Bath of Blood and Ice
My name is Dr. Elsie Amber. I am a Certified Nurse-Midwife stationed at the Iwagakure Emergency Unit. I have assisted women throughout their pregnancies for thirty years. It doesn’t matter if they are single, married, or widowed. I don’t judge their situation. What matters to me is her safety and the health of the new life she blesses our village with.
I have known Mr. Blander since he was about the size of a raspberry. I supported his mother through her pregnancy and beyond. I was saddened to hear of her recent passing. She is the one who recommended me to her son and daughter-in-law when they had their first child. From what I know, her death was a peaceful one. It was the only suitable ending for a woman as kind as her.
I didn’t know Mrs. Blander until she first walked into my office about ten years ago. She and her husband came to me for a standard check-up when they discovered she was pregnant. I quickly learned that Mrs. Blander didn’t originate from Iwagakure. She was a refugee who traveled from the eastern island of the Land of Waves in search of a better life. With a bit more digging, she told me that her clan possessed an extremely rare Kekkei Genkai known as Ice Release. I have heard stories of battles fought to exterminate Mrs. Blander’s clan because they were deemed a threat. However, these sorts of tales typically don’t affect us in the distant northwest. Until now at least.
The development of a Kekkei Genkai in a child typically doesn’t raise concern. However, Ice Release was previously foreign to the Land of Earth. Throwing an under-researched Kekkei Genkai into the gene pool can be a recipe for disaster.
Fortunately, Mrs. Blander gave birth with no complications. She named the healthy baby girl Amberlynn after me. It wasn’t the first time a mother named her child after me, but I felt just as honored as I did when it first happened. For some reason, it felt extra special coming from someone like Mrs. Blander.
Ten years later, Mrs. Blander fell pregnant again. I came to her family’s support once again. Everyone was ecstatic, especially young Amberlynn. She was excited to be an older sister, expressing that she wanted to be a compassionate mother like Mrs. Blander and a kind doctor like me. She was just like me when I was her age, although the former goal never came to fruition.
Mrs. Blander had such a smooth pregnancy with Amberlynn. I would never wish her current situation on anyone. Hell, I couldn’t even imagine it.
Mr. Blander rushed his wife to the ER. She wasn’t going into labor, it was weeks too early for that. When I saw her leaning against Mr. Blander, I thought she was a zombie. She was barely conscious and her skin was turning blue and cold to the touch. We rushed her to the nearest operating table to perform an emergency C-Section.
Currently, Mrs. Blander lies unconscious on the operating table. Mr. Blander didn’t stick around. He rushed home to check on Amberlynn, who I assume is in bed at this hour. I assured him his wife was in good hands before he rushed out the door.
I instructed my assistants to take Mrs. Blander’s vitals and to keep her as warm as possible. Our goals were to keep Mrs. Blander from succumbing to hypothermia and assure the safety of her child. I made an incision in Mrs. Blander’s abdomen uterus. Along with her blood, something unusual poured out of the cut. Is that snow?
My colleague assisted me in carefully extracting the cold, white powder from Mrs. Blander’s womb. Her baby was in there and we had to assume they were alive. I knew Mrs. Blander possessed the gene for the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, however, these abilities typically don’t develop until the child is older. Certainly not before birth.
I scooped the snow out of Mrs. Blander by the handful and disposed of it into the bin next to me. The freezing temperature bit the tips of my fingers through my latex gloves. I finally located the umbilical cord. I traced it down to the location of the infant. My partner continued to clear the snow while I tended to the baby. It was a girl. She was cold but seemingly unaffected. I severed the cord connecting her to her mother and wrapped her up in a nearby cloth.
The tiny life in my arms squirmed in my arms and let out a cry. That would have been a sign that she was okay if it wasn’t for the fact that shards of ice shot from her palms, ripping the blanket and penetrating anything in the way like a kunai.
A piece of ice grazed my bicep, but nothing major. That was until I looked over and saw an icicle penetrating the chest of Mrs. Blander. I shouted at my assistants to aid her while I sedated the infant.
~
Mrs. Blander succumbed to hypothermia and blood loss thirty minutes after she gave birth. When her husband returned to the hospital, I did my best to brief him on the situation. After a few moments of grief, he decided on a name.
(Y/n) Elsie Blander.
Once again, a child was named after me. This time, I didn't feel honored. I didn't deserve it. This girl's mother died on my watch.
I attended a meeting with the third Tsuchikage and Mr. Blander concerning the unpredictable nature of (Y/n)’s ability. Research concludes that she possesses a recently unheard-of chakra defect that causes it to leak from her palms. That paired with her ice Kekkei Genkai makes her a dangerous ice machine.
Onoki dispatched Mr. Blander to the Land of Waves in hopes of learning about his daughter’s condition. (Y/n) and Amberlynn was left in the care of the village.
I never heard from Mr. Blander again.