Chapter 26

Merely one hour after Choso's hatching

He has yet to open his eyes, let alone move from his father's side. Toji hasn't regained his mindset in that time frame either. He would growl at those who he doesn't trust, those who are, are permitted to approach him yet kept at a distance.

One of the few given such privilege was Yua.

Ankoku invited her back to the nursery. "Father will permit you to come," he said gently to her. "You are one of the few he trusts, and he wants your opinion…"

Yua was stunned, Satoru has yet to recover from the strike Toji gave him, not even reverse jujutsu would allow his black eye to heal! Still, a painful lesson he had to learn eventually. "Okay, let's go now then."

She was escorted to the nursery, Ankoku entered first. Yua stepped into the doorway but waited. "You can come…"

"Shh, no not yet." She said gently. "Look at his eyes," She could tell by the look on Toji's face, like a serpent coiled up and waiting to strike. She knew better than to move from that spot. "I need to wait for his permission, it's okay,"

Ankoku was stunned by her observation, he approached his father and spoke dragon gently. 'Father, I brought Yua Tooru as you asked… may she approach?'

Toji still growled lowly at her. But eventually he settled as she refused to move from where she stood. It was a silent understanding, she continued to wait until Toji gave a nod to her. It was the signal. She has permission.

Yua approached him very slowly, but kept a comfortable distance between herself and Toji. She could see Megumi from where she stood. He was still out cold. "He's breathing fine?" she asked.

"Indeed, big brother has done nothing but sleep, father is worried though. Since after when we were born we were out and about. Yet big brother…"

"Different methods of birth, remember that." She said gently. "Your brother could also be running the gambit of emotions too. It can happen when one turns and ascends to a new level of being. His mind is trying to process it all, at the same time, he's going to think differently and see things in a new light."

He paused to her words. "How…"

"When Ryujin possessed me… I went through a phase like that. It's difficult, but necessary. Since after all, you are seeing things in a whole new way and a different perspective…" she explained.

She turned to look back at Toji, only to jump as he now stood before her. Merely inches away, but he was peering into her face oddly. "Toji…" she said gently, but then, he turned down to Megumi. "Do you want me to have a closer look?"

He nodded.

Yua was very careful as she felt Fushiguro's head. His temperature was normal. His face wasn't pale or anything, and yet, she could see straining in his eyes. "He's troubled…" she whispered.

"Troubled?" Ankoku asked.

She nodded her head. "He is processing everything he went through, what he endured and loss. All those memories and the pain he suppressed… they are going to boil up and out of him soon."

"Is he in danger?"

"No, but I don't know how you are going to be able to sooth him."

Just as she said such a thing, Megumi's eyes wielded up. Tears began to flow as his lip quivered. He started to cry… and couldn't stop.

Toji suddenly snapped out of his dragon like mood, when he realized what he was doing he suddenly panicked! "Whoa… calm down kid! What the hell!"

"Sooth him, over your shoulder now, rub his back!" Yua ordered.

He didn't argue and did just that, he tried to sooth his son, but he wasn't having it. "Jeeze, I didn't think he would wake up like this!"

"Less talk, more soothing, keep rubbing his back!" Yua ordered.

He did, and for two hours. Yet nothing stopped Megumi's tears. Toji appeared to be on the brink of them himself. "What the hell do I do!? What did I do wrong!" he protested to her.

Yua didn't know how to answer him, but then, she felt the pressure of the room change.

"MOM!" cheered Ankoku.

Lady Tiamat however, her focus was on Megumi. "Give him to me," she ordered.

Toji didn't refuse, Yua watched with great fascination as well as respect as lady Tiamat placed Megumi over her shoulder, with one hand she began to rub his back and hum to him.

She swayed with him gently, back and forth, humming an odd tune that Yua had never heard before.

Despite Megumi's age, he appeared like a toddler over her shoulder.

Megumi continued to cry for only five more minutes, and then… he started to settle. His nose sniffled a little, just as his eyes suddenly opened for the first time. "Huh… what… where am I?" he whispered weakly.

"Big brother… he woke up," whispered Ankoku, his eyes sparkled with admiration to him. "Big brother actually woke up…"

Megumi froze when he realized he was in the arms of Lady Tiamat. "Uh… Lady Tiamat…" he said gently.

"Shhh, not yet, you're just calming down… let it out Megumi, you have held in a lot of pain…"

He wanted to speak, until his lip quivered again. He didn't hesitate as his arms came around her neck. He embraced Lady Tiamat and wept.

Yua couldn't help but let a few tears of her own be shed. He settled once more in half an hour. By then, Lady Tiamat nodded her approval. "There we go, do you feel better now?"

"Yes… I… I don't know what came over me…"

She gently placed him back on the bedding, Megumi laid there as he stared into the ceiling. "What… what happened?" he asked nervously.

Toji appeared reluctant to even utter a word.

In fact, he couldn't bring himself to speak of it.

Lady Tiamat however…

"Your father has turned you, thanks to him, you are now a dragon as well. Megumi Fushiguro… my stepson." She said rather proudly. "In fact, I need to thank Ryomen for this notion…"

"He can't speak of it because of a binding vow, correct?" Yua asked.

"What? There's no vow in place. He was just messing with you."

Yua paused. "That son of a bitch!" she protested. But got a good snicker out of the room. She sighed aloud to it all. "He helped you with this?" she asked offhandedly.

Lady Tiamat nodded. "It was the fact that he mention offhandedly when Yuuji had Kiyoshi… since I was worried what would become of my grandson. Yet he wasn't concerned at all. He just said in passing. 'Hatching is a form of birth, isn't it?' and left it at that… I never thought of it as such… but he was right."

"But, why did he help you with this? What's in it for him?"

Lady Tiamat smiled. "We have an arrangement in place now. But I won't speak of it at the moment, as well… there is something else in it for him, a new view of Jujutsu in a sense. If he is truly who he was when he lived among your family in peace, I do believe he will become more powerful than his curse state."

"Wait, you promised him that?!" she demanded.

"I made no such promise… but he will come to his own conclusion. It won't matter if he does, since after all, he will be greatly outnumbered. We already have seven male dragons at the ready…"

"Wait, there's the Itadori twins, Kiyoshi, Toji and now Fushiguro… that's only five." Yua protested, but then paused. "There are others…"

"One just returned now, another is halfway there."

Curiosity won out. Yua rushed outside and saw Yuuji carrying Choso on his shoulder, but was bringing him to the nursery. "Yuuji?"

"Hey Yua, sorry I got to get Choso somewhere comfy. He's been through a lot."

Choso was wrapped up in a Yuuji's sweater and a blanket, he merely sat there, not fully grasping what happened to him. But Yua felt it.

She turned to lady Tiamat who stood there stunned. Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to her daughter. "Rhea. Do you know what kind of dragon he has become!?" she asked in utter amazement.

She blushed. "Uh… no, I don't mother… I don't quite have an eye for that…" she confessed.

Lady Tiamat on the other hand was taking a closer look at Choso. "How do you feel? What do you feel?" she asked.

He paused for a moment to consider her words until he said. "Empty… oddly empty… perhaps something is missing in me… I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"Empty how?" she asked.

Choso's hand began to rub his stomach. "Something is missing…"

The smile on Lady Tiamat only grew bigger and bigger. "Finally, one has returned... Rhea, you chose a perfect mate for yourself. He's a nursery dragon!"