Hello, folks. I understand people will probably be mad I'm not working on DRK right now, but I've been fiddling with the idea in my head to try and make it work and along with uni deadlines closing in it's sort of on the backbench. That said, I have been giving some attention to Sango as a character and what I want to do with her. After some consideration, I've decided this where I want to take her plot-wise - it'll be quite a challenge to do properly, but I'm hoping I can pull it off.
Obviously this is just the intro. I'm planning to update this weekly. I've got about 15k words written already so I shouldn't have trouble keeping to schedule. Thanks again to Iced for proofing and being my typical voice of reason.
Hope you all enjoy this new chapter in the Sango canon!
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?I?m WHAT??
Sango yelled without meaning to, all the shock in her system flushing out of her throat. The doctor?s lips scrunched up.
?Did I stutter? I said that you?re pregnant.?
That was exactly what Sango had heard the first time. It was also exactly what she hadn?t wanted to hear. She gripped at the arms of her chair, staring down at her stomach.
?This is a joke, right? I thought I had a bug or something.?
?That was my first thought, yes,? Doctor Eirin replied. She picked up a folder filled with reports and analysis, all too complex and eloquent for Sango to comprehend. ?However, some of your other symptoms were important enough to be worth further inspection - for instance, your bouts of lethargy, disruption of your menstrual cycle, and your sudden craving for new foods.?
?That?s not weird!? Sango folded her arms and harrumphed. ?I?m sure everyone?s fallen in love with the taste of raw salt at least once in their lives.?
?...I?m not sure salt even has a flavour, but that?s beside the point.? Eirin sighed, her bedside manner growing slightly more demure. ?Regardless, the fact is that you?ve taken the first step to becoming a mother.?
Sango?s head felt ready to fall off her neck. She heard what Eirin was telling her, but somewhere deep down in her head the concept wasn?t processing properly. She poked at her stomach, trying to tell herself there was a little life blossoming inside her.
?I don?t get it,? she said, more to herself than to Eirin. ?How can I be pregnant? I?ve never, uh, shared an affectionate moment with anyone.?
?Affectionate?? Eirin tilted her head. ?Could you be more specific about that??
Sango felt her face warming up. ?Uhh...no-one?s parted the pink sea.?
Eirin stared blankly at her in response.
?Sauced the clam? Shucked the oyster??
Still no reply. Apparently doctors were poorly versed in the art of euphemism. Sango?s blushing grew stronger the longer she waited, until finally her urge to be understood overpowered her embarrassment. With a single, trembling finger, she pointed at the spot between her legs.
?Ohhhhh. You?re a virgin.? The revelation hit Eirin instantly. There was no shame or mockery in her expression, although she did give Sango a motherly pat on the head.
?You really don?t know anything, do you?? The doctor smiled. ?Youkai procreation isn?t as upfront and aggressive as outside of Gensokyo. That IS an option, of course, but youkai have much easier ways of passing on their genes. Magical creatures aren?t confined to physical means. You don?t even have to be the same race - new legends are forged by merging together the old ones, after all.?
?I see. So, uh, what are these other ways?? Half of Sango didn?t want to know the answer to the question. The other half wanted to find out who would soon be the father of a baby dolphin. Curiosity won out in the end.
?Well, the most important catalyst is alcohol.? Eirin leaned backwards in her seat, cradling her fingers and staring at the ceiling as she thought through a simple explanation. ?I daresay that youkai genes have adapted to Gensokyo?s frequent drinking sessions - it?s quite common for a girl your age to wake up a mother after a night on the tiles, even if they never partake in intercourse.?
Sango lowered an eyebrow. Alcohol? She?d never been much of a drinker. Well, other than that one time a few weeks ago, but that couldn?t have been-
No. Could it?
A cold wind washed over Sango as a thought came to her. Her throat felt dry as her mouth creaked open.
?Uh, doctor? This is a silly question, but it?s got to be between a guy and a girl, right??
Eirin giggled, her voice just shrill enough to make Sango squirm.
?Oh, of course not!? She laughed the idea off as if it were a joke. ?Honestly, most of these children come around by accident. If both participants are drunk, all it would take is a kiss to start the cycle.?
It took a second for Sango?s brain to catch up to reality. When it did, she rose to her feet as a violent indignation coursed through her system.
?Eh? Where are you going?? Eirin said.
?I?ll be back soon,? Sango replied, already turning towards the door. ?Just going off to find the father.?
-----
It was quite a walk to the Crystal Waters, but Sango barely felt it. Her mind swirled with the epiphany, every rational thought overwritten by either shock or denial.
Her, a mother? She?d never even considered it before. She had too much else to live for without the thought of kids. Maybe when she was older and her hair was closer to grey than silver, but not when she was at her fittest.
Would she be able to continue her old lifestyle now? Everything felt strange and precarious. Juggling her duty as marine janitor with raising a child seemed hard, maybe impossible. And that was before she considered how the actual pregnancy would affect her.
Then again, that was why she was looking for help.
?Jozu??
She took a seat at the edge of the lake, her feet dipping into the water. Tiny ripples danced around her toes, and even from the surface she saw a glimpse of the colourful light within. There was, however, no sign of the youkai she was looking for.
Sango sighed, picking up a nearby pebble. She raised it upward in one hand, then snapped her arm downwards and threw it straight into the water. The splash was much more noticable this time, and the pebble fell with impressive speed towards the depths of the Waters.
With the signal sent, the dolphin folded her legs and waited. This was a secret language the two had put together, a way for an air-breather and a water-breather to stay in touch. Sure enough, Jozu answered the call, her head popping out of the water a minute later.
?Morning.? Jozu?s proud smirk was indomitable. Somehow that look of carefree innocence felt distant to Sango now.
?You were late today,? the shark continued. Sango could see Jozu clipping on her breathing-gear beneath the surface, her hands clumsily working the pipes around her gills. It took a while before Jozu could rise above the surface entirely, taking slow and careful breaths as she pulled herself up onto the lakeside. ?Normally we?d have already had a race around the reef by now.?
Sango bit her lip. How was she supposed to break news like this?
?Sorry. I had to go visit the doctor.?
?Oh, for that stomach bug you?ve been having, right?? Jozu looked Sango over, droplets of water dripping from her hair onto the dolphin?s lap. ?I?ve heard that woman has magic pills for pretty much everything.?
?Well, she didn?t have one for this,? Sango answered. ?And even if she did, it?d probably be a bad idea.?
?OK, you?ve lost me now.? Jozu put her head right next to Sango?s stomach, as if she was trying to peer inside and see the problem. ?What?s wrong with you, exactly??
And now it was time for the big reveal. Sango began to play with the collar of her shirt, feeling warm even in the mild autumn air.
?Jozu, do you remember that one night we decided to try cucumber beer??
?I?ve been trying to forget it.? She clutched at her head in recollection. ?That stuff is way too strong. I don?t even remember what happened that night.?
?Me neither.? The dolphin gulped. ?But, well, it might have done more damage than just a hangover.?
Jozu raised an eyebrow. ?What do you mean??
?Well...?
The explanation was slow to start, but as she spoke Sango found herself getting faster and faster. Most of what she said was just repeating what the doctor had told her. From the looks of awe Jozu was giving off every few seconds, the development was news to her as well.
When at last she?d finished, Sango stared upwards at the sky. There was a long silence before Jozu finally spoke up.
?So, what you?re telling me is...you?re going to have my baby??
Sango nodded.
?Then what sort of kid is it gonna be?? Jozu scratched at her head. ?Is it gonna be a dolphin, or a shark? Will it breathe air or water??
?I dunno,? Sango answered. ?Maybe both.?
Jozu groaned. ?Great, my kid is gonna be a goddamn frog...?
Another silence followed, this one more awkward than the first. Eventually, Jozu asked the question that Sango had been waiting on.
?So where do we go from here, exactly??
Sango answered immediately. ?I?m moving in.?
Jozu flinched. ?You?re doing what??
?We?re a couple now, right? That means you?ve got to look after your son. Or daughter. Whatever it ends up being.? Sango lowered herself into the waters that she would soon consider home.
?S-Since when were we a couple?!? Now it was Jozu?s turn to blush. ?It?s not like I meant to kiss you! C?mon, I was really drunk when it happened!?
?Doesn?t matter~,? Sango said with a sing-song voice. ?You don?t wanna be known as the shark who turned her back on her family, do you??
The guilt hit Jozu like an express train to the face. She slumped forward, defeated.
?OK, whatever. But I?ll have you know that I?m really bad at lullabies.?
?Don?t worry, I?ll handle that,? Sango answered. She looked out at the water, her eyes glistening as light bounced off the surface. ?But you might have to deal with managing the wedding.?
?Yeah, that seems fa-? The shark faulted. ?WHAT WEDDING?!?
?Oh, come on, Jozu.? Sango pouted. ?There?s no way I?m having a shark-baby out of wedlock.?
Every ounce of confidence seeped out of Jozu?s body. She managed a single nod before she fell forwards into the water, bobbing along the surface face-down.
?Good to see you?re being so co-operative,? Sango said. She started to look around the Crystal Waters, scouting out potential spots to claim for herself. ?Ooh, that cavern looks pretty. Can I call dibs??
Jozu didn?t answer. She was lost in murmurs about how the gods had struck her down. Sango decided to take that as a yes.
?Awesome! Thanks.? She dove under the water, ready to start a personal makeover on Jozu?s turf.
Taking ownership of Jozu?s land? Weighing her down with responsibility? Sango couldn?t help but feel proud of herself. Maybe being a mother won?t be so bad after all.
