Everyone unanimously voted for separation, so I hope you'll look forward to the other au's. I have once again adjusted the title back to its original form, and have instead created a series set for this story.

xXx-xXx-postlude-xXx-xXx

Iruma double checked the text he'd received from Ameri while standing in front of their usual reading room. 'My father is here, and would like a word with you before our reading session.'

He grimaced, rubbed his stiff shoulder before rolling it, pocketed his phone, and knocked on the door twice. He heard a shuffle before Ameri opened the door with a happy look on her face, "Thank you for coming!" She motioned him in, and he shuffled in behind her.

He met Henri's neutral gaze and slightly relaxed. There was no pressure, and it almost seemed… soft?

He opened his mouth to greet him when a familiar scent met his tongue and nose. He froze, before moving over to Henri to snatch his hand and sniff at his sleeve. Ameri was puzzled, while Henri seemed to be perfectly fine with whatever it was he was up to.

"...Sensei..?" He closed his mouth and rolled his tongue over the familiar human scent. He looked up at Henri with a question in his eyes, "You-"

Henri cut him off with a book, and Iruma nearly jumped as he automatically grasped it. He blinked rapidly at the cover as his brain caught up to the familiar language. His ears perked up in excitement, "A Sign Language book!" He spun slightly and lifted it above himself before pausing to look back at Henri, "Is it okay for me to translate this and teach it to my grandmother?"

Henri nodded, "Yes."

Iruma beamed and held the book close with a toothy grin, "Thank you!"

Henri relaxed slightly with a tiny sigh, "No, it's… the least I could do."

Iruma set the book down in his usual seat before glancing back at him curiously. The older demon was acting oddly, and something just seemed a little…

He didn't have the word for it. Was it wistful? He had no idea. It was an oddity.

Iruma approached Henri and looked him over before tilting his head, "So you ran into the author of Hatsukoi Memory?"

Henri nodded before taking out the latest volume and presenting it to him, "She was participating in a book signing when I went to pick up the latest volumes of her work."

Iruma hummed as he took it and noticed a piece of hair hanging from inside of it. It was placed on purpose, and it held the familiar scent more strongly.

There was also an unusual bulge near the back, so he opened it. There, he noted the familiar Sign that Sensei used, two folded white notes, and a picture.

He shifted the white papers to the image of Sensei holding onto (a humanized?) Henri's arm. He stared at the image for a long moment before shifting the white pages. One was labeled for Ameri, and the other for himself.

He gingerly took the slip of folded paper for himself, while passing the manga over to Ameri for her own letter.

Ameri took the book with confusion before looking between the picture inside and the folded letter for herself.

Iruma took a step back and turned to read his own letter, while Ameri had her own moment with her father.

Little Stray-kun Iruma,

I was recently informed by your previous occasional caretakers that you had perished at sea. Our group was devastated to learn of your death, and promptly took time off to remember your memory and mourn you.

It brings me no amount of great joy that you are, in fact, still alive and well. To learn that you have found your true birth parent, and that you are growing healthy and strong in a loving environment is such a relief. I'm sorry I and the others weren't able to help you more with your previous guardians. If I had just a little more courage, I would have adopted you as my own, but since I was too weak-willed, I simply didn't take those steps. I apologize for that, even if it is an empty sentiment at this point.

I cannot express the amount of joy I have in the fact that you are sharing my manga with my daughter, Ameri. I don't have the specifics of your circumstances, but in meeting you, I remembered my own Lost Memories, and the baby I wasn't given the chance to raise. The reasoning was obvious- that she had demon parentage, and could not stay in the Human Realm. It baffles me that you, as someone with feline demon traits, was left in the Human Realm with Humans despite them… but, ah. I'm probably getting into things that I shouldn't know.

I'm truly just happy and blessed to know that you're alive, and that you've met my daughter. I'm so glad that the two of you get along. I hope that the two of you will continue to bond over my story, and that maybe someday, I can see the two of you again.

Be safe, strong, and healthy, Iruma-kun.
-Merize

Iruma rubbed at his eyes with a sniff. The letter said so much, and he was grateful to Sensei for taking him in and paying him for his work. That he wasn't a burden, but someone of value despite what little work he was capable of.

He sniffed, and took a moment to read the letter again, before a third re-read made him mentally pause.

It wasn't that he hadn't acknowledged it during his first and second read throughs. It was just.. Not quite so important.

His voice was gravely when he addressed Henri, "You used Memory Altering Magic on your own Mate?"

Henri clenched his fist to hold down his own shame. Ameri was teary-eyed while looking at him lost, even though she herself knew and understood why such a thing would be necessary, if what was written in her own letter were anything to go by.

"It was ordered by those of greater power above me."

Iruma snarled to himself before sharply turning to look at him enraged, "I should have broken your nose."

Ameri choked as she stifled a giggling gasp of surprise.

Henri on the other hand somehow found this to be a relieving response and slumped slightly, "I suppose you should have."

Iruma frowned, his anger still there, but… perhaps tempered? He tilted his head as he observed the Crown before him. "So you have a Human Mate."

Henri nodded slightly, "I… do, yes."

Iruma puzzled over his letter, "...You made her forget… but somehow she remembered..?"

Henri took in a deep breath before exhaling with a sigh as he placed a weighted hand on Iruma's head placatingly, "In colliding with your own inherent Curse… the Magic I'd used to suppress Merize's Memory came undone."

Iruma blinked before allowing himself to lean into Henri's hand, "...Ah." It made… some sense to him.

Henri slowly removed his hand from his head and shifted to lightly grasping his shoulder, "There isn't much that I can do to make reparations with your family." Iruma looked up at him puzzled, "But for what I can do…" Henri grimaced as he pulled his hand away, "I suppose… adopting you should be of some help."

Ameri looked at her father completely confused along with Iruma. Iruma cleared his throat, "Uhm, no offense, sir, but-"

Henri pinned him with a harsh stare that made him stop, "As in son-in-law, if that is what Ameri wishes."

Iruma's throat went dry as he flushed deeply in mute shock.

Ameri gaped at her father, flustered, "W-what?"

Henri huffed lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while looking away from them both, "Did I have the wrong idea that the two of you were interested in one another..?"

Ameri turned red to match Iruma. They glanced at one another before Ameri responded, "No, we… are interested in each other."

Henri hummed internally. Certainly, if it were anyone else, he wouldn't think that a teenage love story would hold out.

But Ameri was his daughter, and his mother's grandaughter, and so on.

To put it simply, the Azazel family had a track record, just as much as Iruma's maternal bloodline did.

Henri rubbed his chin, "I am suggesting this because there is still time for you to adapt."

Iruma blinked before looking up at him in confusion as his embarrassment subsided, "Adapt?"

Henri crossed his arms as he observed the teenager before him, "You are still adapting to your adopted father's bloodline. However, when it comes to marriage, as is most familiar to you, it helps the next generations for the opposing parents to 'adopt' the partner into their blood to help pass on their unique Magicks."

Iruma tilted his head and puzzled over his words.

Henri rubbed his head awkwardly, "What I'm trying to say, is that… I can save you and your family from future trouble, and perhaps, help you with those wings of yours as a… dowry gift?" He grimaced at his own wording, but he had no simple way of explaining it.

Ameri shuffled while wringing her hands and glancing between the two of them.

Iruma furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

Henri sighed softly to himself, "If I adopt you now by having you drink my blood, I can make it so that your children do not carry your Human genes, thus sparing your extended family any further stress from being observed and investigated by Border Patrol once more. I can also strengthen your wings down to your genetics so that you can fly on your own, and spare any possible children you may have the inability to fly away from danger."

Iruma's mind went blank. That was… ah. Well, Blood and Magic were involved, so of course it was somehow possible. He was a little too ignorant of the Greater Magicks to be able to argue against it, so, if Henri said it was possible, it simply was.

But still, was Henri actually saying what he thought he was..?

Iruma cleared his throat, "So what you're saying… is that you're approving of Ameri and I being in a relationship… and essentially suggesting an engagement?" Was he understanding things correctly?

Henri pursed his lips to chew on his tongue for a moment before nodding, "Yes."

Ameri panicked, "But he doesn't have to accept if he doesn't want to, right?"

Henri and Iruma glanced at her in confusion for a moment before Henri nodded, "It isn't necessary to answer at this moment, so he may refuse my offer at this time if he needs to think about it."

It was quite the commitment to make on the spot.

(But Henri had seen that dinner bill for their date and spat blood. His daughter was serious.

He hoped Iruma felt the same way.)

"...I'll do it."

Henri and Ameri looked at him, and his eyes showed determination.

"I've chosen Ameri as one of my partners… and so long as you both understand that I'm not giving up on the others just for her, I'd be honored to move forward with your suggestion, Henri-san."

Ameri flushed, "I-Iruma…"

Iruma took in a deep breath and met Henri's eyes while extending his hand, "It would be my honor to become a part of your family, so allow me to re-introduce myself."

"I am Coda Catshie of the House of Sullivan, and I would like to someday marry your daughter, Ameri Azazel."

Henri took his hand and squeezed it with a nod.

xXx-xXx-postlude-xXx-xXx

His mouth, throat, and stomach tingled first, after swallowing an uncomfortable amount of Henri's blood. The feeling of particularly strong Magic and Mana wrapping around him and blooming from within was a familiar and foreign feeling all at once. It was too warm, and he vaguely knew he'd lost strength in his body and collapsed into Henri.

He's pretty sure he's been bundled into the much taller man's lap, if the vague feeling of fur and nine tails wrapping around him is anything to go by.

The tingling spreads towards his fingertips, and he swears he can feel his wings scraping against the floor as they flex in discomfort and relief.

There are too many sensations for Iruma to take in, but he is grounded while being held by Henri, the tone of his and Ameri's voices, and the fact that he's just so damned hot!

Why was he sweating as if he had a high fever? This sucks! His chest tightens a little as his body tries to direct the Magic it's consumed.

There is a secondary press of Magic, of fur and- oh, Ameri is trying to help him.

A piece of fabric runs over his forehead with cool hands after an undetermined amount of time. A new voice and presence has joined in.

WorrySafeHere leaves a rush of cold up his spine and into his wing roots.

Coda opens a bleary eye and meets concerned light blue. 'Kerori..?'

The sound is stuck in his throat, but she nods in understanding, "I'm here to help."

Iruma closes his eyes again with a sigh. Kerori's hand roams to the back of his neck, and it is a blissful torture as he leans into her cold with a whine. Henri hums words that he can't catch, while Ameri and Kerori try and comfort him in turns.

Something sweet is pressed against his lips, and he takes a cautious sip. It helps his parched throat, and then a thicker something is pressed with a spoon. He accepts the food, and ah. He's being fed pudding.

He must be burning a lot of calories due to whatever is happening to him.

The Azazel Bloodline Magic is just stupid strong.

Coda huffs lightly at his passing thought, and another cool sip of something is pressed against his lips for the taking.

Iruma takes in a deep breath as the height of the heat slowly subsides. They should probably talk to his mother about his name. He was still attached to Iruma of course, but there are things they keep meaning to ask…

And.. should he change his name…? But…

They told Alto and Glass to call them Coda, as well as for the extended family to do so. Was that… alright?

He didn't know.

They wanted to be Iruma.

He wanted to be Coda.

They… recognized the two halves of themself and wanted to be both.

Why was it so hard to understand himself, sometimes..?

They opened their eyes blearily and recognized that Clara and Alice had joined in on whatever show he was making of themself.

Clara smacked his cheeks and smooshed them, "Wakey-wakey Baka-chi!"

Iruma blinked and choked into complete awareness, "B-Baka!?"

Clara grinned toothily at him with a giggle before pouting, "You coulda warned us before, y'know!"

Coda paused before smiling into her reprimand, "You're right, sorry Clara. Alice, Kerori. My bad."

Kerori huffed lightly before ruffling his hair, "You'll just owe me a spectacular photoshoot for merch, understood?"

Alice hummed, "Well, so long as you are adopted into my family next, I can forgive it."

Clara sprung to her feet and launched into Alice's stomach, "No! Me first!"

"Augh! Stupid Clara, stop-!"

Iruma snickered before glancing up at Henri.

Ah, oops.

Henri… wasn't impressed.

Oh well.

xXx-xXx-postlude-xXx-xXx

In retrospect, the smart thing to have done was inform Opera of what he was planning.

Henri… didn't think about that, when his mind was filled with Merize, and getting her letters to Iruma and Ameri.

If he could go back in time, he would have told enraged Iruma to punch harder, so that he not only had a broken nose, but perhaps, even be knocked out.

However, he wasn't fortunate enough to have Time Magic.

After Iruma had come back to himself, his fever had subsided, and his potential future partners had ensured his wellbeing, Asmodeus had taken a moment to be on his phone and then returned to his self-proclaimed duties.

Henri hadn't thought anything of those few moments of texting.

That is, until the door slammed open, cracking the door's frame and pulling off a hinge or two, and a snap of Mana against him made him fall into protection mode.

Until he met Opera's enraged eyes and decided it was time to dip.

Henri abruptly recalled he hadn't gotten the Child's mother's permission, you see, which is quiet against decorum. So even with his Rank as a Crown, he was still kind of fucked. Just. Just a bit.

A little.

So he hopped out of the window and started running, followed by a yeowling scream and the prick of Mana behind him as he activated his Bloodline Magic and barely escaped Opera's fist.

He hadn't accounted for Kalego following silently after and punching him in the side as a follow-up.

Henri had no one to blame but himself.

…He did not need Raim to make fun of him for his mistake, as he faintly heard a familiar giggle and camera snap in the distance.

xXx-xXx-postlude-xXx-xXx

Iruma allowed himself to be held in Balam's arms as he went loose-limbed after his mother and father had charged after Henri. He smiled happily as his other father began to pet him and check him over for any abnormalities with what was probably the deepest frown of his life.

"Iruma-kun, you are going to give me grey hairs."

Iruma blinked up at him owlishly, "Isn't your hair grey already?"

Balam clicked his tongue at him before sniffing at his neck, "You know precisely what I mean."

Iruma snickered and shifted his head a little, "Sorry?"

Balam chuffed lightly before pulling back with a sigh. "Well, you don't seem to be ill. Just… sweaty."

Iruma grimaced. He was mostly dried off, but now he thought about smelling gross around other people. "Augh."

Ameri came close, but also seemed to be wary of Balam as she did so. "I'm sorry that we didn't go through the proper procedures…" She grimaced as she realized she and her father had really jumped ahead of things.

Balam hummed as he observed the Student Council President. "Could you perhaps explain what happened?"

Ameri nodded before glancing at the damaged door and making a face, "Uhm, perhaps later? In a room with working doors..?"

Balam glanced at the said broken entrance and chuckled, "Alright." He pressed his Mana against Iruma's, and though the boy had devoured a large amount of Henri's and Ameri's Mana, he still clung onto his for comfort and normalcy.

Shichirou hummed as his Mana and Magic made its way into the boy's system. There had been a fundamental change that had occurred, the more obvious aspect was the fact that the boy's wings were no longer see-through. However, something deeper had happened, so he poked and prodded in his own way, until he was able to surmise the difference.

It made sense, if he was correct. But it had come with something of a cost, in a sense.

In a way, Henri lost as much as he'd gained, and for Iruma, he'd won handsomely.

"Iruma, did you agree to this while understanding what would happen?"

Iruma nodded, "I did."

Shichirou sighed heavily, "You should have consulted us, Opera especially."

Iruma was silent for a drawn out moment before nodding with a deep sense of guilt. "I… yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just… still too used to acting on my own, for my own sake."

Shichirou took in a deep breath as he nodded. He smoothed out Iruma's hair, and gave Ameri a welcoming look to say he wasn't angry with her.

By the time Opera and Kalego returned, Opera automatically began taking photos of their Mate nesting with so many juveniles.

Shichirou only glared half-heartedly at them.

xXx-xXx-secondevilerseve-xXx-xXx

Kalego sat menacingly in front of Iruma as the now sixteen year old sat stiff in front of his father.

Iruma couldn't think of anything that he'd done wrong to bring his father's attention onto him, but anything was possible with the Guard Dog of Babyls.

"Iruma."

"Hmm!?"

Kalego narrowed his eyes at his son behind intertwined fingers, "Do you actually enjoy dressing up like a girl?"

Iruma froze for a second as he went blank, "Eh?"

Kalego flashed his fangs, "Irumi."

Iruma burst out laughing nervously while rubbing the back of his now-longer hair, "Ah, uhm, well…" He began to sweat, "Not… really? But!" He brightened, "I don't mind doing it for Kerori's sake!"

A lightning infused paw slammed onto the table between them and Iruma squeaked at the imposing form of Keroberos. Kalego straightened and crossed his legs, "Don't do something so ludicrous just for someone else's sake. Kuromu doesn't need Irumi like that."

Iruma took in a sharp breath before snarling back and summoning Hermod to push back against Keroberos, "We're engaged. I will protect Kuromu from Gyari's Greed."

Kalego observed his son, his body language, and the sharpness of his Mana. "...And you're willing to sing and dance in front of the entire Netherworld to 'protect' her? When she is perfectly capable of protecting herself?"

Iruma took in a deep breath to stay calm, "I agreed to her proposal, and I promised to be there again this year."

The two stared one another down for a minute before Kalego sighed gustily and slumped back with a roll of his eyes. "You're so stubborn."

Hermod pulled back as Iruma relaxed into his seat, "...You'll cheer for me, won't you?"

Kalego observed his son, "You seriously want me to watch you prance around like a girl?"

"...Yeah?"

Kalego huffed, "Fine. I'll watch it."

Iruma hopped out of his seat, "Thanks, dad!" Kalego wasn't expecting Iruma to pounce on him with a hug, and stilled as the teen rubbed against him like the damn cat that he was while chuckling to himself. What a brat.

Kalego chuffed and hugged his son back with one arm, "If you're going to be an Akudol, be the absolute best, you hear me?"

Iruma laughed lightly, "Understood."

Irumi and Kuromu took the show with Irumi's debut duet-

Love Shot
~*~An Archer's Bloodbath~*~

Kalego would never admit to being proud of his son winning the Akudol games two years in a row.

…If only because Iruma really pulled off that dress.

xXx-xXx-thirdyear-xXx-xXx

AN: Ao3 version has the outfits for Irumi/Kuromu. I spent some extra time trying to draw out my idea. It's not perfect (to my mind's design) but it's… something. -sobs-

Please let me know if you enjoyed it!