The definition of the past is...

Kiyo swallowed her mouthful of fish and gave a chuckle at Venom’s less than exuberant response to her question. “My dear, you don’t need to be so formal with me. I’m your subordinate and I’ve never been much of one for the theatrics of unnecessary propriety. Childbearing is painful on the best days and exhausting on the worst. Your hips ache, your stomach burns, you can hardly keep anything down, you’re none-the-lesser for admitting what all women think: get them out already,” she said with a mirthful glint to her eyes. Oh how she remembered it all. And she knew, if she’d been given the option in a safe way, she’d have done it again in a heartbeat.

“But, trust me when I say that once they’re here, everything else falls away except for you and them. It’s worth it, all of it,” she amended, the mirthful glint turning to the softness of a woman who had experienced just that feeling. But, there was a sad edge to her voice. Hattori was her one and only child and she didn’t plan on having any more. Hideki had effectively ruined her, succeeding in controlling her even when he wasn’t present. She wasn’t terrified of men, per say, but she was much more guarded around them. She knew what a man was capable of, so she kept herself close to her own heart and out of the reach of others for good reason.