Skipping battra stuff and the Bachiko dessert bit. Spell check HATES Amuryllis and wants to fix it. X,D

xXx-xXx-teatime-xXx-xXx

Iruma didn't know what to think when Opera introduced themself as their new Practicals teacher. He was happy to see Shiida-sensei again, but…

They were screwed, weren't they?

Iruma was dealing with personal training from Opera. It was grueling, and it was kind of the only time he had particularly negative thoughts about his mother. On the other hand, he attempted to logic it out with himself that it was for his safety and future.

It was just… living with it, in the moment, was… hard.

So, when Opera said they would have tea time, and that it was somewhere they could get to without flying, he was confused.

And then he saw the tall spire, and thought, 'Yup. That's pretty on-brand.'

He knew Opera couldn't really fly, similar to himself, so there was clearly a way to get up without wings.

It was just… the most logical way to get up to the top.

The situation also happened to remind him about the Harvest Festival, when he'd been trapped at the bottom of a chasm. This was a survival lesson, mixed with Magical application.

Iruma gulped, before following everyone else's lead to climb.

And climb.

Until there was nothing left to hold onto… one third of the way up.

xXx-xXx-teatime-xXx-xXx

Soi leaned into him covered in dirt and sweat at the bottom of the spire they'd spent all day at, just to learn non-verbal Cherushiru, "I can't believe your mom made us go down that dumb spire the same way we went up…"

Iruma smiled while suppressing a hysterical giggle, "I can."

Soi slowly glanced at his heart-brother, "How horrible is your training?"

Iruma was silent, and the class slowly looked at him before Lied spoke, "Dude, you could've warned us."

Iruma raised a brow, "The six page apology for New Year's wasn't enough?"

Lied slumped into himself, feeling ill from just remembering their sixty six minute and six second rant about intoxicating the whole class, "...I'd blocked that out, honestly…"

Jazz laid on his back while staring at the sky, "...Was that tea party even worth all of that effort?"

Iruma melted into Soi and they flopped bonelessly together to the ground, "It could have been worse."

Jazz looked over to his classmate, "...Worse?"

Iruma gave him a mysterious smile, "With Opera… it can always get worse."

The class shuddered.

"...At least the tea and snacks were good…"

"Of course they were. Opera's the best."

xXx-xXx-overture-xXx-xXx

Iruma stared at the black handkerchief Ameri had given to him to reserve him as her escort for the upcoming Deviculum.

He would see his Master in a few hours at a dessert restaurant to talk about various things. He'd missed her, so he was looking forward to it.

He ran his thumb over the fabric, and took the time to recall Ameri's expressions while she invited him, as well as to study his own immediate responses to her.

She still made him really flustered, but after their dinner date a little while back, he found that he had some level of control. So long as she didn't breathe on him, his fangs didn't ache so much while around her. For that, he was grateful.

Somehow, touching the small square of fabric did bother his fangs, so he sighed and put it away for safekeeping.

He wanted to see the important events of the Netherworld with his own eyes, to broaden his horizons, and become less ignorant of the greater world and society he found himself living in.

He should have known it wouldn't be so easy.

xXx-xXx-overture-xXx-xXx

Opera laid awake in bed for some time that night, wondering if they were being too protective of their child.

The balance of allowing freedom, and preventing harm was a strange tightrope that they were finding difficulty in maintaining… but the facts were the facts.

They couldn't be there with Iruma during the Deviculum due to having to watch the school in Lord Sullivan's place. The factor that Shichirou couldn't be counted on as a bodyguard for him due to his own unique and private work.

Nothing was aligned in Iruma's favor in this, and silently, Opera worried about their enemies being present at such a large event. It didn't help that Atori had attempted to capture Iruma after going rogue, and that Poro-sama had been the one to bail him out.

There were particularly strong powers moving in both the shadows and the daylight, and the very thought that something could happen to their son while they were far away caused their chest to constrict.

Opera took in a slow and deep breath before exhaling.

Parenting didn't always have a right or wrong, and was entirely dependent on the situation at hand for the outcome.

Opera wanted to be a good parent.

They wanted their hardwon son to be safe.

xXx-xXx-overture-xXx-xXx

Amuryllis giggled mentally to herself, and Opera took one look at Alice and logically dismissed him as a source of protection for their Ward. She was well hidden with her detection warding veil, and she had so many things she wanted to say and ask.

Opera looked well today. They hadn't looked particularly well during the dinner while they'd watched over Iruma.

Amuryllis stepped forward and easily slipped off her veil, "Oh my~" Opera flinched and turned towards the sound of her voice as she gently traced her fingers under their jaw, "Too young, you say…" Her Charm was at its maximum as she revealed herself to Opera. "Amu-chan is sooooo happy to hear that!" Hearts full of affection littered her words as she finished teasing Opera, "Sullivan-san's right hand demon-san~!"

Opera physically recoiled from Amuryllis and the air of flirtatious sexuality she was exuding and jumped back in alarm.

Amuryllis couldn't help the cat-like grin curling her lips, "My, my~! Don't worry~!" She pulled the flustered Iruma and (annoyed) Alice to her chest, "The Asmodeus household will gladly accept the duty of guarding your precious Iruma-kun~!"

Opera settled their discomfort and stood straight. "Amuryllis-sama, why would you offer such a thing?"

Amuryllis hummed, "Well~, you see, Alice-chan asked for me to help him come up with a solution since his 'Iruma-sama' was relying on him~. It's so very rare for him to go out of his way to call a meeting with me, let alone ask me oh-so-earnestly for aid, so how could I resist?! Beside's, I'll get the benefit of having my son escort me to a Deviculum for once~!" She made a small squeeing giggle to herself at the thought of matching outfits. "So you see, Iruma-kun will be perfectly safe and sound under my protection~!"

Opera frowned as they tightly gripped their hands behind their back in silent contemplation.

Amuryllis nuzzled Iruma, "So there you have it! You can leave Iruma-kun to the Asmodeus Clan~!"

Opera was silent for a moment before placing a hand on their chest and bowing slightly in respect, "... First, thank you very much for coming, Amuryllis-sama."

Amuryllis puffed her cheeks and pouted at them, "I've told you before to call me Amu-chan."

Opera paused for a moment as the Memory of their clothes fitting session came back to them. "...Amu-chan-sama." They slowly raised their head, "However, the 13 Crowns are guests of honor. Surely you won't always have time to be by Iruma-sama's side..?"

Amuryllis tapped her lip with a smirk, "It's fine~, most high ranking demons know each other anyway. Socializing isn't on my agenda." Her smirk became playful again as she snatched Iruma and Alice once more and pressed them against her, "Actually, wouldn't it be better to have Iruma-kun become my guard instead to keep him by my side? Now look, I have two handsome boys with me~!"

Opera's ears fell low as they glared at the Head of Lust and her antics silently. "..."

Amuryllis took a small mental step back, as she realized her teasing might be going a little too far for the enigmatic Guardian. It had been years since their last conversation, and clearly something had Opera on edge. She was there to relieve that tension, not make it worse.

She tapped a finger on her lips, the urge to tease still a little too strong as she spoke. "Hmm~ …Well, if you're still worried, I'll return Iruma-kun to you." She let Alice go as he protested her words, while pulling Iruma closer for the sake of her Magic to take hold. "If" She pointed towards the edge of the carpet they were standing on, "You can cross that line… and come and get him yourself, that is~!"

Amuryllis had never used her Magic on Opera before, so she couldn't help but have a little fun with it. "It's just one step~! Come on, now~."

Opera stared at the simple line with a slight slump as their arms dropped from behind them. It was just one little step… but there was a buzz in the air. They could feel something in front of them, even if they couldn't see it.

Amuryllis was a 13 Crown for a reason, and being the Head of the Lust Group wasn't the only reason.

They swallowed thickly as they tried to keep their stomach from flipping.

They lifted their foot, and in their attempt to take that one step, they were greeted with the scent of sweet alluring flowers, and the sight of unimaginable physical beauty and wonder. A giant-sized Amuryllis smirked at them and slowly brought her massive fingertip close to their forehead, and Opera's danger sense forced them to retreat from the illusion.

At their retreat and her victory, Amuryllis placed a hand on her chest. "Only those I favor can approach me~." A thread of bloodlust entered her demeanor as she continued, "I'm not the kind of woman you can touch as you please."

Opera was displeased by their loss in such a way, but pushed themself back to their feet properly as they admitted their defeat. "Very well… Please take care of Iruma-sama during the-"

Iruma was suddenly clinging to them as he buried his face into their stomach in a rush, "Thank you so much..! Opera-san..!"

Opera's ears lifted for a moment before drooping again in melancholy as they smirked in resignation, "You really did… exceed my expectations. What a troublesome Master, just like Sullivan-sama." Iruma lifted his head and grinned up at them, happy to the point that he let his tail out from under his shirt to help show his joy and relieve himself of building energy.

"Yaa~y! It's decided!" Amuryllis cheered, "I better hurry up and get outfits for those two!"

Opera flinched as they turned towards her, "Huh?" They slapped a hand to their chest and turned to her fully, "Please wait! I will prepare Iruma-sama's outfit!"

Amuryllis shot back, "No way! I won't let you have this!"

And so they bickered, and dragged their two sons off together to the sixty boutiques David had reserved for this purpose.

xXx-xXx-overture-xXx-xXx

Amuryllis sat with Opera on one side of the carriage, while their two boys slept against one another on the way back to the Sullivan household. They'd been stretched thin by all of the fittings and styling choices they'd had to make, and were now frazzled and worn out to the point that Amuryllis finally felt like she could take the time to speak with Opera in semi-private.

She activated Encrypted Speech while tilting her head towards her estranged friend, "Opera-chan… you don't have to tell me everything, but what happened fifteen years ago..?"

Opera paused, before taking in a deep breath, "I gave birth, almost died, and lost my Memories of ever being pregnant in the first place."

Amuryllis couldn't hide her shock as Opera slowly met her eyes, "The ones behind my pregnancy… There is still too much we do not know, and I fear that Iruma may run into someone connected to Those who have Returned to Origins and Cursed me. That's why…" They trailed off while dropping their gaze, "That's why I would much prefer for Iruma-sama to not participate in this Deviculum."

"...Even though the Grandsons of the other Three Greats will be there?"

Opera nodded silently, before gripping their knees. "Yes."

Amuryllis hummed lightly as she settled back in thought. "...So that's why Sullivan-sama was like that back then… and why you never contacted me again."

Opera nodded, "The Memories were locked tight, and it took three years for me to recover from it enough to return to my regular duties."

Amuryllis huffed lightly to herself before chuckling softly, "So you probably deleted my number from your contacts."

"...No. I didn't." Amuryllis looked at them in surprise as they elaborated. "I sometimes re-read our text conversations in confusion. Sometimes it would cause me to throw up blood. Yet, I couldn't bear to delete them, just as much as I couldn't bear to call you. I had no idea what to even say, so I just… let them be."

Amuryllis was silent for a long moment, as she stared at the adorable sight of their two sons resting against one another peacefully.

Opera only allowed Iruma to let his ears and tail out once they were done for the night, and now Amuryllis understood their logic a little. They didn't want their enemies to make a connection between their child, and whatever had happened at his conception.

She smirked slightly to herself, "And our sons found one another despite all of that."

Opera tilted their head, "Hm?"

Amuryllis snickered lightly, "I had totally been planning out how our children could have playdates and grow up together, while we had chats about how difficult parenting is. I was hurt when you suddenly cut off contact. After a while, I realized something had gone wrong… and well…" She sighed softly, "I couldn't hold it against you. Not when Sullivan-sama seemed to have lost something important. I honestly had assumed for a time that you'd lost the child at birth, and were in mourning."

Opera was still for a moment, "...In a way, I did." Amuryllis looked at them as they continued, "He was taken far, far away from me, and handed over to his genetic donor. The ones who raised him…" They grit their teeth and bared their fangs as deep anger coiled in their gut, "They used him until he was too inconvenient for them." They took a deep calming breath, "And that is how Iruma-sama came across Lord Sullivan's path. They… sold him to my Master."

Amuryllis couldn't help but feel her stomach drop, "...They sold a child..?"

Opera looked at their friend and gave them a tired smile, "Death was too good of a punishment for them."

Amuryllis cooed as they pulled Opera into her chest with a sad hum and coiled her Mana around them in comfort, "I will watch your kit as if he were my own."

Opera leaned into her with a small smirk, "He probably will be one of your own, one day."

Amuryllis tilted her head, before giggling while nuzzling Opera's hair, "Don't tease me like that, Alice-chan absolutely refuses to admit that there's anything deep between them!"

Opera hummed, "He's probably embarrassed, especially because of how you can be, Amu-chan-sama."

Amuryllis pouted, "Just Amu-chan is fine, Opera!"

Opera sniffed, "Amu-chan-sama."

Amuryllis dropped Encrypted Speech, "Mou~!"

xXx-xXx-overture-xXx-xXx

Short chapter for now, please let me know if you enjoyed it!