Chapter 5

Titan finally woke up for the day.

He came out of his room, stretched and relaxed from sleeping in. Despites his siblings who have all found passion project to pursue, Titan was far too content to stay at home and along side his mother. He mainly sticks to his serpent form due to the comfort it brings him, however he will turn human if he feels like it. But for the most part, he remains a snake and enjoys sleeping in a coil when he goes to bed at night.

When he finally slithered into the kitchen, his father smirked. "Whoa, look at what the cat coughed up…"

"Huh?" peering up, he ran his fingers through his hair and found it had gone all over the place, yet with a quick finger brush he managed to get it back to normal. Upright and pointed just like his father's hair style. "It's fine…" he insisted. He slinked into the kitchen and was quick to give his mother a firm hug. "Morning mom…"

"Afternoon," she corrected. "Hon, it's nearly one…"

"Oh…"

"We got to get you something to do." His father chimed in. "You aren't really into do other things like your siblings huh?"

Titan sighed. "I just don't know what I want to do yet dad… I will go hunt later. I am getting hungry…"

"And you just ate yesterday," said Tempest. "You ought to take father's advice and be human once and a while."

Titan shrugged his shoulders to it all. "I'm comfortable in scales."

"That will piss off Amai to say the least… Tempest, want to go train?" his father asked. He nodded as the two left the kitchen.

Titan kept looking at his mother strangely. She appeared to have picked up on his odd gaze. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know…" he said. "Every time I hug you, you feel different."

She paused, in her confusion she turned to Titan. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know, it's just every time I hug you… I feel something…"

Her confusion didn't go away to say the least. "What exactly do you feel?" she question.

He couldn't answer her, since he hasn't been able to compare it to anything else, but he tried to change the subject. "Look, I could be wrong about it, I mean… I don't know everything, and you know I am a hugger, maybe I just picked up something when I squeezed you a little too hard."

She nodded to that. "Just don't hug too hard then okay?"

"Okay… I think I am going to go hunt something."

"Be careful, and if you need help getting back home, you call!"

"Yes mom, I got my backpack just in case, Alley is on speed dial." He laughed.

Titan slithered out of the house as he went down the mountain and looked about for where to hunt. He picked up the scent in the air but couldn't detect a monster at all. "Oh well, I guess I will be looking about…" he continued to slide around town in search of something to snack on. People would stop and stare, there were children who stopped and stared at him ever so often until one approached him. "Excuse me?"

It was a little girl, he paused and looked to her. "Yes?" he asked gently.

"Are you Amai Mask?" she questioned. "You look like him, but you also look like Garou…"

He smiled to her. "Who do you think I look like the most?" he asked.

She squinted her eyes and then nodded. "Garou!" she said.

He smiled. "Thank goodness I do, he is my dad after all!" he laughed.

Kids soon began to clamor around him. "Whoa, you're Garou's son?"

"What's he like?

"He's he a good dad?"

"What kind of stuff can you do?"

He was bombarded with questions but his smile only grew. "Well, my dad is awesome! He's very strong but at the same time very kind, he teaches us lessons to ensure that we know our own strength and use it properly and so we don't harm others. I have a LOT of siblings to look up to and learn from, so there is never a dull moment to say the least."

Titan found himself coiling up and talking to the kids, some were even brave enough to climb him and sit as he spoke. He didn't mind the least bit to it all. However, some of the parents were getting a little worried.

"Kids… perhaps it's best you not sit on him…" one mother said in a warning tone.

"Oh it's fine, I have no problem." Titan said with a grin. Somehow his smile just washed away their fears. His mother always told him he had just a glowing and very beautiful grin.

"Okay then… I'm sorry if I said anything…" the mother stated and suddenly flushed red.

"Please do not worry about it the least bit. I understand you are concerned for the children, I promise I will not harm them…" just from the corner of his eye he saw it. One child lost balance and was about to fall over five feet off the ground! He was quick to catch them before that occurred and placed them gently on their feet.

People stopped and stared, impressed by his reaction time. "I do apologize little ones but I need to leave. I have to find myself some lunch. I will be more than happy to talk to you another time."

They were understanding and were quick to get off of Titan. He gave a polite bow and excused himself before moving on, but he heard from the people around. "How on earth is he Garou's son? He has manners and speaks like Amai Mask!"

Titan sighed to that, despite not being on good terms with Amai, a part of him still wants to know him and get a better understand of the man who should be his father. But for now, he will focus on lunch!

#

At the Association.

Suiryu was rather protective as of late.

He hasn't left Alley's side much, ever since that experiment he did for her. Suiryu has found himself drawn to her more and more. It doesn't help that a few days after the test, he was going to bed when Alley came into the room. Normally she would change in the bathroom before coming in. However, this time, she entered… and began to undress.

Politely he turned away when she said gently. "It's okay…"

He froze to her tone as he dared to look, her shirt just came off and then her pants were soon to follow. "Alley…" he said in amazement.

She smiled warmly until she soon stripped herself naked before him. What really caught him off guard were the small wings she possessed but had used those as a bra for herself to keep her chest covered. But, she stood before him in all her glory.

He hasn't been able to get her out of his mind since. Not only did she reveal her whole self to him that night but… well…

The solidified their marriage that night too.

It brought a smile to his lips, since he never told anyone about it. He knows better than to brag about such an intimate moment between them. But ever since then, he hasn't been able to bring himself to leave her for prolong periods of time. "Suiryu, you're board, go out and do something fun!" she insisted as he laid his head on the table yet kept his focus on her.

"Nah, I'm good…" he insisted.

But why couldn't he keep himself away?

Genus was getting a little startled by his odd stare. "Uh… Suiryu, are you certain you are okay?"

He was about to answer when Yuki returned, he appeared out of breath but played it off that he didn't go anywhere or do anything. He whistled as he went to his new workstation and got back to tinkering with whatever was on the table.

"Borrowed the drone?" Alley asked.

He froze from his work. "Uh… I made sure Snek didn't need it" he insisted. "I just… I had to get home and show Yuuma what I made for him and his group. They are going to enter you know!"

"Oh that new contest right? The one Amai is judging…"

"Really? He's going through with it?" Alley asked. Yuki was about to answer when Alley's stomach roared. The whole room paused by the sudden outburst of her own belly. She blushed to the notion. "Sorry…"

Suiryu stood up from the workstation, he went up to Alley and scooped her into his arms. "HEY!" she protested.

"Argue later, lunch now" he said and began to carry her out of the room.

She tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp, but he kept it firm. "Suiryu! What's with you? My stomach just growled…"

"No, it roared… you keep putting off your meals, you can't be doing this anymore!" he protested.

He got her to the cafeteria in no time, from there he sat her down and got the drone to take the order and make it quick for her sake. They waited no more than ten minutes when the table filled with her favorites. "Dig in!" he said.

"Suiryu, I'll eat when… Ooo… that does smell good…" she began taking little bites of various plates, perhaps she wasn't about to give into the notion that he was right and she should be eating better. But soon, Suiryu smiled with victory as she sat comfortably and began to clear plates. "Oh… this is good… so good!" she cooed after each mouthful. He watched on as Alley cleared the table.

She sat contently and then leaned against him. Her eyes drifting close as she nestled herself in. "You need a nap huh? Yeah, let's go put Alley down for a nap…" He smirked as he carried her to the resting area of the Association. He tucked her into bed but was quick to nestle up. His arms tangled around her body as he found himself drifting off to sleep along side her…