Hey everybody, AzraelVoorhees here. This one's a bit of a short chapter to handle Artemis and the Hyoudous... that and I felt as if it was a decent place to stop. The next chapter will most likely get into tidbits of Issei's childhood, as well as a surprise guest. This one's a little personal to me given concerns for my future. For any suggestions or questions, feel free to comment or PM me. I'll answer them as best I can. Until then, I hope you all enjoy.


Artemis walked down the halls, heading to the children's section of the hospital. Away from the eyesight of the others, she had adopted a nurse's outfit, the box now replaced with a plastic red box that had a somewhat darkened clear lid. The beating got louder yet didn't quite bother her. She was, however, intercepted by a pair of nurses who looked at her.

"Excuse us, how can we help you?" one of the nurses asked. The huntress looked down at the box, if only to think about what to say. She had not been given further indications with the box, or so she thought. In purple light, the words 'open it' appeared over the box before the words vanished. Doing as indicated, she revealed the contents of the box: a packet of blood, only for the other nurse to grab the box and check the blood pack before the two nurses walked away, leaving the disguised goddess somewhat confused. Shaking her head, she made her way back home, leaving the nurses to do their work.

Several weeks later...

The forest had been serene as ever and yet, things felt amiss. The lack of the bell and small chest was alienating, and yet she felt some sort of relief. All harmony ends, even if it is gone for a bit. With the sway of leaves and blinding speeds, a familiar face appeared: lightly tanned skin, short white toga with a red border, as well as an orange scarf. The eye-catching item was the brown satchel and matching boots, as well as a golden laurel atop his head.

"Hello sis!" the stranger said with a smile on his face.

"Hermes, what brings you here?" Artemis asked, looking at the messenger of Olympus.

"Odd jobs, or freelancing, sis."

"I fail to see how I am involved in all this."

"Well, since things have slowed down in Olympus, I deliver messages in other places on a 'no questions asked' policy. That lead me to the Shinto, which lead me to a lovely Japanese couple who wanted to send something to a hospital. Couldn't quite reach this 'mysterious nurse, was sent to the Yokai for further insight, and here we are! Took a lot of digging, didn't think it'd be you of all people though," he stated, handing her a clipboard and pen for her to sign. Once she did, he grabbed the items before handing her a small package from his messenger bag.

"I'll be on my way, they still need my help since there's a bit of a strike involving the Japanese Post Service. Take care!" he said, zipping off and going on the horizon.

"*Sigh* I'll never understand him," the goddess of the hunt told herself. Opening the package, she now held a small wooden box with a finely-carved top lid. Removing said lid, she took the folded piece of paper that was within the box and proceeded to read it.

"To the nurse who delivered the packed red blood cells,

Thank you for helping us! I am Miki Hyoudou, and I write on behalf of my husband and I. Our son had suffered from a severe case of anemia after I gave birth to him. The doctors had not been able to detect any symptoms until he was born, and compatible blood was scarce. The hospital staff stated that the likelihood of my son receiving a transfusion in time was unlikely, but you managed to help us. While it was the hospital staff that did the procedure, it was also your help that helped Gorou and I are able to hold little Issei in our arms. My husband wants to write his thoughts on this."

As expected, the quality of the writing changed in the latter half.

He is a quiet one, I tell you. Little Issei does show emotions and yet the odds of him crying are low. While it worries me, the pediatrician stated that his behavior was the only concern for the time being. We were told to keep an eye on him for any possible changes. Despite my wife saying this already, I haven't thanked you myself. I'm honestly afraid to fail as a parent, and yet this fear is not as great as it was when my wife carried him within her. I suppose the fear of little Issei being lost kind of lessened my fears. Still, I want to avoid whatever mistakes my father made with me. It may be foolish of me, but do you have any advice for this father?

- The Hyoudou family"

It had been a while for her when it came to all things involving children, and advice was something she rarely gave. Despite all things as they were, she went for advice that was often forgotten. Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen, she began to write a letter... only to knock over the box she was gifted. Looking down, she noticed some extra contents within the box: a small charm, and a picture. The charm said 'good fortune', while the picture was of the Hyoudous, in the mother's arms her child. A smile graced her face, albeit briefly. Family was a fickle thing to her, but she would do whatever she could to help this one. Each had their concerns, but that was what helped humans in their pursuit of retaining their humanity. She wouldn't bother further, and put the picture, charm and letter back in the box. Grabbing her pen and paper, she began to write...


Today had been a bit of a long day for Gorou, as the toll between work and Issei was catching up to him. Shifts altered in order to be there with him as much time as possible, not much had changed with the exception of now having two days off rather than one. It meant more, uninterrupted time tending to his child, a boon to him. Detaching himself from the mindset of prosperity fueled by overtime and days worked was a tad difficult, but his mind drifted off to the letter he received from Artemis: 'it is never too late to learn,' the letter said. While it was not the sole sentence of the letter, it was more along the lines that there was nothing wrong with asking for advice. If a mistake was made by him, he'd own up to it to show his son to be accountable for their respective actions. Bit by bit, one would suppose.

'You'll be nothing with that attitude,' his parents said years ago. It's true, perhaps. He was a bit of a slacker in school, and yet the office was something that felt a tad more natural to him. He had been more than glad to leave his parents and fully delve into the workplace. Office work, outings with his supervisor, all was to build his own future of sorts... or so he thought. Funny, what the 'useless' or 'trivial' can do. One comic lead to him thinking things through. Had his office become a prison? Impossible! Not when he devoted most of his time at work, telling himself that after a certain goal was achieved, life would begin. Enter stage left, Miki. A lovely woman indeed, put up with his antics, welcomed adversity with a smile, almost intoxicating.

In the worst of times, it was she that stuck around for him, and the other way around. They prevailed and ended up in a better scenario. Promotion couldn't come sooner, and he became a supervisor while she became a trainer... until things had been mixed up. Miki loved keeping an eye on her colleagues while she pressured him in a jokingly manner to 'teach the employees a lesson or two'. One role change later and now he was training the next wave of employees. Amidst the turmoil, these two kept going at it until she found out she was pregnant. She stated how she wanted to slowly detach herself from the workplace until someone more suitable could take over for her. As much as he insisted, she objected by stating that she wanted to make sure Issei grew up well. Not only that, but a supervisor was to keep people in line, while a good trainer could do that and more.

In a stroke of luck, the workload and need for employees began to decrease in the workplace, a bit too lucky for the Hyoudous. They knew that an event would occur that would test them, and they only seemed to get more difficult as time went on. They were not proven wrong with Issei's fragile state... but alas, the three prevailed, and were finding balance. 'Artemis,' Mr. Hyoudou thought to himself. Such an odd name, but he could think of half a dozen names that would have been less fitting for a person. His current train of thought was interrupted by the soft cries of a baby. It still struck him as odd as to why his child didn't cause a fuss, but he didn't mind. An excuse to be more cautious, he'd tell himself. Going to the crib, he put Issei in his arms and gently rocked him.

The previous night had been a long one for his wife, and he would not interrupt her slumber. He didn't want to think of darker possibilities for her to be unavailable and yet, he looked at the peaceful face of his son. What struck him as odd was the green tint his left eye had. A rare case of heterochromia iridium, the doctor said. So be it, had the transfusion failed, it wouldn't have mattered to the Hyoudou couple. This state of peace felt surreal to Gorou, as he had been used to the constant action of the office or night life. He wouldn't miss the constant outings, not more than his parents at the least. It had been tempting to visit them again, but in due time he'd suppose. The past few years had not been suitable for out-of-town leisure.

It would be bold of him to say that Issei owed him everything... far from it. He owed it to the hospital staff, and that was an unspoken truth. What was left unspoken was how he owed it to his son to fuel his ambition. He was the reason he kept going, trying to find this balance. The staff did their part securing his son's life and now, it was up to him to ensure that his son grew up with the love and support he deserved.


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