A/N: Whoever you are, thank you so much for reading this story to this point. TBH, I totally forgot about this story for a good amount of time. It just hit me recently that I should finish this story in one way or another. I know that this story kinda went sideways at some point, and is now pretty much a scattered mess, but I'll do my best to give it a somewhat reasonable ending.
As always, Satsuki was the first person to wake up. It was still dark outside, but she didn't care. She didn't really need sleep, anyway. There were times where she managed to move for a day or two without sleeping at all. Besides, she did like the quiet atmosphere of the few hours before dawn.
As she crawled out of her bed, she had to be extra cautious not to wake Philia. They didn't have a spare room for Philia just yet, and Philia insisted that she would sleep next to Satsuki's bed so that she would be able to protect her just in case something happens. Overprotective. Satsuki scoffed, but she didn't feel bad about it. It was nice to have someone like that by your side. She knew that Kimihito would probably do the same, but it wasn't quite the same.
After somehow managing to get out of her room without waking Philia, she went down the stairs and seated herself on the sofa. And of course, right next to the seat she took, there was Suu's little pool.
"Good morning, Suu."
The slime walked out of the pool as she changed her form to look like a mature lady. It was always interesting to see how that happens.
"Good morning."
Satsuki found it somewhat difficult to understand why Suu would approach her as if she was worth paying attention to. Slimes always seemed to be the most indifferent species out there. They didn't really care about her, or anyone else, in that regard. But then, slimes usually don't stay with humans either. If Suu has chosen to stay at Kimihito's house, it would mean that she was not a typical slime to start off with.
Another point that she found to be strange was the fact that Suu usually presents herself in the form of a young girl. Satsuki didn't even have to ask Suu to know that she was much, much older than that. Slimes can't change forms like that if they were that old. But yet she chose to shape like, and act like a 7-year-old.
And then whenever Satsuki and Suu were alone, or when Suu thought that it was necessary for her to step in, Suu would change herself in her more mature form, and act like a mature person. It was as if her presence was flipping a switch inside her. Now that she thought of it, Suu might have had an idea of what she was ever since the first time she saw her. She probably just kept quiet about it until the others eventually found out one way or another.
Satsuki would have asked a lot of questions if she had the time. But she didn't. So she decided not to ask any of them.
Instead, when Suu would sit next to her and extend her tentacle so that it would connect to the back side of her head every morning, she would just let her do that. None of it felt forceful-after all, if Satsuki didn't want to share anything, she could simply choose not to. But ever since the first time Suu did it, Satsuki found it strangely comforting. Perhaps it was because she never had someone that just knew her without her having to talk about the despicable story about her kind. The teenager couldn't quite put that feeling into words.
Satsuki showed her bits and bits of her past. No matter how grotesque it was, Suu didn't seem to panic or freak out. After all, she was a slime. She lived-or to be precise, existed- for an extremely long period of time. Nothing would really freak her out.
Maybe that's why Satsuki like spending time with her so much.
After a few minutes of peeking into parts of her head, Suu faced her to look into her eyes.
"Tomorrow?"
She nodded. "Probably. She always had this rule of coming back 2 days later."
Silence. Mature-Suu found it difficult to figure out what to say to the young girl. She herself has lived countless years as a slime, so she could say for sure that Satsuki was just too young for any of this.
After a long period of silence, Suu finally managed to say something. "Are you prepared?"
"I thought I was." The dark-haired girl fidgeted with her fingers. "I know I was lucky enough to last until now. But just between me and you, now I suddenly feel like I'm not ready for this."
The mature figure found herself standing from her seat and walk towards her, just to catch her in a light, liquid-y embrace.
"I'll make sure Lala guides you safely on your way."
Satsuki slightly chuckled. Even the densest person could tell that despite the laughter, she sounded sad. "Thank you for everything. It would have been difficult if you also started crying or got into an emotional phase."
By the time Kimihito woke up, Satsuki was not in her room or anywhere else in the house. Neither was Philia. He was worried, but he felt a little bit better knowing that at least she wasn't alone.
He brought himself to the first floor. His feet still hurt from stepping on the shattered dish, but it was bearable. He could see that Suu was in her mature form, sitting on the couch. Kimihito walked towards her, taking a seat next to her. He didn't know that he just took the seat that his sister took a while ago. But he had a feeling that May talked to Suu before she left the house.
"Suu. Does May have no hope of making through this?"
Although the slime lacked in terms of emotional capacity, she still found it difficult to face him. In a way, it was more difficult to face him than to face his sister. "I don't think she has. She is determined to use the last of her strength for the upcoming event."
"Do you… do you also think that it would be difficult?" His voice was trembling.
Suu continued to stare at the wall. "The enemy is a powerful opponent. I have a similar opinion."
Kimihito sighed. He didn't even have tears left to shed. He knew that this problem was something he could not solve.
"Are you finding it difficult to accept the fact that you would have to let her go?"
He couldn't answer. Suu didn't pry any more.
On their patrol around the neighborhood, Satsuki and Philia decided that Kii's forest was the best place to greet her. It is a location that is not often visited by others. That meant that no matter what happens, they probably wouldn't have to alert or harm innocent people.
"Now the remaining problem would be to keep her away from Kimi." Satsuki was grabbing Philia's shoulders as Philia insisted that she rode her as she rode around the forest to find a perfect spot, a place that was bright enough to be able to see things but also far away from the village. She was finding it strangely comforting to be able to physically depend on others, especially older women. She thought that nothing similar like this would happen ever since that funeral.
"Master, do you really believe that she would target him? After all, her final objective is you."
"She would never really skip an opportunity to put me into more pain," she sighed. Her biological mother was a being that was extremely difficult to explain, yet Satsuki knew that much about her.
"Wouldn't putting that slime near him prevent anything dangerous from happening?"
"Suu can't shield him forever. Elder devils know how to conjure powerful spells. They can't conjure them on slimes directly, but Suu can't protect him from them either. She will be able to earn some time if she manages to distract her for a while."
"And if we manage to keep her away from him and bring her to you, do you have a plan to defeat her?"
Satsuki felt her brain going to mush. That was the part that she was struggling to find an answer for. "I wish I had. I hope I'll be able to kill her if I manage to use all of my leftover strength. But I'm not too confident about that. I'm pretty sure she's capable of stopping both of us even before we even get near her."
Philia was not happy to know that her presence wasn't being too much help. After all, she was literally blacked-out the last time she met Satsuki. If her mother was much more powerful than her daughter, Philia knew that she didn't stand much of a chance unless someone distracted her.
"Milady, I believe it is crucial in this situation to recruit the right allies. Do you know anyone that might be able to be of help?"
Satsuki groaned. She wish she knew. "It'll take another elder devil or perhaps a full-scale dragon to be able to defeat her. And they are extremely hard to find. You'll know that yourself."
Philia solemnly nodded. The two didn't say anything else until they got close to Kii's tree. Satsuki has already heard of Kii from Suu. She knew what to expect. Kii didn't know about Satsuki, but nevertheless, was not too happy to see them.
"What brings you here?"
Satsuki got down from Philia's back. "I'm sorry to ask you of this, but I'll just get straight into the point. There might be something of a battle within this forest tomorrow."
The dryad instantly frowned. "I do not know who you are, nor do I wish that to happen. Can you not fight outside of the forest? I do not want to see more trees damaged."
Satsuki had no intention of giving up. "If we take the fighting outside, we might harm innocent bystanders. Please, we wouldn't do this unless we didn't have a choice."
"I'm still busy tending to the trees that were damaged because of a small commotion that happened a few days ago. I have no leisure to fix up more trees. Go back and look for another place for your fighting. I do not want innocent trees getting harmed in the process."
"Kii… Papi's going to be on our side."
That seemed to have startled Kii. "Why would Papi get involved in such a useless fight?"
"It's not useless! We have to fight against…"
Satsuki had to stop talking.
She could hear something. It sounded like the sound a deer makes when it walks through a bush, but her instincts told her that this was not a sound made by a wild animal.
She slightly lifted her right foot to place it a bit away from her left, posing as if she was expecting something to pounce at her.
Philia brought her hands to the hilt of her sword. "Milady, is that…"
Satsuki lowered her voice, almost whispering. "I don't know."
Kii turned back to see what these two were making a fuss about.
"Oh."
All three of them could see a figure walking to their direction from a distance. Amidst the slight fog, they could see a tall silhouette. Whoever-or whatever it was, it was clearly standing on two legs and was most certainly not a wild animal.
Each and every step felt like thunder.
Philia took her sword out of her sheath. "Master, I'll try to earn some time. Run away when you can."
Satsuki was just about to turn to her to say no, when she felt an extremely familiar aura coming from the figure.
"Wait a bit."
She extended her arms so that her palm would be facing Philia's face. The centaur tried to stop her, but Satsuki slowly approached the figure.
She knew that this wasn't her mother.
She almost staggered as she took a few more steps towards the figure, who was moving in a speed that was much faster than what they were expecting.
When the figure came close enough for all three of them to be able to see, Satsuki knew that her instincts were not wrong.
She knew this man.
"It seems like this forest is attracting a lot of wanderers lately. Do you ladies need help finding your way out?" He had a smile on his handsome face. It was hard to imagine anyone not feeling better after seeing that smile. But to Satsuki, that perfect, attractive smile was the last piece of evidence she needed to prove her hypothesis.
That figure. That face. That facial expression. Those qualities that he inherently possessed, those qualities that just attract people around him, both good and bad. And even the worst.
Satsuki found it difficult to speak. In the past, she often wondered what she should tell him when they met for the first time. Her brain went through so many scenarios. But when it actually happened, she found herself lost.
"Excuse me? Are you okay, young lady?"
"Don't come close to-" Philia's shouting stopped when she finally heard her master say something.
"By a chance… do you know Armaya?" She could feel herself tremble as she spoke that name.
The name brought out an instant reaction from the man. The man looked like someone just showed him the most grotesque picture anyone could imagine.
"Don't bring up that woman's name in front of me," he snarled. His perfect, welcoming smile has long vanished from his face. "Did she send you to find me?"
Visibly staggering, Satsuki took a few steps closer to the man. He stepped back. He held his hand in between them, as if he was trying to signal that she should not come any closer.
"Who are you!"
Satsuki looked into his eyes. They seemed so similar to the ones she saw whenever she looked into the mirror. She slightly smiled. She now knew what she should say to him.
"I'm sorry I appeared in your life. I can't tell you too much, but I should at least tell you this. Go away. She is looking for you."
Satsuki wasn't sure what she was expecting to see from him, but she certainly was not expecting him to scoff at what she said. It was as if he was saying that all of her worries were pretty much unnecessary.
"It's weird, to be told to run away from someone that clearly looks like they're much weaker than yourself." He eyed her. She stared at him back. That was the reason why he scoffed at that comment?
"Weren't you afraid that I was on her side?"
He stared into her eyes. "Yes, but not really because you seemed capable of physically harming me. I was more afraid of the possibility that I would have to face another horrible being. Facing pure evil can be quite damaging even if they can't actually physically harm you."
Another horrible being. That seemed like a logical conclusion. Her biological mother was pretty much the embodiment of the word horrible, and it seemed safe to say that anyone that agreed with her way of thinking would also be horrible.
After looking into her face for a while, he seemed to have reached a sudden conclusion. Whether it was through going through their conversation inside his head, or through looking into her eyes closely enough, Satsuki wasn't sure.
"You know me. You know her. You know that she's looking for me. You're warning me to run away. And your face. That atmosphere of yours. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you must be…"
She decided to leave no lingering questions. She didn't have enough time to play figure-out-the-mystery. "Your biological daughter."
Philia certainly looked surprised, but even that didn't quite match the expression Kii was making. Of course, the man looked even worse. He looked like someone just stabbed him. He certainly wasn't mentally prepared for this.
"So you must be Master's…" Philia couldn't finish her sentence, but she could see that it all made sense. She remembered what her master told her of her father, or to be exact, the images of her father that her mother forced into her. Her explanations matched perfectly with the man that was standing in front of them.
The father and daughter seemed to be oblivious of the other people that were present. The daughter didn't even seem to care about the panic attack her father was going through. Well, she was, but she just couldn't linger on that too much. She was running out of time.
"I'm warning you. Run away. She's going to come back here anytime soon, and you are her ultimate target."
The man scoffed. Their conversation returning back to its previous topic seemed to have brought him out of his panic attack. Now he was just a perfect-looking guy with a scoffing face. "It's been more than 10 years. Is that woman really that crazy?"
"Yes."
The man flexed her shoulders. "Well, she's certainly one of a kind. Tell her that I am ready to meet her too."
Satsuki's eyes widened. "So not only are you thinking that you stand a chance against her, you're telling me that you want to-"
This time he flexed his fingers. "Ever since my body recovered, my goal was to make her face her end with my own hands. She shouldn't live to do the horrible deeds she did to me to others. But despite all that…"
Satsuki thought that he must be joking. The timing was too good to be true. If what he said was true, then there was a way she could face her mother while keeping Kimi safe. But then, "Are you sure you'll be able to face her? As far as she showed me, you didn't stand much of a chance."
He laughed a little. The laughter seemed extremely sarcastic. "I would have assumed that she would have showed that to someone. She's a crazy woman, that one. That was even before I was fully grown, and I was pretty badly injured too. It won't end up like that again. No need to worry about me."
She could sense a sudden change in his atmosphere. It was as if he suddenly realized again that she was his daughter, and not some kind of random ally. "But then, why would you try to help me? Wouldn't you be cooperating with her? After all, she is your mother, and I was, well, pretty much nonexistent throughout your life."
This time it was her turn to laugh. "Considering how much of a madman she is, do you think I would want to do anything with her? Do you really see her as an admirable, loving mother?"
"You have a point."
Philia was starting to think that both of them shared a weird trait. Their conversation was pretty much all over the place, jumping from one topic to the other. If Philia didn't know Satsuki better, she would have assumed that both of them had some kind of mental illness or something similar.
While Philia was musing that, her master decided that it was about time to stop this conversation and head back. If his words were true, they have found an answer to the question she was struggling on. She turned her body a bit to show that she would soon start walking in the direction of Philia and Kii. "If you want revenge, then you're welcome to join us. We have our own reasons to go against her, and we would gladly appreciate your help. Especially if you meant what you said."
When she actually started walking, he followed her for a few steps. But then he suddenly stopped.
"Look, I know our conversation didn't start with a pleasant subject, and that I was pretty oblivious of the fact that I had a daughter… but still, shouldn't or reunion be somewhat-I don't know, touching? I feel like we just jumped over the fact that we have met for the first time in our lives."
Satsuki took a few more steps closer to Philia. She placed her hands on the centaur's back and brought herself up with ease. She then looked at her father.
"My birth is nothing to be proud of. I hate myself for having been conceived that very day. I don't blame you for my birth-I pity you. It was not your choice to have brought me into this world. There is no need for you to feel obligated to act as a father towards me."
Saying that the man looked stunned was an understatement.
She patted Philia's shoulder gently, as if to ask her to start moving.
"Follow us."
The centaur and her master was soon followed by the man that looked like he wasn't sure what to make of this situation. The three of them headed to the village, leaving Kii dumbfounded. She was still shocked over the fact that the other three had pretty much accepted a while ago.
"He has a child?"
Kimihito was very happy to hear someone entering. When he could also hear the sound of something similar to the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground, he was thrilled. He knew that it must be his sister with Philia.
"Brace yourself. There are many Liminal females in this house."
That was certainly May's voice. But who was she saying that too? The only other people that were likely to enter his house would be the MON crew, but they wouldn't have to say that amongst themselves. In other words, May was bringing in a new face into the house.
He could hear a small murmur. He couldn't quite make out what has been said, but he could say for sure that it was a guy's voice.
Kimihito wasn't sure if he should be frightened about that or not. At this point, he felt like everything and anything could happen.
When the door opened, he could see his sister and Philia walk in. The other person that was entering with them seemed strangely familiar.
"Riku?"
Riku looked straight back at Kimihito.
"You again?"
