Chapter Seven: A Thousand Years
Akina, meanwhile, was helping Kaori and Rumiko sort through the remaining airplane meals. More of them were starting to go bad. Wilting lettuce leaves were nestled in with still-crisp leaves, so the wilting ones were peeled off and thrown away. For the most part, meat was gone, smelling so rotten that the only solution was to throw it all into the ocean. Fruit was starting to get the same way, so each piece was judged by the three women, and if it failed the test, it joined the meat and wilting lettuce. Noodles, however, were a bit squishy but still okay to eat, as was anything with bread.
�We�re all going to be unwilling vegetarians today,� Akina joked.
�Your daughter is so cute,� Kaori remarked, looking at Chiyo. �She�s adjusting remarkably well to this whole situation.� Kaori flung some wilted lettuce into the ocean.
�Well, Masao and I really help her out. I think that it�ll affect her later, though.� Akina sighed. �As soon as I get back to Tokyo, I�m going to write about this ordeal.�
�What do you do for a living?� Kaori asked. �For me, well, it�s obvious, but I�m handing in a resignation to Aloha when I get home. If they still exist by then!� She laughed.
�I write for a weekly magazine,� Akina said proudly.
�Really? Which one?�
�Iken,� Akina answered, still proud. �I love it there. It�s a very relaxed atmosphere, we debate all the time about everything, and there�s a Lawson�s literally two steps away for when I have to pull a late day and need some snacks.�
�Iken?� Rumiko asked, to which Akina nodded. �Oh my God! My best friend Asuka loves Iken! She bought a copy at the airport. Do you, do you mind if I go get her? She�d probably love to meet you.�
�I don�t mind at all,� Akina said, smiling as Rumiko leapt up and ran to where Asuka sat, reading Iken.
�Asuka!� Rumiko shouted, making Asuka look up from her copy. �Asuka, there�s a writer for Iken in our group!�
�No way!� Asuka gasped.
�Yes way! She�s right over here. Come on!� Rumiko grabbed Asuka by the arm and led her back to Akina and Kaori. �Akina, this is my friend Asuka.�
�Akina�as in Akina Shimizu?� Asuka asked, raising an eyebrow.
�Yes, that�s me.� She smiled.
�Oh! Oh! This is so great! Ah, I love your writings. I think you�re my favorite Iken writer of all.� Asuka bowed deeply. �Your style is so fresh and refined compared to some of the older writers.�
�Well, thank you very much, Asuka!�
�Are you going to write about this experience?� Asuka wondered aloud.
�I don�t know how I couldn�t. It�s too big a story to not cover.�
�Will you interview me for it?�
�Of course I will! I have a feeling we�ll all be in contact after this whole thing is over. I�m in contact with a lot of the papers, and I think they�ll all jump at the chance to interview us. The broadcast media will be that way, too.�
�I�m thinking of becoming a journalist myself,� Asuka said with a blush. �Is it�bad?�
�Bad?� Akina asked. �Oh, no, it�s good as long as you�re vigilant, um, I mean diligent, actually both things make sense.� She laughed nervously.
�You know, I�ve got an idea,� Stephanie told her fellow English teachers as she filed her nails with the nail file she received when she retrieved her luggage.
�Another one?� Charlie asked, exasperated. �I just got comfortable.� He was sitting on his pillow and reading a book.
�Just hear me out,� Stephanie cautioned. Charlie turned back the corner of the page he was reading, primly shut his book, and smiled at Stephanie. �I have no idea who I harassed to get my stuff back.�
�One of the schoolgirls and the air marshal,� Stefan replied sarcastically.
�That�s what we know them by, just arbitrary descriptions! We don�t know the names of anyone else here. I think that�s wrong, so I want to fix it.�
�How do you propose doing that?� Daniel asked.
�An excellent question! I have here a nice big empty notebook and some pens. Here is my digital camera, too.� Stephanie held up a purple notebook and a slender black digital camera. �I think that I should go around here and ask everyone their names, age, why they were traveling, then take a picture of them and write down the filename of their picture for reference. It�ll be easier that way to keep track of everyone and we can start learning names. I�ll even do all the talking if one of you guys will take pictures.�
�I like taking pictures,� Charlie offered feebly.
�Good enough for me. Take this�be careful, that�s my baby�and follow me. I see a group of people over there where we can start our census.� Stephanie opened her notebook and wrote �Island Census� in big letters on the first page. �Come on, don�t be shy. You don�t have to say a word.� Stephanie and Charlie walked up to Asuka, Rumiko, Akina, and Kaori.
�How do you turn the camera on?� Charlie asked.
�Press the little green button. It�s small,� Stephanie said apologetically as Charlie pressed the green button and the camera turned on with a small chime noise. �Uh�hi! My name is Stephanie. I�m collecting a census about people on the island. I just need to know a few facts. This won�t take but a minute.�
�Sure, I�ll submit,� Rumiko said, standing up first.
�Thank you! I only need to know a few things. Okay, first, what is your name?�
�Rumiko Chigi,� Rumiko answered, watching as Stephanie wrote down her name in simple hiragana and English letters.
�How old are you?�
�Seventeen,� Rumiko replied, looking ashamed.
�Don�t be ashamed, Rumiko, seventeen is a great age. Where are you from?�
�Tokyo.�
�Thank you�� Stephanie stopped writing. �Now, smile!� Rumiko smiled brightly and allowed Charlie to take a picture. �What�s the filename?�
�003.jpg,� Charlie answered, looking at the digital camera�s screen.
�I�ll go next!� Asuka offered. �My name�s Asuka Sagawa, I�m eighteen, and I�m from Tokyo, too.�
�Akina Shimizu, 28, from Tokyo.�
�Kaori Terachi, 24, from Chiba.� The three women also posed for their pictures, and before Stephanie left to investigate another group, she bowed. She decided to walk in on another game of poker with the gentlemen�s club.
�Not her again!� one of the businessmen groaned upon seeing Stephanie.
�Come on guys, this is important too. I want to know everyone�s names.� She waved her notebook around in order to better convince the businessmen that this was important, and they reluctantly accepted the offer to add their names to the small but growing census of the survivors.
�Kazuo Kurosawa, 23, Tokyo.�
�Toshiro Watanabe, 21, Tokyo,� the two businessmen said gruffly, almost as if they were being asked for this information by a senior military official and were required to respond in a monotone.
�I�ll submit,� Masao offered, standing up.
�Same here,� Mr. Koyanagi said in support.
�A census is a good idea,� Masaharu commented as he stood up. �Are you taking pictures, too?�
�Yeah, just so I can match faces with names. I�m pretty good at that, though.�
�You were a teacher, after all,� Masaharu said. �Anyway, I�m Masaharu Ito, 27, from Tokyo.�
�Heh, wish I could be 27 again,� Mr. Koyanagi commented, chuckling. �Mutsuhiro Koyanagi, 51, Tokyo.�
�Masao Shimizu, 31, Tokyo.� Charlie quickly shot pictures of each man alone and rattled off the filenames to Stephanie, who wrote them down quickly and tapped her notebook with her pen to show that she was complete.
�Thank you for helping us out,� she said to the men, bowing deeply and walking away with Charlie. The men quickly resumed their poker game as the census takers walked onto the beach.
�I think we should hit up the students next,� Charlie suggested. �They�re easier to find.�
�We already found two, so we just need to find the rest.� Stephanie started to number the entries on her paper. �There�s one over there.� Isolated with his bare feet placed into the surf, Yuichirou sat looking deep in thought. He willingly submitted to the census, as did Mariko, Sanae, Shuya, and Chiyo, who were all sitting together and babysitting. Yurika was found nearby, listening to her music on the CD player she was newly reunited with. Ryuhei was sitting close to Yurika, but not close enough that she would suspect anything, and sometimes through his manga he would steal subtle glances at her.
The sleeping area was quickly becoming personalized as people figured out how to make tarps of sorts, mostly by using clothing or blankets, to place over �their� seats. Their luggage acted as bookmarks, placeholders being used to mark their areas until nightfall and time for bed. Haruka was found sprawled out on one of these rows of seats, her hands resting on her belly, trying in vain to have a nap. She, too, submitted to the census, but not before jokingly cautioning Stephanie and Charlie that they may have to return to add another person to the list.
�Well, we know Stefan and Daniel�� Stephanie, who thought the census was over, was counting her figures.
�We forgot two,� Charlie interjected.
�Damn! I lost count. What was that, Charlie?�
�We forgot two people.�
�Who?�
�The schoolgirl and the air marshal,� Charlie said, annoyed.
�That we did! Come on, let�s go find them again. I know the way.�
�I know that you know the way, Miss Lonely Planet.�
�Lonely Planet?�
�It�s a series of guidebooks. You left your guidebook at home, but you got through Fukuoka anyway. I remember you said that at the orientation meeting, and I thought that was funny. I also thought you looked real pretty that day.�
�Thanks for the compliment, but I don�t like men.� Stephanie looked slightly disgusted.
�Why not? You probably just haven�t met the right one yet, and you�re just going through a phase.� Charlie grinned.
�I know what I like and don�t like, and I don�t like men!� Stephanie shouted. �God! That�s one of the reasons I don�t like men, you are all so thick-headed! Unless we�re talking about sex or partially�or even fully�undressed while we�re talking, you guys don�t hear a thing!� Stephanie was fuming. �It�s so irritating. I have better luck talking to deaf people!�
�Sorry, didn�t mean to make you angry.�
�That�s okay, you didn�t know. I�m just, I�m just defensive, I guess.� Stephanie arrived at the razor branch. �What am I supposed to ask now?� she whispered to Charlie.
�I don�t know, just say you�re taking a census or something.� Charlie shrugged. �I�m just the photographer.�
�Hello?� Stephanie asked shyly. �I�m taking a census, so I need to know some stuff. Can we come in?� She asked this in English, figuring that James was acting as Reiko�s handler. Stephanie heard a bit of deliberation from inside the bushes and then Reiko came to hold back the branch herself.
�Don�t take my picture, my face looks bad,� she told Charlie, touching the injured part of her face.
�Nonsense, you look just fine. Besides, we�re just using these pictures to easily identify people. We�re not going to show them to anyone else because that would be mean,� Stephanie said delicately, making Reiko smile slightly.
�Hey there, Spanish Inquisition,� James said sarcastically.
�What�s happening, Sleeping Beauty,� Stephanie replied sarcastically. �I just need to get some information.�
�Fire away. Isn�t your chief weapon supposed to be surprise, though?� James grinned, hoping that Stephanie would catch the Monty Python reference. Unfortunately, it went over her head.
�Whatever. Just tell me your name and age and where you came from.�
�Under the Geneva Convention, I can only give you my serial number and rank, sir,� James said sarcastically, saluting and sticking out his tongue. When he saw Stephanie�s face change color, he retracted the salute. �Uh, okay, I mean to say that the name�s James Ford, and I�m 21, and I�m American by birth, Atlantan by the grace of God.�
�Atlantan?�
�That means someone who hails from Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia? Never heard of it?�
�Heard of it, and even been there before, but I definitely don�t think there�s such a word as Atlantan. Charlie, take the photo.� Stephanie moved on to Reiko and switched languages. �What�s your name, age, and where you�re from?�
�Reiko Fukuda, 18, Tokyo,� Reiko replied quickly. �Are you sure you won�t show anyone the picture?�
�Absolutely sure,� Stephanie said with a smile. Reiko put on a small smile for the camera that disappeared as soon as the camera lens did, and she even waved to the census takers as they left, but as soon as they left, she let out a sigh and fell right back into her seat/bed.
�When are they coming?� she asked James, who hesitated to answer.
Mariko desperately had to use the restroom, mostly to vomit up the contents of her stomach. She was happy that Sanae and Shuya were happy together, but the way they acted was so overly cheesy, so overdone, just like on TV. It all seemed so fake to her, and each time they nuzzled or hugged or kissed, she felt that metallic taste coming up into her throat, threatening to come out for an encore. In fact, as she took in deep breaths to stop herself from vomiting, she thought of Sayako, her twin sister.
Though Mariko and Sayako were identical on the outside, their personalities could not have been any farther apart. Mariko was quieter, classier, and smarter, while Sayako was louder, gaudier, and, in all honesty, dumber. While the Yoshihara family had enough money to send both their girls to private schools, only Mariko went to one. Sayako, whose academic standings disqualified her from most, if not all, private schools, languished in the nearest public school. The thing that infuriated Mariko most about her sister, though, had to be her standings when it came to boys. Mariko was on the verge of graduating from high school without ever having a boyfriend. On the other hand, Sayako�s first boyfriend came when she was just 13, and when she was 16, she had a little problem that needed 58,000 yen to fix.
Throughout her teenage years, Mariko had been subjected to the �fellowship� of Sayako�s many fellows, to the point that she would sometimes get their names and faces confused. Mariko may have been academically smart, but sometimes, when it came to remembering the name of someone who could be gone two weeks later, she struggled. Yet Mariko loved her sister, even though she had an unhealthy obsession with the male gender.
The fact remained that Mariko thought a couple putting everything they had out on public display was shameful and lewd. She was sick of seeing the happy couple canoodling and she secretly wished that they were back in school so that she could discipline them somehow. As it were, she simply winced and tried to relax. Unfortunately, she couldn�t relax at all.
�Hey, Mariko!� Yurika called out, coming to Mariko�s side. �What�s happening? You look kind of sick.�
�Oh no, I�m OK. I�m just sick of seeing the loving couple around, that�s all.�
�Tell me about it,� Yurika said, looking somewhat exasperated. �It gives me an idea, though. Why don�t we play Have You Ever?�
�What�s that?� Mariko asked.
�It�s a fun game to help pass the time. What you do is�you hold up your hand with all your fingers out.� Yurika held up her hand, as if she were counting to 5 or saying �stop�. Mariko unraveled her fist and did the same, the emerald on her birthstone ring glittering on her ring finger.
�Okay, what now?� Mariko asked curiously.
�We ask each other questions. If you�ve done what�s been asked, like driving a car or whatever, you put down a finger. Here, I�ll ask the first question.�
�Ask away.� Mariko was intrigued by this new game.
�Have you ever�sung karaoke?� Both girls put down their thumbs. �Really, Mariko? I didn�t expect that.�
�Yeah! I do a mean Ayumi Hamasaki.� Mariko smiled brightly.
�We should go do karaoke together sometime. You and me, maybe in Shibuya. I know a pretty cool place.� Yurika smiled, too.
�OK, here is my question. Have you ever gotten lost on the train or gotten off at the wrong station?� Both girls bashfully put down their pinkies.
�Really? You, Mariko? You seem so neat and organized.�
�The Tokyo railway system is incredibly complicated,� Mariko said in her defense, shrugging.
�Next question! Have you ever been out of the country�before now?� Yurika asked. Mariko was the only one to lower her ring finger. �Where did you go?�
�Taiwan,� Mariko replied.
�My turn, my turn! Have you ever cross-dressed?� Both girls lowered another finger each. �What for?� Mariko asked out of curiosity.
�It was for a school play. What about you?�
�Yeah, same here.� Yurika was starting to realize just how much she and Mariko were alike and she was feeling somewhat better about being on this island.
�The game�s almost over, sadly. I�ll make this last question a really good one,� Yurika said reassuringly. �Have you ever had a long-term boyfriend?� Mariko�s eyes sank and her finger stayed put, as did Yurika�s. �Looks like we have something big in common, huh?� Yurika asked, somewhat gravely. �Is this why you don�t like Shuya and Sanae?�
�No, no, they�re both good people. I just don�t like it when they�re being�well, how they�re being right now.� She and Yurika laughed. �It�s also because of my twin sister Sayako. The way she goes through guys makes me sick. When I get a boyfriend, I will respect him. She just uses them and throws them out, like plastic bags.�
�That sounds poetic,� Yurika commented.
�Thank you. Yurika, I�m going to tell you a secret. In all my 18 years, I�ve never, ever had a boyfriend at all.� As Mariko said this, Yurika looked shocked.
�Honestly, you? But you�re such a great person. I can�t see why not.�
�Are you lying?�
�No. I don�t lie about important things.�
�I think I know why I�ve always been single.� Mariko looked to the sand.
�Why�s that?�
�Well, I�m not attractive�� As soon as those words left Mariko�s mouth, Yurika let out a huge gasp.
�No way, Mariko! No way at all. Coming from a girl who still has ongoing self-esteem issues, you are gorgeous. Maybe the guys at school are just blinded by the silly rich bimboes around us, and if that�s how they act, then let�s just wait until we graduate and go to college.� Yurika herself felt better after her little pep talk.
�So, what do you suggest we do about the loving couple over there?� Mariko asked.
�Ignore them!� Yurika suggested with a laugh.
Chiyo was tired of her toys and feeling chatty, so she bounded over to Haruka, who was leafing through a women�s magazine.
�Excuse me,� Chiyo said, tugging on Haruka�s shirtsleeve. �What�s wrong with your tummy?�
�Oh�� Haruka put down her magazine and gave Chiyo a smile. �I�m pregnant.�
�What�s pregnant mean?� Chiyo asked, her eyes wide open.
�It means that there is a baby in here�� Haruka put her hand on her belly. �And it�s not done growing just yet.�
�When will it be done growing?�
�I don�t know yet, but it�s getting close now.� Haruka smiled wearily. �What�s your name, cutie?�
�Chiyo. I�m 3 years old.�
�3 years old! That�s a great age. I�m a bit older than that now,� Haruka chuckled. �I�m 28, myself.�
�Is that old?� Chiyo asked in such an innocent tone that Haruka laughed the kind of laugh that makes a person�s belly ache. In someone who�s not pregnant, this sort of laugh creates relatively mild discomfort. However, in a pregnant woman who has already been affected by the pressure changes inherent in a plane flight, let alone a plane crash, this kind of laugh can perhaps aid in inducing labor. At the time, Haruka was unaware that the laugh helped to speed up her labor, so she sat chatting with Chiyo for a while longer, filtering sand through her fingers as she spoke.
Chiyo was getting on to doing what she did best�bragging about her achievements�when she happened to look down and notice that the sand around where Haruka was sitting was becoming somewhat wet.
�Miss, excuse me, but did you just go potty?� Chiyo asked, still blissfully innocent. Haruka looked baffled, looked down, and looked panicked.
�No, I didn�t,� Haruka replied. �But, my baby is getting ready to come out. Chiyo, do you know who the doctor is?�
�Doctor? No.� Chiyo shrugged as Haruka, who was now starting to breathe a bit faster due to her own nervousness, tried to think of what to do.
�Go tell your mommy and daddy to go get the doctor and come over here. I�m right under the big palm tree on the beach, near the plane.� Haruka pointed to each landmark and made sure Chiyo understood her instructions. �Okay? Please, hurry!� Chiyo nodded silently, jumped up from her seated position, and hustled away to find Akina or Masao. Masao was away at the spring, filling up bottles of waters, but Akina was nearby, talking with Asuka about the business of journalism. She saw her child running up to her, looking somewhat scared, and went into Protective Mother Mode immediately.
�Mommy, mommy, the lady with the big belly told me to tell you go get the doctor!� Chiyo gasped in one long breath.
�The pregnant woman?� Asuka blurted out.
�Probably,� Akina replied. �What did she tell you, Chiyo?�
�She wants you to go get the doctor,� Chiyo explained again.
�It sounds really important,� Asuka said to Akina, who nodded and stood up off the sand.
�All right then, let�s go find Masaharu,� Akina said in her strong voice. �I remember him walking off with Masao to go to the spring. Come on, Chiyo, let�s go. Asuka, do you mind going to find Haruka and staying with her? I�m sure she�ll be comforted by the presence of another woman.�
�She�s under the big palm tree near the plane,� Chiyo said loudly, to which Asuka nodded and began looking for said tree. When she found the tree, looming in the sky just beyond the plane, she took off running towards it, thankful that she kicked off her slightly uncomfortable school shoes when she found her sneakers nestled in her suitcase. She slowed down slightly when she saw Haruka, leaning up against the tree, looking panicked.
�Hi,� Asuka said awkwardly, sitting down near Haruka. �I don�t know your name.�
�Haruka,� Haruka answered through panting breaths.
�Hi, Haruka, I�m Asuka. I was sent here to help keep you calm until the doctor gets here. So, what do you want to talk about?�
�Are you like my midwife or something?� Haruka pondered aloud. Asuka thought about this for a moment, chewing her upper lip and raising her eyebrow.
�No!� she finally replied through a laugh. �No, no. I�m only eighteen. I�ve never so much as had a boyfriend. I have no idea what happens here, aside from what I was told back in sex ed when I was twelve.� She shrugged and looked exasperated.
�You�ll do, you�ll do,� Haruka said reassuringly.
�Why don�t you tell me a little about yourself?� Asuka politely suggested.
�A good idea, Asuka. I�m Haruka Tachibana, 28 years old, from Chiba.�
�Chiba! I�ve never been to Chiba. Why don�t you tell me a little about it?� Asuka suggested, trying to keep Haruka distracted. Little did she know that this technique was often used by doctors to distract patients, especially during anesthesia-free operations such as administering shots. It seemed to be working, because Haruka was talking to Asuka about every little cultural difference between Chiba and Tokyo that she could think of when Masaharu came over, flanked by a few people who wanted to help out in some way. They carried towels, water, medicine (pain pills especially), scissors, and thread. A few also had flashlights ready in case this delivery ran into the night.
�Okay, Miss Haruka, how are you doing?� Masaharu asked, kneeling by Asuka to check up on his newest patient.
�I guess as well as I possibly can, considering that I�m going to give birth the natural way,� Haruka replied between laborious breaths.
�Has her water broken yet?� Masaharu asked Asuka, who shrugged and shook her head while looking baffled.
�It did,� Haruka replied helpfully. �Just a minute or two ago.�
�Well, we�re in the right place.� Masaharu took out a cell phone and accessed the stopwatch. �Let�s measure the time between contractions to see how far ahead you are.�
�Dude, is he going to look at her?� Ryuhei asked Yuichirou nervously.
�No, you think so?� Yuichirou replied sarcastically.
Masaharu measured the time between the next contractions and displayed a small smile.
�She�s right on schedule. We shouldn�t try going into labor yet, though.�
�When should we?!� Haruka nearly shouted. �Sorry,� she added after she realized how loud her voice was.
�That�s okay,� Masaharu said, shaking his hand. �You�re getting closer, but not just there yet. I�ll keep measuring your contractions and I�ll tell you when to start.�
�I�m never giving birth the natural way,� Mariko, whose hands were bogged down with towels, said to Yurika, who carried a few bottles of water. Yurika showed her agreement by nodding vigorously and opening her eyes widely.
The birthing crew, as they started to call themselves, dined on a quick snack of fruits as they waited for Masaharu�s measurements to equal when Haruka should consider going into labor. It was painfully obvious when she began to go into labor because, even though Masaharu and Akina (who was, of course, experienced in childbirth already) were helping Haruka breathe normally, she let out an earsplitting scream that alerted everyone else to rush to its source. Soon enough, every survivor was huddled around Haruka.
Masaharu draped a towel over her to protect her modesty, which helped her greatly as she struggled, screamed, and sweated for hours on end, as 32 pairs of eyes rested solely on her. The women tended to group together and speculate about the gender of the child. The men tried their best to mask their faces of utter disgust. The students did their best to amuse Chiyo because her attention span was faltering and her parents were attending to Haruka�s side.
�Wait a minute!� Kaori shouted. �Does anyone know what day it is? We need to record it.�
�It�s March 14,� Yuichirou answered after consulting his extremely expensive watch. �Well, it is in Tokyo, at least��
�That�ll do,� Kaori replied. �Someone needs to be writing this down.�
�Already on it!� Mariko barked out, rushing back to her �bed� and retrieving a notebook from her bag. She opened it up to the first empty page and scribbled down March 14, keeping one eye on Haruka�s progress the entire time.
�So, bet you�re glad you don�t like guys now, huh?� Charlie asked Stephanie, who was watching, both in awe and somewhat disgusted.
�Fuck you,� Stephanie muttered in reply.
�Actually, isn�t that what you prefer not to do?� Charlie said with a snicker.
�Great one, Joke Genius,� Stephanie said sarcastically, throwing her hair over her shoulder.
Masaharu looked under the towel�an awkward sight if there ever was one�and looked extremely happy when he came back out.
�I can see the head!� he reported, making the crowd cheer. �Soon, we�ll need the scissors and thread crew to come over here, and the towel crew, too. Why not the water crew as well; we�ll need to wash the baby off.� The respective crews nodded, moving towards the front to secure their positions. They waited with baited breath until everyone heard a faint sound of crying.
�Is it here?� was the general consensus, asked in the whispered strains of two different languages as Masaharu commanded the specific crews to come do their respective jobs. They huddled around Haruka in such a way as to keep her modest and do their jobs, which was admittedly somewhat hard in this situation. A few minutes later, however, Mariko handed Masaharu a towel and he used it to wrap up the child and present it to the crowd.
�It�s a girl,� he told them proudly. Stephanie and Reiko translated for their respective non-Japanese speakers, who, though they were disgusted throughout the entire process of childbirth, seemed genuinely overjoyed.
Mariko came to Haruka�s side and sat down.
�So, Haruka-san, what are you going to name her?� she asked at the very moment that Masaharu placed the swaddled child in her arms. Haruka stared at her child�s big brown eyes for a moment, chewing her lip, before she came to a final decision and nodded her head ever so slightly.
�Miharu,� she said quietly, letting Miharu grab on to her mother�s outstretched finger.
�I never want to do that again in my life if I don�t have to,� Masaharu whispered as he patted his sweating brow down with a towel. �But,� he added, looking upon the mother and child. �I have to admit, it was worth it.�
CONTINUE to Chapter Eight: Resurgens
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