Kiva 19: The Kids' Adventure
"Alright, just a little more." I said, as I was at my desk, polishing something with a polish cloth before finally finishing it. "Yosh, Lucia's present is done." I grinned, holding it up for me to see. It was a golden mask, shaped somewhat like Kiva's emblem. But why did I make this you ask? Well, little Lucia's birthday is coming up and I wanna give the best birthday present to my favorite niece.
"Didn't expect the day the old bat polishes something other than paperwork." Saigo teased, leaning his elbow on my desk, looking at the mask.
"Yeah, you said it, Brains." Secretary Anna agreed, sitting next to him as the two took a sip from their drinks with a straw. "Even though I provided most of the materials for him in the first place."
"And why exactly are you two here?" I deadpanned with a twitching eyebrow.
"What? It's not everyday we get to see you being happy, y'know?" Saigo pointed out.
"I always remember "GAAAAH!" or whatever roar you came up with while throwing papers in the air." Anna teased, mimicking my scream. "And you were totally annoyed by the fact that your wife ain't here to calm you down, too."
"Let's not forget thatbCordy's pregnant with their third kid." Saigo reminded. "She's already got her hands full."
"Remember that, batty. Don't make Cordy snap again." Anna teased, winking playfully. "A maiden's feelings are as fragile as glass, especially when a girl is pregnant. No warranty can save your butt from her wrath, like last time!"
"Yeah I know, I know…" I sighed heavily.
"Oh, Anna. Let's not forget how much his granddaughter is being too clingy to him." Saigo added.
"Ah! That's right!" Anna gasped, pretending to be surprised. "If Louise hears there are other favorites other than her, she'll be super pouty!"
"Omaera…" I growled, putting the mask down and cracking my knuckles… very loudly.
"Daddy, are you sure… you wanna do that?" Severa asked, as I noticed her at Saigo's table, already holding the hilt of her stick. "You do know Mom told me to keep you in check, right?"
"Well, tell these two to quit teasing me…" I grumbled. "It's bad enough that your Mom's not around at the moment and these two are making it worse…"
"We're already done with the paperwork," Saigo pointed out, as Severa pointed at the table, where stacks of paper were already done.
"And weren't you supposed to finish yours by noon?" Anna happily patted my leftover stacks of paper near her. "You don't wanna get scolded by those barons again, do ya?"
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"I'll leave the rest to you Saigo, bye!" I shouted before quickly running out of the room with my present in tow.
"NOT SO FAST, DADDY!"
Damn it, Severa! How did you catch me like this?! And she managed to catch me by clutching on the back of my shirt effortlessly.
"Until you finish your paperwork, I'm keeping you in here!" Severa retorted.
"Whelp, see ya' later, Kuro!" Saigo waved happily, as he and Anna headed out.
"Hey, Brains! I think today's chicken soup and steamed sweet potatoes day."
"Oh, Kuro's fav!" Saigo grinned before the two left us.
"…" Severa crossed her arms, glaring at me. Pointing her stick at me, she commanded one word. "Get."
"Hai…" I slumped in defeat, knowing there's no way I could escape her wrath.
By late afternoon, after dealing with the whole shenanigan of those barons and whatever that was left, I realized that I was late for the party! Gah, dammit Severa! Why you gotta do this to me?! I'm late to the party because of you and now Lucia is gonna be mad at me for being late!
Oh, just so you know, I requested Chrom to let Lucia stay with us in Plegia for a few years, just so that she could keep Serena company, being her classmate and all. In return, I let Serena stay with him for the same thing, after the two finished their primary studies here in Plegia.
"Mmmmmmm…" Lucia pouted, crossing her arms while puffing her cheeks.
"Now, now, sweetie! Let's not get pouty!" Lissa perked up. "Kuro might be stuck in his office for trying to run away again."
"Does he really hate those papers?" Chrom asked.
"To a fault, I might add." Emmeryn said. "I remember him requesting my help on some papers he cannot comprehend."
"Well, he's still immature in terms of kingship." Cordelia defended. "He's not proper royalty, due to living as a commoner before returning here. I can understand his hardship."
"That may be, but he needs to learn and adapt quickly to living as a noble." Frederick said. "I must admit that he is quite challenging. Virion and Maribelle have kept trying to teach brother-in-law proper etiquette, but he flees the scene every chance he gets."
"Hence, why Severa keeps him in check." Chrom pointed out.
"Yep. There's no way Bubbles can run away from her. She knows his weak point." Gaius chowed down on his cake.
"Come now, all of you, why must you be so harsh on him?" Cordelia sighed.
"I believe Saigo calls it 'tough love'?" Frederick said.
"Goodness… I really hope Uncle quickly adapts to his new surroundings. If not, who knows what will happen." Lucina said, worried. "I might be worried if there are other barons trying to take advantage of his lack of attention."
"Speaking of which, how's the baby coming along, Cordelia?" Sumia asked. "Has he started kicking yet?"
"A little bit." Cordelia smiled, rubbing her stomach. "It's still a long way, though."
"Yeah, like a few more months." Lissa said, before giggling. "I can still remember how Kuro jumped his pants off after knowing he's finally getting a son. I guess all of his efforts paid off, huh?"
"Y-Yes…" Cordelia blushed a bit, looking away.
"Aww, don't be like that, Cordelia." Sumia cheered. "You should be happy. Both of you worked hard for this."
"Believe me, I'm happy as well. It's just…" Cordelia trailed off before looking at them with a pout. "I hope all of you wouldn't make the same kind of jokes every time we have a child."
"Why would we wanna do that?" most of them said in unison.
"Oh come now, you should know." Cordelia pouted harder. "His Fangire blood is not something to joke about, especially when it comes to… to…"
"But you seemed very happy about it." Lissa teased, making her blush heavier.
"See?! This is exactly what I'm talking about!" She huffed, stomping her foot.
"Calm down, dear. Keep your temper in check." Nee-san said. "We do not want to put much stress on the child, no?"
"Y-Yes… of course…"
"And as for you all…" Melissa turned to the others and 'smiled'. "Say something about otouto… I dare you."
"…" None of them could really say anything, seeing her like that.
"That's what I thought." Nee-san said as her dark aura disappeared.
"Hm?" Kaa-san looked to one side, hearing footsteps from afar.
"Ah! Daddy!" Serena perked up, seeing me rushinto the throne room.
"Yaaaaay!" little Morgana and Louise perked up, seeing me.
"Kurogasa, about this plan we discussed the other day." Miriel followed, showing me her next project in hand while running alongside me. "Regarding this… "Touchpad" you proposed…"
"Miriel, not now… I'll look at it later…" I groaned as I slowly walked over. "Dammit… if only Severa hadn't used that stick… ow…"
"Is your gluteus maximus aching?" Miriel got out, fixing her glasses. "Shall I ask my husband to prepare his experimented remedies again?"
"NO THANK YOU!" I yelled, then looked to the others. "Hey… ow…"
"Overkill?" Saigo summed up.
"Shaddap. You practically left me to die in there with her…" I grumbled.
"If only you paid attention to your papers, maybe Severa wouldn't keep you in there for a long time." Saigo added.
"It's no wonder why you took so long, huh, Father?" Morgan asked.
"And on Lucia's birthday of all days…" I sighed, with slumped shoulders.
"Speaking of Lucia…" Chrom added, pointing to the heavy pouting Lucia.
"I know…" I sighed again before walking over to her. "Hey Lucia…" I smiled sadly.
"Hmph!" Lucia huffed, looking away.
"Ara~, she's angry~," Alice absentmindedly replied.
"I know you're mad at me for being late… I'm sorry… believe me I wanted to be here too." I said. "I don't want you to stay mad on your birthday. It's supposed to be a happy day. A day to celebrate you being given life, a life that's being shared by those who care for and love you, especially me."
"Mmmnnn…" she remained pouty, but not as much as she was, knowing she cares about me, just like Lucina.
"Besides, I prepared something especially for you." I said, presenting the gift and handed it to her. "Here, it's for you."
Instantaneously, her face turned bright, happily receiving it.
"One thing's for sure, he knows how to handle kids." Chrom commented.
"For me, Uncle?!" Lucia asked excitedly.
"Mhmm. Go on, open it." I encouraged. Lucia wasted no time, opening up my gift and when she did, her eyes widened.
"Oh my… isn't that…?" Lucina noticed.
"Isn't that your mask, Sis?" Cynthia noticed too.
"Yes but… it's different at the same time. Almost like…"
"He combined yours with Kiva's emblem." Gerome cut in.
"Waaaaaaaaahhhh!" Lucia's happy expression said it all, before hugging me. "Thank you, Uncle!"
"It's like mine!" Serena got out, before she quickly headed off elsewhere.
"Hm? Serena, where are you going, my sweet?" Kaa-san asked, following her grandchild.
"Ara… Serena-chan is in a hurry." Nee-san blinked.
"Mmmmmmm…" for some reason, Louise and Morgana pouted… before the two joined the hug. "Daddy/Gwampa!"
"Here we go again," Akane-chan shook her head.
"Like Chrom said, he's good with kids… girls, that is." Lissa giggled, as I ended up tumbling on my back.
While the chaos ensued, Lucia tried the mask on, and luckily, it fits well on her face. She waved her head a few times, to make sure it stayed there. Cecilia looked at her big sister and she was in awe. "Big sister is like superhero!"
"Really?!" Lucia gasped happily.
"Ha~i!" Alice replied.
"…" Lucina could only smile, seeing Lucia wearing the mask.
"Lucina, is something wrong?" Gerome asked.
"It's nothing, my love." Lucina assured. "It's just… I remember receiving that mask when I was a child, but it's not from Kurogasa, at the time. It was from my father, long before armageddon loomed…"
"…" Gerome didn't say anything, but slipped his hand with hers, holding onto them with a small smile on his maskless face.
"Father, I want a mask, too." Andy looked at Storm.
"Ahahahahaha…" Storm could only laugh nervously, still holding his sleeping daughter, Elie, in hand.
"Gwampaaaaa/Daddyyyyyyyyyy!" both my kid and grandkid snuggled on me, trying to get my attention.
"Hee, hee… it's rare to see him being taken down by his loved ones." Cordelia giggled.
"Yeah, he just can't beat 'em," Akane-chan smirked.
"All I know is that the female Kiva residence is the only thing he can't seem to beat." Cherche commented.
"Most of the time." Chrom added, chuckled.
"Dear me, Serena. Why are you wearing it like that?" I heard Kaa-san, as Serena entered, with her own mask and… a cape? And she had her toy sword on her side.
"What… is she doing?" Aqua-chan sweat dropped.
"Adventure time!" Serena perked up.
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"Adventure time!" Lucia replied, followed by Morgana and Alice.
"Huh?" I said confused. Seeing the kids running out to the garden is all I could see right now. "Where are they going?"
At the garden, where there wasn't much people, the masked duo and their companions ran at the table, where Owen and Azure noticed. "Oh?" Owen got out.
"W-What are they doing?" the shy Azure asked.
"Azure! Owen! Adventure time!" Serena and Lucia perked up.
"A-Adventure time?" Azure stuttered.
"We have a mission!" Serena said.
"Ah, our time has come!" Owen immediately got into his act. "Tell me, fellow heroeines, what is our daunting task at hand?"
"Um, uh…" Lucia pondered, looking around to look for something. When she located a certain half naked man eating a large drumstick, she drew out her toy sword and pointed at him. "We shall defeat that big giant!"
"Giant?" Vaike blinked, looking around before pointing at himself. "Me?"
"Ara~, he's very big~!" Alice added, taking out her water gun.
"Better start running," Sully smirked.
"Are ya' kidding, woman? The Teach ain't runnin'!" Vaike smirked, playing along his role. "If you kids wanna save the cake behind me, y'all must go through me!"
"Ah! Big meanie!" Lucia exclaimed.
"We must stop him from taking big sister's cake!" Cecilia added, drawing out her long stick.
"Hey Salome, beat your dad up." Sully smirked.
"Yes ma'am!"
"WHAT?!" Vaike gawked. "Why are you havin' our kid gang up on me?!"
"You're the giant. So, you need to be cut down to size." Sully smirked.
While the chaos ensued, I walked out, alongside with my wife who wanted to know what kind of adventure they're having. "Oh hey, Kuro! Your kids are having a random adventure again!" Nowi said happily.
"Yes, something about saving cake from Vaike." Gregor added.
"They're having a lot of fun, aren't they?" Kellam spoke out, scaring the crap out of me. "What? I was here, the whole time."
"You really need to stop that. I thought Panne was teaching you how to make yourself more noticeable." I sighed.
"Well… I tried…" Kellam said.
"But looks like Vaike knows how to play his role very well." Tiki giggled, seeing my kids were having a fun time, while Vaike played the role of a giant and already holding his kid on his arms. "As long as he is aware of his surroundings."
"'Cause he's gonna collide with the cake behind 'em! Ehehehehe!" Henry giggled.
"Nooooooooooooooooo!" Gaius cried out, trying to save the cake as he actually dove for it.
"Ugh… kids…" Tharja groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Huh?" Vaike looked behind him, noticing Gaius actually saving it. "You okay, Gaius?"
"Phew… yeah I'm good…" Gaius sighed in relief.
"YAAAAAAH!" Cecilia cried out as she placed her stick in between Vaike's legs and-
*WHACK!*
"OH GODS NO!" Vaike wailed, as he let his daughter down then holding onto his crotch, before falling down.
"We did it!" Lucia cheered and the kids cheered happily. "We won!"
"Heh… looks like we won't be having fun nights for a while." Sully smirked.
"Oh c'mon Sully! This is not funny!" Vaike wheezed.
"Really? I find it hilarious."
"Hee, hee… seems like our children are very happy, aren't they, anata?" Cordelia smiled, seeing Serena happy of her victory. But for some reason, all of us guys subconsciously placed our hands between our crotches too, somehow feeling Vaike's pain. "Hm? Anata, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing. I-It's just somehow all of us feel Vaike's pain…" I laughed nervously.
"Is that s- oh!" she gasped, getting my attention.
"What's wrong?!" I panicked. "Is the baby okay?! Do you need help from Liz?!"
"Calm down…" she giggled, taking my hand and placed it on her stomach. "Here."
"Eh?" I blinked, feeling her stomach before I felt a bump. "He kicked." I noticed.
"Yes." she smiled. "It's faint, but it's there. I think we'll be having a very healthy son, much like Serena and Morgana."
"Yeah."
Night time arrived and after the party, and tucking my kids and grandkids to sleep, I placed Lucia on her bed, tucking her in with the blanket on her as I placed her mask on her nightstand. "Happy Birthday, Lucia…" I whispered before kissing her forehead. Lucia squirmed a bit before snuggling deeper into her pillow. With a smile, I quietly left the room and closed the door. Though when I turned around, I saw Lucina standing there.
"Is she asleep now, Uncle?"
"She is."
"That's good. I can let Father and Mother know."
"I'm sure that's not all you came here for," I smirked as she and I walked down the hallway.
"You see through me, Uncle. As expected of Kiva." Lucina smiled. "That mask you gave her…"
"What about it?"
"It… brought back old memories." she recalled. "Though, it was Father who gave it to me, while in this present day, it was you who gave it to her."
"Huh?"
"That mask seems to be the only reason why I managed to get this far, other than Falchion." Lucina began. "Somehow, seeing that mask… it feel nostalgic, yet… at the same time, there is a sharpened pain in my heart…"
"Lucina…" I muttered, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay now… your younger self now has a brighter future. We did that after defeating Grima, didn't we?"
"Y-Yes… that's what we promised one another…" she got out, wiping off a tear in her left eye. "I'm sorry… for making you see this side of me…"
"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed about." I smiled, "You're here with us. You're living the future you've earned. So enjoy it."
"Yes, you're right…" she smiled, as we continued to walk along the hall. "I was thinking…"
"Hm?"
"Is it possible where someday… those kids would be having their own adventure?" Lucina asked, which got me thinking a bit. "I mean, after hearing the tales from us, wouldn't it stir their curiosity?"
"I'm sure it would. Granted, these things will be drastically different than now, once they step into the world. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. It came to mind, is all." Lucina assured, as both of us stopped. "Well, we've reached your room. Mine is up ahead."
"Yeah." I said, but then Lucina leaned up and… kissed my cheek? "L-Lucy?"
"Thank you, Uncle… for talking to me. And good night." she smiled with a faint blush before walking away, leaving me bewildered as to what has gotten into her.
Either way, I should really focus on Cordelia. When I entered the room, there she was pouting, while sitting on her bed. "You're late."
And she's in her mood swing. Better watch my words carefully.
"Sorry, I was tucking Lucia in." I smiled sheepishly.
"So, she's more important than me, huh?" she pouted, with tears threatening to fall out from her eyes.
"W-What? No," I waved my hands frantically. "Both of you are important to me."
"Both?"
"You and our kid inside of you." I said, kneeling before her while taking her hand.
"O-Oh…" she got out, blushing a bit. I guess Virion's quips does help in certain situations. "H-How can I be so sure of your words, Kurogasa?"
"Because if I ever got caught, Severa's wrath would be my end."
"Hee, hee…" she giggled, which I knew I hit her soft spot. "I guess she'd do that, considering how you always were, my old bat."
And that's the signal where her mood swings end. Man, it's very random, but good thing this one lasted for a moment.
"Yeah, no kidding." I sighed. "Especially after today… I felt bad being late though."
"Yes, Severa told me everything." Cordelia sighed. "Honestly,you should focus what's at hand than what you're currently doing. Despite Saigo still having a year's worth of paperwork punishment, he still does it without a hassle. You might learn something from him."
"Of what? Constant teasing? I'm still mad at him for coining that title of King of Bats…"
"No, you silly bat…" she giggled. "Planning ahead. Despite the odds stacked against him, quite literally if I may add, he still made time with Alice and Emmeryn, and also Athena's visit from time to time. Don't you feel envious of that?"
"Admittedly, I am…" I said. "Being King is a lot harder than I thought…"
"Well, you are getting there." she assured. "Remember what Mother said: be the tortoise, not the hare."
"Right right, slow and steady wins the race…"
"Well now, we should get some rest. Tomorrow is my checkup with Lissa."
"Right, let me help you with that." I said, quickly getting the pillows.
"Oh?" she blinked, as I was very cautious. "Oh my, who taught you this?"
"Believe it or not, Olivia." I said. "When she was pregnant with Azure, she had constant aches all over her body and asked Virion about getting extra pillows. She tried it out by placing them in different spots on her body. Lots of failures, of course, but she managed and got a comfortable sleep. She taught me this, since you and I… well, 'get along' with one another."
"She must be quite daring on her part." Cordelia blinked, as I helped her rest on her side, letting her lean on the pillows. "My, this is pretty comforting. I didn't know these pillow placings would work. I don't feel as much aches around my waist. Though, I still feel like there's something missing."
"Huh?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. My personal hugging pillow." she giggled.
"Ehehe…" I chuckled weakly. "Well, if you insist." I then laid next to her and she wrapped her arms around me.
"Hm…" she pouted. "I can't get my arms around you. The bump stopped me…"
"Then turn around."
"Hm?"
"Ii-kara, Ii-kara."
Cordelia did as told and once she got comfortable, I pressed myself against her back and wrapped my arms around her. "Better?"
"Since when did my husband get so daring?" she giggled, correcting my arms around her waist, just above her swollen stomach. "Careful, you might press our son out too early."
"I know." I said, resting my head behind hers.
"Also, did you notice?"
"What?"
"For some reason, your Fangire lust seems to be on hold while I'm pregnant." she pointed out. "Have you ever noticed that?"
"Actually… no I didn't." I said. "I wonder why…"
"Maybe perhaps you're producing an heir that would inherit the Fangire throne?" she asked.
"You think so?"
"Perhaps. When I was pregnant with Morgana, you… were suddenly highly aware. The usual Fangire side stopped emerging for a while and you haven't taken your usual initiatives like you used to."
"Huh… I never thought of it that way…"
"Mother told me since she's the first one that noticed." she added. "And so did Severa, because whenever we 'let it out', it bugs her, saying her blood boils for unknown reasons. I daresay Morgan might be affected by this, as well."
"Hmmm…" I pondered. "Well… I hope whatever it is, it won't be bad for us later on."
"Despite what others might say about us, I still like that part of you. It makes me feel a bit… naughty." she blushed a bit. "All thanks to you."
"Now who's the one acting up?" I sweat dropped.
"My own lovely old bat." she giggled.
"Oi!"
Years into the future…
"That takes care of this thief." the masked girl said, as two boys tied the bandits up.
"Didn't expect we'd captured them all, didn't we?" the blonde dark mage added.
"And we don't even need to use our armors too." the handsome man replied.
"Halt." a commanding voice said, getting the three's attention. The three of them noticed three figures of authority on their mounts, with soldiers behind them. A Paladin, a Malig Knight, and a Dark Knight.
"You're late. We already subdued these idiots." the masked girl said.
"Oh? Just the three of you against the whole group?" the Malig Knight asked.
"Impossible." the Dark Knight frowned. "It'd take a whole lot more than just the three of you."
"We're telling the truth, that's all there is to it." the handsome man replied honestly.
"Hm? Then, why the secrecy of your identity, young lady?" the Malig Knight said. "Do you plan to keep your identity hidden from us, the royal family?"
"My reasons are my own." The masked girl replied. "Besides, I'd rather not fight you lot."
"A wise decision." the eldest prince nodded. "Then, are you by chance, mercenaries for hire?"
"And if we are?" The blonde Dark Mage asked.
"I would like to propose to you to work directly under us."
The three looked at each other, thinking of the deal. "Well, you did say you need to find a place for Shoo-chan to land, right?" the blonde mage whispered to her.
"I can't exactly reveal my status, you idiot…" The masked girl hissed.
"At the very least, we don't really have to force Shoo-chan to constantly fly back and forth." the handsome man proposed. "Think about it, dear cousin. If we were to at least secure land, Shoo-chan's energy would be reserved by a big margin. I know Shoo-chan can easily come to our place with your Fuestle, but finding a place to return to is a bit hard."
"Hm…" the masked girl pondered. "Well, I'll take your word for it. I don't really want to tire out Shoo-chan. I mean, despite the major makeover like Daddy's Castle Doran, he's still technically a young dragon…"
"Wise choice of words, cousin!" the blonde mage perked.
"Does anyone understand what they're saying?" the purple princess asked.
"It's not Hoshidan, that's for sure." the young prince noticed.
"Perhaps they are foreigners…" the eldest prince added.
The masked girl then looked to the royal family, "We'll accept your offer. What are your names if I may ask?"
"My name is Xander, the eldest prince of Nohr." Xander introduced himself. Looking at the handsome man, he asked, "I ask you, young foreigner. What is your name?"
"My name is Laslow, your highness." Azure, now dubbed Laslow, introduced.
"You there." the young prince asked, pointing at the blonde mage. "What is your name that shall be my retainer of Leo, young prince of Nohr?"
"I am Odin!" Owen, now dubbed Odin, started, with his theatrical act, much to the masked girl's dismay. "Odin Dark! The two of us are fellow cousins to this masked lady!"
"R-Right…" Leo sweat dropped.
"And what is your name, sweetie?" The purple-haired princess smiled. The moment the masked girl removed her mask, the princess noticed how beautiful she really was. "Oh my… aren't you quite a catch?"
"W-What's that supposed to mean?" She blushed, looking away. "Don't tell you actually… swing that way…"
"Why, of course not." the purple princess giggled. "I already have someone in mind, and he's very important to me more than anything. But to be honest, I did not expect such a beautiful girl like you to fight in this harsh land. Oh, forgive me. I am Princess Camilla. What is your name, young lady?"
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"It's Selena."
