When they made land, the duo looked to each other, Hades realizing that this was likely it. They could track down this guy in the red suit and strike him down and get their friends back. Hopefully this experience was rather humbling for them, and they found themselves much more approachable. At least, that's what Hades wanted.
They took a minute to bid farewells to the Signers and their families, Ankh and Hades saluting Lars with hand signs that drew glances from the adults, something that they all found rather unusual. Hades couldn't bring himself to speak to Okami, still angry at himself for showing her that angered side of him. Even in battle he never usually donned his armor or brandished his weapon, but he was so greatly incensed by this lone mane that he nearly went berserk.
He sighed, realizing that he needed to calm down and go home. The two half breeds had already agreed that today, they wouldn't do anything. They would head home and relax. Spend time with their loved ones, something that Hades wasn't looking forward to as much as Ankh, the duo splitting up soon after, the shorter of the duo saying that he wanted to head out and eat, something he hadn't done much of in the past couple of weeks.
Left to his own thoughts, Hades sighed as he headed towards his house. He wasn't the jealous type, but the thought that his cousin had a beautiful girl, a pet and both of his parents, not to mention Dharc as well all waiting for him at home made him rather envious. His house wasn't as large, more of an apartment or a condo than anything, and his parents were venomously against each other's mere existence, or at least his mother. He knew how much she hated the leather garbed Spellcaster.
He remembered that before they left that his father said he wanted to reconnect, to try and work together with the woman because he recognized his mistakes and wanted to make amends. While Hades still had a bit of resentment towards his father, he was glad when he heard that. He wanted both of his parents in his life, as one of his biggest insecurities was how he felt when compared to Ankh. Both were strong, smart and hard working, but Ankh seemed to come out on top in many aspects, and Hades wasn't fond of that.
This is why he was glad that he got to handle everything, and he decided that he was going to deal with this kidnapper himself. He wasn't going to remain hesitant about his anger issues and be relegated to Ankh's Shadow anymore. He was going to take control of the situation, and on the boat ride back, he had spoken to Ankh about it. He wasn't going to even need his cousin's help, and Ankh accepted that. Hades needed to deal with Okami, take care of this man in the red suit and protect Darius and the Signers. He had to save Pierre and Axel himself.
He was glad that his cousin wanted nothing to do with it, because on the flipside, Hades felt bad that he didn't offer his assistance against Shurit, and provide backup, remembering how beat up Ankh was when he returned after that fight. He wasn't really in the best shape. Hades couldn't blame him. He was jealous actually, he hadn't had a fight that good since the battle against Endymion. He enjoyed that. A lot.
"Welcome back fuckwit." he heard, blinking and turning in the direction of his Duel Spirit. Magi Magi Magician Gal stood with her arms folded, her hair braided as she wore an oddly casual outfit. He soon realized that her clothes blended in because she was corporeal, meaning that his Father had given her a physical, human world body much like Ankh had done for his mates. "Leatherface got you a body, huh?" he retorted, and she groaned. "Don't mention that bastard. I'm spending the day by myself. I've had enough of your parents." he said, and Hades nodded. She was always his closest friend, and much like an older sister to him. It was something that was unique to him, and he found himself glad to see the spirit.
"That's fine. Walk with me at least. I'm trying to unwind too." he said, and she nodded, falling in line with him before looking to him. "How'd it go?" she asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know. We cleaned the Broox up and put our gang on the books as bounty hunters and everything, but that's as far as the positives go." he said, and she hummed. "Sounds to me like it wasn't fun." he said, and Hades hummed, glancing to the sunny sky and tilting his head. Did he enjoy himself?
"It was okay. I enjoyed seeing Selena and Cal and Remmy and everyone again. I also liked taking my frustrations out in duels and fights and stuff. Managed to get that weird split personality thing taken care of too. I noticed that ever since Leatherface showed up I've been a bit better up here." he said, tapping his temple as they walked. "That's pretty good. I'm glad you aren't a complete psycho. So what went wrong out there? Sounds like it was all wins for you?" she asked, and he grunted.
"It was pretty aggravating. Okami was a bitch the whole time, and Philip fucking turned on us. I found the fucker who was responsible for all of this and he turned Philip against us, nearly got to Okami and escaped." he said, and she could tell that he was getting worked up, his teeth grinding and fists clenching. She laid a soft hand on his back, and he exhaled, surprised by her touch. She wasn't one for physical contact, and Hades always avoided touching her, so for her to put a hand on his back was a surprise.
"If he's here in town, we'll get him, Hades. Don't worry about it. Let's just get home and relax." she said, and he smiled. He was glad that he had her as his Duel Spirit, because she always knew how to keep him under control. He diffused, nodding as he followed her through the streets of New Domino towards his home.
"We're going out?" Dharc asked, rather surprised at the two adults, who seemed to have made plans. Yuuki smiled, nodding as she looked to her 'husband'. "Apparently there's been a change in Ankh's energy, and we found out last night that we can actually move around. So we decided that we should spend the day on the town. You two scared?" the older Spellcaster asked, taunting them as Milla groaned. "What about the shop?" she asked, and Yuuki shrugged.
"Our profits are way up. We can all take a day off." she said, her attention shifting to their special guest. He had remained silent, and seemed like he wasn't paying attention, or at least he was trying not to. "Do you want to come, Shurit?" she asked, and he blinked, looking to her and making a face. It was the kind of lopsided look of someone weighing their options. He was rather grateful, as she was willing to include him, but he wasn't really comfortable in the human world.
He bowed his head respectfully, smiling kindly as he spoke. "Thank you Ms. Yuuki, but I think I'll stay home. I'm not comfortable enough to go out on the town in the human world." he said, and she smiled. He wondered if that was the smile of someone who understood, or if she had another reason for that grin. Less than a second later, it had hit him. Regardless of how he thought he felt, he just referred to this place, this shelter offered to him in a time of need as his 'home', something he wasn't expecting to have done.
"That's alright, Honey. The house is yours for the day. Just don't make too much of a mess, alright?" she said, and he nodded in thanks. Wolfguard, the Ghostrick monster that the family kept like a pet, peeked up from his place curled up in the corner. "Bring back food." he said, his tone not questioning in the slightest. It was as if he was ordering them to feed him, something that they all, even Shurit, chuckled at.
When Hades reached his house, he sighed. He looked to the door and frowned, realizing that he'd likely have to go back to the combustible home he lived in. His mother was a wreck sometimes, and he found himself helping out at the Card Shoppe here and there to take a cut for himself to aid her. She wasn't in the best position, but he could tell that she was trying. She tried to better herself, something that she felt like she had to do after Hades was born. This was something that Hades was grateful, but it was also the source of his anger.
Because their situations were similar, Ankh's mother had reached out to his and helped her through everything, as she was still young, a teenage mother with a half Duel Spirit child, something that neither of them truly understood. He sighed, Magi Magi Magician Gal slapping him in the back of the head to snap him out of it. "You don't need to look so damn depressed to be home. Weren't you killing people and shit beforehand? Is being with your mother worse than that?" she asked, her venomous words hitting a chord.
She had a point, truth be told. Hades felt less sadness and negativity when he was in the Broox killing people and dueling to his heart's content. He shook his heart, realizing that this was ridiculous of him. He was home. Back in his house with his family and his own bed, not some worn down couch or something in a busted up abandoned house. A real mattress that was still white, unstained with sweat or blood. He smiled, rolling his shoulders as he walked to the door.
When he opened the door, he blinked. He noticed immediately that the floor was different. The shaggy old carpet flooring was gone, replaced with dark wooden floors that looked rather new and clean. He began to look about the small living room, noticing that there was furniture spaced out properly, a large TV mounted over a fireplace in the corner the focal point. The floors led to the small kitchen that was filled with all new machines, a bright white color palette covering the stove, fridge and counters.
"What happened?" he asked, and the Spellcaster looked to him. "You remember when your old man was talking about trying to make things up and take responsibility like he should have from jump?" she asked, and he nodded. He looked to all of the doors, which seemed new, and he walked over to his room, surprised at the sound of his boots against the new wooden floors.
When he opened the door to his room, he was surprised. His floor was also replaced, a high quality carpet covering the floor. All of his things were in similar places, but he could tell that they were moved so that the walls could be painted a nice shade of fiery red. It looked amazing, and he began to feel himself smile, choking up a little at how much effort was put in. It was almost like a whole new house, and he wondered exactly what brought this change of heart in his family.
"Y'know he was insufferable as hell, right? Said that in order to repent he'd have to forgo his magick and shit. I had to listen to him remodel this entire house for weeks, Hades. I hate your father." he said, and he looked to her with his jaw slack. He saw the smile on her face, the glint in her eyes. She wasn't lying at all, and it made Hades feel all the more touched. His father, trying to repent and atone for the wrongs he committed, had remodeled the entire house himself? "Where'd he get the material?" he asked, and she rose a brow.
"He worked like a normal person. Gotta admit, the first time I saw him in human clothing I ended up punching him in the face. It's scary how much you two look alike when he's not wearing all that leather and makeup and shit." he said, and Hades chuckled. He knew that he looked more like his father, but to hear it like that brought him a sense of amusement and pride. He was happy to hear that, surprised that his father would go to such lengths.
"What about Mom?" he asked, and she sighed. "Well, it took her a few days and more than a few fights to get passed the fact that he wasn't gonna leave, and that I was here too. I got a job too, had to get out of the house somehow." she said, and Hades chuckled. That was rather amusing to him, as the thought of his Duel Spirit doing anything besides complaining at his side was normally out of the question. He was surprised to see that his family was doing so well. It was something that almost brought him to tears.
All his life, his biggest insecurity was that Ankh's family was doing better than them, and that they couldn't survive without the aid of their family. Seeing all of this, the remodeled house, and that his Duel Spirit had gotten a job? And the fact that his father not only got a normal human job, but remodeled the house like he was a simple human carpenter? It was the exact growth he always wanted to see. It kept a stupid grin on his face as he began to change his clothes.
Garbed in much more casual clothing, a loose fitting shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were the tiniest bit too long, he found himself exiting his room and sighing, scratching his head and looking to the brand new floor, imagining his father hammering the boards into place. "Welcome home brat." he heard, blinking as he looked up to his father. He blinked again, realizing that his father was in human garb, a button up shirt and slacks that made him look unusual.
Although, his face the most unusual. His normally wild hair was slicked back and tied into a puffy ponytail, his face free of it's normal marking and such, his bluish skin flawless. In this moment, Hades saw exactly how much he looked like his father. It was almost like looking into a mirror with blue lights. It was almost creepy. "Glad to be home, old man." he said, realizing that in this current attire, he couldn't really call the older Spellcaster 'Leatherface'.
"How'd it go wherever you were?" he asked, and Hades shrugged. "We got most of the bullshit taken care of. There's a couple more steps, couple more people to deal with. I'm the one in charge, so I gotta do the most thinking." he said, and his father laughed. "So you're in charge now? Not letting your cousin do everything this time, huh?" he asked, and Hades shook his head, smiling. "Nope. They tried to go after the girl I want, so Ankh wants me to deal with it. He gets that you don't touch someone's woman." he said, and the Spellcaster smiled back, nodding.
"That reminds me, have you eaten enough today? Your mother should be on her way home from work and we were wondering if you'd like to go out to eat." he said, and Hades blinked. Going out to eat with both of his parents? Something was fishy here. "Are you two getting along?" he asked, and the Spellcaster sighed with a shrug. "It's light years better than before at least. We can communicate casually and live together. We're kind of like roommates right now. She's still got me sleeping on the damn couch." he groaned, mumbling something about how he remodeled her bedroom too.
Hades laughed, realizing that his parents wanted to use him as that bridge, to try and rebuild their relationship, or build a new one. "Sure Pops. Let me change into something a bit more presentable." he said, the Spellcaster beaming at the acknowledgment. He couldn't remember Hades ever calling him 'Pops', or anything similar to 'Dad' before, so this was a step in the right direction.
As he changed, hearing his Duel Spirit and parents chattering outside his room, Hades smiled, feeling an incredibly tight feeling in his chest. It had taken a great many years of fighting, struggling and trying to survive and improve myself, but he finally had what he wanted. His parents were together in some capacity, and his family was so, so much better off financially. They were even about to go out and eat as a family, Magician Gal something of an adopted older sister to Hades. He felt an incredible power rise up within him, a manifestation of his pride and love of his family that caused him to see a vision of pillars of light.
He shook his head, looking at his much more formal attire in the mirror before he went out to eat with his family. The only thing he was missing to make his life truly perfect was the girl of his dreams, but she could wait. Family comes first.
