09

The fall of Diviner's Reach had inevitably instigated a war of never seen before magnitude between the entire world and the mysterious Empire of Light.

As intended.

Approximately four months since it started, the war had progressed in the empire's favor. They had successfully liberated several key territories all over the living world despite having no real government and capital to speak of. The whole mysteriousness worked in their favor, however. It allowed them to practically manage the course of the war so far with no one truly knew who they were, what they were after, when they made their move, how they operated, and why they challenged the new god's supremacy.

All in all, Lichtreich served its intended purpose perfectly with the world's eyes focused on its liberation banner.

Recently, however, their elusive leader had received a warning from his secret contact that the so called modern god had paid more attention to their war. And not long after that, things started to change. Most notably, there had been a considerable decrease of Soul Society forces being deployed with a significant increase of Hueco Mundo ones. That could only mean one thing.

Some of the comrades he had sent back to Soul Society had probably got into trouble that resulted in the existence of the cure being revealed. At this thought, an image of a certain bratty Vizard came into his mind. And his suspicion was confirmed afterward with another message from his contact.

No matter.

He would save his personal mission to save all his people for later. That meant he could focus more on winning the war. It was for the best really, considering the limited resources they had.

Unfortunately, with this recent turn of events, he had to spend most of his time in his office instead of the battlefields. It had become absolutely necessary after all for him to monitor everything. He had to make sure that the course of the war would stay in their control. Surprisingly enough, however, he didn't enjoy office work like he used to, and found himself missing fighting out there with his unit.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain female subordinate of his had been missing his presence out there a whole lot more. That was why she had made it her mission to spend practically all her time in the castle with him even more than before. Even if it meant she had to sit all days on his office desk, she didn't care.

She was that in love.

And she had made sure he knew this with their first kiss in the aftermath of the war declaration. Since then, she had managed to get more kisses from him here and there, but not near as often as she desired. He also still refused to sleep with her for some reason. She knew that they were in a war and all, but in her opinion, it was time like this that they needed physical comfort more than ever. As desperate as she was, however, the thought of seeking it with another males surprisingly didn't even cross her mind despite her past reputation.

She was so damn in love.

And the damn love was the reason she sat here on the hard wooden desk of his office for hours, pretending to read just to be in his company. Her frustration was not simply gone, though. And as usual, she let out some of it by whining about anything that even the littlest bit irked her. This time, it was about a certain bitchy teammate of hers.

"You won't believe it, Toushi." She slammed her hand on the desk to get his attention. "The losers in that dumb city actually called Boom Boom Bambi as the angel of Light Empire after she used her Volstandig! It was like they just forgot that she was the one that caused their homes go boom boom!"

"Again, if you want me to replace her, forget it."

"Why?" She glared in jealousy. "Do you still want her now that you have me?!"

"I only want her in the team! And who said I have you?"

"Me."

It was times like this that he felt simply powerless against her unwavering conviction. She looked like she damn knew what she was doing, what she wanted. On the contrary, he looked to be lost. It might seem absurd, but he was honestly worried of what she was capable of doing when she was like this. And as stupid as it was, he wished someone would come to serve as a much needed distraction.

It was even more stupid when his stupid wish was granted immediately as the door to his office suddenly burst open and a dark blur came flying inside.

"TOUSHIROOO!"

Hearing the horribly familiar voice, he reflexively moved aside from his seat, and just in time to avoid the attack as the blur flew past him and crashed through the glass window of his office. The voice instantly turned into a scream then as they fell down outside from the highest floor of the castle.

The pair in the room blinked in bewilderment for a moment until a familiar doctor appeared at the door.

"I apologize for that, Hitsugaya-san."

"Doctor Ishida... Why did you bring such a thing here?"

"I tried to convince him to go back to where he belongs after I cured him." The doctor sighed tiredly. "Alas, we can't simply talk with the likes of him."

"I get what you mean. You may return to your work now. I suppose I can handle this."

"I'll leave you two alone then. My apologies for the inconvenience."

With that, the pair was alone again, not for long, though.

The dark blur from earlier had managed to crawl their way up back to the window, but the office owner already anticipated this. A Kido barrier was created immediately to replace the fragile glass. And it proved to be effective enough. The blur that as it turned out was a middle aged Shinigami with a goatee could only pressed his stupid face pathetically against the glass-like barrier. Even so, his excitement was still clearly apparent.

"TOUSHIRO! Let your old man in so he can give you your most favorite bear hug!"

At that, the female in the room instantly turned toward the male, eyes wide.

"That thing is your dad?!"

"Hell No! Do I look that horrid?!"

"Of course not." She shrugged uneasily. "... But maybe your mom is just too pretty?"

"I have no mother and certainly no father. There's just no way in hell I'm related to that thing!"

He felt beyond offended that someone could believe such a bullshit. Too bad for him, though, the thing in question was nothing but persistent.

"But I have the adoption paper, my boy! With Yama-jii's own signature if you don't believe me!"

"Bullshit!"

In an instant, waterfalls of tears fell down the the thing's face.

"Oh, Masaki! Our wayward son refuses to acknowledge me!"

"Stop with the bullshit!" He glared coldly. "Moreover, why should I acknowledge such an irresponsible senior like you? Do I have to remind you that you didn't even bother to greet us when we found your new living place years later, Captain?"

In another instant, the waterfalls stopped, leaving a genuine pained look on the old face somehow.

"Forgive me, Toushiro... Believe me, I'm so proud of you, and Rangiku too. But I've been too ashamed of myself to meet you two."

"Really? And you're no longer ashamed now?"

No answer.

It was like seeing someone kicking a poor puppy... Actually, this thing looked too ugly to be a puppy. But that was not the point. As temperamental as she was, the female couldn't stand such a sight for some reason.

"Hey." She touched the male's arm. "That's enough. Look at how pitiful that thing is already."

"... Fine."

He was about to dispel the barrier when he noticed the thing's eyes dreadfully looking at him and her. But before he could say anything, the stupid thing had already came to a baseless conclusion.

"Toushiro my son..." Eyes wide in wonder. "Is that my daughter in law?"

The 'daughter in law' in question blushed instantly. The 'son' on the other hand had had enough with this bullshit. Without a second thought, he kicked the barrier strong enough to shatter it, and his boot met his self-claimed old man's face, sending him fall back down out cold.

Now alone again, the pair returned to their previous places and fell silent until the female gave the male an offended look.

"Is it so bad being thought to be married to me?"

"You can't be serious." He looked back at her in disbelief. "Look, can you even say with a straight face that you're a wife material?"

"You're a real jerk, Toushi!"

"The point still stands."

He fully expected her to jump at him as usual and strangle him. That was what usually happened when he got her too mad. It came as a real surprise then when he saw her getting all teary eyed before storming out of his office with a light sniffle.

―

Later that evening, the great leader of the Light Empire walked in to the castle's mess hall. All his subordinates that had already been there couldn't help but watch him in some sort of curiosity. It was a quite a rare sight to see after all, because he usually preferred to have his meals delivered to his office. No one knew that he was actually there looking for a certain female who as it appeared didn't seem to be there.

As the Shinigami turned around to leave, however, the only other of his kind among all the Quincy in the hall who just happened to be an unwanted addition here would not make it easy for him.

"TOUSHIRO!" The old fool waved all too excitedly. "Come join your old man for dinner!"

That did the trick.

Everyone began to whisper, and knowing that his reputation was at stake here, the leader had no choice but to stay a little longer. He had one embarrassing former superior to teach a lesson. Unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn't be able to do much because as he got closer, he noticed that the fool was not alone unexpectedly enough.

The doctor was also there at the secluded table, giving him a friendly nod like usual as he approached. There was someone else, though, to his surprise. Just as he was about to take a seat, a familiar pink-haired woman gave him a quick hug before returning to her own seat. She had a look of wonder in her eyes for some reason as she watched him sit down beside her.

"Toushi!" She pointed at the fool then. "Is this really your father?"

"Please not you too, Miss Meninas..." He sighed helplessly. "The answer is definitely no."

Thankfully, the doctor decided to explain for him.

"As I understand it, this fool used to be Hitsugaya-san's Captain before he took over the role."

"Oh. But if he was really a Captain, how come I've never seen him in any magazine?"

"Who would want to put such a retarded face in a magazine, much less see it?"

"True..."

As the two continued talking, they didn't seem to notice that their talk had made the one they talked about cried in depression. Watching this silently, the still disgruntled leader was more than pleased that he didn't have to do anything to pay back for earlier.

In the end, they had dinner together.

Although it would've still been preferable to eat alone, he decided that it wasn't so bad as he listened silently to the others' talk. He could simply ignore his embarrassing senior's rambles after a while. And before long, he was done and ready to leave.

Unfortunately, he was stopped again, but this time by his female subordinate who suddenly turned toward him with a strangely knowing smile.

"So, Toushi..." She leaned closer to him. "I know we couldn't see each other that much lately, but don't think I haven't heard the amazing rumor."

"... What rumor?"

"Oh, don't be shy!" A cheeky grin appeared on her pretty face now. "The rumor about you dating Candi of course!"

It took him a moment take that in, but it was still too long. Before he could say anything to clarify, someone excitedly butted in.

"Meninas-chan! Is this Candi you speak of the young woman who likes to sit on Toushiro's desk?"

"That should be her, Mister Isshin!"

"So, they're still dating?" A sudden cry of joy. "Thank god, I haven't missed their wedding!"

In that instant, a fist met the fool's jaw hard enough to send him flying to a nearby empty table. No one batted an eye at that. The one responsible for it just acted like nothing happened as he took the opportunity to finally make some clarification.

"The rumor is definitely not true, but I have to admit that it's not baseless either."

"That means something is really going on, right?"

"Well..." He felt somewhat uncomfortable. "Why don't you just ask her?"

"Oh, I sure will! Where is she by the way? She usually follows you around..."

This time, he got really uncomfortable to the point that he considered to flee.

"Actually, I was looking for her."

"Oh..." She looked serious now. "You made her mad again, didn't you?"

"It's nothing important really. We shouldn't worry about it." He shrugged awkwardly. "She's probably fooling around with some guy now like you said she's usually doing when she got mad."

Surprisingly enough, he received a glare from the usually nice woman for that one.

"That's very mean of you to assume that she still likes doing that. She has changed, Toushi. Why do you keep being mean to her?"

"It was not my intention."

"What did you do really to make her mad this time?"

Somehow, it was so hard for him to just answer such a simple question.

"She overreacted really." He found it ridiculous. "Basically, I just pointed out that she's not suitable to be a wife or something like that."

Right after that, he received a sudden whack on the head from seemingly out of nowhere. As it turned out, the one responsible was none other than his self-claimed old man who had returned with an angry scowl. It was such a surprise to everyone. But soon enough, he returned the scowl.

"What was that for, you fool?!"

"For being an even bigger idiot than that hopeless idiot Ichigo! I thought you're the smarter one, Toushiro!"

"Explain yourself before I throw you out!"

The two former Tenth Division Captains continued to scowl at each other. Their companions remained in place at the table, but the other occupants of the hall started to leave because the air of authority they emitted was simply overwhelming. Noticing this, the senior one of the two eventually went back to his seat with a resigned sigh.

"You still have much to learn, boy, if you still treat women poorly."

But the junior didn't even bother to respond this time.

The other two at the table exchanged a look for a moment. Eventually, the male decided to dragged his old friend quietly out of there, leaving the female alone with her own friend. She only looked at his strangely impassive face for a moment longer before finally deciding to continue where they left off earlier.

"She's not always like that, you know."

"... Who?"

"Candice, silly." She rolled her eyes with a light chuckle. "I grew up with her, so I know what I'm talking about."

"Sure."

He appeared to be rather uninterested, but it didn't dishearten her.

"You wouldn't believe it, but she used to be a crybaby, and a hopeless romantic! You know, the kind of girly girl who dreams of finding the love of her life, getting married, and having lots of babies."

"... That has got to be a thousand years ago then at the very least."

"More or less." She shrugged easily. "She began to change only after she received her Schrift. The old her was gone then as she became the Thunderbolt."

Now he looked more interested as he thought about the unexpected discovery.

"Could it be that she got corrupted by the power?"

"Um, I don't like to think it that way. She's still my friend no matter what, you know." Here she hesitated. "But I'd be lying if I say I don't miss my old friend..."

"... I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright. But you know what?" She smiled warmly. "Ever since she met you, I've begun to see the old Candi returning... So, I thank you for that, Toushi."

Well, what was he supposed to say to that?

―

He hated to admit it but his useless senior was right. He really still had much to learn, especially about women. He had realized that, but he sure as hell would not admit it to the fool. There would be no point in that. Instead, he had decided that it would be better to take some real action. He could learn better with practice anyway.

And here he was, standing like a fool this night in front of the closed door to the Sternritter T's room.

He had to admit, however, that he wouldn't even think of risking his reputation by going to a female subordinate's room if not for his earlier conversation with the female's friend. After hearing that little revelation about her past, he couldn't help starting to see her differently. He was still not sure what it would lead to, but doing nothing about it would only result in unnecessary complication or even drama between them. And that was the last thing he wanted during a war.

If all it took to figure out what was actually going on between them was to give her what she wanted, he'd do it.

Having come to a decision, he finally knocked even though it was unlikely that she would just let him in. He fully expected that she would give him a hard time, seeing how mad she was the last time he saw her. To his surprise, however, the door opened before he could even knock again.

Her face didn't look as lively as usual as she regarded him for a moment.

"You wanna come in or what?"

Somehow, her strange indifference didn't sit well with him, so he decided to let his action speak for him.

With eyes not leaving her face, he walked in and quickly locked the door behind him. Her eyes widened slightly at this, but he continued on with no hesitation. Every step he took showed his confidence on his action as he moved closer to her. And somehow, it felt satisfying to see her back away somewhat nervously. His eyes instinctively roamed over her shapely and scantly clad figure then until she stopped abruptly as her back hit the wall. Her eyes widened further at this, even more so when he suddenly stood so close to her.

There was an alarmed look on her face now, but she tried to hide it by pretending to be annoyed.

"Move away, you jerk! I need to breath, you know."

But all she managed was getting her breath taken away as he roughly claimed her mouth without warning. Even though she actively tried to push him away, a lustful moan escaped her abused lips soon enough. Her body was betraying her to her disbelief. It only got worse when she felt his rough hand moved under her thin tank top. She wore nothing under it. Her legs grew week quickly then as he none too gently grabbed her left breast and squeezed. Though when his other hand reached into her very short pants, she finally snapped and shoved him away.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She glared nervously. "No one should ever think to violate a thunderbolt and live!"

"Huh?" He blinked in surprise. "I thought that was what you wanted?"

"To be raped?! Hell no!"

This time, he looked seriously offended.

"That was not my intention! It's not my fault that you think that way."

"Can you blame me when you just came and molested me?!"

"Why does it matter to you so suddenly now?

Then it was her turn to feel offended.

"Get out." She pointed at the door furiously. "Get out if all you want is to treat me like some whore!"

If she was being honest with herself, she knew she really had no right to act like some respectable woman all so suddenly, considering how much like a whore she used to be for so long. But she just couldn't help it. She just couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her as that woman she used to be. She desperately wanted him to see that she had changed.

Now as she watched him turned around, she absolutely regretted what she said, and hoped beyond hope that he wouldn't leave her. She couldn't be more relieved then when he turned back around to face her again with a sigh. This time, she would make sure to not be such a bitch again.

"If you think we need to talk... come."

With that, she quickly led him to her bed before flopping down on the soft mattress. He didn't follow her example, though, so she patted the spot beside her and waited until he took it before starting.

"... Sorry for being unreasonable."

"No... It was all my fault really, this morning too."

"Hey, wait up." She frowned suddenly. "This is so unlike us. We're supposed to blame each other."

There was a weird silence for a moment then until they both burst out laughing together. It felt easier after that, and she finally smiled at him.

"This is what I truly want, you know." She gestured awkwardly at something between them. "Being so close with you. Being so open with you. Enjoying each other's company... It feels nicely intimate."

"... You speak like you're in love with me."

"Because I am."

Here it was again, that alarming conviction of hers. But this time, he was convinced that he had to put a stop to it for her own good.

"Just don't."

"Because you don't feel the same way?"

"As if such a thing would deter you."

"Because you already have some other woman then?"

That one made him paused slightly because it gave him a convenient idea.

"Yes."

"Are you two married?"

"Well, no."

"And you think that would deter me?" Her eyebrow rose mockingly. "Pff. She could do nothing to stop me. I would fight her if I have to."

Her stupidly bold claim almost made him laugh at her, but he was kind enough to warn her instead.

"Trust me, you don't want that."

"Why? Is she strong or something?"

"Technically, she's even stronger than me at her best."

"... You can't be serious."

The thought was simply absurd. Seriously, the only ones she could think of that had to be more powerful than him were the emperor and the wannabe god. But now, to hear that there could be someone else made her shudder. The fact that it was a woman didn't help at all. As much as she hated it, it made her feel kind of insecure, but also curious.

"What is she? A Shinigami too?"

"An Arrancar."

"No way! She must be creepy then."

"She's drop-dead gorgeous actually."

It started to make her feel jealous.

"Meh." She pretended to look unimpressed. "I'm still sexier. I bet my boobs are bigger."

"Well..." He gave her well-endowed body a somewhat unimpressed look. "You couldn't be more wrong."

Now it pissed her off.

It was hard enough already to hear that he found another woman better looking than her. But to think that there was nothing she could do about it made her mad. She refused to give up on him no matter what.

"I'll fight her then! I don't give a damn how strong or beautiful she is." There was fire in her eyes. "I want you. If she gets in the way, I'll fight her."

"If that's your reason, just forget it."

"Eh?" The fire died as she blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"She would kill me and then invite you to join her for tea rather than fight you for such a petty reason."

To say that she didn't see that coming was an understatement. And to think that there could be such a woman, a woman that she could never hope to be, instead of making her jealous, surprisingly enough elicited a sense of admiration from her. It was a strangely comforting thought.

"Wow, I think I like her..." She blinked again but in amusement. "You sure she wouldn't mind me chasing you?"

"She would even welcome you if she likes you enough."

"It's all up to you then..."

She looked him in the face pleadingly. And he couldn't believe how out of character she was so suddenly and unexpectedly. He blue eyes were wide and full of fragile innocence that had not been there for so long. It captivated him completely that he felt his resistance breaking.

Before he knew it, he already took her to his lap, and their lips met immediately. They remained like this, passionately tasting each other, until her hands pulled at the neckline of his shirt somewhat desperately.

"Clothes off." She parted her lips just enough from his to speak. "Now."

And he was more than willing to oblige.

Without separating even just for a second, the pair carelessly took off each other's clothes. They were so into it that they barely remembered how they ended up naked with him leaning back on her bed and her leaning down between his legs. Not that she cared much about it. Because at the moment, she was too busy watching the fully erect manhood right in front of her face.

To be fair, in a thousand years, she had never even thought there could be one of this size...

"Sorry, Toushi..." She gulped nervously. "But currently, I'm glad to have so much experience already with dicks."

He only gave her another unimpressed look in response. And she wanted to slap herself for saying such a stupid thing after practically telling him to not treat her like a whore. At least he hadn't kicked her away for that. She decided to just focus on making it up for him then.

Almost carefully, she rubbed her cheek down his amazingly thick length before turning her face a bit to lightly suck on his full sack. She felt his hand on her hair, and it gave her the needed encouragement to move back up until her lips found the largely swollen head. She gave it a kiss for a moment to ready herself before finally taking him into her mouth the best she could. And the next few minutes passed with her passionately doing her best to please him with her mouth, but in the end, she gave up.

"Look, I can't wait anymore." She tried to look impatient. "Can I put it in already?"

"Be my guest."

"Thanks." Her lips curved into an arrogant smirk. "I'll show you my expertise and make you feel real good."

Without a second thought, she moved up to straddle him. Her hand eagerly grabbed his hardness to position it against her drenched folds. And at last, she got what she had been desiring so badly as she excitedly impaled her body down the imposing shaft in one go.

Her eyes widened instantly as she gasped.

She had to quickly put her hands on his muscled chest to support herself as her body fell forward in shock. As embarrassing as it was, she just couldn't help it. Her body had just never had one this big, not even close. She had been quite confident earlier because, as much as she hated it, she knew she had become kind of loose down there. But she really had not been prepared to have her inside stretched to the limit like this.

After taking a deep breath, the female slowly forced her body to move, and a moan escaped her lips quickly enough. It was so worth it because it just felt so good. Unfortunately, even with her hands still on his chest for support, once again she had to give up before long.

The male under her looked at her helplessly slumped form with a raised eyebrow.

"I have to admit that I've never seen such expertise..."

"Fuck you!"

"Go ahead. I'm getting bored here."

He couldn't make her seem even more stupid than this. He somehow managed to bully her even during sex. And as silly as it was, it made her feel like crying.

"You jerk!" She began to sniffle. "Why are you always so mean to me?"

"Hey, don't you dare cry." His eyes widened in panic. "It would make it seem like I'm forcing myself on you!"

"You might as well rape me if you can't even say anything nice to me!"

She cried for real now as tears fell down her face. Somehow he couldn't bear seeing her like this. He just let his feelings guide him then as he pulled her down to him before wrapping his arms protectively around her naked body. And she eventually calmed down when he caressed her wild hair.

He still felt the need to say something, though.

"You might not be so beautiful, but you're definitely the most fascinating woman I've ever known."

"Wow..." Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "That's actually nice to hear..."

Feeling much better, she nuzzled his neck lazily, but then her eyes widened again. It just felt nice like this that she forgot what they had been doing earlier until she felt him twitch inside her. Oh well, she'd be damned if they didn't finish what they started.

"Toushi..." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Your turn."

And he didn't need to be told twice.

Without pulling out, he reversed their positions so he was on top this time. He was surprisingly gentle. She could only look up at him in wonder as she wrapped her long legs instinctively around his back. All the while, he remained gentle with her as he held her slim waist.

It all changed once he began to move.

She gasped and moaned in delight as he thrust hard and so deep into her. Usually, she was the type to shout and be vocal, even in her first time so long ago. But this just felt too good. Maybe it was exactly because she had never felt this good that she had never behaved like this before. She knew it for certain then when a very deep thrust from him hit her cervix, and a surprisingly girly squeal escaped her mouth.

That made him stop briefly and look at her in amusement.

Feeling so embarrassed, she reached up quickly and pulled his head down so he wouldn't see her blushing face. What she did, though, only encouraged him to land his mouth on her bouncing breasts. The squeal instantly returned when he suckled a rosy nipple hungrily. Soon, she became a mess of squeals and gasps as he continued to pound her hard with his mouth ravishing her bouncy breasts.

She lost count on how many times she had climaxed that night by the time his grips on her waist suddenly tightened. Another one, an even more mind-blowing one, built up then. With a sharp gasp, her back arched as he penetrated her so deeply that she thought she might break. And it all culminated in no time with an overwhelming burst of ecstasy that made her cry his name as he forcefully ejaculated heavy spurts of his Shinigami seed right into her Quincy womb.

She had never felt this blissfully full...

Later, once she calmed down enough, he finally pulled out of her, knowing that she was spent. Though as he lied down beside her, she still had enough energy to move closer and rest her head on his broad chest. They fell silent for a moment then until she regained enough energy to speak.

"You're my first, you know."

"Like hell, you retired slut."

"Hey, you're being mean again!" She glared up weakly. "What I mean is you're the first I've ever allowed to come inside me..."

"Eh?"

"So I expect a nice proposal if I found myself suddenly getting fat."

―

Nemu looked at the newborn baby in her hands with fascination as she cleaned him up. Although it had only been minutes since he was born, she could already tell that he'd be pretty much a replica of his father. Honestly, she was a bit disappointed because she had been hoping that he'd have his mother's lovely skin at least. Nonetheless, she still loved him all the same as soon as she laid eyes on him earlier when she assisted in his birth.

It was like he was her own...

Never before had she thought that she had a motherly instinct in her, so this was still quite a surprise to her just like how surprised she was months ago when she discovered that she was actually able to conceive herself.

Her gaze moved from the baby to her rather swollen stomach then where his sister was still in. She couldn't help but wonder slightly if her own baby daughter would, like her big brother, take after their father, or maybe she would look like her. Hopefully it would be the former, she thought, since she didn't like her own features that much.

It was not the time for this.

Finishing her task quickly, she gave the mewling baby a light kiss on the brow before wrapping him in a soft blanket. His mother surely had been dying to hold him, thus without wasting any more time, she went back to the spare room they had used for the delivery.

Unusually quiet Apachi and Mila Rose looked in excitement at the bundle she carried in her arms as she stopped just outside the door. Her lady had sent them outside earlier with a glare when they started to bicker, telling them to shut their mouths until they were permitted to speak again. She felt rather sorry for those two, so she let them take a brief look at their new nephew before finally getting in with an apologetic look.

As soon as she was inside, an unusually giddy Sung-Sun gently took the baby from her arms. She let her somewhat reluctantly, and just stood silently with a smile as she watched her moved close to the bed where the lady was still laying as composed as ever.

With utmost care, the long-haired female presented the baby to his mother.

"We couldn't have asked for a better prince, my mistress."

It was such a breathtaking moment when the powerful warrior lady took her newborn son into her arms with a tenderness that betrayed how ruthless she was in battle. Her tired aqua eyes shone fully with love as soon as they fell on his small chubby face. The beautiful sight compelled her to lovingly caress the light wisps of white hair on his head. And when he opened his eyes slowly to reveal a pair identical to her own, it felt like heaven to her.

Her sister quietly waited until she looked up again before deciding to ask an important question.

"So, what are we going to call him?"

"He looks almost nothing like me... His name should at least sound similar to mine then." At this, she looked at her friend standing silently near the door. "Do you have any idea, Nemu? You're the smartest one here."

The one in question looked to be truly surprised by that.

"Me, my lady?" There was a happy but hesitant look in her eyes. "But I'm just -"

"You're going to be an equivalent of what humans call as godmother to him. So I'm perfectly fine with you giving him a name."

It was such an honor.

More than that, Nemu couldn't be happier at the moment to know that she would be able to contribute something important to the baby despite not being his biological parent. And luckily enough, she was just as smart as her lady made her out to be, and could readily come out with something.

"Then..." She smiled brightly. "How about Terra?"

The first one is finally born. How many more, I wonder...