A/N: Well, due to the small drop on information that Sakura is a few months away from giving birth… wonder how Kagero is holding up? Would a Kitsune-hybrid develop faster? Will we see her kit? The answers? Well…
Who wants to see another 'child' unit? Oh, and this is going to be presented more in a sporadic time-skip 'aw, look at 'em grow up'-ish type of format.
Adding in a child unit list, because I have a feeling it might be needed. Format is the child's name, very general description (Father and Mother).
Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaty = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Utvseie = Feisty.
Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu.
Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.
Child Units: Artemis, forest green scales and eyes (Qsoeqat/Quacker and Hera).
Half-beastdragonsoul2013: Heh, some things never change, do they? *nods* I do like how relaxing these shorter chapters are, so much less pressure. Ohhhh yes… Sophie, starting off with the skill for 'Lethal Poison' and… actually for someone who's a clutz in canon, this might actually become an issue. Hm…
Well, Kim and canon Corrin do share a lot of quirks… heck, canon Corrin's personality can be seen across all the female Dragon Squad. Yeah… I think I can safely say Kim won't be kissing or giving Silas some head.
Dandaman5: Yes! I finally found the opportunity to get a good way for Jakob to re-enter the 'game'. You gotta give the guy some props, surviving for this long without a steady job.
Consort: It's nice to see Jakob alive and… well, soon-to-be healthy. Hm… well, this time he was actually fired, instead of having Corrin stand up for him. So, Silas and Kim will speak up to have him hired again, and I'm sure that these much nicer Royals will give him the extra encouragement he needs.
Ah-ha! I wonder who else forgot about the Yato! I didn't even bother mentioning it during the final battle against Nyx. Kim simply prefers what she was raised with, her draconic heritage… however! Silas did mention that Kim apparently has extreme potential in swords, thanks to her human heritage, so… maybe we'll see a chapter with Kim sparring using a sword?
As a retainer, Kagero had sworn an oath to her liege, High Prince Ryoma, to be there for him whenever he may call. An oath that extended to her very life, one to do whatever is required, even if not asked. She would bloody her hands if it meant his stayed clean. The same is true for Saizo. However… there is one key difference between her and Saizo. Kagero is still very much a woman, and she can no longer call herself only a retainer whose life is sworn to her liege…
But a mother, who has a duty to raise her ch… kit. Unlike any other human pregnancy, Kagero gave birth nearly three months sooner… faster than a human, but slower than a Kitsune. The kit was named Kanzō, and within mere seconds of sight, she has become Kagero's world. Kanzō is Kagero's only link to Kaden, after all… especially since Selkie lives all the way near the border mountains of Nohr and Hoshido.
While she proudly shows her Kitsune heritage, with a furred body, ears, and a fluffy tail… unlike her late father, her fur is primarily black, like Kagero's hair. There is a white streak of fur on her stomach, which extends from her chest to her core… while the tips of her ears and tail are both the vibrant orange that Kaden and Selkie are known to have. Her eye color is a very striking gold, too… almost seeming to glow.
Kagero has been given several years of leave… or more accurately 'less-restrictive' retainer duty. Why? Because even with the inclusion of a daughter, she cannot simply stop doing what she has been doing for years. It's just that her priorities have… shifted.
Kagero woke up with a startle, "Kanzō?" She asks, noting that her kit isn't curled up beside her right now. "Kanzō?" She calls out, and a few seconds after, she hears a yip. "Where are you at, dear?" She gets out of her bed. "Kanzō?" Another yip, this time from on high. "Wh…?" She looks up and sees her kit walking…
On top of the bed frame.
"Kanzō, down. Now." She firmly states. "Don't make momma come up there." Another yip, and she looks down, contemplating… "Three… two…" Kanzō slips off the small railing and Kagero is there to catch her before she even fell a few inches. Kanzō whines and Kagero holds her close. "Shh, dear… I'm here for you." Kanzō licks her mother's clothed breast, "Hold on…" She pulls the modded clothing down, "There."
Another, much more happy yip as she delves straight for her nipple. Her tail is wagging… she has yet to exit her Kitsune form since birth, and well…
The Beastrune is within a special locked box… and of course, since Kagero is an expert Ninja herself, she made sure that this box could only be opened by her… even Saizo can't figure it out. Kagero had asked Princess Velouria if it's safe to give such a young offspring a Beastrune, and there was only one answer… Lady Velouria didn't know. No beastfolk does… that's just how rare they are. So, due to motherly concern, Kagero had instead decided to have Kanzō start with a Beaststone.
Power can be a dangerous concept and she refuses to simply give her daughter so much so soon. She will make sure that Kanzō understands the implications and potential consequences to wielding such power. It needs to be tempered with patience and wisdom.
Kagero looks down as she feels the licking stop… and sees that Kanzō now has her maw right up to her nipple, though she had already fallen asleep in that position. Kagero can feel her gentle breathing, energy already spent from that short burst. "Oh, my dear little kit." The Ninja lightly laughs and walks back to her bed, lies down with Kanzō on her chest. "Sleep well, my daughter." She strokes her fur for about a minute before going back to rest.
Several months pass and it just hits Kagero how quickly a kit grows, relative to a human. Kanzō has already started to figure things out and gods… her curiosity is something else entirely. "Kanzō? Where are you?!" The door was closed, the door was locked, but her kit still managed to get out! A servant had to have accidentally let her out, there's no other way! "Kanzō? Momma is calling you, come back!" She rushes through the hallways, as alert as she would be in any serious assignment. She lets out an aggravated sigh after several cleared hallways, "Kanzō! Come back here this instant!" She raises her voice.
Then she feels a nip on her back leg. Kagero quickly turns around to see Kanzō directly behind her, tilting her head, as is confused. "Where were you?!" The Ninja quickly asks as she picks up her kit. "I've been looking for you!"
Kanzō whimpers, why does she look so… Kagero looks beyond her half-Kitsune daughter and sees a small, almost unnoticeable trail of black fur leading up to here. "Were you… were you following me?" She asks in disbelief. Confusion fades and her fluffy chest fills with pride. "How?! I didn't even hear you!" Kanzō yips in response. She sighs, "Please, don't sneak around momma like that, you really had me worried." Another yip. "You're still my precious girl, you know that?" A third yip, accompanied by licking her face. "Aw, yes… you're so cute!" Her tail starts wagging very quickly.
Gods, how can she stay upset with a face like that looking at her?
"Momma! Momma!" Kanzō has grown very quickly and her Kitsune form is not that far from being as large as Selkie's. Her human form is around the late-child stage, probably landing close to the young-teenager age. Now, while her Kitsune form hasn't really changed much, her human? Gods, she's already becoming such a beautiful young lady. She's keeping her fur properly groomed, after all. Unlike Selkie, she has 'normal hair' growing on her head, which makes it look more like a mane. This 'mane' runs down her back and ends at about her tail. Strangely, her Kitsune form lacks this 'mane'.
Though, she does outright lack breasts even in her human form. Mammary glands for both forms.
She flashes a smile, showing off her sharp canines. "Hello, my dear daughter." Kagero opens her arms and hugs her. "How have you been?"
"Awesome!" Her voice screeches for a half-second. "Yip, doing great!" Another truly strange quirk is that her 'yipping' from her time as a kit hasn't left her, so she randomly 'yips' at times, though it isn't frequent. Her tail is wagging. "How have you been, momma?"
"I've been doing well, dear." The embrace ends.
"Momma? I wanna be like you, a sneaky Ninja!" She smiles, "Can you teach me?"
"Kanzō, Ninja training isn't something to play around with. This is a very serious matter." She firmly states, but also not trying to discourage her. "Besides, you're a Kitsune, you should embrace your heritage."
Her tail stops wagging, sorrow enters her form. "Adaptability is a necessity of life. It would be for the betterment of the Kitsunes if we could do more than what we know by instinct." And in just a half-moment, Kanzō is wiser than most her age. "I understand the trials that I will have to undergo, I have done my research, momma. I want to prove that I can be the best. I want to prove that I'm worthy of being powerful."
It… almost breaks Kagero's heart to hear such a mature manner of speech from her daughter like that. A thin smile forms and she nods, "Very well, Kanzō. We will start tomorrow… but today? Spend the rest of your day being a child. You won't stay as such for long."
"Yes, momma!" And just like that, playfulness re-enters her tone. "I'm gonna find Lady Velouria and play with her!" She giggles as she runs off.
"Please… don't grow up so fast, Kanzō." A brief frown forms.
Kagero is sitting aside her liege, sharing lunch with the others in this room. Right now, Saizo is patrolling and her dear Kanzō is traveling around the room, trying to better her own skills. Kagero keeps a frequent eye on her… gods know she's already scared enough people already. "She'll be fine, Kagero." Her liege comments.
"Kanzō is determined, milord. I'm thinking she's going to try and do something… extreme." The female Ninja retainer replies.
"Like?"
She takes a moment to consider it. "I'm… unsure. I'm afraid she doesn't know her own limits." No, that's a lie. She's noted that Kanzō had passed by a location relatively close to Saizo several times now. Kagero knows Saizo well enough and she knows he would notice that kind of repeated behavior. What is she planning to do?
"Relax, Kagero. Enjoy your meal."
"...Yes, milord." She nods, gets a spoonful of stew and… stops. Kanzō is now chatting with Saizo?! Like with her male counterpart, Kagero is eyeing Kanzō over… could this really just be a chat? No, it couldn't be, her body language is too stiff and… she nods, turns around sharply, walks away, and then comes over to sit by Kagero with a recently acquired bowl of stew.
"Hello, mother." She smiles.
"What were you thinking?! That's not…" She harshly whispers.
"You missed it, then." Kanzō bluntly states. "I have more than hands at my disposal, mother." She takes a spoonful of stew.
"I don't…" Kagero starts, but then thinks it over. More than hands? What else could she use?
"My tail is a bit ruffled… would you mind brushing it, mother?" She calmly hands a brush over.
Wait, did she really…? Kagero keeps her calm as she brushes Kanzō's tail fur and… "Gods." She can't help but mutter.
"I know what I was doing. You're too used to looking over humans." Her voice comes out a bit disconnected. "He only watched my hands and pockets… never bothered to look at my tail." She shrugs with a smile. "Did I do well, mother?"
And as Kagero grips the heated metallic shuriken out of her daughter's tail, she nods. "You did well, dear." A specially forged shuriken, enchanted with heat… ones that Saizo custom orders.
The other retainer remains clueless until much later, when he notices one of his shurikens are missing...
It has now been a year since Kanzō has been birthed and she's already more than capable of being independent. "Dear?" Kagero gently asks after she had her brought to the retainer's room. "I have something very important to share today."
Kanzō sits cross-legged on the bed, she's wearing a highly modified version of the typical Ninja garb. Since her Kitsune heritage provides naturally tougher skin, she's able to skip out on wearing the whole thing. She has just a mere sash for some extra shurikens and a dagger. She has a chestguard, but that's more so the rest of her human form's white chest fur is hidden with a layer of black leather. Lastly, she has three wraps that are saved for missions, all black cloth which goes over the tips of her ears and tail. When this whole set is on and if you happen to make eye contact at the dead of night?
All you'll see is two golden orbs staring back at you.
In fact, it's due to this and the fact that Kanzō is more active at night that there have been rumors of a 'golden-eye demon' and more than a fair share of terrified workers. Granted, the castle knows that this 'demon' is actually just Kanzō, but still… gods forbid you end up on her 'to-do' list, even if it's just a delivery.
Kanzō is quickly becoming the image of what a Ninja should be. Quick, silent, deadly… she can also jump high, land softly, pick locks, the list goes on. She was trained by Kagero herself, after all, but still… it can be unnerving when a teenager far surpasses the adults, or more accurately…
When she can sneak up and steal something from Saizo, who has since surpassed Kagero during her pregnancy.
Kanzō carefully watches Kagero as she pulled out a special container, one she very firmly told to never open. "Since momma will have to go back to being a full-time retainer tomorrow…"
Kanzō's tail is still and she tilts her head, "Yes, momma?"
"What is power?" She suddenly asks, going through the numerous loops and gimmicks with this lockbox.
"Power is special, it is something that must be wielded with wisdom and patience. Too much can corrupt a person, power…"
"You are aware of the power you hold?" It came out more as a statement.
"I am, momma. I terrified the staff when I was just starting out as a Ninja. I did not take into consideration how I appear." Regret enters her voice, but only because she lets it… because when she has to, she can sound emotionless… almost on the level of that woman Kagero interrogated over a year ago. Beruka, was it?
"Of your heritages?"
"I am half human and half Kitsune. Papa was one of the few who obtained Nine-tails without the aid of a Beastrune. Papa pushed for peace and even made bonds with Prince Keaton." She nods.
"...and if you ever choose to take up the oath of a retainer?"
"That I would give my everything for my liege. I will do whatever is required for their survival, even at my own life." There it is, emotionless.
However, Kagero cracks. A sniffle escapes her. "Alright, daughter…" She breathes in. "Here." She hands the now unlocked box to her. "This was Kaden's. It was given to me due to tradition, but since I'm not Kitsune myself… it's for you."
Kanzō accepts the box, then opens it… her breath catches, "A… Beastrune?" It glows brightly, kept perfectly shiny. "Momma…"
"I couldn't just give it to you at birth, so I had a Beaststone requisitioned instead. I decided that I would give you the Beastrune, but only when I believed you were ready…" She takes another breath, "Kanzō, dear? This Beastrune is yours now. Take the best care of it."
"Papa…" A slight whimper exits her, before she gently places the box and Beastrune down, then clutches her mother in a tight hug. "Thank you, momma. I love you so much…" She cries. "Can… can I spend the rest of the day with you? Can we… talk about papa? You always light up and smile the best when we talk about papa."
"Of course, my dear Kanzō." The two move to sit on her bed, "We can talk about Kaden." A smile forms. "Let's start from the beginning, after Lady Corrin had returned to us…"
A/N: Well… after teasing and hinting at it for so long… here she is! The daughter of Kaden and Kagero… Kanzō! Now, for the name? Well, this was done with Google Translate, so take it with a grain of salt… Kanzō is the Japanese word for Licorice. However… this is in reference for the medicine instead of the candy, but… I liked the name. So, just know that I'm referring to the candy (black color, obviously).
Ermahgerd! I love how Kanzō came out! And with this collage method, I was able to get in a fair amount of personality into her, unlike Artemis! I've made a lot of hybrids who prefer their beast/dragon heritage over their human… so Kanzō is the opposite. Instead of focusing on being a Kitsune, she trains more as a human… becoming a Ninja, while also using her Kitsune heritage to better her Ninja skills.
Now, just imagine being on one of those servants' ends... it's the dead of night, you're washing and cleaning... and you see a shadow dash past. It was only for a split second, but when the head turns, you literally only see a pair of intense golden eyes staring back at you, since the rest of the body blends into the darkness...
Kanzō, black fur with white patches, orange tips and golden eyes (Kaden and Kagero)