And here we go again. Have I mentioned that Kalego is one of my favorite characters? Well, now you know. Onward!

Blood Ties

Chapter Two

It had been three days since the attack on Helena's house. The days had been hectic for Kalego, but not in the way he anticipated.

Sullivan insisted that he take some time off, not wanting Kalego to worry about anything other than his family for the time being. Opera and Balam had both left him messages, telling him that they were taking care of his workload so he wouldn't fall behind in preparations for the new school year.

These were the good things going on because of that night. However, his days off took a stressful start that day, when his home phone rang at 6:06:06 that morning.

"Hello?" He said, answering the phone by his couch.

"Hello, Kal," a male voice said.

Kalego's eyes widened a fraction. "Narina? You never call," he said, surprised to hear from his older brother. The two hardly had time to spare. If they saw each other once a year, it would be considered a rarity.

The elder brother sighed. "Well, there are extenuating circumstances, now aren't there?" He said to the younger. "DBC showed up last night and asked us about Helena. They wouldn't give us any details, so I was hoping you would know something," he added.

Kalego felt his body tense, anger filling him. "They didn't tell you what happened?" He asked, his fist clenched in an attempt to suppress his rage.

"No. They were rather evasive about it," Narina said.

His younger brother let out a growl. After taking a second to calm down, Kalego gave his brother the sequence of events, about their niece's condition, as well as the status of their younger sister based on his conversation with Henri.

"Oh, for Devi's sake! Why the hell wouldn't they say anything?!" Narina yelled, almost making his brother jump. Narina was the calmer of the two brothers, so hearing him yell was a rarity. "And Lilithein, was it? Tell me everything you know about her!" He demanded.

Kalego obeyed, knowing full-well that his family was going to be a handful over the next few days. He wasn't the only one affected by Helena's behavior, and there were family members that could be a thousand times more spiteful than him. He could only imagine how they'd interact with Lilithein.

When he finished, he heard his older brother let out a heavy sigh. "All right," he said, his voice beginning to level out again. "I'm going to talk to the family about all of this. My top priority will be getting her setup in a new home until this is over," he said.

"Right," Kalego said calmly, smiling and nodding his head. Narina was always so dependable. It provided Kalego a bit of relief, knowing that his big brother intended to help their newfound niece. It was nice that the younger brother didn't have to handle everything that happened all on his own.

Narina took in another breath. "Kalego, until this is settled, I want you to keep a close eye on her. Keep me updated on her condition. I intend on coming over as soon as I'm able. Since she was expecting you last night, I think your presence would be the most calming. Can you do that, Little Brother?" He asked, his voice softer.

Kalego leaned back into his couch. "It's no problem, Narina. I'll let you know when she's able to have visitors," he said.

Narina chuckled. "Please do. I'm quite curious about this niece of ours."

And with that, the phone call ended. Kalego called the hospital to confirm whether or not he could see Lilithein, then went about his day off. He tended to his cacti, but found himself lost in his thoughts. He remembered his times as a child, before attending Babyls. He liked caring for cacti even back then, whereas Helena preferred planting flowers. However, he was the one who actually taught her how to garden.

He stopped, holding one of his smaller plants in his hand. It was a charcoal prickle. Black in color, as the name suggested, as well as many more spines to hurt yourself on, if you weren't careful. However, the beauty in this cacti was its flower, black and purple in color. It was one of his more unique plants. It reminded him of his sister's black lotus flowers.

Kalego felt a small smile tug at his lips, his eyes softening only slightly. There was a period where she always gave him and Narina one of her plants. Back then, he didn't care too much for them, but she kept insisting he keep them. She stopped planting them shortly after she started attending Babyls, right around the time her behavior changed.

He sighed. What was it that made her change? And why did she want to bury the hatchet after all of this time? ...why did that happen to her? Kalego thought, staring at the plant. He kept pondering this, trying to grab at straws to fit his answer, even though he knew that there was no concrete answer to be found.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but when he realized he was stuck in his head, he shook the thoughts from his mind then went about caring for the rest of his cacti.

The next day brought him back to the hospital. Kalego wasn't allowed to go into his niece's room, but he was allowed to stand outside and see her from the window. But only for a few minutes.

His eyes widened at the sight, his stomach twisting and rage starting to burn in the back of his mind. He knew that she almost died, but that didn't prepare him for what he saw. Post-operation may have made her appear to be in worse shape. He wasn't surprised to see the oxygen mask, but so much of her pale, ash colored skin was covered in bandages. She had bandages around her head, and from what he could see of her face, she had no strength in her.

He felt his hands tighten into fists. It didn't matter that they hadn't met before. Kalego was a teacher who dedicated his life to preparing younger demons for the cruelty and dangers of the Netherworld. The sight of a child like this, before they could even begin protecting themselves, was more than enough to make his blood boil.

When he got home, he gave Narina an update on her condition.

The elder brother let out a low growl. "Unforgivable," he said under his breath.

Kalego hummed in agreement. "She can't have visitors for at least a few more days. Her doctor believes that she'll pull through, though," he said.

Narina let out a heavy sigh, causing his little brother to raise his brow. There was something off in his brother's voice, and it didn't take long for Kalego to realize that there was a great deal of stress behind his brother's relief.

"Narina, what's wrong?" Kalego asked outright.

There was a pause at the other end of the line, which Kalego responded to by crossing one leg over the other. He knew what Narina was doing. He was debating whether or not to trouble Kalego with whatever the issue was. It was considerate of him, but Kalego wasn't going to be left in the dark on this. Partially because they were both grown adults now, and partially because he knew that the topic somehow concerned Helena.

After a literal half hour of silence, Narina let out an even heavier sigh. "No one is willing to house Lilithein," he admitted.

Kalego's eyes widened somewhat, his free hand clawing into his couch. "What?" He said, trying his best not to explode at his brother.

Another exasperated breath came from Narina. "I've asked everyone. Everyone believes Lilithein will be just like Helena was, or worse. Some of them went as far to say that she deserves to be an orphan, while some of the elders wanted to send her to the Overpass," he said, his own anger starting to rise as he explained everything.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Kalego yelled, unable to contain himself. The Bloodstone Overpass was an orphanage for juvenile youths. There was very little to no focus on education, instead using experience as an excuse to coverup child labor and alleged slavery. The idea that Lilithein may end up there just because she was Helena's daughter nearly sent him over the edge.

"I wish I wasn't," Narina said. "I'd take her in myself, but after a trauma like this, she's going to need a guardian who will actually be home. My job takes me away from home most of the year, so that won't do," he said, growling at himself. "Only a handful of our family members have considered giving Lilithein a chance, but that was snubbed by their spouses arguing with them. Hardly a suitable environment for her. Perhaps if I tried-"

"I'll do it!" Kalego said, his voice stern and his face contorted with anger.

There was another long silence, the visual image of Narina's shocked expression coming to Kalego's mind.

"Um...are you...sure about this, Kal?" Narina asked, not sure if he heard his younger brother correctly. "You've never cared for a child before. And you're work is equally as busy as mine," he pointed out.

Kalego let out a sigh. "True, but unlike you, I can bring my work home. Besides, with her already enrolled in Babyls, I'll be able to keep an eye on her far more easily than anyone else," he said, leaning back in his chair and recomposing himself. "Besides, I spend most of my days dealing with children," he added.

Narina let out a heavy sigh. "True, but being a teacher and being a guardian are two different things, Kalego. Children need so much, and Lilithein is going to need much more than what a teacher can provide. Are you truly able to devote yourself to that?" He asked.

Kalego unclenched his free hand and set it on his lap. "It's not whether I can but if I will, Big Brother. And I refuse to let her suffer and lose her chance at a good education just because of Helena. If no one else is going to take care of her, then I will. End of discussion," he said.

There was a much shorter silence this time, but it ended when Narina let out a small breath. "If you're sure then. I'll call child services and let them know. You best tell the Demon-Chair."

"I will," Kalego said.

Now off the phone, Kalego came to the realization that he didn't have a room prepared for anyone to even spend the night, forget live with him. That meant moving things around and shopping, on top of everything else going on.

He closed his eyes then. "I better get started then." And with that, he picked his phone back up to call the Demon-Chair.

I almost got stuck on this chapter. I love the story idea a lot as it is. Be sure to tell me what you think of it. And do be honest about it.