Chapter 24

Bad laid in bed, and yet he felt rather content.

He was warm, cuddled and happy. His nose picked up a familiar scent and it just made him smile to it all. 'It's almost like he's here…' he thought to himself. Then his hands began to cascade down the side of a rather strange pillow.

His heart skipped a beat thought when he heard. "At least buy me dinner first before you grope me"

His eyes shot open, Bad peered up and saw Garou smiling down at him.

He fell out of the bed in shock.

Bad stumbled up to his feet as Garou was laughing his ass off at him! "How the hell can you fall out of this size of a bed?!"

"You… You're really here, aren't you?" Bad asked in a trembling voice.

"Yeah… what did you think? I told you. I will be back… you can't get rid of me that easy" Garou said in a sly tone. But the smirk vanished when he looked into Bad's eyes. "I missed you," he said with great sincerity.

"Me too…" Bad whispered back. "God I missed you so much, I swore I heard your voice come out of Snek! The dude kissed me, you know that right?"

"Yeah… I made him do it…"

"SAY WHAT!?"

"DAD!"

Botan suddenly appeared in the room and jumped right into Garou's arms. He cried happily as he snuggled into his father. "Dad… you're back… you're really back…" he wept.

Garou shed a tear or two as well. "Yeah, sorry I was gone so long…" he whispered and kissed the top of his forehead.

Botan cleared his tears away as he turned to Bad. "Dad… we need to celebrate!"

Bad nodded in agreement and smiled. "Hell yeah we got to celebrate!"

"You two go ahead… I got to put on some pants." Said Garou

#

He still needs to get clothing of his own, but at least he knows how to manipulate the shadows to at least cover himself up. Garou waited for the two to leave before the changed. It happened so suddenly. One moment he was seeing a battle about to unfold before Zombieman, only to be wrenched out of his body.

He woke suddenly on a cold slab of marble. He tried to sit up but was too weak to do so.

"Am… I alive?" he whispered.

Death suddenly peered over. "How many fingers am I holding up!?" he demanded as he held up three.

"Three but there's one I want to hold up now more than ever at the moment…"

"GAROU!" Death wept happily as he cried over his chest. "I was so worried they wouldn't allow it, Bad must have passed…"

"Bad… Bad!" Garou's eyes shot open. He felt his body tremble, almost sensing pain in Bad from where he laid. "I got to help him!"

"You are too weak to move…"

Garou's stomach rumbled. "I'm hungry as hell…" then he felt something creeping up his throat. The familiar wisps he has seen come out of Bad were now coming out of him.

"Ah, that's the source. Let's cement this power then…" Death decree. He opened a black hole of sorts, there the wisps shot up and then, Garou felt them hit their mark. He began to drawn them back… and the souls that they grabbed on to!

He ate them without problem, they absorbed into his body instantly. Then the black smoke began to come off his skin.

It infused into the material wrapped around his body until he felt the surge of strength and power. Garou sat up and was ready to go. "Bad…" he whispered.

"Wait, you need to learn…"

"No time!" Garou snapped back as he was already gone.

He admits, what he did next was still a little hazy, but he remembered carrying Bad back to the Shadow world, tuck him and himself into bed and fell asleep.

Garou walked out of the room, the hall instantly shifted to the throne room where the shadows awaited him. They bowed respectfully. "Hail Shadow Lord Garou, Death saw your potential"

"Whoa, I get a crazy ass greeting now too? Nice!" he said and smiled.

Death was also there as he embraced Bad rather wholeheartedly. Zenko was embracing Botan out of pure happiness. But her eyes widened in great surprise the moment she saw Garou.

Death on the other hand, kept crying for making Bad wait so long.

"It's okay… please let go, I can't breath!" Bad begged.

Death released him but smiled warmly. He turned to Garou and nodded his approval. "Shadow Lord huh?" Garou asked curiously.

Regaining his composure, Death cleared his throat. "Yes, indeed, Shadow Lord. Not the same as the Shadow King. You have the same power as Bad, but not as great, yet it's enough for you to be somewhat of an equal to him. I had to… after all… I am expecting a monarchy!"

Bad froze.

"Wait what?" he demanded. "You didn't bring Garou back for the sake of…"

"Partly," Death confessed. "You see, I am sick and tired of this 'changing of the kings' so much so, that I have decided to enforce a monarchy! The shadows have all agreed to it for you have been the best King they have had in thousands of years! They wish to see this continue and if that is the case. You need to have a lot more children!"

Bad froze to the notion, Garou on the other hand was snickering. "So I get to knock him up again?"

"HEY! You're just like me now, YOU get to be pregnant!" Bad snapped back.

"Actually, no, he cannot. An heir to the throne needs to come from the King himself… born from the king as well…"

"Son of a bitch…" Bad cursed.

Garou was smirking to the news. "I got to keep my figure!"

"But he doesn't get out of it easily. Why else do you think Botan fed from him more than you?" Death questioned.

Bad smirked as Garou's smirk dropped instantly. "Shit…" he muttered.

Yet the news still wasn't settling with Bad. "More kids… I don't know man, that's ten thousand souls per kid isn't it?"

"Yes, but remember the greater and older the soul the more impact it will have on you. Those vampires you ate, a few would have been enough for one child! However since your body was still adapting and you were not use to eating souls, as well as the blood loss their energy went elsewhere. But now. If you ate a soul that is thousands of years old, it's age is equivalent to the amount needed. A thousand year old soul is equal to a thousand souls!" he explained.

"Oh…" Bad muttered, as it appears it is now simple for him to get pregnant. "We will consider it very soon…" he said, yet hoped he would be pushed into it. After all, he has to contend with Metal Knight.

Death paused as he noticed the look on Bad's face. Garou picked up on his fearfulness as well. "I need to still learn what I can do like this, also to better serve Bad for when we decide on more kids…"

"I'm going to be a big brother!?" demanded Botan.

"I get to be an auntie again?! Big Brother Bad, I'll help you! I'll take good care of you!" Zenko vowed.

Bad smiled nervously to the notion. Garou couldn't help but snicker.

"Rest assured, I am going to make certain that no one bothers you during that time. I promise you that." Death vowed. "But for now, I shall take my leave. Celebrate you two, this is a grand occasion!"

With that, Death disappeared in a puff of smoke. Bad sighed aloud to it all. "My King, My Lord… we must celebrate!" announced Bloodbore. "We will prepare a feast! To the future of the Shadow King and his lineage!"

The Shadows roared aloud with approval.

Garou snickered as they began to rush about, Bad collapsed on to the throne and sighed aloud. "More kids…" he muttered.

"I think we can manage that. I mean as Death said, it's to ensure the Shadows are taken care of. We will raise our kids right and make certain they are tended to properly!" Garou decreed. He paused as he ran his tongue over his teeth. "I don't have my fangs anymore, but my teeth get jagged like yours when I tap into that power… rather cool,"

Bad snorted a laugh. "Guess I get to train you now huh?"

"Well… I learn fast so you won't have to do that much, besides. I'm look forward to being a dad again… it will be the glorious return of my Fat Bat!"

"SHUT IT!"