The night was a cold one, unusual for the spring weather. The hour was very late, and most of the citizens of Melromarc had retired for the night. This was not the case, however, for the residents of a great village some distance from the royal capital. Though it was the dead of night, the people of Rock Valley bustled about as if it were midday, some shouting orders to others, and said others hissing at them to be quiet. All but the youngest villagers were taking part in…something. Not a single person remained idle. A few demi-humans worked together to carry large crates of produce to the kitchens. A seamstress was leading a small group of people in sowing some great stretch of cloth. Yes, the whole village had come alive and was chipping in for this momentous occasion. All but one.

Somewhere in the forest some distance away, a young man sat alone on a tree stump. His head was bowed, hands clasped together as if in prayer.

Was Naofumi Iwatani, in fact, praying? Not likely. Instead, he was doing something he hoped no one would notice way out here in the woods at night—he was panicking. Silently. Stoically. Discreetly. But panicking nonetheless. Why? For the same reason the rest of the village was rushing about right now instead of sleeping: They were about to witness the birth of his first child.

When Raphtalia had told him the news a few months ago, he had been…surprised, but delighted. For the first time since the waves ended, he truly had something to look forward to. A bright light in this dark, godforsaken world. A future. After all they'd been through, the two of them could finally move on and start a brand new chapter in their lives. The first few weeks went by with him telling everyone he knew of his upcoming promotion to fatherhood. Some had teased him about it, which was to be expected—he did place a ban on romance and intimate relationships on the entire village for the longest time. But when all was said and done, they were happy for him.

But as the deadline for the baby's delivery loomed closer and closer, Naofumi's joy morphed into worry. It started off with small things. Would they be a boy or a girl? What if they were twins? Or triplets? Would they take after their mother, their father, or both? What sort of magic would they have? What should he and Raphtalia name them? What about godparents? There were many questions that plagued him, but none were out of the ordinary for new parents.

After that, came doubt. What made him think he would be any good at parenting? He just barely tolerated Filo's hyperactivity, and the younger villagers' constant food cravings. He still had trouble interacting with people, and while he was somewhat more optimistic than he'd been before, the natural openness and charisma Naofumi had had in his old world would never come back. He was surly at times, and dealt with shady people on a daily basis. What right did a person like him have to raise someone? Those who heard him would argue that he had done a fine job caring for the village kids, that even Filo and Raphtalia wouldn't be who they were today without him. But that was different. Naofumi didn't have noble intentions when he'd done those things. Every kind act he'd performed was so he'd get something in return, always. He gave in order to receive. That was what he told himself, anyway.

His child would be a different matter. Naofumi didn't "want" anything from them, not in his usual sense. All he wanted was for them to grow up healthy, strong, and above all, good. He wanted them to be kind and compassionate, but also smart and careful. He wanted them to do what they thought was right, for their own good and the good of others. How could he, the reluctant Shield Hero, ensure that they turn out that way? The answer was simple: he couldn't. There was no guarantee that all the love and attention in the world would keep his son or daughter from turning into a total sociopath; Bitch was all the proof one needed to see that it was true.

Raphtalia had seen Naofumi's plight, and, leaning against him, comforted him as best she could. "There have been many instances where a Holy Hero raised a family in this world, rather than returning to their own. If they could do it, then it should be no problem for us."

Naofumi refused to be consoled. "So many things can go wrong at any point," he groaned, "but with any luck, they'll take entirely after you and not me."

She chuckled at that. "I don't think that's how nature works, Naofumi. Besides, why would it be such a bad thing for the baby to be more like you?"

"Because I don't want them to be more like me, that's why. I'm not someone anyone should aspire to be in life. I'm—"

"Intelligent. Resourceful. Kind. Talented. Empathetic. Protective. Should I go on?" Raphtalia cut him off with a knowing look. Naofumi sighed, knowing he'd lost the battle.

Though she'd managed to put his unease to rest for a while, it wasn't until about halfway through Raphtalia's second trimester that Naofumi was beset by real fear.

He was going to be a father, yes, but he was also still the Shield Hero. There were many out in the world who hated him, either because of his Holy weapon, or because he personally crossed them or one of their own at some point. Surely, the fact that he was the father would be more than enough incentive for those with unfinished business to try and harm the child. And it wasn't as if Raphtalia had any shortage of enemies, either. Whatever damage Naofumi had done, chances are Raphtalia was equally responsible. All kinds of people would be gunning for them. This was a village, not a fortified castle. Infiltration was possible. And if that was the case, how would they be able to trust anyone around their infant?

This worry and paranoia had persisted, day in and day out, right up until the night Raphtalia had gone into labor.

Naofumi had tried to make himself useful, really. But there wasn't much he could do besides watch as Sadeena—unsurprisingly—took charge of the situation. She had directed the villagers so that everyone had something to do, as none but the heaviest of sleepers (and the children, who had to be moved to buildings farther away so they could sleep) could ignore Raphtalia's screams of pain as she struggled to bring new life into the world. Naofumi had wanted to be in the room with her, to provide a source of comfort, but the sound of his wife in so much pain only frayed his nerves even more.

It had gotten to the point that Fohl, who had been standing guard just outside, had to bar him from entry. "Fohl," Naofumi's voice was dangerously quiet as another bloodcurdling scream rent the air. "Stand down."

But the young Hakuko didn't budge. "Sadeena figures that the way you are now, seeing Raphtalia in her state would just make you frantic." He shook his head, looking apologetic. "She says you'll have to wait out here until it's done. I'm sorry."

And thus began Naofumi's wait deep in the woods where, if he couldn't help, at least he wouldn't let anyone see how helpless he felt. He growled. Remembering it all again only made him angry, so he decided to go back to the village and demand an update. The labor process had begun hours ago, just after the sun had set. Why hadn't he heard anything yet?

As Naofumi reentered the village, he caught sight of none other than his fellow Heroes, Ren and Itsuki, standing off to the side and whispering urgently to one another. They had come as soon as they'd heard the news about Raphtalia, with Itsuki showing up at Rishia's request due to her being busy with their own newborn daughter, Yumi. Perhaps they knew something. Naofumi changed course and headed for them, but as he approached a few words of the conversation reached his ears.

"—not quite sure—"

"—taking longer than they thought—"

They broke off the discussion when they saw him coming, but Naofumi had heard enough. "What are you two talking about?" he asked sharply. "What's taking longer than you thought?"

They were silent for a moment, but upon seeing the dark expression on Naofumi's face, Ren spoke up. Looking at the ground he said, "We don't know all the details, but something…may have happened. Sadeena went to help with the delivery, so she knows better than anyone, but—"

Before he even finished speaking, Naofumi was already gone. He had realized something as Ren filled him in. For the first time since Raphtalia had gone into labor, the village was completely silent.

Naofumi reached the door where Fohl had been standing earlier, only to find that it was Sadeena herself who was there to greet him. She looked tired. Her hair was uneven in places, and the plain white sheet she'd worn over her front was stained with blood. Lots of it. Her face was a mask, completely devoid of all emotion.

Naofumi's heart grew cold. He suddenly dreaded asking the question, because he knew Sadeena would hold nothing back. But still, he had to know. So he asked. "Sadeena…what happened?"

She spoke simply. "There were a few…complications during the birthing process. It took us a while to figure a way around it without harming the mother or the child."

Naofumi steeled himself. "Are they…is she…alright?" he asked.

And at that, almost as if she'd been holding it in the whole time, Sadeena smiled more broadly than he'd ever seen her. She opened the door. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Raphtalia was in a room at the end of the hall. She laid on her bed, eyes closed and breathing soundly, a stark contrast to how she'd been just an hour before. In her arms was a wrapped bundle of blankets. Naofumi paused in the doorway, unsure. He knew that the moment he stepped into the room, his old life would end, and a new one would begin. It was both wonderful and terrifying, and for a few seconds he couldn't act. Sadeena had no such problems. She pushed him lightly from behind. "Go on," she said.

Raphtalia's ears twitched at the sound of the voice, and she opened her eyes. Her smile seemed to fill the room with a warm glow. She said nothing, only motioned with her head for Naofumi to approach. He did, staring at the bundle she held in her arms. She held it out to him, and with great trepidation, Naofumi reached out and cradled it.

Inside was a baby boy not even an hour old, eyes still sealed shut. A tiny, damp pair of tanuki ears graced the top of his head, his hair a deep auburn. Carefully shifting the weight of his son on to one arm, Naofumi used the other to gently ruffle the baby's hair. The child's little hands were curled up into fists, and his skin as a whole was rather flushed, which Naofumi noted with some concern.

"That's normal." Raphtalia sat up, speaking for the first time since she saw him, her voice somewhat hoarse. "All babies are a little red when they're born, it means they're healthy. You should've seen him when he first came, Naofumi. He cried even louder than I did."

Naofumi looked over at her, and for a moment all they could do was gaze at each other. Then he drew her against his chest with his free arm in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered. She smiled. "And I of you." After a minute, Naofumi was forced to withdraw as the newborn began to fidget, sensing that whoever held him was not his mother. He laid the infant back into Raphtalia's arms. The two parents looked down at their son in awe.

"Have you decided what we should call him?" Naofumi broke the silence. He had decided to give her the choice of name, though it hadn't always been so. Some months ago they'd spent hours trying to narrow down a long list of potential names, with some even being from Naofumi's own world. Raphtalia had wanted one of those, but Naofumi was on the fence about it until, of all people, Filo had walked into the room and said this little gem.

"If Master and Big Sis can't decide, then why doesn't Big Sis choose a name from this world, and Master can choose one from his for the next one?" Then, as if she'd already lost interest in the subject, the filolial traipsed out of the room like nothing happened. Naofumi and Raphtalia however, had blushed furiously at her words. "N-Next one?" Raphtalia's voice had risen to a squeak.

"That bird," Naofumi muttered. "Where does she get off, saying something like that like it's no big deal?" But in the end, they decided to go with it.

So now Raphtalia mused silently as she watched her child, thinking carefully. She touched a finger against the little one's fist, her gaze softening as he unconsciously latched onto it. It was a whole five minutes before she made up her mind. "Korro."

Naofumi blinked. "What?"

"Korro," she repeated. "That's going to be his name. It was…my father's."

"I see," Naofumi responded solemnly.

"I think it's a wonderful name." The two nearly jumped out of their skin as Sadeena made her presence known. She grinned. "I could watch you two all day, but I think it's time I spread the news, don't you think? Everyone's been up since nightfall."

"They have?" Raphtalia breathed, incredulous. "I'm sorry, they couldn't have gotten any rest with me making so much noise, could they?"

The orca shook her head. "Nonsense, Raphtalia. They wouldn't have missed it for anything. Everyone's been doing their best to make sure that the celebration goes off without a hitch. They can't wait to see little Korro, I'm sure." With that, she took her leave.

Naofumi sat down on the edge of Raphtalia's bed, feeling suddenly drained. "It's over. Finally, after nine whole months, you and I can get some rest."

"For a little while, at least," Raphtalia agreed. More seriously she added, "Are you still thinking about our conversation a while ago?"

He nodded. "I'm still afraid, Raphtalia. There are so many things we have to learn, things no one else will be able to teach us. This child's life is in our hands. His future rests solely on us. We can't afford to mess up too often."

Raphtalia disagreed. "Messing up is part of being a parent, Naofumi. No one ever 'gets it right' the first time. We're bound to make mistakes, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Korro will grow and learn, and we'll grow and learn right along with him. It won't be easy, I know that. But we have each other, and all the villagers, not to mention all our friends and allies throughout Melromarc. We'll get through this." She rubbed her thumb against the back of Korro's small hand. "All of us."

Naofumi took a moment to appreciate how lucky he was, to have her be the mother of his first child. Raphtalia was right. They weren't going to walk this path alone. He was bound to screw up, but there was no avoiding that. He would just have to face this challenge like he'd faced all the others: head on, with her by his side.

Suddenly, Raphtalia let out a gasp. Naofumi was on the alert in an instant. "What? What is it?"

"Look," she breathed. Naofumi frowned, but did as she said and looked down at Korro—

—who was staring right back at him, his eyes a brilliant shade of jade green. Naofumi felt something, just then. It was a feeling that would follow him for years to come, a feeling that would transform from a nameless emotion to a single, powerful, unyielding thought.

I will protect you.

He was the Shield Hero after all. No one was better at defending than he. And come what may, he will defend his family—all of them—with everything he had.

A/N: This is a oneshot/sorta-prequel to The Lost Heir. I decided to make Korro be the name of Raph's dad so it'll have a deeper meaning, and I don't think it was ever mentioned (currently). Hope you enjoyed it!