Two months.
That's how long they'd waited. Watched. Worried.
And now… the day had come.
The moment they all knew was inevitable—but still felt far too soon.
The medics had warned them. The accelerated pregnancy wasn't normal. It wasn't safe. But Rose had made her choice. She had endured every cramp, every sleepless night, every spike of mana that rattled her nerves to the bone… and now, it was time.
Aika stood frozen just outside the sealed medical chamber, her hands pressed against the cold reinforced glass. Her heart raced with every scream that echoed from within.
"Rose…"
Her voice came out like a whisper. Weak. Terrified.
Rose was screaming.
Writhing in pain.
Her voice cracked with each cry, raw and agonized—far beyond anything Aika had imagined childbirth would sound like.
Miu, for once, wasn't smiling.
She stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed tight, eyes heavy with concern.
"I've treated injured soldiers with limbs torn off," she murmured, almost to herself. "This is worse."
The reinforced bed groaned under the pressure as Rose's powers flared out again. Her eyes burned with desperation, her hands clutching the sides of the bed like she was trying to keep herself from shattering.
"MAKE IT STOP!!" she screamed. "IT FEELS LIKE I'M BEING RIPPED APART!"
Rose's hand clamped around Aika's with inhuman force, crushing bone against bone. Aika gritted her teeth, her own knees buckling under the pressure, but she refused to let go.
The pain was nothing compared to what Rose was enduring.
Rose screamed again—her voice hoarse, throat shredded from hours of agony. Her entire body jolted as another contraction surged through her, her back lifting off the bed as her muscles seized uncontrollably. The veins in her arms stood out like cords, her skin pale and glistening with sweat. Her legs kicked wildly, thrashing against the reinforced stirrups with violent desperation.
Her lips trembled, stained with the coppery taste of blood where she'd bitten through them. Every breath was ragged, gasping like she was drowning above water.
"MAKE IT STOP!" she howled, voice cracking into sobs. "IT HURTS—IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!"
Her belly looked like it was being twisted from the inside, stretching in unnatural shapes as the baby pushed lower.
Miu stood nearby, her face pale—completely still for once. She didn't make a joke. Didn't even blink. Just stared with quiet horror.
"Is this... really what it's like?" she muttered.
Rose's cry rose again—longer this time, broken. Her head flung back, teeth bared in sheer animal pain. The bed creaked violently beneath her.
Aika couldn't hold back anymore. "ROSE! Breathe! Just breathe, okay?! I'm here! I'm right here!"
"I CAN'T—A-AIKA, I CAN'T!!"
Her voice cracked into raw sobbing. Every muscle in her body shook like it was being torn apart. Her fingers dug deeper into Aika's, nails drawing blood. Her entire frame was locked in a torturous arch, trembling with exhaustion and suffering.
Then—through the haze of pain and desperation—she cried out, her voice breaking into a shattered plea.
"K-Kai… KAI!!! WHERE—WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Her scream echoed off the chamber walls, laced with heartbreak and helplessness. It wasn't just a cry of pain.
....
Kai stood frozen beneath the towering shadow of the medical facility. Wind stirred the edge of his coat, but he didn't feel it. He ran a trembling hand through his hair, eyes hollow, face pale. The muffled cries from inside were distant—like they came from another world entirely.
His jaw clenched.
His stomach twisted.
His heart... felt numb.
I should go in.
His thoughts echoed, sterile and calculated—like logic would make this easier.
It's only right…
He stepped forward.
Then back.
"No…" he muttered, shaking his head. "I can't."
He turned to leave. His feet started to move—one step, two—
—and slammed straight into a broad figure.
Takashima.
The man didn't flinch. His sharp, intelligent eyes narrowed beneath furrowed brows, and his arms crossed.
"Where are you off to…?" he said, voice calm, but cold. "She's that way."
Kai froze. His mouth opened, but all that came out was a weak stammer. "I-I… I can't. I just can't."
Takashima stared at him.
Then… sighed.
"Well… I won't force you."
Kai exhaled shakily, nodding once and stepping past.
But Takashima's voice followed him like a blade to the back.
"But… are you really gonna leave her like this?"
Kai stopped mid-step.
Takashima didn't let up. "She could die. And from what I've seen… she is dying."
The air around Kai seemed to vanish. His lungs locked up.
"If she dies," Takashima continued, "she'll die feeling abandoned. Afraid. Alone. That's not a pretty way to go."
Kai's hand rose instinctively, clutching at his chest.
His heartbeat felt like thunder against his palm.
"I… I might not even love her like that…" Kai whispered. "I don't even know what this feeling is…"
"Maybe," Takashima said, his tone cool. "But that doesn't matter now. She trusted you. And that makes it your responsibility."
The words stung.
"But… you can run. It's what you're good at. Always have been. Ever since you were a child."
Kai's eyes widened.
He turned. "How do you—"
Takashima was already walking away.
He didn't look back.
"Well look at the time," he muttered. "I best be off…"
And with that, he vanished into the shadows.
Kai stood there for one second longer.
Then he broke.
He sprinted.
His boots pounded against the concrete, wind whipping past him as he tore down the hall toward the medical wing. The closer he got, the louder the screams became. Her screams.
Rose.
Behind him, just at the edge of the corridor where shadows kissed the light, Takashima paused.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Hmph… Knew you'd run," he murmured under his breath. "Just glad it was in the right direction for once."
He turned, hands slipping into his pockets, and walked off without another word—his figure disappearing into the sterile white hallway as the echo of Kai's sprint faded into the sound of distant, desperate cries.
Kai burst through the door with a sharp metallic slam, nearly knocking it off its hinges.
His eyes widened.
Time stopped.
The room was chaos—screams, flashing lights, the smell of sweat and blood hanging thick in the air. Dozens of medics were shouting over each other, their hands scrambling across magical panels, equipment, and glowing instruments that flickered in frantic rhythm.
Rose lay on the reinforced bed, her back arched violently, her entire body quaking under the final throes of labor. Her face was red, soaked with sweat and streaked with tears. Her lips trembled, skin pale—too pale—and a thin stream of blood ran down from her nose, mixing into her gasping breath.
And her hand—clutched tightly in Aika's—was slick with blood and shaking uncontrollably.
Aika looked up, her tear-stricken face snapping toward the sound.
Her eyes locked onto Kai.
"You jerk…" she whispered, voice broken, thick with relief and pain.
Kai's chest heaved. His legs moved before he could think, crashing to his knees at Rose's side. He gripped her hand, squeezing as hard as he dared.
"Rose! I'm here!" he said breathlessly. "I'm sorry—I'm sorry I'm late!"
Rose's eyes fluttered open.
She saw him.
Kai…?
Her thoughts were a storm. She couldn't focus. Everything spun. Pain. Fire. Blood. Her belly felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. Her vision blurred. Her breathing ragged.
Kai… it hurts! It hurts so bad! I can't… I can't do this!
Her back jerked violently again, a scream tearing from her throat.
Doctors scrambled.
"We're losing her!" one shouted. "Pulse is dropping—blood pressure crashing!"
"Mana suppression field! Someone stabilize her!"
"No more mana!" another snapped. "Her body's giving out!"
Kai gritted his teeth, sweat rolling down his forehead.
He held her hand tighter, bringing it close to his chest.
"Rose!" he shouted over the noise. "OPEN YOUR EYES!"
Her head twitched toward his voice.
"You're too strong to let this beat you! YOU HEAR ME?! You've always been strong—stubborn, loud, impossible—but strong! You don't get to quit now!"
Rose sobbed.
Kai… please…
Her scream pierced the air.
Then—
A sound.
A cry.
Small. Sharp. Raw.
A new voice entered the chaos.
A baby's voice.
Everyone froze.
Rose collapsed against the bed, eyes wide with exhaustion, but still open—barely.
The medic at her side held up the child, wrapped in warm cloth. Bloodied, but alive.
"It's a boy," he said.
He gently placed the child in Rose's arms.
Tiny.
Shaking.
But healthy.
The infant blinked his vivid green eyes—eyes just like hers—and let out another wail. Tufts of orange hair crowned his head, and small, fuzzy cat ears twitched under the light.
A tail peeked out from the blanket, coiling slightly with each cry.
Rose stared, tears pouring down her cheeks.
She smiled.
Just barely.
Kai leaned in, breath catching in his throat.
Aika, still trembling, wiped her face.
Miu finally exhaled somewhere in the back
Rose's arms were wrapped tightly around the newborn, her body trembling, her breath unsteady—but her smile was soft.
She hugged the child like he was the last warmth left in the world.
"...My baby..." she whispered, voice fragile. "You're so warm..."
Aika's hands hovered nearby, ready to catch the child—just in case.
And then… Rose's head tilted back slightly.
Her eyes slipped shut.
"Kai!" Aika gasped.
Kai jolted, panic seizing his chest. "Rose?!"
One of the medics quickly checked her vitals. "She's fine! She's just unconscious—stress and exhaustion. She needs rest."
Aika let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, nearly collapsing from relief.
She gently reached down and lifted the baby out of Rose's arms.
Kai stared, frozen.
"Here," Aika said softly, turning to him.
He backed away slightly. "W-Wait—me?!"
Her cheeks puffed with frustration. "Of course you! You're a dad now!"
She gently tried to hand the child over, but Kai stiffened—arms sticking straight out like he was handling a bomb.
"This is wrong, I'm gonna drop him—!"
"Like this!" Aika huffed, readjusting the baby and carefully placing him against Kai's chest. "Support the neck. Relax your arms. He's not made of glass, Kai."
Kai blinked, still stiff—but slowly, his hands wrapped around the small, warm form now resting in his arms.
The baby stirred.
Tiny green eyes fluttered open, just barely.
Orange hair. Little cat ears. A soft yawn escaped the child's lips.
Kai stared.
He didn't speak.
He didn't blink.
He just—cried.
No sound. Just tears.
"…Why am I crying?" he whispered to himself, voice cracking.
Miu, still sitting with her knees to her chest near the wall, offered a quiet smile.
And just outside the doorway, arms crossed and leaning casually against the frame—Takashima stood with a knowing smirk.
Kai looked down again, his fingers brushing through the baby's hair.
"Markus… I wish you were here to see this."
...
—Three Hours Later.
Rose sat upright now, propped against pillows in the medical bed, her pink hair messy but brushed aside by Aika's gentle hand earlier. The baby lay swaddled in her arms, tiny ears twitching every so often, purring faintly in his sleep. His tail curled lazily against her stomach, like he already knew this was home.
Across the room, Kai yawned so wide his jaw cracked. "This is exhausting…" he muttered, slouched in the chair with hair sticking in every direction.
Aika giggled softly, biting into a rice cracker. "You're not the one who pushed a watermelon out of your body."
Kai looked mildly traumatized. "Don't say it like that."
Then the door creaked open.
Arnik stepped in.
He blinked at the scene: Rose in bed. Kai beside her. A baby. A literal baby in cat-eared blankets.
"…Wait, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WHILE I WAS TRAINING?!"
Kai and Rose exchanged glances.
"Are we gonna tell him?" Rose whispered.
Kai deadpanned, "Let's… wait."
Aika stifled a laugh behind her sleeve. Miu, in the corner, didn't even try.
Then came the heavier footsteps.
Andrew Handerfall entered.
His eyes swept the room. His gaze paused on Rose. Then the baby. Then Kai.
It wasn't a joyful look.
"…Idiots," he muttered coldly.
Rose and Kai both replied at once, heads slightly bowed, "We know."
Andrew stepped forward. His tone remained firm—but quieter. "Enjoy holding your child. Because soon…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…You both know you won't be the ones to raise him."
Rose nodded, gently rocking the baby. "Yeah… we already decided."
Kai added, voice low, "We're having him transported to Saturn. Somewhere far from the war."
Andrew sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's no easy task. You're asking me to move a child across planetary lines during a warzone. But…"
He turned toward the door.
"…I'll do what I can."
He paused before exiting.
His hand lingered on the frame.
"Just know… your child's going to grow up with no parents. That's not easy. I should know."
His voice dropped.
"…I abandoned my own."
And then he was gone.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy.
Just… sobering.
Kai leaned back, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling. "Being born to us… he deserves better."
Rose looked down, her thumb brushing across her son's tiny cheek. Her voice was soft—tired, but strong.
"…Knowing I have someone else to fight for… makes me stronger."
Aika nodded from her seat nearby. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
The room sat still for a while.
Until a voice crackled over the intercom.
"Recovery phase ends in seventy-two hours. Angel Squad, standby for redeployment."
Rose smirked faintly, adjusting her grip on the baby.
"…Back to the battlefield, huh?"
Kai stood.
"…Yeah."