Chapter Text
On April 20th, just at the turn of the decade, Japan was hit with the worst typhoon the world had ever witnessed in centuries.
The scientists called it a 'once in a lifetime meteorological event'. The government called it 'the most economically debilitating natural disaster in decades'. The more religious called it 'the wrath of heaven unleashed'.
Mitsuki wasn't the superstitious sort, firmly atheistic in her belief. She would often scoff at the lunatics on TV crying out that it was the end of days and asking everyone to repent. But as the winds howled a deafening chorus, as the clouds screamed thunder and spat out lightning, as the skies darkened so much that night and day became interwoven as overpowering dark, even she could see why even the most logical of people would attribute the weather as an act of god.
Winds of unimaginable speeds ripped through the country. Storms so strong that it threatened to rend the skies in two. Waves would reach heights that towered over buildings, crashing unto the shores and threatening to submerge them all. And lightning flashed so often that the skies were lit as bright as daytime even though it was late in the evening.
Mitsuki, for all her bravado and strength, could admit if she was afraid. And she was very much afraid.
In her home, Mitsuki huddled into the sofa and tried to focus on the TV as Masaru worked in the kitchen. She gazed at the closed window, and felt herself tremble. Outside, trees were bent unnaturally as the strong gales of the typhoon pushed at their flimsy bodies. Some were already broken, lying in fractured piles on the ground or picked up by the wind. Rain fell so thick that it was turning her view into an unrecognizable blur, so thick that Mitsuki could scarcely believe there was an outside to begin with. And the sound of it all. The loud drumming of rain on their rooftop like a hail of bullets. Thunder claps were bombs in the sky that exploded into earth shattering cries.
Mitsuki was left shivering at it all, clutching the blanket around her tightly and caressing her swollen belly in an attempt to attain some comfort
"You alright Mitsuki?" Masaru asked. She saw her husband bring a pair of steaming mugs from the kitchen. He gave her one and Mitsuki brought the mug to her lips. The taste of sweet chocolate with spicy chili filled her mouth, and she moaned appreciatively. Masaru chuckled at her expression.
"I'm glad you liked it."
She hummed happily as she sat the mug on the coffee table. "You got the recipe right for once."
He gave her a smile. "I did have time to practice with the storm and all."
She patted the seat beside her and waited for Masaru to sit down before laying her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks for that love." She then patted her belly fondly. "The baby says thank you too."
Masaru giggled at the Mitsuki's rare lax expression and kissed both her and her belly. Hands caressing his pregnant wife's belly, he whispered, "No problem."
Masaru brought an arm around Mitsuki's shoulders and she cuddled closer as they watched the TV as loud as they could, trying to drown the sounds of the storm. It was currently showing a movie about a family trying to survive a tsunami. Mitsuki almost laughed at the bad timing of the movie. Masaru was more visibly uncomfortable with it so Mitsuki changed the channel to the news.
They sat their in contemplative silence, taking sips of their mugs of spicy hot chocolate, letting the voices of reporters on the screen lull them into slumber. Mitsuki noticed Masaru's eyelids getting lower and lower until he was barely managing to stay awake. Mitsuki would have laughed at her husband's sleepy face except she too was slowly falling asleep. Making her self more comfortable on Masaru's side, she prepared herself to enter a peaceful slumber.
But before she could even close her eyes, a sudden pain shot through her that had her gasping loudly. She heard Masaru jump beside her before asking her what was wrong. She simply gestured to her pregnant belly.
"Contractions love."
"Do you want me to get the hot packs?"
Mitsuki nodded and she braced herself on the couch to let the contractions fade away, Masaru stepping into the kitchen to prepare the hot packs. She's done this before, she thought, cramps that made her see stars. This should be nothing.
So she waited for the contractions to finish with its path and leave her alone. Mitsuki braced herself, on the couch, gripping at the armrest tightly as the cramps kept on going. And going and going.
She felt more than heard him come back, too focused on not trying to collapse as pain rocketed through her. She took in deep breaths, fighting through each contraction with a white knuckled grip. She felt Masaru's hand rubbing soothing circles on her belly.
"Here you go." Masaru said while giving her the hot packs. Mitsuki thanked through gritted teeth. But she didn't even get to use them before pain like never before suddenly washed over her. She let out a large wail as her nerves were set on fire.
"Masaru!"
"What? What's wrong?!" She felt him grasp her hand, the warmth of him grounding her through the pain. Another wave of pain rippled through her body, causing her to let out a guttural groan.
"Come on Mitsuki, deep breaths." He started breathing in and out and Mitsuki tried her best to copy. But another spike of pain made it difficult to follow his rhythm. The contractions were getting more and more frequent. This never happened before. Was it time?
A feeling of wetness trickling between her thighs was her answer.
"Masaru," she whispered through gritted teeth, "he’s coming."
"What?"
She grasped his shoulder in a tight gripped and made him look into her eyes.
"Masaru, the baby."
Her husband's eyes widened.
"The baby?"
She nodded vigorously. She then cried out she felt another contraction ripped all thought from her. All she could feel now was an endless ever present throb and pain and fire from her groin to her back and everything was just pain.
"Masaru!" She cried, not knowing what she wanted now, just crying out the first thing she could think off.
"I'll try and call emergency services!"
She couldn't respond, too busy with the pain. Mitsuki felt everything fade around her, only the ever present fire of pain.
"They'll try to send an ambulance but there's no guarantee."
Mitsuki felt herself nod, uncaring anymore.
"Okay honey, I need you to breathe. Can you breathe with me? Come on take deep breaths."
Mitsuki followed his commands breathlessly, panting through gritted teeth.
“Honey focus on me. Just breathe. Inhale exhale.” Masaru calmly told her as he positioned her better. Mitsuki noticed that tub with water, towels, and other things were somehow right next to Masaru. And when was he kneeling between her legs? A contraction wiped away any thoughts that she had, making her scream.
The sound of Masaru coaching her, the feel of her leather coach, the ache in her hands as she gripped the armrests too hard, they all faded away to the sensation of pain. She could feel herself slowly blacking out, her vision slowly fading. She could vaguely hear Masaru calling out her name, trying to keep her awake. But the blissfulness of the void was pulling at her.
And she let herself slip into the darkness.
She floated in that empty black, her body now a dull throb rather than a fire of sensation. She let herself stay there, in the blissful nothingness. Only the darkness and the sound of rain.
Wait. Rain?
Yes, rain. She could hear it. The pitter patter of water drops, the ratchet of the storm. The cascading downpour was suddenly a loud symphony in her ears, surrounding her quiet. She almost wanted to cover her ears with how loud it was.
And then the sound got louder when a howl joined it. A bellowing moan that resounded through her. She realized that the sound was actually the gale winds outside her home. She could hear it from here. But how?
More and more sounds suddenly joined in. Waves crashing loudly against the shore, like drums and cymbals. The sea roiling and slithering. Trees whipping, roof shingles shaking, buildings groaning against the wrath of the storm. Lightning crackling and thunder booming up above, the sky lit with godly flames. The very earth rumbling beneath her body.
And a voice whispering in her ears.
“King,” it said in a ghostly tone.
Suddenly her body came to life with pain. Her nerves were suddenly alight, and the sound of her living room came rushing in.
“King,” it said in a voice filled with awe.
Her quick breaths were loud in her ears. She could hear her beloved Masaru trying to coach her.
“That’s it Mitsuki! Push!”
“King,” it cried out in joy.
She could somehow hear the TV above her pained screams and Masaru’s encouragement.
“In a sudden change, we have just received word that the typhoon has just doubled in strength.” The news anchor said. “Scientist have never a storm of this magnitude before.”
“King!” it wailed in adoration, only not in one voice but many, a legion of wailing voices, echoing in the vastness.
“Come on Mitsuki, push!”
“King!” they shouted
“-reports of 50 ft waves just on the shoreline-“
“King!”
“-wind speeds just tripled!”
“King! King! King!”
“-multiple lightning strikes of unnatural amounts all across the country-“
“King! King! King!”
“Mitsuki, you’re almost there!”
King! King! King!
“-storm surges reported and massive flooding in many major cities.”
“I can see the head!”
King! King! King!
“-a sudden earthquake has erupted in multiple cities around the world-“
King! King! King!
The voices had invaded her every being, all the sounds around her, all sensation faded. All she could focus on was the pain and the storm.
The storm and its winds whispering in her ear. The sea and waves the screaming in her mind. The earth rumbling and roaring in her soul.
King! King! King!
King! King! King!
KING! KING! KING!
A bolt of lightning lit the sky, as bright as day, followed by a powerful roar of thunder that shook the house. And then she screamed one last time, a loud guttural sound from her core, before she collapsed unto the couch.
The power in the house suddenly went out, plunging the house into darkness. Mitsuki let herself rest on the couch as she tried to regain her strength, staring upwards to the plain white ceiling. She could feel her heart beat, a thundering rhythm in her chest, begin to slow down. The sounds of the house slowly filled her ears. She could hear Masaru move through the living room, the quiet hum of the TV on low volume, the squeak of her sweaty body on the leather seat of her couch, the deep breaths she was taking. It was so quiet that she could even hear her own pulse.
Wait, why was it so quiet?
She listened closely and realized, beyond the sounds of movement from her husband, it was completely silent. Looking to the window showed that the rain that was battering the house had disappeared. The wind that rattled the house into a frenzy, had faded into a mere breeze. The storm had died, leaving an ominous quiet in its wake.
And then a loud cry pierced the silence. It was high pitched and was the sound of pain and the yearning of comfort. Yet it was also the cry of life.
Mitsuki felt hot tears flow down her cheeks at the sound. A strange feeling began seeping into her, spreading from her chest to the ends of her toes. In her later years, the sound would summon more aggravated feelings, irritation, frustration. But right now, as she adjusted herself to sit properly on the couch, as Masaru appeared with a bundle of clean blankets in his arms, as he smiled at her with so much joy, so much gratitude, so much love, all Mitsuki could feel was a bubbling happiness and peace in her heart.
She gently took the bundle from Masaru, a tiny tremor in her hands, maybe from exhaustion or excitement, she gazed at her husband lovingly and kissed him in the lips before gazing at her child.
Ash blond hair covered his tiny head, a tiny tuff that almost looked white in the light of their living room. Her experienced eye in fashion began picking up all the details of his face. A small button nose that had the shape of Masaru's. A chubby chin that she could see was her own. Lips opened in a cry yet she could already tell it was a mix of two of them.
As Mitsuki gently shushed the baby into silence, she gave her husband a watery smile. Masaru gazed at her, joy overflowing from his expression, before returning to their son.
“He has your nose,” she whispered reverently.
“And your ears,” he replied just as soft.
“His cheekbones are all yours.”
“You gave him his chin.”
“Well you gave him his hair.”
“That’s your hair honey. He’s a cute blond like you.”
“Yeah, but mine isn’t that spiky.”
Masaru just raised his eyebrow at her, mouth twitching into a smile.
“This isn’t a competition you know.”
She gave him a cheeky smile, which made Masaru’s heart flutter in his chest.
“Love, everything’s a competition in this household.”
That caused him to laugh softly. He gently grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss, making sure that the baby wasn’t squished in between their bodies. As they broke their kiss, he bumped his nose to hers.
“I have a feeling he’s gonna be just like you,” he said softly to her.
Mitsuki gave a loud snort and said, “Lord help us if that happens.” Which caused to Masaru laugh at her.
As Masaru prepared themselves to go to the hospital, Mitsuki gazed at her child, an open expression of wonder.
“Welcome to the world Katsuki,” she murmured.
The baby didn’t stir from his slumber, so she gently tucked her baby against her chest and let the quiet lull her to a gentle sleep. Just as she lost herself to slumber, she heard something. A small whisper in the air. She wanted to check out where it came from but her body suddenly reminded her of the tiredness she had been fighting throughout the birth. She chalked up the sound to exhaustion and let her self fall asleep.
If she had listened, she would have heard them clearly. Their words of worship and adoration. A celebration of the elements as the child was born.
“Hail,” they whispered, the voices of wind and rain.
When Masaru returned, he didn’t hear the voices praise, nor would he as he was too busy bringing all their stuff to the car and gently waking up Mitsuki so they could go to the hospital.
“Hail,” they murmured, the song of sea and earth.
As Mitsuki finally re awoke and allowed herself to be escorted to the car, she managed to overhear a snippet of the news.
“-a bizarre event has happened here. The typhoon, which was called the most powerful weather event in this millenia, has just dissipated. I repeat, the storm has just vanished of the face of the Earth.”
She barely gave that any thought though, as the moment she sat down in the car, she used all her energy to stay awake until they reached the hospital.
“Hail!” they rejoiced, a chorus of sky and lightning.
As they arrive at the hospital, as they are helped by the doctors and nurses, as they settle into a room, Mitsuki finally let herself fall asleep, failing to see her son awaken from his slumber
On April 20, after the worst typhoon the world had ever seen, Bakugou Katsuki opened his eyes.
Eyes the color of red, of bright burning blood, that melted into luminous blue fire.
“Hail hail hail!”