Still stunned, Kit stepped forward, and was enveloped in a warm hug.
Stunned at the sudden contact, the tears broke free of their restraints and glided down her cheeks.
Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around the angel's back, and buried her face into the smooth shoulder.
"Assarishita…I've missed you…"
"I-I missed you, too…"
Pulling back, Kit wiped her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry…These are my friends…"
She turned slightly to them.
"That's Liz Sherman, Abraham Sapien, and Hellboy."
"It's nice to meet you all."
The demon moved from the throne, enveloping the half-breed in a hug.
"You have grown up so much…"
He smiled warmly.
"I'm proud of you."
"…Thanks…"
Kit pulled back.
Something just didn't feel right…
But she wasn't sure WHAT, exactly…
She shivered when he brushed some hair from her face, and stepped back.
'That's what sensei used to do…'
"It is good to see you, though this is a time of imminent war."
"Actually…that's why we're here. Someone's trying to kill me."
Worried, nearly white eyes locked on her.
"Those bruises…"
"I didn't get them on the job."
"What exactly do you do?"
Looking at her 'father', she shrugged.
"Basically monster-hunting."
His blue eyes widened, and she bristled at the disapproval hidden there.
"Monster-hunting? That's much too dangerous for a young lady!"
Hellboy nearly fell over in laughter.
"Seriously? She's the one that beats them up!"
Kit nodded, crossing her arms.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And I've proven it plenty of times."
"It's simply not lady-like."
"Do I LOOK like a lady?" Kit asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"'Cause I always thought I was a woman with a temper problem."
Hellboy snickered, getting an elbow in the ribs from Liz.
Kit's 'mother' got between them, trying to keep the peace.
"Let's not fight. We just got back together."
Her light, silver-bell's voice seemed to calm both of them.
"Queen Mitsukai!"
She turned to the young servant, who looked panicked.
"You and King Tenma are needed in the meeting room. They've arrived."
With a troubled look on her face, the angel nodded.
"Of course. We'll go now. Would you mind showing them to their rooms?"
The servant shook his head, turning to the group of four.
"Follow me."
Kit, giving an irritated glare at her 'father', followed the smaller demon out of the room and up an extravagant staircase.
"…This place could make me puke…"
"Yer such a tomboy."
She smirked.
"And loving it, thank you."
The hallway had pictures and such hanging from its walls, with dark wooden doors at intervals.
Kit was given one first, and blanched.
It was a bright, almost head ache-inducing pink, with a large queen bed with a pink canopy.
There was a dresser and vanity mirror, both decorated with carved, pink-painted cherry blossoms, and a large closet.
Putting her bag at the foot of the bed, she went to see what was inside.
Her eye twitched at the sight, and she shut it.
"I-HATE-Dresses…"
Looking at the pink and white sheets on the bed, she growled in annoyance.
"I like pink, but this is too damn much!"
"Ya know, shouting to yerself is a sign of insanity."
She glared at Hellboy.
"YOU can stay in this room, then! I'm OUTTA here!"
"Me? Stay in here? No way! I'll go blind!"
"I'M not going to lose my eyesight!"
"Then switch with Liz!"
"But she's NICE…"
"…Are ya saying I'm not nice?"
"If you are, you sure have a weird, violent way of showing it."
"Really?"
He caught her in a headlock, and she laughed as she tried to break free.
"Wanna take that back, kid?"
"NEVER!"
"You two will never change…"
Both demons looked up at Abe.
"Why? Don't you LOVE us?" Kit asked, mock-pouting.
"…Maybe…"
Hellboy released Kit, smirking.
"Oh, come on! Ya know ya do!"
"Your not exactly helping with your immature behavior…"
Kit smiled.
"But if we weren't immature, we wouldn't be US!"
"Exactly."
There was a silence, and the two demons shared a glance.
"…Well, I really don't know what to say to that." Kit admitted.
She smirked at Hellboy.
"What about you, Red?"
A wicked grin spread across his face, and Abe backed up.
"I may have an idea…"
Kit laughed as the two ran out into the hall, and walked out to look for Liz.
Opening a door, she peeked in.
"Thank God…it's not bright in here…"
Liz rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Your room is bright?"
"Bright pink."
"I thought you liked pink."
"It's almost highlighter pink." Kit emphasized.
"And I've realized that there really IS such as too much of a good thing."
"You're being overdramatic."
"Lizzie, I have pink coming out the yin-yang, but THAT room has TOO much!"
Hellboy peeked in, smirking.
"Ya two talking about girly stuff?"
Kit gave an un-amused look.
"…Who exactly do you think I am?"
"Apparently, yer a prissy little princess, kid."
"…Get over here."
"NEVER!"
He started running, the cat-girl giving chase.
Jumping onto his back, she forced him onto the ground.
"Say that again, buddy. I dare you."
"Alright, then. Yer a little girly princess."
She twisted his arm behind his back.
"Really? Then why are you being beaten by a 'little girly princess'?"
"Kit? Red?"
Kit turned her head to see Abe.
"Hey, Blue."
"He called you 'little' and 'girly' in the same sentence, didn't he?"
"You bet."
Abe sighed, walking past them.
"Hey, Blue! Help me up!"
Abe looked at Hellboy.
"…I don't think I can. You're stuck."
"WHAT?!"
Abe was gone down the stairs, probably to check things out, when Liz came out.
"…Kit, get off of him."
With a pout, she stood up.
When Hellboy stood up, he expected to see irritation in her eyes.
Instead, her eyes seemed almost…lost…
She may have found her parents, but it was like she didn't know everything about herself.
"Look, Red. Just 'cause I'm a princess or whatever doesn't mean I'm any different."
Looking down, she turned away.
"I'm not cut out for it, and you know that. But I guess I'm gonna have to try."
"Ya don't have ta change yerself."
Without looking back, Kit walked into her room.
Liz and Hellboy shared a worried glance, the former heading down the stairs to catch up to Abe.
The red-skinned demon looked at the door and then the stairs, deciding what he should do.
On one hand, he could leave his friend to fester as he went to join the others, but, on the other hand, he could go in there and make sure she didn't mess up her mind.
Or fall asleep…
With that thought in mind, Hellboy went and knocked on the door with his smaller left hand.
"Not now, Red…"
He opened the door slightly, wary of flying knives.
"We need to talk, kid…"
"I'm not a kid…"
NOW he knew something was wrong.
Kit never really minded that he called her kid, because, technically, she was MUCH younger than him.
Stepping in and closing the door, he sighed.
"Ya can't hide yerself, Kit."
"I can sure as hell try…"
Her voice was muffled by the pillow she'd put over her head, and Hellboy sighed.
"Come on, Kit…"
Using his stone hand, he lifted the pillow off.
"I don't want to talk, Red…"
"Ya sure said a mouthful out there. And I KNOW yer not gonna change."
"…What if I hadn't met my sensei?"
Not sure how to respond, he remained silent.
"Everything has been CHANCE for me, Red…And I can almost see myself as someone different if I had never left this place…"
She rolled enough so her back faced him.
"…And it scares me…Thinking of a life where I never knew my sensei or you or Lizzie or Abe…"
She was surprised when she was lifted off the mattress, and was cuddled in the crook of his right arm.
"Look, Kit. Yer like a little sister to me. Ya may be annoying, ya may be brash, and ya MAY tackle me to the ground, but I still don't like seeing ya in pain."
Looking up, she eventually cuddled into his chest.
"The others really care about ya, too. Ya may have felt like ya didn't have a family, but ya made one fer yerself."
"…You know, you can be such a softie…"
"Ya know, I could just drop ya on yer head…"
"…I was kidding?"
She smiled innocently.
"…But, seriously…Thanks, Red…I really needed that…"
She chuckled.
"Maybe not a really big, over-protective older brother figure, but the talk helped…"
"Good. Now let's go and join the others, kid."
"Sure."
But Kit felt SURE she wasn't going to enjoy something that was coming…