very small pair of greyish pink wings that wrapped around her body. As if they were shielding her from attack. Finally the doctor noticed a stub that ended with a spade on her lower back. The child's tail color matched her wings as her cries split the silence of the room.

"Congratulations! Your child seems very healthy, although if I may ask for future reference do you know if the color of your child's wings and tail are a healthy color? Because if a normal human child came out with a bit of grey flesh it would be taken as an immediate sign of something wrong."

She nodded as the doctor handed her her baby. Her cries began to die down as she nestled her mucus covered face into her mother's expansive bosom.

"I've seen my older sisters give birth and for the most part their daughter's wings and tails came out just like ours." Shimi said as she began to break into tears, Roshi held her as she comforted her daughter.

"Roshi, what should we name her?"

Roshi seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before uttering out the word Nozomu. In English the word meant "hope".

"Nozomu, sounds pretty, I like it!" Shimi said as she held Nozomu close. "How does that sound little one?"

However by that point the baby had already fallen asleep and Shimi was about to clock out as well. In the meantime the doctor had called over to one of the nurses to go out and deliver the news to the hospital's spokesperson. The nurse left and headed down the hall. As for the rest of them the doctor ran a few noninvasive tests to ensure the baby was healthy and such.

News groups from Al Jazeera to AP were waiting just outside the hospital awaiting their spokesperson to announce the results. Then a small man with thin glasses stepped outside and up to the podium. Immediately the reporters began barking questions about every facet of the situation. Needless to say the man was quickly overwhelmed but was able to calm down the crowd long enough to speak.

"Today at 8:58 AM Japan Standard Time the mamono child Nozomu was born. She is by all accounts perfectly healthy and seems to have suffered no dangerous consequences as a result of the use of CRISPR." The man announced as the camera's were rolling.

At that point the man was swamped with inquiries, but the "damage" was done. Today marked a pivotal point in human/mamono relations, CRISPR worked. Now it all came down to if all mamono or at least the vast majority were willing to go through with the procedure.

The news of course spread around the world like wildfire. National leaders claimed success and pushed for more mamono to get this procedure. But obviously everyone had their own opinions on such an event.

In a small farm in Missouri a man and his holstaur wife were preparing to drive down to the state's largest hospital. Molly had gotten pregnant a week or two ago and wanted to give her child the chance she could never have. Marc was on board and had taken her down to get the procedure.

In a small pub in Liverpool a man was hunched over on a barstool finishing his pint as he looked up on the TV. The BBC was reporting on the story from Japan to which all the mamono patrons, all four plus the new bartender, were watching intently.

"I'm up for that, I'd think it would bring a tear to my eye if I could have some grandsons." the red oni bartender commented as she served Roger another pint. To which the man accepted and began to down it.

"Love! Not so quickly!" Hannah cried out as she quickly snached the pint glass from in with her little hands. After the incident with Hannah and Sheri in the bath Roger had intentionally let them dry so they wouldn't stick to him. Literally that is, they still followed him around everywhere including the pub.

"Well I for one think that we mamono shouldn't be diving head first into this CRISPR nonsense! Not only is it not natural it goes against the Demon Lord! Isn't that right love." A dark elf cried out from one of the booths whilst gripping her husband. A young black man who was just an inch or so shorter than her.

"Yes dear." He mumbled, to which his wife scowled before commanding him to bring them more wine. Promising him he could be on top tonight if he got rid of his poor attitude; he quickly agreed.

Back in America, specifically Washington DC, the president sat back in the oval office after just taking in the information from Japan. It was apparent now that CRISPR worked, now it just came down to how to get their mamono population to agree completely.

In the 15 months since mamono first came to Earth they had, for the most part, integrated themselves into Earth life. In America many of them already had jobs or were going to school, it seems for the most part they wanted to fit in as best as they could. Sure in some places there was discrimination, but overall they had engrained themselves into American and Earth society.

Which is why it wasn't a surprise, for some, that the amount of mamono attempting the CRISPR procedure for their unborn children skyrocketed in the weeks following the news of Nozomu's birth. They wanted to give their children the chances they didn't have.

However the radical groups of Mamono, including the mamono currently imprisoned, became even more distrustful of Earth. It seemed that the situation wouldn't improve itself any time soon. But for now there was hope, hope for the mamono of Earth, hope for their children and hope for the future.