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It was so sudden that Benimaru didn't know what to do. His life goals, in order, had almost always been the same: keep his little sister happy and safe, be a dependable leader for his friends, and get strong enough that both of those things were easy. He'd added serving Rimuru Tempest to that list quite easily after all he'd done to help them. Then, on a random summer day, his entire purpose for existing took a sudden shift into helping the ruler of all monsters, his master, give birth.
Shuna was the one actually doing it. Benimaru didn't know the slightest thing about parenthood, let alone the process behind bringing new life into the world.
So, understandably, he wasn't even allowed in the room. And, well, perhaps also because his brother in arms was, if he were to put it mildly, high strung.
According to the chatter from some of the female goblins in the prior days—which, in hindsight, should have been a clue to Benimaru that might have helped this be less of a surprise—parents could react in all sorts of ways.
Irritated and restless; unable to stop worrying, or crying endlessly; even being unnervingly calm.
Souei seemed ready to kill Benimaru for even being in the same building. His intense aura even through the walls at his mere presence was enough to leave Benimaru a little scared. He only seemed to get a pass whenever Shuna needed him to bring her something. Even then, he would bring things to the building, where Haruna would disappear into the room with only the soon to be parents and Shuna.
Rimuru-sama had done his best just before to let everyone know that things would be alright, that he only wanted Souei and whoever was helping there for it, and that they didn't need to worry about him being in distress with his pain nullification on.
It hadn't seemed planned, even for him, considering it was during a random after-lunch tea time that Souei suddenly helped him stand and began to carefully lead him away and to their house with a quick order to Shuna to follow. She did so without question, rolling up her sleeves while keeping up with them. Considering Souei was the one who trusted no one around Rimuru-sama during the most vulnerable time of their lives, Benimaru would happily follow Shuna's example and get whatever the three of them needed without asking questions. Hot water, towels, a garbage bin; he got them everything and anything as fast as possible.
Despite his resolve to help however he could, and despite his calm exterior, internally things were not alright. He was the kijin commander, the strongest kijin out of all of them—actually, Souei seemed to get stronger the closer he got with Rimuru-sama, so perhaps that wasn't true anymore—so he had to at least pretend that this wasn't a concern of his.
But how could anyone stay completely calm when the Rimuru Tempest was lying in his house almost completely alone at a time when, if someone were to attack, he would be helpless to do anything but rely on Shuna and Souei? How could Benimaru, whose main strength was his quick thinking and leadership skills, possibly help with this kind of thing when he had no experience with the birthing process?
It had been enough of a struggle finding ways to help during the pregnancy, let alone now.
It was almost like a haze that he moved in for several hours. Just following whatever Shuna ordered without even speaking. It wasn't like anyone bothered him, knowing what he was doing. The city was quiet and tense, just waiting for the moment Rimuru-sama would come out of his room a lot smaller but so much happier.
Eventually, Shuna no longer needed him to do anything, and in fact, via Haruna's message, wanted everyone out of the building. Souei and Rimuru-sama's request actually.
So Benimaru followed their orders. He sat outside of their house, kneeling on the grass next to their lovely garden, and kept his hand firmly on his katana and his gaze solely on their shut doors. Haruna was sitting on the wood deck with steps leading to their house, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge while twirling a purple flower between her fingers. It had been slightly over an hour since Shuna sent her out, too, with the message that they were safely done but wanted time with the baby before seeing anyone else.
Shuna came out perhaps only twenty minutes after Haruna, in fresh clothes but still smelling of blood. Apparently giving birth was quite messy. Benimaru had thought Rimuru-sama didn't bleed considering his human body was only a mimic, but, well, what did he know about a demon slime's biology? Shuna was a brave woman for tackling it almost by herself and without complaining about or even mentioning being covered in someone else's blood (and other fluids, presumably) for well over three hours. She had said her greetings to him, thanking him quietly for his help, but with how exhausted she looked, Benimaru asked Haruna to take her home while he stayed. Haruna had come back to keep him company and to make sure the couple didn't need anything, but it was clear they wanted to be left alone.
Alone but not unprotected, though, since it was unacceptable for them to be anything but completely sure that they could enjoy their first moments as fathers.
Benimaru hadn't thought about that for himself since he was little, with the smallest hints of a crush on Shion when she and Shuna got close and her unwaveringly cheerful presence nested itself in their lives. Even as children, Souei and his calm, logical mind helped their nerves settle whenever tensions rose in the forest. He had considered Souei in a less than platonic way for a while too.
His crushes had faded fast, but he quickly grew to love the two of them like blood siblings soon after. It had been rare to see one of them by themselves in the many years after the two easily joined him and Shuna's lives.
Benimaru perked up the moment he heard Haruna's name being called from inside the house, muffled but still heard. She gently set her flower down and scurried in, a worried frown on her face. His own hand instinctually tensed on his sword, but then he forced it to release. He couldn't sense any physical danger, and it wasn't like he could jump into the situation and help with his lack of knowledge.
He took three deep breaths to calm his heart, just like Hakurou taught him. Haruna came back out shortly after, and gestured for him to join her. She was smiling bright and wide, so Benimaru felt safe to relax and trust that he didn't need to act on any threats.
He stepped up onto the wooden porch in front of Haruna. Her calm presence did help ease some of his nerves, admittedly.
"Rimuru-sama says to go get your friends, since you're the biggest group." She tipped her head towards the cracked open door. "They say they're ready for monsters to meet the baby."
Benimaru nodded wordlessly, tapping into his thought communication to let them all know. Multiple people at once normally put a strain on even him, but with Souei and Shuna obviously not needing to be informed, he could do Shion, Hakurou, and Kurobe with ease. As far as he knew, they had dropped all responsibilities today, just like him.
It only took a minute, perhaps less, for them to arrive. Normally someone as dignified as Hakurou wouldn't be seen dashing through the streets, and Kurobe wasn't the kind of fighter who was nimble like Shion, but nevertheless, as expected, nothing could be more important than this day.
Shion was slightly out of breath when she came to stand by his side, her hair tied up seemingly tighter than normal, as if done in a rush. She was still in her suit, and it was still prim and proper as it would be for who they were about to meet, but Shion herself seemed more frazzled. Benimaru couldn't help but remember a similar disheveled look back when they were young ogres playing in the woods.
Kurobe and Hakurou were collected and calm, at least on the outside. Benimaru had been raised around them and could see the ways they weren't. Hakurou's katana was settled just slightly off, as if grabbed and placed on his hip while running; Kurobe's setta were tracked with dirt on the bottom, like he'd run through grass to get here faster.
"How is he?" Shion composed herself quickly, but Benimaru could feel the uneasy yet excited energy pouring off of her. She'd never been one to hide her emotions.
"They're both perfectly fine," he said. Even if he disregarded Haruna's words, he could feel Souei and Rimuru-sama's energies from inside and they were under no duress. The faint tingling of a third energy was the part he was both worried about and elated to feel.
They were just born and he could already feel their aura. They were certainly going to be very powerful, as expected of being born to two of the strongest monsters in the nation.
Kurobe himself grinned and gave a passionate thumbs-up. Benimaru clapped his hand on his shoulder. "They'll love what you made."
"Well, I sure hope so! I feel like I used half the resources in the nation to make their nursery." It had been connected to their bedroom basically from the first moment Rimuru-sama told him they were expecting, but Kurobe had spent an enormous amount of time designing and making furniture and toys for the baby, too.
"You've done well," Benimaru said, then looked at Shion and Hakurou. "You two as well." Shion had taken over cleaning for them, while Hakurou had made sure they never had to go shopping, not for food nor supplies.
Not a single one of them had been uninvolved in this wonderful thing Rimuru-sama kindly invited them into.
Shion grinned at the praise, while Hakurou only muttered a quick, "Naturally."
"Let's not keep them waiting," Benimaru said.
The four quietly entered the building, meeting Haruna outside the closed door. Benimaru felt the worm of worry settle in his stomach again, but he forced it down and kept his body and face from becoming tense. Their baby would only know of gentle, warm touches from Benimaru. She smiled, slowly pulling the door open for them.
The inside was dim and smelled strongly of blood, a cloying metallic scent that lingered in Benimaru's nose, but as he entered with the three of them following behind, none of that mattered.
Rimuru-sama was lying in his bed, exhaustion etched across his face, yet the look in his golden eyes was anything but unpleasant. How could it be? Souei was lying beside him, his arm wrapped around his waist and his expression, for the first time Benimaru had ever seen, fond and soft. But, he should have expected that too. The silk bundle in Rimuru-sama's arms was quiet but not still, tiny fingers holding onto Rimuru-sama's.
Souei had glanced at them the moment they'd stepped in the door, obviously still on guard, and so Benimaru hadn't taken too many steps into the room without permission. None of them had.
"You guys can come in, you know," Rimuru-sama said. He didn't look up at them, transfixed on his baby, their baby. Benimaru only stepped forward after Souei nodded in agreement. Their soft white bed was high off the ground, free of stains. Either Shuna or Haruna must have changed them.
The four shifted to either side of the bed, two on each side. Shion had chosen to stand with Benimaru on the side Rimuru-sama was on. She had clasped both of her hands across her mouth, her eyes filled to the brim with tears yet also a firm determination to not startle the baby with the excitement clearly threatening to burst out of her.
"Everyone," Rimuru-sama said, pride and joy visible to his very core, "Meet Yume Tempest. Our daughter."
"Our dream," Souei added softly, gently grabbing Rimuru-sama's chin to kiss him. Both of them were smiling, and it was clear that fatherhood really was their dream life.
Benimaru couldn't help but kneel. Mindful of his loudness, he pressed his hand to his heart and said, "I swear my fealty to you, Yume Tempest. You have my complete loyalty, respect, and devotion for as long as you'll have me."
"You have me by your side, as well," Shion, still fighting tears, said quietly from next to him on the floor, the three of them having also decided that it was the only logical thing to do. Shion and Shuna both would be good motherly figures in her life. Two semi-mothers and two fathers, if Yume-sama would accept them.
"It would be an honor to be your guard, young princess," Hakurou said. He would make an excellent teacher, should she want to learn the sword when she was older.
"Your divine beauty will be known to all, if you'll allow me the honor," Kurobe added. The craftsman in him seemed more fired up than ever. Benimaru could see the plans for a statue of the three of them in his head already.
He felt so strongly that kneeling at her feet was the only place in the world for him to be that it was difficult to stand, even to see her beautiful face.
"All of you," Rimuru-sama said, "please stand up." They followed his orders without question, but Benimaru was the first to meet his eyes, so Rimuru-sama smiled at him first. "How would you like to hold her?"
The panic set in Benimaru immediately, more intense than when he was fighting Charybidis. He had never even held a child before. The closest he'd gotten to it was picking up Shuna as children, and even then he hadn't been much older than her at those times.
A baby. Tiny, weak, yet so important and precious. Yume Tempest, the princess of a rising nation, the daughter of Souei and Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest. And Benimaru was being asked to hold her.
Yet the honor was too great to refuse. When Rimuru-sama slowly, gently ushered her into his waiting, shaking arms, he held her like he would a glass sculpture. His first moments looking at her beauty were unforgettable.
Her hair was a shade of blue in between her fathers', like the shore of an ocean. Her hands were tiny, tan like Souei's yet soft like Rimuru-sama's. Her regal eyes staring up at him were like a goddess's. One a midnight blue, the other a majestic gold. The small spots like freckles on her cheeks were the exact light blue of Rimuru-sama's slime form.
She would grow into a noble, queenly woman just like the speck of white on her forehead would one day grow into a fierce horn like Souei's.
Before he'd even realized it, the three other kijin came to his side to behold her grace with the same reverence in their eyes.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Souei said, his eyes never leaving his child. Benimaru could feel the sharp undercurrent of his whisper, a warning that he didn't like someone else holding his baby, no matter who it was. She stared up at them with wonder in her gorgeous eyes and a small giggle on her tongue. Even her laugh was beautiful.
Benimaru dared to lean down and kiss her forehead gently, whispering a quick wish that she remain happy and healthy for eternity, before handing her back into Rimuru-sama's waiting arms. She leaned against him in total comfort the moment he held her once more, sighing contently. Souei swept his gentle hand through the thin strands of her hair. It would certainly grow long and luxurious like Rimuru-sama's.
"We'll leave you three alone." Benimaru bowed his head. "We are honored that you've granted us this gift. Please rest now, and do not hesitate to ask for anything you need."
"Thank you," Rimuru-sama said. Benimaru could still see the exhaustion on his face, but the genuine happiness seemed to drown out any need to collapse onto the sheets now that the birthing process was over. Or perhaps just having Souei by his side and his daughter in his arms was enough to keep him strong. "Haruna knows who to send in next."
Benimaru nodded once, wordlessly leaving the room just as quietly as he entered. Once the four of them were outside with the door shut behind them, Benimaru couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The golden-orange sunset shining on him wasn't nearly as beautiful as Yume-sama, but it was a welcome sight after the stress of today.
Now, what gift could Benimaru give to the new fathers to congratulate them that would ever match up with Yume Tempest?