Hibiki’s Echo

AUTHOR'S NOTES; TW FOR VIOLENCE AND REFERENCE TO THE ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT FROM LAST CHAPTER. NOTHING EXPLICIT OR NEARLY AS BAD AS LAST CHAPTER THOUGH.

Sup. It's me, back after a round of double updates and completing an exam that will hopefully get me into the school I want, but killed me to study for. Hopefully updates will stabilize a bit now.

Anywho, for those that don't know, you can find me on AO3, Fanfiction.net, and webnovel, same username, if you prefer an alternate site. All of my fics are a part of the same series, but can be read independently as a soul traverses her way through the multiverse and cycle of reincarnation!

Thank you all for the crazy support 💙 please leave comment and share your thoughts!

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XXXXXXXXXX

"Ow," Gen wheezes, and I wince sympathetically. The amount of pain he is in due to his damaged body being neglected in captivity is no joke.

"Gene," Naru says brokenly, and I regret that our enemy is closing in on us.

"Sorry, buddy. No-"

"Time," Naru finishes for me darkly.

"Gene, this is also really gonna hurt. It might even be worse than having to force your soul back into your body. Hang in there and stay conscious, no matter what."

"Okay," he whispers weakly.

We heft the dangerously thin boy up and apologies and soothing words spill from my lips like a waterfall as I help situate Gene on Naru's back. His body is incredibly brittle and has horrible bed sores and broken bones, but we were still running out of time. Even with the heart shattering cries of pain, I couldn't let us slow down. Just then I feel the enemy enter my range and I whirl on the twins, alarmed.

"He's coming, run!" I growl and we bolt for the woods. I'm starting to lose strength from the pain and blood loss, Gene's distressed whimpers turning my stomach, but we don't stop. Gene is so thin, so Naru is easily handling him and I refuse to slow them down. Instinct blaring once more, I whirl around, throwing up an energy shield just in time to fend off a huge fucking blaze of fire.

"Pyrokinesis?!" Naru questions in shock.

"Where do you think you're going?" A sharp voice spits, and Junichi Fukumoto steps out of the shadows. I bare my teeth grimly. "I've been looking for you. For years."

"What?" Naru hisses, but I just steady my stance, focusing intently and shifting to keep the twins behind me.

"Your stupid twin came right to me, and you, like a fool, followed him, right into my hands. Now, I have you both!" He laughs, just as insane as his son, Katsu,.

"You were after us? Specifically? Why?" Naru yells in fury, and I feel him flinch at the flare of his own powers, getting dangerously close to spilling out now that he isn't in a energy sealing barrier, and I fling my hand out to smack him, silently reprimanding him to control himself.

"Tonight, I'll make your powers mine!" A wall of flames shoots towards us, and I stagger under the force, trying to keep the shield up as the forests around us ignites.

"Are you trying to set the whole mountain ablaze, you sick bastard?" I snarl, turning my flat shield into a glowing blue dorm around us. I won't be able to shield and attack at the same time, so let's hope my timing is right. The man's laughter sends a shiver down my spine, the sound being the first thing to truly unsettle me all day and I realize I was wrong; Junichi is an entirely different level of batshit from his son. "Not concerned about your son? I'd hate to see what happens to him if he doesn't receive medical attention," I taunt, stalling.

That does seem to startle him momentarily, but he shrugs it off. "That weakling? He can barely bend a spoon. I have other children."

Damn, I almost feel bad for Katsu.

Another wave of fire sends me to my knees, Naru and Gene pressing close to my back, but I just smile when I feel it, knowing my job is nearly finished now. A shrill whistle cuts the air and Junichi cries out under the onslaught of shiki.

"Tsukiyo! Naru! Gene!"

"Right on time, Lin!" I cheer, getting back to my feet, a certain cat shiki settling on my shoulder comfortingly. The rest of SPR has arrived. 

"No, no, NO! I'll kill you all! You're not getting away- OW!" Not only could Lin's shiki cause physical damage, but so could Ayako's Nine Cuts technique, and the woman had surprisingly little qualms using it to make the pyro bleed.

I make a mental note to buy the priestess a gift.

Monk appears, starting his buddhist chant, his energy forming its own shield and I let mime fall with relief. Mai grabs me with a cry of fear and worry, and I hug her quickly before pushing to help Masako and John with Gene and Naru.

I step out to stand at Lin's side, grasping his arm. The stoic man does a double take at my state. "Oh kami, are you okay? What-"

"No time. We're all okay," I cut him off.

With a shriek, and the roar of crimson flames, Junichi throws back Lin's shiki and Ayako has to retreat behind Monk's barrier to avoid being signed. "NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU GET AWAY! I AM THE HEIR OF FUKUMOTO! YOUR POWERS WILL BE MINE!"

"Fuck that noise!" I snarl, incensed by the audacity and the shitty cliche lines. "You like playing with fire, bitch? How do you feel about lightning?"

Tapping into my depleted energy, I reach for the feeling of vibrant buzzing under my skin and with a flick I feel electricity twist up my forearms, wreathing them in dangerous blue lightning. Shooting a quick prayer to the gods, I hurl a bolt at the man and he goes flying into a tree. I groan, collapsing on the ground. "Okay, yeah I'm done."

I glance at my arms, praising myself for not wearing sleeves since they definitely would have caught on fire.

"What in Kami's name is happening?" Lord Genji Fukumoto and his wife, Aina come dashing out of the tree line, both horrified, but before anyone says anything another presence manifests at my side.

"Justice," Hibiki states, voice like ice.

"No, no! You're dead! Why can't you just go away?!" Junichi screams in horror, still sprawled on the ground next to the now broken tree I threw him into.

"What, you didn't miss me, brother?" She says sickly sweet, I feel a few drops of blood on my bare arms as she glides past. Hibiki seems infinitely more aware today, more calm, like the fact that her revenge is on the horizon has cleared her mind. "You didn't think I'd just let you get away with it, did you?"

"Daughter, how?" Aina whispers.

"Mother, Father. Did you know that brother killed me?" Gasps ring out, but I just flop sideways as I feel a few hands starting to apply pressure to my bloody wrists and side. Absently, I note how she stalks forwards gracefully, blood trails in her wake, like a predator hunting its prey.

"No! Junichi! Tell me you didn't! Kami, no!" Aina cries out, and the kind of devastation she's emitting is akin to the ground falling out from beneath her feet.

"Blood doesn't lie," Hibiki scoffs. "Your greed made you kill your own kin. You wanted to be heir so badly that even when I walked away from the family, you couldn't leave me be. You pathetic, hateful, little man."

"You bitch!" Junich shrieks like a wild animal. "You were always the golden child! So perfect and the most powerful of us! I knew you would become the family head even though you were just a stupid woman! You would have ruined us!"

Hibiki laughs, and the sound was infinitely more ominous than her brother's own freaky laugh. "Don't pretend this was some noble sacrifice. Your mental weakness, your endless jealousy and insecurity let you justify such evil things to yourself."

In between one moment and the next, the bloody, disheveled woman transforms. Hibiki Fukumoto now stood before us in a resplendent kimono, hair carefully piled on her hair with delicate ornaments and her lips painted red. She looks like an empress straight from an ancient painting. With a flick of her hand, Junichi is lifted into air, gasping and clutching at the invisible hold around his neck.

"Perhaps I could have forgiven you for letting me bleed to death in my birthing bed. But for going after my children? My innocent baby boys? No, that can't be forgiven. Today, I'll be dragging you to the gates of hell myself."

"Our family …power!" Junichi gasped out. "Your birth… stole it from me, and your brats took even more! Their power… should have been mine! I deserved it!… I should have been heir!"

Hibiki snarls in disgust, red painted lips twisting. "Dabbling in black magic, sacrificing your own nephews, all for power. You are truly a monster, brother."

With another elegant wave, Junichi clutches at his chest, shaking violently before Hibiki drops him. I blink, absently impressed at the brutality of giving him a heart attack and relieved we won't have to fake a story as cover up for this mess.

Lady Aina's cry is devastatingly anguished, but she does nothing more than lean into her husband's tight grasp. Hibiki sighs. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I must protect my children."

And then she turns, eyes landing on 

Gene and Naru.

"Oh, fuck," a voice, Lin, whispers, and I realize it's him pressing on my bleeding wrists.

"Hello, Mother," Gene offers softly. The shocked exclamations ringing out are inconsequential to Hibiki, Gene, and Naru as they meet on another for the first time, the overwhelming swell of emotions causing me to sway violently. Lin hastily shifts me to lean on him rather than the ground, and I feel Ayako close her hands tightly around my bleeding wrists, the pain clearing my head momentarily.

"Gene?" Naru sounds so lost, and I wish I could offer him support, but this is something he'll have to face on his own.

"You know I came to Japan to find our parents. I figured out who our mother was, and tried to get in contact with her family," Gene starts, voice shaking. "I arranged a meeting with Junichi, but…"

"He hit you with a car and captured you," Naru says faintly.

"We both thought I was dead."

"He wanted to sacrifice you together and take your powers. After I gave birth, I knew I was dying and that he was going to kill you. I used the last of my strength to hide the jewelry box and convince a servant, the one who aided me in delivery, to take pity on me. She stole you away in the night and went to England, to your father, Daniel. I… don't know what happened to your father."

"Accident," I inform them softly, recalling the vision. "The servant left you in an orphanage, but your father got into a car crash before he could pick you up. The servant had a stroke the same day. It… was just an unfortunate series of events."

"I see," Hibiki whispers, wistful. "Daniel was always better at letting things go than me. It's what made him such a powerful medium, like you, sweet boy."

Gene makes a wounded sound that tugs at my heartstrings. 

"I love you, my boys. I'm sorry I could not be there to protect you. But, I'm doing it now."

"But, you have to go," Gene chokes out, and this time it's Naru who makes a noise of agony. "Your spirit is already twisting and becoming tainted."

She nods. "I was already gone for a very long time. I couldn't remember who I was or why I was here. I don't want to forget again."

I push myself into a proper sitting position, Lin and John moving to support my back, as Hibiki appears at my side, a tear opening in between realms and Death stepping out, fangy smile oddly gentle and scythe swinging.

I smile at the sound of my friends in the afterlife calling out my names, the ones they knew me by. Hibiki shudders, "Oh, so that's "the light."

Gene tries to answer, but only sobs come out, and through blurry eyes, I watch Naru curl around his twin silently. In the face of their turmoil, I take it upon myself to help her. "Yes. I promise, it's a good place. You see my friend there? In the leather?"

Hibiki laughs, and the sound is warm and tinkling, but the crying from around me just seems to grow harder. "That's your friend?"

I grin, understanding her incredulity. A god's presence is unmistakable, after all, at least to the souls that can sense him. "He'll take care of you. And you'll see your loved ones again. I swear it."

She breathes deeply. "Thank you. For protecting my boys."

"I'll always protect my friends. I got them. Don't worry anymore." I hand her the flower crown, and she takes it with a soft smile, putting it on her head among the jeweled ornaments, somehow not at all mismatched.

She walks forward, stooping next to Death before taking his hand and turning back one last time. "Goodbye, my loves."

There is a sharp breath, and then Naru's voice rings out, grief ridden but strong. "Goodbye Mother. Thank you."

Hibiki weeps happy tears as she leaves, and I let myself sink into darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

I huff, settling onto a beanbag and grabbing a cup of hot coco. "Quiet life my ass."

Death laughs, amused as he plops into his own bean bag. "When did we ever claim such a thing, Dear Soul?"

I frown, "Weren't my eventful lives sopossed to be spaced out?"

He shrugs. "Can you really say any of them were quiet?"

"What about-"

"You were a celebrity. That's not quiet."

"Then, what-"

"You spent your time organizing social revolution and mass political change. Not quiet."

"Well-"

"No, you were a literal government agent! That's hardly quiet! Your perception is completely skewed, brat."

Well, he's got me there. Damn.

"Why, though? Why reincarnate me? It can't just be entertainment." I wonder, utterly confused. "I got my second chance ages ago."

"Because of who you are, Dear One!"

"Lady Magic," I greet the personification of power, today a stunning blonde woman in a red business pants suit over a crop top.

"You are special. Your soul causes change everywhere it goes. Good or bad doesn't matter. Just balance."

"I don't understand," I state honestly.

"One day you will," comes the gentle reply, a hand petting my head. "Thank you for your help once more aiding our champions," WAIT, WHAT? The fucking twins are- "But, now it's time to go back. Don't worry, though. We're with you, in this life and the next."

XXXXXXXXXX

I wake up slowly to the beeping of a heart monitor. Didn't we ditch that already? I find myself in a dark hospital room, the cold and sterile smell is a dead give away. I grunt, trying to sit up, but the sharp pain in my side stops me, immediately accompanied by burning pain in my wrists.

Oh, right. I got stabbed.

I manage to find the call button, and a sweet nurse comes by to hand me a tray of food. Apparently I've been out for a few days. I had to get several stitches in my side and some of the cuts on my forearms I made trying to free myself from the rope were deeper than I thought, but alas, shit happens. Even my neck wound, though not serious, had to be bandaged as well.

At least nothing was broken.

"So, when can I blow this popsickle stand?" I ask after I manage to convince the woman into letting me wear some damn pants. This bum isn't available for free viewing, thank you very bloody much.

"A few more days considering we weren't sure why you were asleep so long." Damnit. I was visiting the gods too long. "At least you'll have your friend to keep you company."

I blink. "Huh?"

And there is Gene, sleeping in the bed next to me. I didn't recognize him through the pain meds. This stuff is gooood shit.

Later, as I'm settling back again, I feel the spike of fear and hear whimpers, and my exhaustion vanishes. "Gene? Are you okay, buddy?"

The frail twin begins to thrash, and sighing, I leverage myself out of bed using the IV stand and shuffle over. "Gene. Wake up, honey."

It takes awhile, and a bit or energy manipulation, but eventually he startles awak, "You're okay. Deep breaths. Follow me."

"Tsukiyo?" He whispers tearily.

"Hi. Breathe with me," I press his hand to my chest. "There you go."

After a while, I sit next to him, legs no longer able to support my weight, and we just relax together for a while. "Sorry," he whispers.

"Don't be," I reply, running my hand through his hair. I move to get up, but his hands tighten on my hospital gown. He freezes, big blues wide and I snort, hoping we haven't accidentally trauma bonded. I have a bad habit of picking those up and they are a pain to treat and heal. "Scoot over." I slip into the wide bed, gathering the overly fragile boy to my side like I would Sora, wrapping an arm around him and rubbing his arm gently, the only place I know the bed sores aren't too bad. "It's okay. Rest now."

"Thank you. For everything. You got hurt-" I hush him, humming under my breath.

"I regret nothing. It was worth it. I keep my promises to my friemds, so sleep." And with a hesitant smile, he does.

XXXXXLUELLAXXXXX

"Who's there?" A cold voice rings out in Japanese, and I startle wondering if we've perhaps entered the wrong room, but no, there is Gene, our baby boy, the one we thought lost to us forever, curled up next to a girl covered in bandages. Heterochromic eyes glare fiercely under long hair as she growls. Martin shifts forward, and she tenses further, snapping. "Stay away."

Despite the young face, it's surprisingly intimidating, but more notably is the protective arm she has wrapped around a sleeping Gene, who's hands clutches at her hospital clothes in his sleep. The door slides open, and Lin, looking rather haggard enters. "Martian, Luella- Tsukiyo!"

Lin rushes to the girl, his stoic face melting into deep relief, and I'm taken aback by the sight of him grasping her hands tenderly between his own. The girl, Tsukiyo, tilts her head warily. "You know them, Lin?"

"Yes, these are Gene and Naru's adoptive parents. They're safe. Why are you out of bed?!" 

The girl sags with relief, lips twitching ruefully as she shifts her focus back to Martin and I. "Apologies, I'm feeling a bit protective," she bows her head slightly in apology, and I have to resist cooing at the darling child. Vaguely, I wonder what the bloody hell Oliver still hasn't told us over the phone since the situation seems far more complicated than just finding out Gene is alive and being held captive, and that Oliver's friend, (Since when did Noll have a friend that wasn't Lin?), was hurt in the rescue. 

I'd be having another talk with that boy about his inability to communicate important information,

"Not at all, dear!" I try to soothe the girl, dragging Martin closer to examine her. My husband has been silent so far, but I can see the consideration in his eyes.

Before I can say anything more, a group of people stream in, Oliver's new team. My boy, eyes widening at the sight of us, quickly makes his way over, and to my surprise, he carefully pulls his father and I into a hug. I share a shocked look with my husband, but we quickly gather him in our arms.

"Mum, dad. Missed you." He mutters, head pressed into my shoulder. I press my lips to his head, baffled. Oliver has never been particularly tactile. He wasn't adverse, but it was rare for him to initiate. I push him to arms length, holding his arms so that I can inspect him. He looks just as haggard as Lin, bandages wrapped around his wrists. At my narrowed eyed look, he merely sighs, blue eyes entirely too world weary for his age. "It's a long story. I'll tell you soon."

With that, he approaches the bed, and does something that shocks me to the bone. Rather than going to a still sleeping Gene, he reaches for the girl, gently pulling her into his arm, head buried in her hair. The girl also looks shocked, but it quickly melts into delight as she hugs him back with her free arm, her smile sweet and warm.

I gape, turning to Martin who is just as bewildered. Then, he smirks. "Well, I guess there's hope for him after all."

I squeal quietly, watching the girl playfully shove Noll, voice kind as she states, "I make my own decisions, so, don't look so sad, idiot scientist." 

Before he can reply, a tall, long haired man butts in slyly. "My, my, Hime. Is this adorable cuddling I'm witnessing a result of you, the princess, fighting off a fire breathing, evil dragon to rescue your prince? Is this the start of happily ever after I'm witnessing?"

I share another look with my husband, also wondering the reason for why two injured teens are sleeping in the same bed. Now that the crowd had cleared a bit, and unwilling to be parted from him any longer, I approach Gene, taking in my child. My stomach twists at the painfully thin body and the hollows of his cheeks, and I yearn to take him in my arms, but he looks as though a single touch could break him. I saw the photo Noll sent as proof and thought that I could hold it together, but I feel the tears well up before I can stop them. My baby looks so hurt.

Abruptly, Eugene jerks awake, eyes frightened and unseeing. He flinches when I reach for him and it feels like a knife in my heart. Tsukiyo just calmly rubs his head, grasping one of his hands in her own, heedless of her bandaged arms."Easy, Gene. You're okay. It's Tsukiyo and we are in the hospital, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks," he pants, eyes flicking about anxiously. She ruffles his hair, and it is now very obvious why the two curled up together. Poor dears are probably traumatized by the whole ordeal. I narrow my eyes, making a note to look into therapy for them, and any one else here who might need it for that matter. The Japanese SPR had rescued my child and I will not be forgetting this debt anytime soon.

"Gene, there are people here to see you," Tsukiyo teases softly, and now that I'm closer and not considered a potential danger, I can see the kindness she radiates and her pretty face framed by dark hair streaked by silver.

"Wha- Mum! Dad!" Gene's eyes go big and he desperately reaches fragile hands out to us, and I finally get to pull him to my chest like I would when he was only a child, tears falling as Martin wrapped us both up.

My family was whole once more, and perhaps, I think, watching Lin assisting Tsukiyo to her own bed and how the others crowd her and Oliver, it would grow again.

XXXXXTSUKIYOXXXXX

"Sora?" I ask Mai, drinking some coffee she'd snuck me. 

"He's okay," she informs me, carefully brushing my hair out. I'd just been allowed to bathe, with a nurse's help, and am now feeling infinitely better. "Still with Granny Nakigawa."

"Mai, I'm sorry, but I have to send you back ahead of time." The girl begins to protest, but I gather her hands in mine. "Listen, I'll be here for a few more days, but we can't drop him on Granny for that long. I hate to ask this of you, but please?"

Mai fidgets, upset. "You know that you both are my family. He's my responsibility too now." The statement warms my heart. "But, what about you?"

"I'll make sure she gets home safe," Lin speaks up, sitting in the chair next to my bed. "You have my word."

Naru snorts from next to his brother. "You say that like anything short of a missile could harm her, and honestly, I don't even think that would be enough."

I beam, delighted. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"

Naru's exasperated groan plunges the room into laughter. "Monk, you're going back today, right? Would it be possible-"

"Ah, come on, hime! Of course I'd take Mai back! There's no way I'd make her take the trip alone!"

"Sorry for the trouble," Mai and I reply, bowing slightly, but Monk just makes fun of us for being so formal about such little things. He probably couldn't understand how much it meant to us for someone to willingly go out of their way to be there for us. We'd been rather fortunate to find a lot of helpful old ladies and housewives in our apartment building, but we've also met people who were far less kind about our status as orphans. There were even people who treated us like we were infectious because we had no parents, and my visual impairment was seen much the same way, if not worse.

"Where are your parents, dears?" Luella asks softly, unintentionally stepping on a landline of awkwardness for the others, although Mai and I had never been touchy about it.

"Ah, Mai and I are orphans. We met a few years ago and became roommates and then sisters. My brother Sora is back home waiting," I answer easily.

"I see. I'm sorry for prying," her voice responds kindly, but not pitying, and I appreciate that she isn't treating us like we're defective just because our parents are gone.

"It's fine," Mai replies cheerfully, and conversation resumes easily. Soon after, the others say goodbye, dumping absurd amounts of plushies and flowers on me, much to my amusement and gratitude. It felt really good to have a group of friends like this again.

With only Naru, Gene, Lin, and I left with the twin's parents, the interrogation begins, because apparently, Naru and Lin hadn't told them shit before they rushed to catch a flight to Japan. And with that, came the long case review of Fukumoto Manor.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, goodness!" Mrs. Davis whispers as Naru retells the reveal of Hibiki's identity as the twin's biological mother and that Gene was kidnapped in order to be sacrificed in a black magic ritual of some kind once they caught Naru as well.

"Unbelievable," Dr. Davis murmurs as he scans over Lin's notes. "Those rituals… there's no evidence of them actually working. To imagine someone would attempt it on their own kin… how monsterous."

I wasn't going to tell him that there was a strong possibility Junichi could have managed it considering how much ancient knowledge his family had, and that I had lived lives where such things were very possible. "That's why Junichi thought you would recognize him. He thought you were at the convention to reach out to family like Gene."

"There is something I don't understand," Naru says. "Tsukiyo, you Saw everything ahead of time, planned it, guessing by how you knew to have the hair pin with you. Why- why did you…"

I humm in understanding, "Why did I choose to put us in that situation?"

Naru goes to protest, but I wave him off. "I know you aren't trying to complain or throw accusations. It's a fair question from the outside percpective." I tilt my head, wondering how to explain this. "It's like this. My abilities can See into the past, present, and future, but the thing is, the future isn't set. That means I don't see the future, I see possible futures. Each action can lead to a different result. The butterfly effect is very real."

"Fascinating," Dr Davis murmurs, fingers flying across his laptop keyboard, reminding me a lot of Naru in that moment. "It's extremely rare for someone to be able to do that, even among psychics."

"Right," I nod. "That said, Seeing is both time consuming and draining on my energy and physical body. You already know that doing so results in temporary blindness, but I knew we'd likely end up in a fight and couldn't afford overusing my abilities. Unlike you, Naru, I'm not a bottomless pit."

Gene snickers.

"So, in the limited time I had, I planned for the best outcome I could find. I split us up and went only with Naru, because if Katsu was confronted with more than just us, he would have gone for the kill and someone was more likely to be fatally injured. Instead, he got cocky and I lulled him into a false sense of security." I pause, grimacing. "I know you were scared of what he was trying to do with me and you hurt yourself trying to help me-"

"No." Naru says sharply, stiff as a board. "Please don't apologize. Please."

I wince, but continue. "I took the opportunity of his-" I snort. "-distraction to kick his ass. After that, it was just a matter of holding Junichi off until the rest, including Old Man Fukumoto, got there. If Hibiki hadn't come, Genji would have held his son off, he has strong PK like his daughter."

Like Naru, his grandson.

"I… wasn't certain Hibiki would come, but I thought she would, and before you ask, I only figured out she was your biological mother hours before we went to get Gene, sometime during one of the conventions lectures. I would have told you, but-"

"No time?" Naru says wryly. I laugh.

"Well, young lady, it seems we owe you a great deal," Mrs. Davis says, clapping her hands and aura filling with determination.

"No, Mrs. Davis-" I argue, but she steam rolls me with all the experience of a woman who could raise Gene and Naru.

"Nonsense, dear. Call us Martin and Luella. You literally took a knife for my son-"

"It's hardly a proper stabbing-" I protest, but am skillfully ignored.

"-found my lost child-"

"-I merely kept my promise to a friend-"

"-went up against several people to defend my children, one of which threw fire at you-"

"-mah, it's been a while since I've had a good fight-"

"-and put up with my persnickety Oliver, standing by his side despite his abrasiveness to you."

She pauses waiting for my interruption, but I just shrug. "Nah, you got me there. Do you know how much tea Mai and I have to bring him when he sulks?"

Everyone but Naru decends into laughter, but I could still feel the quiet amusement hidden beneath his skin.

"Regardless, we won't be forgetting this," Dr. Da- Martin says, and helpless, I accept the deep bow that the Davis couple gives me, the action instantly echoed by Naru, Lin, and even Gene from his bed.

I turn away, hoping the warmth in my face doesn't show on my skin tone.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN; Whoooo, 'twas a doozie. How was the finale to the first original arc? I know some of y'all guessed it ahead of time, but I felt like the twins needed a back story. It's weird how randomly powerful they were, like the fuck? Did we like it or was it contrived?

There will be more original arcs bc I didn't read the source material lol but still canon stiff too, and the romance will be picking up if anyone wants to put in ship requests since I'm still clueless. Lol

Thx for reading 💙

Oh! And I wanted to ask a random question with updates from now on, so…

Favorite ice cream flavors? Right now mine is dark chocolate cherry or matcha!

And did anyone catch the pun in the title? This author never chooses names arbitrarily!