Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Ninety-ninth Sacrifice ❯ VI ( Chapter 6 )

VI

982 S.A.

 

“That's a pretty bad storm coming,” reported Cid, looking out of the window of his bridge. A few months had past since Braska had first joined the Al Bhed aboard Cid's ship. Whenever Braska asked what the name of the ship was Cid would reply that Al Bhed ships change so much that there's no point in naming them. The original name of the ship had long since been eroded by years of sea water erosion. Whenever they docked the only letter that Braska could make out was a `K'.

“How bad is it?” asked Braska, looking out over the ocean from over Cid's shoulder.

Cid began rifling through piles of maps on his desk. “We have to land. Mitsuki could go into labor any day now, and I don't want to be stuck in the middle of a storm during that.”

Stepping just outside the door, Braska asked Sara, who had just passed by, “Go ask the guy in the crow's nest if there are any islands near by.”

Sighing in annoyance, she placed the coil of rope she was mending on a bench and ran over to the main mast. After calling him, and then hearing the reply, she answered Braska in a heavy breath, “Yes, to the west of us.”

Cid, having over heard, took hold of the wheel and turned it due west. “Sara,” he called from his post, “Go see how Mitsuki is doing.”

“See what, her making more baby clothes?” interjected Sara.

“Just do it!” snapped Cid.

“Fine,” she sighed, turning around out of the bridge. The captain's cabin was on the deck, like the bridge, but it was at the back of the boat.

“Cid, she's not in labor yet. And that is a day long process.” Braska stood behind the brother of the woman he newly loved. In the past few months of always eating and spending his days with this man in the bridge he felt a connection with him like he hadn't since he was back at the temple. To Braska, Cid was another mentor, a man who helped him through life, even if only subconsciously. The fact that Cid was only five years older than him had no impact on his feelings whatsoever.

“Yeah, but if she were in labor she … she's so stubborn that she'd never tell anyone.” Cid wiped a tear of fear from his face roughly with his gloved hand. “Childbirth is dangerous, especially for first time mothers. She could die because she's stubborn. I can't have that.”

Braska took hold of the wheel so that Cid could wipe more tears from his cheeks. “You should be with her, not your sister. I'll hold the wheel until she comes back and can steer.”

His eyes red and his lids puffy, Cid gave Braska a sly grin and clapped him hard on the shoulder. “You're a good man,” stated Cid, giving Braska a hard look. Looking as though he were about to hug Braska, Cid stepped out of the bridge.

As he waited for Sara, Braska watched the seas in front of him. They were turning a very tumultuous gray. Behind the gray seas was the fuzzy outline of an island. From this distance the island did not appear to be very large, but first impressions are always deceiving. When Sara returned to take the wheel Braska heaved a sigh of relieve.

“Wow,” she said in a mocking smile, “You didn't manage to kill us. I'm impressed.”

Punching her shoulder lightly, Braska returned to watching the horizon. “Do you see the island in front of us?”

“Aye,” she said, holding the lurching wheel with much more skill than Braska had. “We're going to have to dock there tonight. We may even have to stay a few days longer than usual.”

“Why?” Braska asked, watching the island grow and become less fuzzy in front of them. “Do you think that this storm is that bad?”

“No,” smiled Sara, “I think Mitsuki is hurting a little more than she lets on. Give it a few more hours and she'll be screaming at the top of her lungs.”

“She's in labor now?” asked Braska, smiling within himself at the conversation he had just had with Cid.

“Not quite,” said Sara after a moment. The island seemed to be growing much faster than she had anticipated. “Her water hasn't broken yet.” Picking up the head of a tube attached to the wall among many other tubes, Sara said, “Cid, you better get up here. There's an unanticipated pull. I think we hit an archipelago.”

Within minutes, Cid was in the cabin. Seeing the situation that was unfolding, Cid began barking out orders. After a quarter of an hour of men running around, shouting, and making numerous adjustments to the ship, they were safely stopped. Cid decided not to land the ship because they were inside an archipelago and would receive enough cover from the surrounding rocks. They were safe for the time being.

 

***

 

Braska stood outside the door of the captain's cabin, listening fearfully to what was transpiring from within. Mitsuki had been in labor for over twenty hours now, and only now had the ship stopped bobbing violently on the waves. None of the rigging was damaged but the crew was very abashed by the whole ordeal. Most of the crew was down in their quarters in the hold. Mitsuki, Cid, Sara, and the ship's doctor were in the room. The doctor made Braska leave the room because he wasn't family. Though, in the last few months these people had become his new family.

Dreadful screams and moans coming from Mitsuki indicated that she was finally in the process of giving birth. The doctor's calming voice could be heard reassuring her and telling her to push. After thirty or so minutes of the same routine, the doctor said, “Alright, one more push.”

A few seconds later came the cry of a new born baby. Braska felt a tear of relief and happiness when he heard cid exclaim, “It's a boy! I have a son.” Soon after the birth the door was opened by the doctor to admit Braska in.

The room was filled with joy and fatigue that emanated form the family, and its newest member. The new born baby boy was freshly cleaned by the doctor and nestled happily in his mother's arms. She was so enamored of her new son that her husband had to remind the doctor to keep the umbilical chord.

Holding his arms out, Cid said, “Let me hold him. You're tired and need your rest.”

Reluctantly, Mitsuki kissed her baby on the forehead and handed him gently over to her husband. Cid held the baby with loving care, holding him close to his heart. “He's so beautiful,” he breathed. “What should I call you, little one?”

“Something with an `N',” piped up Mitsuki drowsily, right before she fell asleep.

Sara gave a little giggle and wrapped her arms around Braska's middle. He placed his arm lovingly around her shoulders. Together they watched the new father fall in love with his new son. “Figured out a name brother?” asked Sara.

“Niisa,” he hummed. “My son, his name shall be Niisa.”

Hugging each other for long moments, Braska admitted to Sara when they got back to her loft, “I want to have one of my own.”

“One of what?” she asked, exhausted, he head resting on his chest.

“A baby,” murmured Braska.

“When?” she asked, mostly to humor him. Sara had not yet gotten used to the fact that Braska was serious all the time, even when he was tired. She, on the other hand, did not have that ability.

“As soon as possible,” he smiled, kissing her. “I want to have children,” he added in a whisper, “With you.”

Unfortunately Sara had fallen asleep before she had heard the rest of Braska's confession. Braska used the rest of the night before he fell asleep to contemplate how he was going to propose.

 

 

 

 

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