Mikhail kept walking back and forth while trying to stay calm. Haruto's eyes kept following his friend's steps in pure amusement. It was a rare sight to see his usually cool headed friend to be so nervous. He chuckled which earned him an icy glare from said friend.
"Can't the usual unemotional and cool head Mikhail is overreacting over his second child's birth." said Haruto as he stood up.
"Sue m. Moral is already practically an adult. What about you?"Snapped Mikhail facing the other who kept grinning like an idiot.
"Nice is a year older then your newborn since his first year birthday just passed. Besides Shoko cannot have any more kids," said Haruto rather casually while Mikhail winced. He had definitely hit a sore spot there and murmured an apology.
Haruto merely shrugged. Suddenly a scream was heard throughout the mansion. The brunette groaned while Mikhail smirked in joy and satisfaction that his wife was of royalty and was at least a proper and calm woman. Haruto's name was called and there appeared Shoko running while carrying a one-year-old child in her arms.
"Shoko, keep it down! Lieselotte has already gone into labor," explained the brunette to his rather excited wife. Shoko only smiled wider and pushed Nice into Haruto's arms and rushed into the chamber.
"Haruto, I am not one bit envious of you."
"Oh, Shut up!"
Another thirty minutes passed when a baby's cry was suddenly heard. Both men stood up as the doors opened with a very happy Shoko. In her arms was a purple bundle with a hand sticking out. Mikhail took the bundle into his arms seeing the newborn's eyes screwed shut while waving it's fist in the air.
"It's another boy."
Haruto patted his friend's back while letting Nice look at the child. Nice immediately took hold of the child's hand causing the baby to laugh suddenly. The adults were surprised but then all laughed in joy as well. Mikhail suddenly went into the chamber to look at his wife. Lieselotte smiled tiredly but radiated herself from giving birth. He placed the child back into her hold and both smiled fondly over him. They wondered if the child would live a happy life of love.
xxx
Art turned out to look much more feminine then they had expected. The child had the face of an angel and really soft features. Upon announcing the child's birth he was announced as a princess by accident. It was a mistake they hadn't really bothered to fix yet due to Art's figure as well. Art could only fit into all of Lieselotte's princess clothing and was just too small for even the male baby prince clothing. Even Moral who was researcher confused his newborn sibling as a sister instead.
Eight months barely passed when Lieselotte announced she was pregnant once again. Haruto made a not to appropriate joke to his best friend only to earn a black eye. The silverette was not amused by the joke of course.
Nice turned out to be another interesting case. The boy had grown attached to Art and would not leave the child alone whenever they saw each other. Whenever Shoko and Haruto tried to leave Nice would immediately start a fit. Lieselotte found it rather cute and good distraction from her thoughts of her older son Moral.
She had noticed how her son would look at Nice like a specimen. At times she even saw him writing down notes of sorts in notepad. She knew Nice was a gifted child who was already walking and speaking at barely three months old. Though it is because he came from a line of magius and was a pure magius unlike Art and Moral.
Her children were Halflings due to their father being only a human even if at times he dint act like it. Magius were vampire like creatures who would feed on a specific human and drain runes from them. Only one line of purebred magiuses could exist and that was Haruto and Shoko due to being from the original line. Nice would be the only allowed purebred to exist from everyone else. However after making peace with humans the Halflings were being born without the need to feed from runes. Instead a few started developing minimums, which were rather rare abilities, which manifested with a specific action. In the case of Moral he had the transformation slash optical illusion minimum. Either way Lieselotte knew something was off with her oldest son.
After Art's first birthday It was born shortly afterwards. It was a joy for the family and their friends to have a new member. However like everything in the world the happiness cannot last for long. A tragedy soon occurred two weeks later.
Haruto watched Nice as he opened his arms to catch Art who had been hanging onto the monkey bars. The brunette narrowed his eyes whenever he noticed his soon just watching the other carefully.
"What's the matter?"
The sudden question broke Haruto away from his examining to look at Mikhail with It in his arms.
"Nothing. Just that Nice is rather overprotective of Art is all," admitted Haruto switching his attention back to the pair. Mikhail only hummed while sitting down. Currently Art, It, Lieselotte and himself were in royal garments. It fitted perfectly in Moral's old prince garments while Art continued only growing into his mother's clothing. They had even had to put the make up on the boy who didn't mind not seeing the difference in marks between his and his father's markings.
"Art isn't showing signs of a minimum." spoke Mikhail while watching his one year old who laughed at being carried piggyback style by Nice. Haruto gave a surprised look and sighed not liking his friend's worried tone. Most children showed signs of their abilities immediately or to be more truthful all Halflings had abilities.
"Well he will be like his hardworking dad."Haruto comforted knowing his friend to have suffered the same predicament. Mikhail gave Haruto a look before giving It over to him. He then turned his attention onto Art and Nice.
xxx
"So Art hasn't shown a minimum ability at all?" asked Shoko eating another lemon cake. Lieselotte nodded while drinking her tea slowly.
"He has ability potential but nothing happens. Moral is at the end of his wits." stated the queen grudgingly. She did not appreciate her eldest's attitude at all towards Art not manifesting ability. He could not accept the fact that one of his siblings dose not have ability. It wasn't right or fair in his opinion.
"Mikhail is human and he couldn't be a magius like us because he didn't fit the criteria. Yet he has accomplished far more then any living being in this earth," reasoned Shoko with some of her own irritation. She hated when people looked down on others just because they couldn't do the same thing as others. Lieselotte only nodded in agreement remembering when she met Mikhail as a child and unconsciously tugged at her hair a bit. She was a magius who had been put into a dying newborn's body and had fallen in love with a human.
"Then again Mikhail is the only one who can give runes to Haruto without losing his memories along with using runes to give energy to things. Maybe Art will be a source to Nice."Shoko suggested though it seemed rare due to Nice not needing to feed at all from runes since he was born. They were still trying to find out what his diet was exactly.
Mikhail was a rune source for Haruto who didn't forget his memories at all. When Haruto was chosen as the only pure magius Mikhail offered being a food source. Even so the silverette had many bite marks from both his best friend's and wife's needs being filled.
However meeting Shoko's eyes they both turned red upon thinking the same thoughts suddenly. They would never admit it to their husbands but they secretly paired them as a couple in some doujins. They would never admit of also drawing doujins and fics of their husbands either. Now their thoughts went to Nice and Art which wasn't one bit surprising.
"Shoko, we will see."
xxx
Nice once again was in a fit as he clung onto Art who patted his head in comfort with a smile. Haruto pulled his son away rather roughly causing the boy to scream even louder then before. The adults winced in unison of their eardrums bursting from the volume. Lieselotte and Mikhail waved their goodbyes. They watched the carriage slowly leave. Both sighed wishing they could help their friends in calming their child down but they had to wish them luck only.
Mikhail took It with him while Art held his own arms out to be held by Lieselotte. The pinkhaired smiled and lifted him up seeing how he looked like his father yet appeared just like her in some ways especially with the clothing and make up. Art yawned and snuggled into his mother's hold while closing his eyes.
Mikhail placed It into his pen and Lieselotte tucked Art into his bed. Right when they left the room a huge roaring sound was heard. It caused even the house to tremble to their horror. Looking through the window they saw a huge cloud of smoke. Not thinking twice they ordered the maid to watch the children while getting their horses. They felt like time was too slow and wished they could speed it up.
Mikhail and Lieselotte arrived to find the carriage completely destroyed. Shoko and Haruto were alive with their clothing torn and ripped. The magiuses were desperately looking through the wreckage. Mikhail shut his eyes in pain while Lieselotte covered her mouth and tried to keep the tears from coming out.
Nice didn't make it.
xxx
A man with long whit hair walked not that far from the wreckage. In his arms was an auburn haired child completely asleep. The man smiled while gently caressing the child's cheek.
"Nice-kun, you'll be my greatest masterpiece."