The Fall of the Bloody Valkyrie (4)

Wendell Stavanger and Kaguya Momoko were married at the beginning of March. He received a call from Momoko a week earlier, explaining the whole complicated situation.

"I would have contacted you before." Momoko explained, looking quite hurt and confused talking on the phone. "But I was caught in an explosion during the holidays and I'm still recovering from it."

"I ... uh, sorry?" Wendell tried to say something. "That was weak, but I really have no idea what to say in this situation."

"Nah, it's okay. I was disoriented when I got the news, too. We weren't exactly trying to make it happen, just this kind of-"

"It happened."

"Exactly."

There was a silence.

"... So getting married would help children in general?"

Momoko snorted on the other end of the phone. "Yes, although it is technically illegal to discriminate, I couldn't help noticing the way and the small details that the administrators looked at me when I was handing over the family register to try to enroll Yuuko in elementary school. Those who looked the most unpleasant were those where we have not been accepted. "

"These shits are a bunch of fucking bias!" Wendell said almost shouting, he hated it, all this shit discrimination and putting himself above others. He remembered Momoko telling him about her daughter, on that long and fateful night in Kuzuyama, and looking so proud, almost with stars in her eyes.

"I know that. They burn in hell fire!" Momoko gave another snort. "So here's the action plan, if you want to accept it. We are getting married, I put your name on the register and you can go to work abroad. I won't even ask you to send us money."

Now it was Wendell's turn to let out his own snitch. "Uh, ok ok, this is unexpected, but I'm not an idiot, Momoko."

"I wasn't trying to imply any of this, Wendell. We remain married in name only until the child is, say, two, three or four years old. So we can divorce amicably and move on with our own lives."

Wendell looked at the ceiling, damn it, was he seriously thinking about it? There was a voice whispering in the back of his mind, reminding him that there were scholarships out there for married business graduates. He has silenced her for now.

"I ... I think I'm friendly with the whole plan. I mean, you kind of saved my life and ... although, to not be so rude here, are you sure you ... want to have the child?" Wendell flinched. For God's sake, this was Momoko's life, what right did he have to question her decisions? What right did he have to decide that for her?

"Yea." Momoko stated, completely right. "Wendell ... it's hard to explain, but I feel like the last years of my life were, like, a chapter in a book. A very good chapter, a very interesting chapter in my life, but I feel like I have achieved a good stopping point. Almost dying seems like a good way to end a chapter, so maybe having a baby is a good way to start the next chapter? "

Wendell took a deep breath. "So ... what am I? Am I basically a sperm donor in all of this?" Wendell tried to play with this whole situation.

The line was in an awkward silence for a few heavy moments. "I will not force you to be a father if you do not want to or are not ready for it. Because I know what it is like to be raised by people who make it clear that you were never wanted."

"I'm sorry. I tried to make one of those horrible jokes in a shitty situation, just like in high school." Wendell then imagined Momoko shrugging.

"It was a long time ago. But I am saying this because I know what happens when a child does not feel loved by the people who should take care of him. Again, no offense here, but if there is a chance that this will happen ... I do not want to force you or that kid to that kind of situation. "

The more he thought about it, the more he really made sense of that statement. Wendell was not in a position to care for a baby, no, this was not a monetary issue, it was something beyond that. Momoko was a great lady, but they were ... colleagues, at best. This boy, he hoped it was a boy, not that a girl was bad, deserved the best chance they could have, and having a father who would barely have a foot in the door both physically and emotionally was not one of them.

Oh Great Lord Lucifer, was he really going to do that?

"Well, could you maybe ... keep me updated? Send pictures and stuff?"

"Clear." Momoko agreed with a laugh on the other end of the line.

"And ... maybe I could visit from time to time? Or maybe a trip to America on vacation? I know I wouldn't be too close as a father, but maybe I could be that fun and cheerful, Uncle Wendell?"

Momoko gave a delighted giggle. "I would be more than happy with this deal."

~ XxX ~

After that, they discussed the logistics of the royal wedding. The first agreement was that it would have to be small, neither of them was really very close to their families, the only person in her family that Wendell still spoke to from time to time was with her younger sister, but it was just enough time for her unable to track his location back, no way was he going to go back to that damn place against his will, Momoko simply severed all ties except blood with his family, and honestly telling them would only cause more trouble than it really was worth to worth informing them. Most of the wedding expenses were to cover his plane ticket to Russia. The ceremony itself took place at the Japanese embassy in a city whose name he is sure he was never able to pronounce correctly.

Momoko wore a wide yellow dress and bandages on her arms and back. Wendell wore long pants and a button-down shirt, and he felt visibly and pleasantly well dressed. Yuliya Vetochkina and two other Holiday bartenders served as witnesses, who he was almost certain were super soldiers disguised as special forces specializing in overthrowing dictatorial governments in third world countries, while Morakawa Yuuko, his stepdaughter now. She was the cutest little bridesmaid the world has ever seen.

The ceremony was very quick, getting in and out in less than ten minutes. They all went to get the pirozhki later. It was Wendell's first time eating Russian cuisine, and he was surprised at how much he liked it.

Five days later, he was boarding a plane and returning to Japan. The farewells were even more than a little strange. "Oh, and never hesitate to call me if you are the child that needs my help, or if you have an almost obsessive desire for cold and tasteless food, I know a method of avoiding that, and if you start to see a lot of black feathers scattered around the house, appearing out of nowhere, just call me and I will teach you great tricks and maneuvers to teach the little one. " Wendell joked, when his black wings came out of his back to breathe, and he managed to get a laugh out of her. Sir, how Wendell loved to make Momoko laugh.

As always, life went on. Wendell Stavanger was soon accepted into the business course at the University of Seattle in America and sent photos to Momoko from the top of the Space Needle. The time difference made communication a little complicated, but staying up late at night to study ended up being a great time to call his wife. He knew it wasn't much, but Wendell still wanted to be there for her whenever possible. Even though he hadn't really spent much time with her, it was very obvious to him that Yuliya and Yuuko were the only two stable presences in Momoko's life.

"This must be very lonely." Wendell cannot help but have that thought.

~ XxX ~

Kaguya Hakuba was born on October 10 at 7:23 am. And my God, it came out with a bang.

To begin with, he was an early riser. Momoko felt so bloated that she was sure that she would appear at any moment, but no, the doctors set the date of delivery closer to the end of October or to the beginning of November. But then again, the Kaguyas have always been self-sufficient from an early age.

Kaguya Momoko woke up in a Russian farmhouse at four in the morning in pain and with no clue as to what was going on. While technically waking up in pain and without a clue what is going on is never a fun time for anyone, it becomes even more stressful when you are a technically hidden ex-vigilante. After a minute and a half wondering if this was some kind of poison or a pain-inducing skill, Momoko then finally realized that she was definitely in labor.

With the panicked screams in Japanese of an ex-vigilante, a very frightened Russian ex-spy who drew a knife from the pillow out of sheer instinct, and a ten-year-old girl who really just wanted to go back to sleep. Yuliya Vetochkina pushed her way out of that gravel road as if she were in a chase scene, just like Hollywood movies, instead of going to the hospital. Neighbors closest to her, the lovely Karenin family who usually took care of their own business, woke up later that day and found her mailbox run over and a note scribbled hastily explaining her entire situation with extreme details 'Baby being born'. And that later there would be a better apology.

If everyone thought that the general excitement would end when they arrived at the hospital, they were wrong. The women were informed with a news not really amusing: the baby was breech.

"So… um… that meant he… is going out with his feet first instead of… his head, right?" Yuuko asked with obvious sleep in his voice, still honestly just trying to stay awake.

The doctor then gave an indulgent smile and a nod. "Yes. That's exactly what the girl said. Unfortunately, babies should get out of their heads first, so things are a little more ... complicated now."

"And by complicated I assume you mean 'dangerous', right?" Momoko asked in a low voice.

"Nowadays, the risks for the mother are almost nil if the baby is born by normal delivery." She assured the doctor. "But really, in this case, a cesarean section is even safer for both mother and child."

Momoko sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes. 'Damn child, you just like to make things difficult for your mommy, don't you?' Momoko looked up and gave her a small nod. "Cut me open, let's do this."

~ XxX ~

Two hours later, another Kaguya came into the world screaming with his little lungs and covered with someone else's blood. Yuliya would have joked that he already looked like his mother, following his profession and his title, but at that moment it didn't seem like the time for her jokes.

Then there were the prerequisite kisses, hugs and cooing, since the baby was cleaned and brought back to meet his mother and family. Soon after, Yuuko fell asleep and Momoko insisted that Yuliya take the ten-year-old girl home for much needed sleep. So, leaving her alone with her little baby.

Momoko still hadn't come up with a name when she went into labor. Months of pregnancy, plenty of time to decide, and after reading several books about babies several times, she still had no idea what she would call the child.

Then, she saw him. He was such a tiny little thing, Momoko knew that babies were small, at least biologically and logically speaking. She never really… really held one. In a long time. She took a long time to examine it, absorbing every little detail. The boy was bald now, but the rust-red hair would come over time, if he would follow her in genetics. His eyes, however ... his eyes were what caught her attention, they were violet and shiny, just like her eyes. They were almost too big for her small, cute face, very clear and looking directly at her.

"Teehee… so I think you will need a name ..." Momoko mused out loud. The baby continued to look only at her. "This is really incredible. A little person came out of me. And now that little person needs a name. A name that he will be called every day for the rest of his life, like this, without pressure, without pressure at all ... "Momoko snorted when no perfectly fitting name came to mind. "... To be honest, I can only think of one person who could give you his name. My grandfather. He loved me, that I could never doubt. Much more than I could say to the rest of our relatives. of blood, but we don't have to worry about them, not now and never again. " Momoko adjusted a little, moving the pillows with her Telekinesis to get a little more comfortable. "What do you think of the name Hakuba?"

There was no cinematic moment, as in films, soap operas or stories, no laughter or sign or any other kind of thing to indicate that it was the 'right' name. All there was at that moment was just a mother and a baby. It was just a mother looking at her son. It was just a son looking at her mother.

Kaguya Momoko then laughed and started to cry. "Hello, welcome my little Hakuba."

~ XxX ~

In about a year ...

Yuuko came in with a tired expression on her face when she entered the house and immediately heard the irritating voice of her very adorable and cute little brother crying.

"Uh, Momoko?" As Yuuko passed the kitchen, the ten-year-old girl noticed that some cups and spoons were suspended in the air. "Okay, weird." Yuuko followed the line of floating objects to his guardian's room.

Little things floated lazily around Momoko, books, bottle caps, formula powder and some pens. The woman herself was sitting on the floor beside the bed, her head buried in her knees.

"Mommy?" Yuuko asked again, but in a softer tone.

"He was crying nonstop and I couldn't find out what was wrong with him." Momoko said, without looking at her directly. "I changed his diaper even though it was clean, I tried to feed him, but he didn't want to eat, he didn't lie down to take a nap, I ... I don't know what he wants!" Momoko started to cry again, moving away from Yuuko. "I cannot do this. I cannot do this. I cannot be a good mother. I will hurt you. I will fuck you up. I always mess things up. I cannot do this."

"Hey little one."

Momoko heard the voice and slowly raised her head, she saw Yuuko approaching, and from the way she was looking at him, Momoko guessed that she was using her "Magic Glow".

"Well, apparently there's nothing wrong with him physically, so, I think-" Yuuko frowned, she was used to thinking how to get away with things, so how was it so different? "Maybe he just wants a little attention?" Yuuko asked Momoko.

Momoko considered this idea for a few moments, before wiping the tears away. "Okay, it's worth a try ..."

Momoko then took the son and, although the reaction was not immediate, he seemed to settle comfortably in her. "Come on, maybe we can watch some TV or something ..."

While they were changing channels, they arrived at one of those 24-hour news stations, they were talking about the ranking of Japanese heroes, and unsurprisingly Luphinus was in first place.

"Baahhc, nnhuns!" Little Hakuba stammered, slapping his hands together.

Momoko then smiled. "Yes, dear, this is Luphinus."

"Ahm, ahm ahm." The baby continued to say by beating his hands again with each other.

"Wow, you really seem to like Luphinus." Said Momoko, holding her son on her lap while she was stroking her hair.

"And as the saying goes" Like a father like a son "so in that case I think it would be" Like a mother like a son ", right?" Yuuko commented in the corner of the room while she studied. Momoko just shot a look at her daughter, but the girl just gave her a cheeky smile and showed her tongue before going back to homework.

But hey, that was life.

-XxX-