Fruit

The days passed by quickly and the Lucis family were preparing to receive Alvares' king, though only the castle are in the works. Somnus also placed a gag order to make the servants, knights, and soldier to stop making a fuss as he wants this alliance to be in the dark until approved completely.

In a training ground inside the castle; Kagura, and Erza was being taught by Noctis and Irene with the sword. Although Irene mostly fight with her magic, she was once a royal princess and she knows how to use a sword effectively. Noctis taught Kagura while Irene handled Erza because Kagura uses a katana just like him while Erza is being taught with a basic short sword by Irene.

"Move your feet, use your other hand to attack, if you have no room to move use your feet to make distance by kicking your opponent, if the opponent didn't flinch use it as a stepping board to make distance, use everything including your size when attacking." Noctis was speaking to Kagura who was wildly swinging her wooden katana to Noctis.

Noctis didn't teach Kagura any stances and they are already sparring each other. Noctis didn't teach Kagura any stances because it wouldn't benefit Kagura at all. Instead, it would affect her in the long run because of the rigid stances and wouldn't be able to think how to get out of a pinch when cornered. Noctis wanted to see a variation of the Breath of Lightning fit that would fit for Kagura to use.

Kagura's attacks started picking up and started becoming faster as she used Brearh of the Lightning as lightning arcs started flashing around Kagura's body making her attacks swift and unpredictable.

Noctis parried all her attacks while saying advice from time to time that helped Kagura create her own fighting style.

Meanwhile on Irene's side, Erza was being taught by Irene on how to properly hold a sword. Irene's teaching style was different than Noctis who had a rough and wild approach but Irene knew that Noctis is doing everything to teach his daughter about the sword.

"Mama, why is Kagura fighting Papa? Is Kagura angry?" Erza asked innocently.

"No Erza, your Papa is teaching Kagura something that fits for her." Irene warmly replied as she brushed her daughter's hair. She didn't want to burden Erza with some reason like chasing for strength since a young age. Irene knows that Erza only wanted to be taught by her parents because she saw Kagura ask for it and felt it was fun.

Irene can't help but shake her head as she remembered that day when Kagura asked her father to properly teach her how to use her sword.

*

"Father! Teach me how to use a sword just like how you did with Big sis Dimaria!" Kagura said to her father seriously.

"Why?" Noctis asked her daughter straight in the eye and Kagura couldn't help but flinch when she saw her father's serious stare.

"I-I believe in father that he will bring my b-brother back... I-I want to be strong so that I could protect my family!" Kagura said and prostrated in front of her father which surprised Irene and she was about to help Kagura stand up when she felt Noctis' hand tighten signaling her to stop.

Kagura asked her grandmother on how she could persuade her father to teach her about using the katana. Hera asked her back if she was serious about it and she'll go persuade her son but Kagura shook her head and said that she wanted to be the one to ask her father with a resolute voice. Hera could only shake her head with a sigh as she told Kagura on how to persuade his son to teach how to use the sword.

"Protecting the family... huh." Noctis muttered lowly that only Irene could hear.

"Do you seriously wish to learn?" Noctis asked seriously.

"Y-yes, Father!" Kagura said, still prostrating.

"Are you sure? Your body would be beaten everyday and you will be in pain. Your whole body will scream in pain. You will train until you pass out. You would also have to do everything I say with no complaints. I will not hold back. This is very different than Dimaria. Even if you're my daughter, I will not be lenient on teaching you." Noctis said and Irene couldn't help but shout...

"Noctis!"

... but her shout was useless as Noctis stared at Kagura who felt the pressure that her father is emitting.

"Do you still want me to teach you?" Noctis asked.

"Kagura, i'll teach you don't mind your stupid Papa." Irene said but Kagura shook her head as she looked up and stared at her father's eyes. She felt frightened and almost hesitated but she bit her lower lip and shouted her answer.

*

"Good! Use your sword faster! Move faster! Attack faster! You will have to rely on your speed, your build is different from a male!" Noctis was parrying her attacks while counter-attacking in between. It might just be a tap for Noctis but what Kagura was feeling was not just a tap, it was stinging to the point where she felt her eyes getting watery but she didn't let her tears out, complained, nor scream in pain.

She held it all in and used her willpower to keep her mind awake and continued attacking without a care for defending herself. The thoughts that were running on her mind was just attack, attack and attack.

Some people say that defense is the best offense while some people say that offense is the best defence. Although they had some point, it will all boil down to two questions: Will the attack pierce through the defense? or will the defense triumph and hold its ground to counter? It was just a matter of who's stronger, and obviously, Noctis is far stronger than Kagura.

Kagura's consciousness slowly started fading away and she knew that she could only be conscious for a few seconds. In a fit of desperation, she poured everything she can in one final thrust. The thrust was very straightforward compared to her previous wild and unpredictable attack. She hopes to catch her father off-guard with her final attack but before the tip of the sword touch her father, her consciousness finally faded and was caught by Noctis.

Noctis had already prepared for her final attack, though he was indeed caught off-guard by the sudden change of her attack, it was only a moment. But in a battle of experts, that moment could decide the life or death of someone. If Kagura was someone who has the same strength as his, then he would surely be in a bad spot. Noctis was happy when he saw Kagura's growth in front of his eyes, though he would be sleeping on the couch tonight, he was still happy to see her daughter take her first official step in learning the sword.

He could already feel the intense glare coming from Irene so he didn't dare dally and brought Kagura into his space. Irene fumed in anger when she saw Noctis disappearing with Kagura and thought that she would teach Noctis a lesson.

"Mama, is Kagura going to be okay?" Erza asked her mother in worry. Although she knows that her father wouldn't do anything to harm them, she was still worried when she saw Kagura's battered state.

"Don't worry, baby. If your father cannot bring Kagura back in a good state, he will be in for your mother's wrath." Irene rubbed her child's hair. She didn't feel like continuing their lesson so she sent Erza away to play with Pitou.

After sending her off, she inhaled a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down. She knew what Noctis is planning but she couldn't help but feel pained, seeing her daughter being beaten black and blue. After calming down, a white light enveloped her body and she appeared in the space and saw Kagura covered in herbs and bandages. She felt another wave of pain when she saw her daughter in a bad state.

She knows that if Noctis wanted Kagura to heal up in an instant, then he could do it but Noctis had plans. He had wrapped some medicinal herbs to Kagura and made her drink a small potion to wake her up, not heal her.

When Kagura opened her eyes, she saw her father and mother staring at her, then she remembered that she was beaten till she passed out. She gave a sad smile towards her mother as if telling her not to worry. That it was her decision to ask her father to teach her about swordsmanship.

"Don't speak. Eat this fruit." Noctis said as a fruit with weird patterns appeared in his hand and placed it near Kagura's mouth who started opening her mouth and started feeding on the fruit.

At first, opening her mouth was a big challenge but when she bit the fruit, a huge amount of energy started energy filling her body devoid of energy. But she didn't care about it, because the taste of the fruit was so good. It was the best fruit that she had eaten in her whole life, even surpassing the rainbow fruit. She started gobbling on the fruit and didn't even let the stem out which shocked Irene, she saw Kagura's body was devoid of energy that she had a hard time opening her mouth but when she chewed on the fruit, she was suddenly full of energy but her eyes wasn't fixed on that, she was looking at the bruises and swelling on her body started reducing to nothing, as if nothing happened.

Irene stared at the fruit that had sparks of electricity flashing around it before being devoured by Kagura in a flash. What happened nnext surprised her.

"YUUUUUUUUUUM!"

Kagura suddenly shouted her thoughts out as a blue dome emerged from Kagura's body and expanded to ten meters with Kagura at the center. Irene and Noctis was included in the dome but they would feel some zapping here and there.

Noctis' eyes were filled with joy. He didn't think that the fruit's effects to Kagura would be this good. He also didn't expect it toKagura to awaken the fruit unconsciously.

Noctis, at first, thought that the devil fruit's energy wouldn't be able to sustain Kagura considering its volatile element. Sugar was able to eat a devil fruit and had the power to turn people into toys but that fruit wasn't really harmful to the user so he turned and asked the system.

The system replied that if Kagura was a blank slate, devoid of energy, then the fruit would be able to nourish her body and return her to full strength while strengthening her at the same time. Noctis was also surprised that Goro Goro no mi was so compatible with Kagura that she awakened the fruit unconsciously.

Noctis knew that he was being a stupid father by doing this, but seeing after her resolute eyes and will when they sparred, Kagura made him convinced that she really wanted to be strong, and that she wanted to be strong to protect her family.

To Noctis, 'protect' was such a big word and he always believed that if you want to protect something, someone, or anything, you have to be strong enough to protect yourself before you protect others.

Now, Kagura was already on her first step before she could reach her goal. If she trained hard then she would be able to at least protect herself before protecting others.

Noctis didn't know but the Tree of Life also chimed in by channeling its vitality to Kagura and enhanced her body as well. The Devil Fruit was also modified by the system, it has no weakness to seawater, and its taste was good when you first eat it, it was a one time thing.

"How do you feel? Are you hurt? Did something happen?" Irene started rushing towards Kagura and hugged her while asking about her condition. She pulled out as she held her daughter's shoulder and looked at her with eyes full of worry. Even though zaps of electricity attacked her, her dragon skin just shook it off.

"I'm fine, Mama. Papa, do you have more of that fruit? It tasted so good!" Kagura looked at her father with shining eyes. She licked her lips to taste the last bit of juice from the fruit.

"Silly girl. That was a one time thing. Even if you eat the same thing twice, it would taste bland to you now...." Noctis trailed off when he saw the shine on Kagura's eyes dimmed off. It hurt his pride as the Almighty Father, if he couldn't even solve this dilemma then he would not look almighty in front of his kids.

"...But when father gets stronger, maybe we could remove that and you could eat it however times you want." Noctis said and the shine on Kagura's eyes brightened.

"Papa and Mama are the best!" Kagura shouted while gesturing a thumbs up to Noctis.