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68.7% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 404: Chapter 366

Chapter 404: Chapter 366

Shunsui walked up, his Lieutenant standing by his side. He carried himself casually, his little welcoming smile on his face as he saw us. It didn't do anything to eliminate the underlying nervousness that he seemed to have. Mostly because Izzy was at my side I would presume.

Nonetheless, Izzy held a sort of mild impression towards him. I've known her long enough now to understand how she thought about certain things. Shunsui had been respectful but not entirely fearful of her even after learning who she was. Thus, he earned some small amount of goodwill from her.

"I just got back after the Old Man gave Captain Kenpachi an ear full. Something about his Haori being pink? You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Shunsui looked at me.

"I admit to nothing." I kept a straight face to the best of my ability. Though even Izzy was barely holding back a giggle at my side. "We were about to get going, everything good on your end?"

"Haaah." He let out a long breath. "About as good as we can expect. I don't suppose you'd want to hand over that Hogyoku thing?"

"….I don't think I can anymore." I really needed to investigate it once we left and I had a few minutes and a place to experiment in peace.

He shrugged, not bothering to question it. "We're preparing for war, so some things have been….slow going." He glanced at Izzy and I think we both caught his insinuation. It's fair to say they had more important matters to deal with than Izzy's demand, which didn't really have a time limit. "Although, we have started making inroads on…..cleaning up the Rukongai." He smiled, but it was strained.

Izzy just hummed without answering him, making Shunsui look rather awkward.

He coughed into his fist and carried on. "The job was entrusted to my Division, and Nanao here is gathering everything needed and building a proper plan."

His lieutenant peeked over his shoulder looking a bit shy. "Y-yes, I'm writing up a proper plan L-lady Izanami." She squeaked as Izzy met her eyes.

"Child, come here." Izzy held her hand out, addressing the embarrassed woman.

"I – "

"Come." Izzy beckoned again, a gentle smile on her face. The Shinigami shuffled closer not knowing how to react. "Let me remove that curse on you."

"Curse?" I repeated.

Shunsui's eyes widened. "You can tell?"

"Do you forget who I am?" Izzy turned to face him, a single eyebrow raising. Shunsui shrunk back slightly at her gaze. "There are very few in existence that can claim to know curses more than I."

"For those of us that have no idea what's going on." I raised my hand.

"Erm…" Shunsui scratched his cheek. "Nanao's family...any man who marries into it dies after their child is born and the child is always a woman…."

"That's weird." I blinked.

"….you can fix that?" Nanao whispered, looking at Izzy in awe.

"Hmm, it shouldn't be too difficult." Izzy nodded, holding the woman's hand, but after a moment her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Not just your soul, it's woven into your bloodline." She clicked her tongue. "This will take a moment to unravel without causing any negative side effects."

"Need me to help?" I offered.

"The offer is appreciated, but unneeded. It isn't anything strenuous or difficult, just merely meticulous in approach. I could easily rip it from her, but the damage would be severe. I would rather not leave any lingering remnants and do a thorough job from the start."

"Alright, I'm gonna go check on the kids to see if they're ready to go. Give me a holler if you need me." I raised a hand to wave goodbye as they seemed much more focused on the woman's issue.

I wasn't really needed there and that seemed more like a personal matter between them that I didn't want to interrupt.

I walked through the little building we were at, moving through a couple rooms and opened the door to the courtyard on the opposite end.

The kids were standing around, eyes immediately turning to me once I walked through.

"Hmm, where's the shorty?" I looked around.

"Rukia's back with her division." Ichigo crossed his arms. "Why, something wrong?" He asked with a frown.

"Nah, was just curious. She okay?"

His frown disappeared into something resembling a smile. "Yeah, she's good now." He nodded happily. "Thanks…..by the way. Despite….everything, you came through in the end."

"You're a good kid." I ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin. He huffed and swatted my hand away. "It's too bad I couldn't see your Bankai in action, was looking forward to it."

"Hmph, you can fight me if you want." He grinned a little cockily.

"Are you 'going to easy on me'?" I asked humorously, mocking the words he originally said to Izzy. "And I forgot to mention before, but I met your little Hollow too. That was interesting."

He paled a little. "…..she's not mad, right?" He asked, focusing on that specific part of what I said.

"Mad? Hmm, who knows." I hummed.

"Is she holding a grudge?" His face dropped.

"Don't worry about it." I chuckled. "Izzy thought it was funny, she isn't going to curse you or anything."

"She…really is…y'know?" He whispered.

"Yes, she is Izanami and everything that entails." I nodded.

"And you…?"

"A bastard of a Devil. My mom was human." I didn't really feel the need to hide it.

He opened his mouth and closed it again. "…..alright."

Well, he took it better than most had.

"Wait, what did you mean by meeting my Hollow?"

"When you were training, he came over to say hi."

Ichigo scowled for some reason. "You know how to get rid of it?"

"…..get rid of your Hollow?" I asked, wanting some clarification.

"Yeah, just…get it out of me."

"….why?"

"Why? Because it's a hollow." He scoffed.

"….so?"

"It—" He stopped. "I shouldn't have it, right? Hollows are bad, they're.."

"Evil?" I raised an eyebrow. "Literal Devil over here."

He blinked and frowned deeper. "He's always talking about taking control."

"Has he?"

"Taken over me? Nah I beat him back every time he gets annoying. We've fought tons of times in my inner world."

"Has he tried when you're weak? When you're vulnerable. Or maybe when you're sleeping and you don't expect it?"

"Well….no."

"Then stop being an idiot." I flicked his forehead. "If this Hollow of yours was trying to cause you problems, then you would be having problems. It sounds more like he's just being a pain in the ass in a productive way. Maybe….try to understand and talk to him instead of opting for annihilation? That might make it more receptive if you aren't trying to ignore it and kill it at the earliest opportunity."

I can't say I'm an expert in that whole mess, but if he's part Hollow or some other edgy nonsense, then it's a literal aspect of himself, and him being dismissive about that part of himself can't be healthy.

He fell silent with that same scowl I've come to associate with him, looking rather deep in thought so I decided to leave him to it.

"Chad, you doing good?" I lightly punched his shoulder.

He grunted with a nod. "Think my power can get stronger, found something in my other arm."

"Neat."

He smiled gently.

"Orihime? Everyone treating you well?" I asked the adorable girl.

"Uh huh." She smiled happily.

"Good, good." I walked towards the skulking Quincy standing a few feet away. "And you, Mr.Last of the Quincy? How are you doing?"

"My entire world has been turned upside down in a single day." He said dryly.

"And which specific part was that?"

"The fact that I am not the last of the Quincy as I had thought." He deadpanned. "And finding out that literal Gods exist, and apparently Devils too. I was an Atheist before coming here."

"That sounds rough."

He let out a tired sigh. "I'm going to have a very long talk with my father when I get home." He rubbed his temple. "And maybe a priest too…." He added on quietly.

"You should do that too, Strawberry." I raised my voice so he could hear me even though he probably could before.

"Why the hell would I see a priest?" Ichigo scoffed. "And don't call me that you bastard."

"I meant talk to your dad, you dumbass. Shinigami powers don't just spring out of nothing!"

He flipped me off.

"Are we making fun of Strawberry? I'm always down for that." Yoruichi appeared in the courtyard in her cat form.

"Screw you all." Ichigo huffed.

"Oh, stop being a baby." The woman chuckled, hopping onto my shoulder. "By the way, why was Shunsui's lieutenant crying and hugging your friend?"

"Something about a curse that she was undoing?" I offered in return.

"Curse….oh shit, you mean her clan thing?" Yoruichi's eyes widened.

"I don't know, I didn't really ask for details beyond the surface stuff. Seemed kind of personal."

"Yeah…wow. Some people are going to kick up a fuss about that." She said quietly. "Anyways, we heading back home? I'm looking forward to telling Kisuke everything that happened. And that you have his Marble. You plan on giving it up?"

"As I told Shunsui, pretty sure I can't at this point."

"Hah, he's going to have a panic attack." She snickered. "Probably safer with you than whatever other plan he had."

"Yoruichi, why did Hat-n-clogs put something in Rukia?" Ichigo asked. "She told me that some traitor took something out of her and that he put it there in the first place."

"That's….complicated. Honestly, I don't know all his plans in detail, but from what I could guess….he probably knew that she was going to be executed and hoped that the Sōkyoku would destroy the Hogyoku as well."

"Sounds sketchy."

"Fucking hell he does." Strawberry agreed with me.

"I'll tell you what, you can kick his ass when we get home and demand answers yourself."

"Sounds good." Ichigo nodded.

Wow, she threw Kisuke under the bus quickly.

"Ara, is everyone ready to leave?" Shunsui walked into the courtyard followed by Izzy and his Lieutenant. The latter of whom was basically worshiping the ground that Izzy stepped on….even more than before.

"Looks like it." Yoruichi chirped. "I wanna get out of here quickly before little Bee comes and tries to hand over her Haori again."

"Ah…Sui-Feng trying to convince you to come back, huh?"

"Yup." Yoruichi nodded. "Not happening."

Shunsui sighed but didn't press. "Before I forget." He reached into his Kimono and took out a handful of paper slips, spreading them out for everyone to see. "Got one for all of you, they're passes into Soul Society." He smiled happily, nearly forcing them into the kid's hands and only politely handed one to Izzy who took it with a little amused smile. "….please don't invade again."

"….no promises."

His shoulders slumped. "At least bring more alcohol next time."

"That, I can promise." I patted his shoulder and he perked up. "It's been an interesting trip. I'll keep in touch."

"In that case, I really hope you're serious about the Alcohol."

"Alright, alright, I'll bring the good stuff next time." I clapped my hands turning to everyone else. "Everyone ready, nothing else they need to do? No other people they need to rescue?"

"Just get on with it, asshole." Ichigo scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, flicking my hand to create a Portal back to Urahara's underground sex dungeon.

Despite the comment Ichigo gave me another thankful nod as he went through without a second thought.

Hard to dislike that kid honestly. Fun to take the piss out of him, but Igenuinely didn't dislike him.

The others followed behind him wordlessly giving a slight nod or a quick word of goodbye.

Yoruichi hopped off my shoulder. "You coming with?"

"We're heading somewhere else."

"That's not cryptic at all." She snorted.

I chuckled, weighing some options in my head. After giving it a moment of thought, I took out a Kaleidophone and tossed it to her. She caught it with her mouth before setting it on the ground. "The hell?" She asked.

"If you need to contact me. Should be able to get a signal regardless of where either of us are."

She perked up with a grin. "Thanks, I'll play with this later."

Well, I considered us friends at this point, so I didn't mind her having it. She would probably keep it away from her friend too, so I wasn't too worried.

"Don't be a stranger." She waved her little paw and jumped right on through and I closed it behind her.

"Shunsui, thanks for everything." I held my hand out as he shook it.

"It's been…..not the worst experience of my life. I still remember the Old Man training me and Ukitake. But it's a close second."

"Seems like I need to try harder next time."

"Please don't." he said with a mix of genuinely pleading and a joking tone.

I patted his shoulder again, giving him a smile goodbye before. Izzy took the initiative and grabbed my hand with her own, looking very content with herself. I suppose she didn't really care to hide anything in front of those two and I surely didn't mind.

The iridescent portal opened up and we stepped through without a second thought, the linked space closing immediately as we stepped into her house in Yomi.

"Mother!?" A voice called out making both of us nearly jump in surprise.

"Susanoo?" Izzy's eyes widened.

Her son was sitting right in the middle of the room, his eyes locked onto both of us and trailed down to where our hands were together.

And he quickly put two and two together because sparks began flickering off his body.

[***]

Aizen POV

"Gin." I turned around to see my co-conspirator enter the room.

"Hey there, boss man." He waved casually. "Just wanted to come and make sure you didn't need a hand –" He paused, looking at my still missing hand.

"I have no pressing matters." I felt a violent twitch above my eye. "However, I would like to hear your thoughts."

"Whatcha need?"

"The state of the Espada. Are there any concerns?"

"You mean are they thinkin of rebelling cause they saw you get your hand cut off and then run away?" He asked.

"Yes." I grit my teeth.

"Eh, I'd call it 50/50." He shrugged as if it wasn't important. "I mean, I think they understand. It's not like they didn't also run away from the self-proclaimed Goddess, yeah?" He walked forward, looking at the Hogyoku within its sealed container that I left it in while we were in Soul Society. "They probably not kicking too much a fuss cause Nnoitra died. Old Man Yamamoto did a number on him and that calmed them down."

Self Proclaimed Goddess.

Utterly Ridiculous.

There was only one God in the world and that was the Soul King. The entire point, all of my plans were to fix the mistakes of that entity.

It was foolish, nonsense! How could there be other Gods in this world!?

Did that mean that everything was pointless? If there are more deities, then what's the point in trying to fix the mistakes of a singular God!?

Yet…..yet, I can't find it to disbelieve the claim.

I felt it, in the deepest parts of my Soul. I acknowledged her declaration without any true doubt.

Everything went wrong.

All of my carefully laid plans were entirely pointless. The mere existence of that thing destroyed all of my plans the moment she came in contact with them. And the other person..

The phantom pain in my missing hand still appeared every now and then.

And he stole my Hogyoku!

I finally had victory literally in my grasp and he stole it!

"Why'd you need that second one anyways? Isn't one enough?"

"It is incomplete." I seethed. "I needed to feed it Kisuke Urahara's own creation to fully bring out its potential. As it stands….It won't achieve the same power required." But even so….I may have no choice. They both had the same ability to break down boundaries, but when completed, it would become so much more. To grant desires at its core.

I placed my hand atop the container, bringing the Hogyoku out. Grabbing it with my hand, I looked at it for a moment before pushing it into my chest, beginning the process of merging with it.

I felt my hand squirm, my skin distorted and burst outwards, my flesh knitting and forming together to regenerate my lost limb. I clenched my new hand a few times to make sure it was working correctly. "It seems we must improvise."

The incomplete Hogyoku was insufficient to truly ascend to the stage I desired, but that didn't mean it couldn't allow me to take a step or two forward and maybe sideways. I would carry on my plans – admittedly reworked but the destination was the same. I merely needed to reacquire my stolen prize and fuse it after the fact.

Those other failed experiments, they could call upon the powers of a Hollow to overlay with their Shinigami powers, so why couldn't I do the same?

It didn't matter which path I took, in the end, I would sit above all of them anyways.

I felt the Hogyoku respond to my will, my essence began to shift.

I gathered my Reiatsu into my palm and swiped it downward over my face, the Hogyoku thrummed, answering my call.

A bone-white mask covered me as I looked into my reflection on a nearby mirror. I wasn't like those misbegotten fools that had to fight tooth and nail to subdue their 'inner hollow' to acquire this power. With the Hogyoku, even incomplete, the power was entirely my own.

I could feel the surge of strength, the new realm I reached and the power I now held at my fingertips.

Content with it for now, I dismissed my Hollow Mask and turned towards Gin with a smile. "Nnoitra is dead, we should fill in the Espada slot. Go find Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck; she should still be alive after what happened to her. Have Granz heal her and have her assume Nnoitra's position."

My Confidence was back. I felt strong enough to take on even the Captain Commander in my newfound state. Given some more time, I believe I would emerge the victor.

"Right-o, Boss man." Gin mock saluted. "And what do you plan on doin about the Goddess?"

And I felt it all drain away once more.

"…..I'm still working on that."

[***]

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Chapter 405: Chapter 376

Izanami POV

"Mother!?"

"Susanoo." I cleared my throat, slowly sliding my hand out of Wilhelm's. "What are you doing here?"

"You were gone for a while and I was worried! If you didn't come back soon I was going to go ask for help." He admitted making my heart feel very warm. "Wait, that doesn't matter. Why are you – and him!" He threw his finger at Wilhelm.

"I didn't think anyone would care if I was gone. I apologize for making you worry."

"Mom…" His face dropped.

"I'll be sure to leave a note if I'm gone for extended periods of time from now on." I gave him a reassuring smile. How sweet of him to check in on his mother and wait anxiously for my return?

He grumbled something but glared back at Wilhelm. "Mom, what are you doing with him?"

It seemed I wasn't able to distract him away from that line of questioning. Wilhelm was being polite and allowed me to answer these questions. I knew he didn't quite get along with Susanoo, so I was thankful for him keeping the peace.

"Susanoo, calm yourself." I said sternly as I saw his power bubbling beneath the surface. "Wilhelm and I were spending time together...as a couple." May as well rip the Band-Aid off, it wouldn't be possible to ease him into it.

Right as the words left my mouth, lightning crackled from his eyes and I could tell he was going to do something stupid. Wilhelm looked ready to start another brawl too, so I put my foot down, more literally than anything.

"Are you about to start a fight in my home?" I grabbed him, making him flinch.

"N-no." My son quickly denied, reeling himself back.

"No is right." I let go. "Because I would be very upset if you started another fight. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes mother."

"Good."

"But mom! You can't, he's… he's a Devil!"

"Are you telling me who I can and cannot date, Susanoo?"

"He's a Devil!" He repeated.

"I am more than aware of this fact."

"I…." Susanoo stuttered, seemingly unsure of how to respond. "I'll kill him!"

"You will do no such thing!"

"He can try." Wilhelm said nonchalantly.

"Not helping Wilhelm." I glowered at him.

"This is unacceptable, I refuse!" Susanoo slammed his hand on my coffee table, breaking it. He stiffened as it shattered into pieces.

"Your acceptance was not a factor in my decision, Susanoo. You are my son, and I love you unquestionably. However, who I like and don't like is not something you can decide." I glared at him, reining in my own flaring temper at his actions. "For the first time in many years I have someone I wish to be with, someone who makes me happy. I would ask that you respect my decision if nothing else." I gave him a moment to consider my words and offer any response, but he silently fumed instead. "I will go get something to clean this up and I will make a lunch for all of us to sit down and eat. I will not tell either of you to like each other, but you will accept that the other is a part of my life. And so help me if I find out you two got into another fight." I gave them a fair warning.

They would not like what came next if they actually fought again.

With that, I disappeared into the kitchen, intentionally leaving them alone.

As much as I knew this was a bad idea and just asking for trouble, they had to deal with this themselves and get whatever they were going to say out of their systems.

All because I wanted to stop by the house and change into something more…presentable. I knew it's silly, but I wanted my first time meeting Wilhelm's other Harem members to be…..better. I wanted to look my best and feel like I belonged even if I found myself still trying to make excuses and question this newfound relationship.

It felt too good to be true. To find someone who completely accepted me for everything that I was, the good and the mostly bad.

"You stay away from my mom!"

I let out a sigh, recognizing my son's voice. It's not that he was particularly loud, but I think they failed to realize that this was literally my home, within Yomi even. There was nothing that happened inside of here that I was unaware of.

"Fuck you."

Dammit Wilhelm….

I resisted the urge to step in and mediate, because they were going to have to get this out of their systems eventually. They were both very headstrong men and in hindsight, I could see the brawl they had as something necessary to come to this point. Heavens knew that if that incident never happened Susanoo would be much less receptive to my words and would have probably already tried to 'smite' Wilhelm for his 'insolence'.

"You dare, mortal!" I could even feel his Divinity from here.

"Oh good idea, get Izzy pissed at you. I won't even make a move, do your worst."

"You hide behind my mother!"

"Trust me, if I'm behind your mom, it's not because I'm hiding."

Dammit Wilhelm! Don't just blurt out things like that.

….even if it's probably going to be true soon.

It's been a long time since I've had a lover….and I admit it's something I've been feeling more aching for certain things lately…

"I'm going to kill you! No one will find your corpse, it'll be turned to ash and dust into the wind."

"How'd that go for you last time, hmm?"

I shook my head and went about preparing a meal. I didn't expect to have a luncheon like this out of nowhere, but I wasn't particularly upset about it either. I would always welcome my son popping in for whatever reason.

They continued to bicker and I didn't pay it much mind. As long as things didn't get physical, I wouldn't step in at this point. I was cutting up some vegetables and the knife in my hand came to an abrupt stop due to the crashing of something in my living room.

"You broke it, good job thunder head."

"I did not!"

"Fix it before she notices."

"How do you expect me to fix it!?"

"You're a God! Use your Godly Powers!"

"I'm a God of Storms! I don't fix things!"

"So you're useless."

"You dare, Mortal!?...I'm not useless!"

"Sure, when's the last time someone was like 'Gee, I sure hope a terrifying storm comes and ravages the country. You know what we could use, a Monsoon!"

"If you think so highly of yourself, then you fix it."

"You're the one who made the mess."

"I command you to fix this!"

"Hmm…..nah."

"I am your God, you will listen to my orders!"

"Not my God, actually. If anything, I'm more linked to the Abrahamic Cosmology than the Shinto one."

"You would disgrace your homeland!?"

"You were the one calling me a Devil and dismissing me earlier, and now I'm suddenly under your umbrella?"

My son scoffed. "And I should have known better than to expect anything worthwhile from your ilk."

"You know…." I knew Wilhelm's tone and I preemptively began rubbing my temples. "I don't think we should fight, we have some things in common."

"What could I possibly share with you?"

"Well for starters, I'll also be calling Izzy mommy later."

"I'll kill you!"

"hehe."

Okay, I believe it was time to intervene because it was just getting petty now. "Lunch is ready, come and eat." I called out to them.

Their little squabbling stopped as they came into the kitchen, and I urged them to quietly sit down at the table.

Despite the sniping back and forth they were doing, I think this had been….productive. I knew for a fact that if it were anyone else Susanoo would not take those kinds of jabs from anyone bar a handful. The fact that he truly didn't get upset and throw around his power was testament to some degree of acknowledgement on his part.

This was going to be a nice and peaceful family meal.

"Did you know your sister flashed me?"

Dammit Wilhelm.

@***@

Wilhelm POV

"How's my hair." Izzy asked, fussing over it.

"Perfect." I reassured her. "As it was ten seconds ago. And you're absolutely stunning and you didn't need to dress up like this."

She was wearing a white Kimono that looked very beautiful and elegant on her. A much more traditional type of clothing than the jeans and sweater she was wearing previously.

"I…..wanted to look my best for my first introduction." She said quietly.

"It's hardly a first introduction."

"Yes, but it will be the first time I'm meeting them as….we're together."

"Izzy, they absolutely loved and adored you before. They'll probably love you even more now." She was so cute when she was being shy.

"…thank you."

"Would you like a quick kiss?" I offered.

We were literally at the door of my – I guess our home now, so even if anything wasn't as she wanted, it was a bit too late for further changes. They were waiting, I had given everyone a little bit of warning so they could all get together and welcome Izzy.

Susanoo had been quick to leave after the meal. Maybe it was the story about his sister I told him, or maybe it was the kiss I shared with his mom.

"…Yes, I would like that very much."

So cute.

I leaned in and lightly placed my lips against hers. And at that moment, someone on the other side decided to open the door.

A very smug Jinn was staring at us.

And that was the reddest I think I've ever seen Izzy.

"Don't stop on my account, I don't mind watching." Jinn broke the awkward silence. "Personally, I like when he uses his tongue to – "

"Come here you silly girl." Scáthach appeared and dragged the giggling Genie off to give Izzy some space.

Izzy looked like she wanted to hide but I reassuringly took her hand and led her inside.

Jinn was sitting down, nearly vibrating in place. And everyone else was present besides Meridia, which I expected. Having her pop up on short notice was difficult at the best of times, and she could usually only do that every once in a while. Frankly, it's probably best to keep that for an emergency situation.

"We will now decide your fate." Scáthach said with a very serious expression.

"Is that so?" I said, crossing my arms, staring at her. "And while I think that would be valid if it was some woman you didn't know, I'm fairly sure that isn't the case here. Jinn, dear." I looked at my very adorable Genie. "What were the bets?"

I knew my girls well enough at this point.

There were little looks around the room.

"That depends, who confessed first and how?" She smiled brightly.

"I confessed first and pulled him into a kiss." Izzy covered her face with her hand.

There were annoying huffs all around and they all took out money, tossing it to Jinn who cackled happily.

"Who bet what?" I demanded.

"I expected her to get tired and flash her tits." Scáthach freely admitted. "Would have been quick and easy."

"Do you really think –"

"Yes." Scáthach cut me off, gesturing towards my wonderful Grandmother.

"Hello~" She smiled, with a hint of smugness I think as well. "I abstained as I was relatively new and didn't know much."

"You are my favorite then." Izzy deadpanned.

"I….thought Wilhelm would be the first to express his feelings." Artoria spoke with a hint of embarrassment. "He was so forward with me, I did not think he would stumble for so long."

"I was close. Honestly, I thought it'd be Wilhelm pulling you into a kiss." Yasaka hummed. "But I'm happy to see you finally made a move. I swear, he has selective blindness sometimes."

"Oh no, he was actually very aware of how I felt, he just chose to ignore it." Izzy huffed with a bit of good naturedness to it.

…that made it sound worse than it was….

"I believe he requires remedial lessons then. There may be some foolishness that needs to be beaten out of him." Scáthach looked at me with a vicious glint in her eyes.

"I agree." Artoria looked amused.

"Seconded." Yasaka giggled.

"Third" Jinn chirped.

"I'm being bullied." I looked for my source of emotional support. "Mama Raikou, I'm being bullied."

"My poor son." Raikou pushed my face into her breasts quicker than I could blink. "Mama is here."

"And what did you bet?" I pushed my head up to look at her.

She looked away with a little blush. "I was under the assumption that Master would need a firm helping hand."

"To be honest, if it went on any longer, we all would have been more forceful." Yasaka added. "As fun as it was to watch you two dance around it, it needed to reach a conclusion at some point. We're all genuinely happy that you both finally met halfway though."

"So no one's upset? I don't want to assume and I hope we can talk about anything?" I escaped the gravitational pull of Raikou's cleavage to look around the room.

"Oh my foolish student. We approved it after speaking when Venelana joined."

"…that long ago, huh?" I remember they got together in Meridia's realm and had a girl's talk which was….awhile ago. I let out a sigh, looking at Izzy. "I'm an idiot."

"Yes you are." She replied nearly instantly. "But you're my idiot." Her expression softened. "I suppose our idiot. It will take some getting used to being in a Harem of all things. I can honestly admit I never foresaw this for myself, but I can't bring myself to hate it."

"Awww, I'm so happy to have a new sister!" Jinn shot up from her seat, hugging the surprised Goddess. "Welcome to the family."

After she got over the initial surprise, Izzy smiled just as brightly, returning the hug enthusiastically.

Scáthach snuck up to my side in a rare show of outward affection, her arms wrapped around me, her lips finding mine with ease. "You have gained many new things, yes?" She asked after breaking the kiss.

"Yeah, I have more stuff to work on."

"Good, we shall train after you settle what you require." That loving look that I knew was reserved only for me, it never failed to make my heart beat faster.

Scáthach was without a doubt the most independent of my girls. That's not to say independent from me, but rather from everyone. Even Meridia ruled over an entire realm whereas Scáthach in comparison seemed to merely wander from one fancy to another with no clear goal. That wasn't to say she was without a purpose, but she chose to live a more 'nomadic' life it seemed, in that she didn't pick a particular role and settle down into it like the others did.

I never faulted her for it, and I always made sure she got the space to live the way that she wanted. But it was moments like this that were the perfect reminder that we had an unbreakable bond.

"Let me talk to Gramps later then I'll have some free time." I returned the favor, kissing her cheek. She replied with a hum, acknowledging it.

Yeah, I needed to talk to Gramps to see where he stood on the World-line that Chaldea was operating in. That'd be my first stop right after this.

Scáthach settled, leaning on me and we watched as everyone clamored around Izzy giving her a 'hard time' about finally coming together.

"Tell us about what happened. Did you have fun? What problems did Wilhelm cause?" Yasaka finally asked.

"What makes you assume I caused problems? I'll have you know that in terms of causing problems Izzy definitely has me beat here." I quickly defended myself.

"Oh?" Izzy raised an eyebrow in a threatening manner. "You wish to play that way then? Very well, let me tell you all a story about a man and a brick."

"You know what, I think Gramps is calling me – "

"Do you have something to hide, my student?" Scáthach's grip around me tightened.

Welp, not gonna live this one down.

But I guess it isn't the worst thing ever. That's probably what Roman –

"Oh, I got a story after this too. I went to Remnant recently, and guess what I found out." Jinn looked at me, her smile widening by the moment.

Oh God, she knows.

Ddraig, I give you permission to kill me.

[You think they'd write Watermelon Torchwick on your tombstone?]

@***@

A/N

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone


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