My Demon Prince (Chapter 26)
“Thank you for coming,” Kazu whispered as he hugged Kouhei close while he fed him with a bottle. He was a bit grumpy because he was so hungry.
“Of course,” Sho said with a smile as he pulled up Akito to the sofa to check on the little boy. He had promised Kazu to make sure that they were growing up fine. Akito was frowning at the man as he stuck his finger into his mouth, gnawing on it. A shiver went over his body as Sho checked him over using his magic.
“He’s already getting his first teeth,” Sho said, impressed, making Kazu smile.
“He is my big boy, right, Aki-chan?”
Akito babbled something as he giggled. “Da,” he agreed.
“Is he okay?”
“Yes, he is very healthy. Might get a bit stuffy when the teeth breakthrough,” he sighed as he put Akito down on the floor again. Akito laughed happily as he crawled over the floor to his toy box.
“Thank you. How about Miharu?”
Sho looked at the little girl, who was sitting on the floor beside the sofa, where she had fallen on her behind after she had tried to stand up.
“Little angel,” Sho whispered when she held his hands out to be picked up. He chuckled softly as he bopped the little girl on the nose as he put her down on the sofa beside her. “Hold still for a second,” he asked the girl.
Miharu hopped up and down on the sofa instead. “Sho,” she said happily.
“I think you are her favourite.”
Sho snorted slightly. “I think her daddies are her favourites,” he said instead as he checked her over. He tickled Miharu when it was over. The girl giggled happily as she grabbed his arms to pull herself up.
“She is good, as well.”
“Good, thank you. I was worried.”
“You are always worried,” Sho replied as he put Miharu down who crawled over to her brother to play with wooden blocks. “But why now?”
“Demons have been in our home,” Kazu said with a sigh. He rubbed his face as he put Kouhei against his shoulder. He rubbed his back to make him more comfortable again.
“How long?”
“I don’t know. I found one the day before in our bedroom when Kouhei was sleeping alone,” he explained with a shiver as he remembered the fear and hatred he had felt when he had seen that.
“I don’t know if it was the only one or the first one or whatever,” he grumbled with a frown on his face.
“I believe it was the first time, Kazu. You are finely tuned with them. They didn’t escape your instincts.”
“Are you sure? Those last few weeks, I wasn’t careful. I was so tired all the time,” he mumbled.
Sho sighed as he picked up Kouhei to check him over as well, without confusing him with Kazu’s energy. He frowned as he tried to hold back, tickling the small boy who had fallen to sleep already.
“All good,” he whispered as he put the boy into the basket beside the sofa, making sure that he was covered well. At least the fear explained that Kazu wouldn’t let any child out of his sight.
“Kazu?”
“What is up?”
Sho sighed as he looked over to the other, who was very clearly not meeting his eyes. “You probably need to accept that there is no hiding out here.”
“I know.”
“Yes, but you didn’t accept it. Not really. You tried to hide here, and now you try the same with your family.”
“I don’t want to put them to danger,” Kazu said softly.
“But you do, more so if you don’t confront your father.”
“I have to fight him, right?”
“Yes.”
“What if I become him?”
“You won’t. You have too many things that matter for you so that you won’t lose yourself.”
Kazu looked over to the children who were still playing together happily and at Kouhei. He knew he would do anything to make them feel safe.
“You’re right. Do you think I would manage, though? That I’m strong enough?”
“Yes. You are so much stronger than you think you are, Kazu. And I’m here for you as well?”
Kazu grinned slightly, happy at his words. Then he sighed a little bit as he looked at the children again. “It’s good that they’ve grown so much already,” he said in the end. It might end with them having to defend themselves as well.
“Yes, they are strong.”
-
“Is he okay?” Ohno asked.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Kazu frowned as he looked over his shoulder for a second before concentrating on his chopping board again.
“Akito. He is shivering,” Ohno mumbled, worry evident in his voice.
Kazu frowned as he put down his knife and picking up Miharu to carry her with him to the living room. “What?”
“Look,” Ohno said as he pointed at the boy. He didn’t know if he should freak out or not. But he had already learnt to expect anything to be normal with Kazu around.
Kazu observed the small boy for a moment until he realised what those shivers were about.
“It’s nothing bad,” Kazu whispered. “Mi, go to your daddy,” he said with a smile as he went over.
Ohno smiled as he took the baby girl into his arms. “Did you help your papa in the kitchen, Mi?”
“Cook,” Mi nodded happily as she waved her hands around, accidentally hitting Ohno on the mouth, who smiled as he took her hands in his own and watched Kazu picking up Akito, who was whining now.
“They are all good, Sho told me, so he checked them over,” Kazu said in a calming voice as he stroke Akito’s back softly.
“Okay… Then what is happening?”
“He is about to make his first change.”
“Change? Kazu… I don’t understand. Please explain.”
“I’m sorry.” Kazu smiled as he sat down beside Ohno to kiss his cheek. “I wasn’t sure. But as I have told you, they are all very different from each other and that this is our little devil, while she is more of an angel.”
Ohno nodded a bit as he looked at the two toddlers in their arms. They were very special, but so was their little Kouhei. Kazu grinned as if he could read his thoughts.
“Yes, Kouhei is perfect, too. But back to these two. I think they will change into their demon and angel forms. I hope it will also mean that they grow up a little bit slower. I want to see them growing up slowly and not in a blink of an eye.”
“I believe it will be in a blink of an eye; however fast they grow up in the end.”
“True,” Kazu said with a small laugh. He kissed Akito’s head as he moved him in his arms. Miharu was looking at her brother with curious eyes while Kazu was still trying to calm him down, even if he knew it was in vain.
In the end, Akito sneezed slightly, and with a full-body shiver instead of the human baby, Kazu had a little demon suddenly in his arms.
Akito looked around in confusion for a second before loud cries escaped his lips.
“There there,” Kazu said as he stood to walk with him in circles around the room.
Ohno looked at the two of them and tried very hard not to squeal at the image of his little son. Akito had tiny horns on top of his head and a small tail swishing around. He had pronounced teeth, and his eyes were glowing slightly golden.
“He doesn’t have wings,” Ohno observed with a frown.
Kazu shrugged his shoulders as he finally managed to calm Akito down and bopped his nose. “That was scary, ne?” he asked the little boy as he held him differently on his arms as his fingers thread through his hair. “And I’m not that surprised. Demons normally don’t have them. I have them because I’m part angel, and you saw how they looked because my father hated them, and to keep me down,” he said with a sigh.
“So if Mi changes, she might have them?”
“Yes.”
“I understand. He really has your eyes,” Ohno whispered with a smile as Kazu was closer again with the little toddler on his arms.
“Dada,” Akito babbled as he held out his arms for his father. Ohno chuckled as he picked him up.
“Hey there,” Ohno said as Akito sniffled softly but snuggled close.
“He might be tired. I think the change costs a lot of energy.”
“He can sleep in my arms, ne little devil?”
“Miharu, do you want to stay or help me finish dinner?”
“With Dada ‘n Ki,” the little girl decided, snuggling up to Ohno as well.
“Okay.” Kazu laughed as he kissed Ohno on the forehead. Ohno grinned happily at his little children, watching over them as Kazu finally left the room to finish on dinner.
Ohno rubbed Akito’s cheek softly as he leant back more comfortably.
“Kazu?”
“Mhm? You should let me finish dinner, or we have nothing to eat.”
“We can order in,” Ohno groaned. “Put it in the fridge.”
“I could just finish this.”
“I know, but I want to have you here and look at you.”
“You’re crazy,” Kazu yelled, but he was laughing, and Ohno grinned as he heard him putting everything away.
“We can order pizza,” he offered when Kazu was back. Kazu shrugged as he handed over the phone. Ohno mock-glared at him but then carefully balanced everything in his arms and hands to make the orders of their food.
“So, what did you want to tell me?”
“Huh?” Ohno stared at him for a moment in confusion before he remembered. “Ah, yes. I will stay home with you four.”
“Why?”
“Because I worry so much about you when I’m off. After the appearance from the demon, I worry about you.”
“I can protect my family,” Kazu said with a pout.
“I know, I still want to be close. It would help me with a lot of anxious thoughts about my family. I know I can’t do much, but it would calm me down to be here if your father ever appeared.”
Kazu watched him and the children for a long time before he sighed. “Me too,” he said in the end. “Very much so. Sho mentioned that it might help to get over all this fear about my father if I just let the next demon escape and wait for him to appear. And maybe he is right.”
Ohno looked at him for a moment before he nodded. “I think so, too.”
Kazu smiled a bit fearful but also relieved that this all might be over soon.
“Of course,” Sho said with a smile as he pulled up Akito to the sofa to check on the little boy. He had promised Kazu to make sure that they were growing up fine. Akito was frowning at the man as he stuck his finger into his mouth, gnawing on it. A shiver went over his body as Sho checked him over using his magic.
“He’s already getting his first teeth,” Sho said, impressed, making Kazu smile.
“He is my big boy, right, Aki-chan?”
Akito babbled something as he giggled. “Da,” he agreed.
“Is he okay?”
“Yes, he is very healthy. Might get a bit stuffy when the teeth breakthrough,” he sighed as he put Akito down on the floor again. Akito laughed happily as he crawled over the floor to his toy box.
“Thank you. How about Miharu?”
Sho looked at the little girl, who was sitting on the floor beside the sofa, where she had fallen on her behind after she had tried to stand up.
“Little angel,” Sho whispered when she held his hands out to be picked up. He chuckled softly as he bopped the little girl on the nose as he put her down on the sofa beside her. “Hold still for a second,” he asked the girl.
Miharu hopped up and down on the sofa instead. “Sho,” she said happily.
“I think you are her favourite.”
Sho snorted slightly. “I think her daddies are her favourites,” he said instead as he checked her over. He tickled Miharu when it was over. The girl giggled happily as she grabbed his arms to pull herself up.
“She is good, as well.”
“Good, thank you. I was worried.”
“You are always worried,” Sho replied as he put Miharu down who crawled over to her brother to play with wooden blocks. “But why now?”
“Demons have been in our home,” Kazu said with a sigh. He rubbed his face as he put Kouhei against his shoulder. He rubbed his back to make him more comfortable again.
“How long?”
“I don’t know. I found one the day before in our bedroom when Kouhei was sleeping alone,” he explained with a shiver as he remembered the fear and hatred he had felt when he had seen that.
“I don’t know if it was the only one or the first one or whatever,” he grumbled with a frown on his face.
“I believe it was the first time, Kazu. You are finely tuned with them. They didn’t escape your instincts.”
“Are you sure? Those last few weeks, I wasn’t careful. I was so tired all the time,” he mumbled.
Sho sighed as he picked up Kouhei to check him over as well, without confusing him with Kazu’s energy. He frowned as he tried to hold back, tickling the small boy who had fallen to sleep already.
“All good,” he whispered as he put the boy into the basket beside the sofa, making sure that he was covered well. At least the fear explained that Kazu wouldn’t let any child out of his sight.
“Kazu?”
“What is up?”
Sho sighed as he looked over to the other, who was very clearly not meeting his eyes. “You probably need to accept that there is no hiding out here.”
“I know.”
“Yes, but you didn’t accept it. Not really. You tried to hide here, and now you try the same with your family.”
“I don’t want to put them to danger,” Kazu said softly.
“But you do, more so if you don’t confront your father.”
“I have to fight him, right?”
“Yes.”
“What if I become him?”
“You won’t. You have too many things that matter for you so that you won’t lose yourself.”
Kazu looked over to the children who were still playing together happily and at Kouhei. He knew he would do anything to make them feel safe.
“You’re right. Do you think I would manage, though? That I’m strong enough?”
“Yes. You are so much stronger than you think you are, Kazu. And I’m here for you as well?”
Kazu grinned slightly, happy at his words. Then he sighed a little bit as he looked at the children again. “It’s good that they’ve grown so much already,” he said in the end. It might end with them having to defend themselves as well.
“Yes, they are strong.”
-
“Is he okay?” Ohno asked.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Kazu frowned as he looked over his shoulder for a second before concentrating on his chopping board again.
“Akito. He is shivering,” Ohno mumbled, worry evident in his voice.
Kazu frowned as he put down his knife and picking up Miharu to carry her with him to the living room. “What?”
“Look,” Ohno said as he pointed at the boy. He didn’t know if he should freak out or not. But he had already learnt to expect anything to be normal with Kazu around.
Kazu observed the small boy for a moment until he realised what those shivers were about.
“It’s nothing bad,” Kazu whispered. “Mi, go to your daddy,” he said with a smile as he went over.
Ohno smiled as he took the baby girl into his arms. “Did you help your papa in the kitchen, Mi?”
“Cook,” Mi nodded happily as she waved her hands around, accidentally hitting Ohno on the mouth, who smiled as he took her hands in his own and watched Kazu picking up Akito, who was whining now.
“They are all good, Sho told me, so he checked them over,” Kazu said in a calming voice as he stroke Akito’s back softly.
“Okay… Then what is happening?”
“He is about to make his first change.”
“Change? Kazu… I don’t understand. Please explain.”
“I’m sorry.” Kazu smiled as he sat down beside Ohno to kiss his cheek. “I wasn’t sure. But as I have told you, they are all very different from each other and that this is our little devil, while she is more of an angel.”
Ohno nodded a bit as he looked at the two toddlers in their arms. They were very special, but so was their little Kouhei. Kazu grinned as if he could read his thoughts.
“Yes, Kouhei is perfect, too. But back to these two. I think they will change into their demon and angel forms. I hope it will also mean that they grow up a little bit slower. I want to see them growing up slowly and not in a blink of an eye.”
“I believe it will be in a blink of an eye; however fast they grow up in the end.”
“True,” Kazu said with a small laugh. He kissed Akito’s head as he moved him in his arms. Miharu was looking at her brother with curious eyes while Kazu was still trying to calm him down, even if he knew it was in vain.
In the end, Akito sneezed slightly, and with a full-body shiver instead of the human baby, Kazu had a little demon suddenly in his arms.
Akito looked around in confusion for a second before loud cries escaped his lips.
“There there,” Kazu said as he stood to walk with him in circles around the room.
Ohno looked at the two of them and tried very hard not to squeal at the image of his little son. Akito had tiny horns on top of his head and a small tail swishing around. He had pronounced teeth, and his eyes were glowing slightly golden.
“He doesn’t have wings,” Ohno observed with a frown.
Kazu shrugged his shoulders as he finally managed to calm Akito down and bopped his nose. “That was scary, ne?” he asked the little boy as he held him differently on his arms as his fingers thread through his hair. “And I’m not that surprised. Demons normally don’t have them. I have them because I’m part angel, and you saw how they looked because my father hated them, and to keep me down,” he said with a sigh.
“So if Mi changes, she might have them?”
“Yes.”
“I understand. He really has your eyes,” Ohno whispered with a smile as Kazu was closer again with the little toddler on his arms.
“Dada,” Akito babbled as he held out his arms for his father. Ohno chuckled as he picked him up.
“Hey there,” Ohno said as Akito sniffled softly but snuggled close.
“He might be tired. I think the change costs a lot of energy.”
“He can sleep in my arms, ne little devil?”
“Miharu, do you want to stay or help me finish dinner?”
“With Dada ‘n Ki,” the little girl decided, snuggling up to Ohno as well.
“Okay.” Kazu laughed as he kissed Ohno on the forehead. Ohno grinned happily at his little children, watching over them as Kazu finally left the room to finish on dinner.
Ohno rubbed Akito’s cheek softly as he leant back more comfortably.
“Kazu?”
“Mhm? You should let me finish dinner, or we have nothing to eat.”
“We can order in,” Ohno groaned. “Put it in the fridge.”
“I could just finish this.”
“I know, but I want to have you here and look at you.”
“You’re crazy,” Kazu yelled, but he was laughing, and Ohno grinned as he heard him putting everything away.
“We can order pizza,” he offered when Kazu was back. Kazu shrugged as he handed over the phone. Ohno mock-glared at him but then carefully balanced everything in his arms and hands to make the orders of their food.
“So, what did you want to tell me?”
“Huh?” Ohno stared at him for a moment in confusion before he remembered. “Ah, yes. I will stay home with you four.”
“Why?”
“Because I worry so much about you when I’m off. After the appearance from the demon, I worry about you.”
“I can protect my family,” Kazu said with a pout.
“I know, I still want to be close. It would help me with a lot of anxious thoughts about my family. I know I can’t do much, but it would calm me down to be here if your father ever appeared.”
Kazu watched him and the children for a long time before he sighed. “Me too,” he said in the end. “Very much so. Sho mentioned that it might help to get over all this fear about my father if I just let the next demon escape and wait for him to appear. And maybe he is right.”
Ohno looked at him for a moment before he nodded. “I think so, too.”
Kazu smiled a bit fearful but also relieved that this all might be over soon.