Lost and Found

by YumeTakato

Opera had never believed themselves to be the parenting type- nor had they ever envisioned themselves in such a position. Eventually fate tears them away from their child, and fourteen years pass in fits and stops. Their Lord arrives with a thin human child and proclaims him his grandson. Yet, Iruma has his secrets, and he is unwilling to reveal his truth for the sake of freedom.

12. Matriarch and Kit

Sensei, thank you for the food of chapter 319.

xXx-xXx-libra-xXx-xXx

Kalego hands Iruma off to Opera at a midway point in the school as he goes to greet his mother with Sullivan beside him. The previous air of mischief around the Chairdemon has been subdued, and by the vague flush on his mother's skin, he's guessing they must have become uncharacteristically emotional to manage such a feat.

Iruma knows Sullivan would've had a grand time embarrassing every last one of them in front of Kalego's mother on principle.

The two (plus Purson) make their way towards the boardroom that has been set up. Iruma grips the bottom of his vest in a fit of nerves as he hunches into his shoulders in self-comfort, before taking a deep silent breath to clasp his hands at his waist. It isn't any less of a nervous habit, but he doesn't want to wrinkle his clothes.

He'd never met anyone from his previous guardian's families.

There is… a lot that he is coming to realize in abrupt succession. Too many things that had fully set him apart from the humans he'd previously lived with.

His throat is tight, "Hahaue?" Opera hums an affirmative questioning response, and he can't help but try and grab their hand. Their bigger one wraps around his, and he grasps their hand tightly, "I've never met anyone from my previous extended family."

Opera squeezes his hand. They try and think of what to say to that. They are aware that Iruma had been left to his own devices, or made to work. That he hadn't had a proper childhood. If she could, she would find the humans that forced her to give birth to him and rip their throats out for abusing her one and only precious child.

They take in a deep breath, "I don't even know what your human father looked like. I-" They try to think of what would be appropriate to say. They know they shouldn't speak of being horribly drugged and strapped down with only a blurry smudge of blue to speak of, so they shift gears. "I haven't spoken with my family in decades. I… uhm, if you would like, I could reconnect with them for you to meet them, as they are related to you."

Iruma looks up at their mother in surprise, "Oh, no! If- if you left them on bad terms I wouldn't want to make you do that!"

Opera huffed lightly, "It's not that we had a falling out. I was just- stifled by what was expected of me. The females of my family tend to join the Lust group."

Iruma gaped up at their mother in shock, as the mental image of Opera being part of the Lust Group was inherently wrong.

Opera glanced at his face and smirked before allowing themself to snort at his expression, "If I hadn't run off when I did, I would not appear as I do now." Their hands slipped away from one another as she almost patted him on the head, before noting the gel and swiftly shifting to his shoulder, "Don't think too hard about it."

Iruma shook his head to dispel his mental confusion, while Opera opened an ornate door that led to the boardroom that had been mentioned earlier. There is a healthy spread of food. There are meats and fruits, along with various sparkling flowers and decorations. It isn't overly opulent, while also showing off their ability to be prepared for such an abrupt visit. The school staff did a good job with such little notice, and Iruma knows that between everyone that will be present, not a single bit of food will be left behind.

He's glad that they hadn't prepared for his previous appetite, because the thought of eating at the moment made him want to throw up from nerves.

Shichirou gave the two of them a small wave in greeting, as it was more than clear that Opera had gone well out of their way to tame his hair. It was both partially pulled back into a bun as he'd come to style it, but also carefully curled at the ends.

Iruma can't help but absently wonder if he might also be well on his way towards Security Devil work, with the amount of random capabilities they needed to have and learn for the sake of their houses.

He has far too much practical work knowledge for his age.

Opera examines Iruma critically and straightens out any imaginary wrinkles and traces of lint they can find, before pulling back and squeezing his shoulders, "The Lady is strict, but she is a good mother. Fear of her power and status is respectable, but terror is unneeded, alright Iruma-sama?"

Iruma nods with a small smile, "Uhn, thank you Opera-san."

Opera pulls back to stand at attention while critically watching the door. Iruma settles beside them, and decides to fall back onto his servant mindset.

It worked with Master, so it should serve him well here, also.

xXx-xXx-libra-xXx-xXx

The Lady is led through subdued hallways by the Chairdemon and her stiff-shouldered son. There are random children skipping class (as they should be), voices of teachers behind closed-and-open doors (how lovely, to recall what it was like to learn about water torture techniques), and random staff going about cleaning up graffiti and trash.

A good and proper learning facility, however…

She can't help but note a particular difference from when her brother was the top dog, versus her son. "Your Mana still has yet to sink into the foundation, Kalego?" Her voice is soft, but there is a concern there.

Kalego is quiet. It isn't that his mother is wrong, but he has his own ways of doing things. "I am conscious of the going ons of the school, as well as all of those who enter and go out."

She can't help but frown in worry. This is something that goes back far before ever taking a mate or adopting a pup. "I see." Kalego has been close to too many incidents in his tenure. Her brother had troublemakers, but her son has had serious threats come against the school in only one year.

It is far too suspicious.

Kalego moves ahead to open an ornate door with a slight bow of respect, "I welcome the Lady of the Naberius Clan to Babyls."

Sullivan gives her the crook of his arm, and she takes the offered escort as he brings her into the boardroom they've prepared for this meeting. She is pleased by their efforts. She notices Shichirou first and nods to him in greeting before moving on to Opera.

Opera bows respectfully, "I welcome the Lady of the Naberius Clan."

The Lady smiles minimally, "Thank you for your swift preparations for my arrival."

Kalego has moved close to his Mates, and has taken to the other side of the reason she has dropped all of her business for the day and raced over to her son's place of work.

The whelp has moved before anyone can stop them, or give him any instruction by taking a full step forward. He bows slightly, covering his horns, "I welcome the Lady of the Naberius Clan," He covers his fangs, completing an ancient custom of greeting. "May your beauty and splendor silence the mouths of men and leave them slain for millennia to come."

The Lady can't help but smirk in amusement at how closely the child echoes Opera's past flattery towards her, "And who are you, to praise me so brazenly?"

The child straightens and blue meets violet as she sees the whelp's face for the first time. They have a clear determined gaze that springs a multitude of questions in the back of her mind. "I am Iruma, the Ward of the House of Sullivan." He lowers his eyes as he gently takes her left hand. He closes his eyes while gently pressing her knuckles to his forehead in respect, "It is an honor to meet you." He straightens and suddenly she is pulled into his rhythm as he guides her to the table and places her at the seat of honor. He is swift, just like the parent he so closely resembles, as he picks the best of what is present at the table to place before her, before preparing and pouring a cup of tea with well-practiced ease. There is no hesitation in his movements, and his guardians are far too stunned to stop him.

She decides the child is worth any trouble he might bring, simply for giving her the gift of absolutely horrified shock on her son's face. He is stunned, and so are his two mates beside him.

Even Sullivan is surprised, since she can see that devil's purple eyes while not filled with anger, for once.

It is clear Iruma is acting upon his own instincts, and she is entirely amused by the situation as she pulls out her fan to give the boy a sly look while hiding how visciuos her smirk is. "Thank you for your swift hospitality, pup. It would seem you have studied well under your guardians on manners."

Iruma gives her a bafflingly confused face as he makes a tiny cut off sound of confusion, "I learned from the best." That is to say, his Master.

Sullivan abruptly pops up behind Iruma and hugs him to his chest while lifting him with sparkles and flowers floating around him. Iruma goes immediately limp in the man's arms as he allows himself to be manhandled by the older demon and swung side to side, to the Lady's surprise. "Uuah! Iruma-ku~un! You should've told your grandpa you were interested in Security Devil work~!" Sullivan is crying far too dramatically, and the child is simply smiling and melting into the man's overzealous affection. She would die if any member of her Clan were so blatantly affectionate so early in the morning, "You surprised me! Where did you learn to do all of that?! You've been watching Opera closely, haven't you!?"

Iruma blinks, "Not really?" It isn't that he hasn't been watching Opera. It's just that watching Opera helped improve the skills he'd already had. "I'm still learning a lot about how manners work, and I'm just used to this sort of thing?"

Sullivan pauses his theatrics to look down at his grandson in confusion, "This sort of thing?"

Iruma flushes slightly before trying to signal that he'd like to be set down, "Oh, y'know. Service work… things."

The Lady presses the top of her fan to her nose as she observes the boy. He is distinctly uncomfortable with the scrutiny he's brought upon himself, while also being too blatantly vague.

Hollow truths.

Kalego clears his throat while pulling back a nearby seat, "Principal, put Iruma down and let us eat."

Sullivan huffs lightly before gently placing Iruma back onto his feet. Opera gently pulls the boy away from their Master to their other side to give him space, while giving the Lord a Look. Sullivan flushes lightly at that before rubbing his head in a signaled apology. "Of course! Wouldn't want my adorable grandson to be hungry during the day of his demonic rights!"

Iruma blinked at his wording before turning to Shichirou in confusion. "My what?"

Shichirou blinked, "Uhm-" He fiddled with his mask before awkwardly taking it off. It would be rude to wear it with the Lady at the table despite his scar. "Ah- back in your previous home, were there traditions surrounding celebrating one's birth?"

Iruma furrowed his brow, "You mean my birthday?" He unconsciously sat down as Opera held his chair out like usual to help him sit, before settling in themself. "Other people did, and a lot of kids my age had birthday parties, but I was never invited, and my previous guardians were never around. Honestly, I've just kind of guessed about today being my birthday."

The Lady was unsettled by that information before her son spoke with a barely hidden growl, "So you've never had confirmation, up until today, that today was the day you were born?"

Iruma shrugs in slight nonchalance, "Yup." It is clear that it is something old and normal to him, while new and shocking to the rest of them. It answers much and little.

The Lady needs information, "Kalego, you completed the adoption ceremony, did you not?"

Kalego notably swallows, "Today, before contacting you."

No child has ever been left without a completed adoption for so long. She studies the pup in their midst with questions piling up by the second. "...What exactly do you children know about the boy's upbringing?"

Iruma decides he's gonna ignore decorum and shoves a roll in his mouth. It's too much, but it'd be even more rude of him to speak with his mouth full, or to spit it out. He palms off a roll under the table to his invisible companion, and there is a brush of something before the bakery disappears from his palm.

Iruma decides he should ask Jazz to teach him sleight of hand.

Kalego glares at him while Iruma chews while staring back at him innocently.

Shichirou wipes his brow with a napkin, while Opera silently acknowledges that Iruma did so on purpose. "He doesn't speak much about his previous guardians. I've become aware that he had difficulty accessing proper food before coming here, and that his previous guardians made him work all of the time. Due to this, his education is lacking for his age."

Shichirou throws in his two cents, "Since meeting Iruma, I've been focusing on bringing him up to speed on his education to ensure his survival in the future." Despite all of the questions he wants to ask about humans, making sure Iruma can survive school, let alone the outside world, was a great deal more important than his curiosity.

The Lady nods slowly as she digests the information she's been given. She takes a bite of her food, and the adults finally begin their meal. She can forgive the boy for his lack of manners- he is still a child, and it is his birthday.

She shifts her gaze to her son, "So how did he do during the flight test?"

Kalego frowns as he recalls what happened. "...He and Sabnock Sabro came in last place, while riding the Master of the Valley."

The Lady blinks before staring at the boy in surprise. She takes a moment before turning to Kalego, "The Master allowed two students to ride them?"

Kalego shrugs, "It seems Iruma was the reason, though he was vague on the details." He… would not admit to writing the two off as dead. Nope. Not him.

The Lady nods absently, "So he must have gained a high Rank from that, yes?"

Kalego gave his mother an odd look while Iruma smothered a snort. Opera glanced at him, and Iruma had to turn away for a moment as he finished swallowing his roll with a light cough.

The Lady narrowed her eyes, "What Rank did Iruma start with?"

Kalego raised a brow, "Aleph."

The Lady straightened, "Why in the world would a student who ran into the Master of the Valley and tamed them get Rank One?"

Iruma cleared his throat, "I uhm, didn't fly."

The adults turned to him as Shichirou hesitantly asked, "If you didn't fly during your flight test, how did you end up with the Master of the Valley?"

Iruma flushed as he clamped his hands together in his lap. "I uhm. I got caught by a huge bird because they thought I was food, and dumped me off in a nest, where I ran into the Master's injured baby."

Kalego stared at his student. "...Why did you not report this to me, Iruma?"

Iruma stared at him in confusion, "Report..? Which part?! It's not like I had the chance to tell you I can't fly!"

Shichirou stiffens, as Kalego abruptly stands and barks in agitation, "What?!"

Iruma flinches, and Kalego has to take a deep breath before forcing himself to sit. He is silently angry, because he could have killed his own student. He knows why he did it, but it is true that the boy had not had the chance to say anything.

It was no wonder then, that the boy had hesitated at the cliff's edge before he'd shoved him off.

Opera is disturbed, but not entirely surprised as they speak to Iruma gently, while also stating for everyone else at the table, "I cannot fly either."

Iruma looks up at their mother, "Really?"

Opera nods, "I can glide if necessary, but I am incapable of doing so for long distances, and I cannot lift myself off of the ground."

Iruma makes a wistful face, "It's be nice if I could glide, but my wings are too thin for it. I barely managed a controlled slow descent with Nafra-san's help during the Harvest Festival."

Opera has questions, but they set them aside for the most important one, "So you've used them before."

Iruma nods, "Uh huh."

Opera hands him a particular fruit they know they love, and Iruma is entirely fascinated with it as he takes a careful bite of it. "Would you mind showing us your wings, Iruma-sama?"

Iruma hums, while acknowledging that Opera had probably given him this amazing piece of fruit as a silent bribe.

As if he'd needed it. A simple please would've made him bend backwards.

He swallows and licks his lips, "Uhm, sure?" He shoves the other half of fruit into his mouth before wiping his hands and pushing his seat back. He stands and moves a few paces back before going still and frowning with a look of concentration before closing his eyes.

The adults are silent. It's taking too long-

His wings sprout out behind him smoothly, and he relaxes slightly from an unnoticed tenseness.

Shichirou makes it to him first despite the distance as he examines the boy's wings with blatant interest and horror. He is incapable of touching them due to his natural strength. Despite his best efforts, he can still break good ceramics, and these wings are more fragile than thin glass.

Opera has shifted in their seat in the meantime, while Kalego has stepped next to his student with a critical eye. "Your wings suffer from necrosis." He draws a short trail down the nearest bone shaft of Iruma's wing, to test the sensitivity of the limb. Iruma flinches properly, so the nerves are present. He examines a small growing glittering grey scale, "Is it painful to deal with these scales?"

Iruma glances at the scale he's focused on and shifts his wing, before gently pulling it off. It stings a little, but it isn't any more painful than pulling out a single hair on accident. "Not when they're soaked for a time." He hands the scale off to his teacher to examine, before Kalego passes it off to Shichirou. The larger demon scrutinizes it for a moment before putting it away to study later.

The Lady has quietly moved from her seat to their side, before gently moving Kalego away from Iruma. She observes the boy before deftly handling the primary bone shaft to make the limb move. Iruma resists her at times, but that is good, in her opinion. She is a stranger, and one's wings are a vital tool for survival. Being weary of what she was up to was proper.

She gently traces her fingers along the thin blue webbing between indigo boned joints as Iruma shifts the limb in discomfort. The skin is as fragile as spider-silk, but that, too, can withstand various forms of weather.

Weak wings, as she has secretly learned from Opera's maternal Clan, are a somewhat common trait among them. They, however, make up for it in their jumping ability and dexterity.

Demons do not have particularly strong legs unless they focus on strengthening them due to being able to fly. She can tell the boy is stronger than he appears, and that he is most certainly a runner.

His stamina is higher than that of most of his peers, simply due to needing to use his legs for menial daily travel.

The Lady hums, "You will be updating the boy's file?" Kalego nods as she continues, "Good. Now then…" She releases Iruma's wing, and the boy shifts and flaps them for a moment, unsettled, before keeping them folded and pressed against his back while standing at attention, "I suppose it is far too soon for you to have experienced the blessing of being adopted into our Clan."

Iruma is blatantly confused before Kalego clears his throat, "Iruma, your companion."

The Lady gives her son a wide eyed baffled look, before Iruma brightens, "Oh! You mean Hermod?"

The Lady and Kalego stare at him for a moment before he asks, "...You've named them?"

Iruma shrugs, "...Was I not supposed to? It wasn't really my idea- the name was suggested by someone else, and they seemed to like it."

Kalego frowned deeply in concern about some human finding out about their dogs before his mother enquired, "Who named your protector?"

Iruma shifted awkwardly, "The Madam? I'd been sick- she kind of found out about my ears then, but I'd passed out in the woods, and Hermod brought me directly to her. She never said anything about that night to anyone- I'd have known, since I could read people's hearts."

It's a disjointed explanation with too many omitted details. It is swiftly becoming clear to the Lady that the boy was not taken care of by his previous guardians. She decides to clarify something, "Child, I am aware that you are half-human."

Kalego startles at this along with Opera and Shichirou. Sullivan is only vaguely surprised that she knows. She is the matriarch of the Naberius Clan, and her eldest son is part of Border Patrol. She has done her own investigations, and she knows the scent of humans for her own reasons.

Deep, silent reasons which she will not divulge to this small whelp. He may be half-human, but he suffered abuse by those very humans that their Clan has a deep seeded hatred for.

He is a victim first, just like his birth parent.

Iruma has suffered too many shocks in too short of a time to be overly surprised, as if it's what he expected. "Oh. Okay."

The Lady huffs lightly. "Show me your companion, pup."

Iruma nods and glances to the side. It is silent for a moment before Iruma frowns with a small pout, and mouths words without speaking, as if arguing with himself. It takes a moment of silent back and forth half-conversations, before indigo static sparks along his body, reluctantly manifesting into a decently sized wolf behind him.

The wolf takes a half step back, with ears low, before settling down on the floor next to their Ward. They keep their head low and weary of her, as she observes them with unguarded surprise.

The wolf is much larger than she had anticipated for a newly completed adoption. They are big enough to plop their jaw on top of Iruma's head comfortably if they so choose. She moves towards the wolf, examining their coat. It has a healthy sheen, and there is a proper amount of meat and muscle on their astral body.

Their Ward has been taken care of, and so has the wolf in return. However, the usual form of pack-bonding is through the transfer of blood and Mana. The boy, on his own, barely has enough Mana to manage a simple La Fire, so how in the world has the wolf grown as such?

She makes her way back before the boy, before lifting up one of his arms. She pushes his sleeve back, and the skin is clear of any damage, but she can sense a faint buzz. He is using Magic beyond his understanding, as most demons do not bother with using cosmetic Magic unconsciously all the time. He has focused the Magic onto his arms specifically, as they are the most visible part of the body.

The Lady taps his wrist, "Remove this Magic and show me your arms, child."

Iruma grimaces, finally caught at the one thing no one would otherwise notice. He sighs softly in resignation as he pulls his hand gently out of her grasp, and rolls back his sleeves. He then makes a wiping motion down his arms, before baring his forearms to her.

There are traces of years of being bitten- scars layered upon scars. Swift-healing injuries, but eventually, the Mana that is being extracted by the wolf has to be tempered and restricted as they become obedient.

It is the extraction of Mana through the blood that eventually leaves such scarring behind.

Kalego feels ill at the sight of it- he had no way of being there for his pup, to stop such horrible lasting damage to be left behind. It is a sign of his incompetence.

The Lady hums as she traces deft fingers over smooth skin. The scars will always be there, but the skin isn't puckered over from extraction. She nods, "You've done well, for not knowing what was going on." She feels sympathetic to the boy.

He nor his mother had asked to be adopted into their Clan, but the Lady would absorb the mother and child, both.

Iruma frowns, his naivete clear, as The Lady gives him a sad placating smile before explaining. "Your companion, Hermod, was it? They kept you from being hunted down by Border Patrol and humans both, by tempering your strength and Magic."

Iruma nods, "I kind of figured that out after a while." He learned about his strength the hard way- by carrying something well over his age's strength limit. He never did it again, but Hermod had to help him figure out what was proper.

She hums. "I see." She tilts her head, "Since you have little Magic to call your own, how do you defend yourself?"

Iruma tilted his head slightly, "Well… I was taught archery recently."

The Lady nods, "I see, but what about before that? Was Opera training you to fight? Or did Shichirou start teaching you how to store Mana?"

Iruma blinks, "...No. I uhm, I learned Judo and Aikido before coming here. I'm no Master, but it was enough for me to not hurt anyone, but also take someone down if necessary."

The Lady raises an eyebrow, "So you know hand-to-hand combat?"

Iruma grimaces, "Kind of?"

The Lady hums with interest, "Then how about you show us, with Shichirou as your partner?"

Iruma opens his mouth to decline before holding his breath and sighing, "...Okay." He has the feeling he isn't really being asked, and he's managed to avoid truly needing to use Judo up until now. Iruma pulls in his wings.

Shichirou shifts over, not one to decline an indirect order, and settles into an easy guard position. Iruma studies him with a frown of concentration, before slipping into his preferred starting stance with a deep calming breath. It was a habitual stance that felt right for his body and shape. He has never seen Opera fight, so he has no idea that he shares the same starting position as his mother, with flat palms held at a perfect angle to defend and attack with.

He is a coiled spring before he launches forward like a shot, and rears back to land a solid punch to Balam's forearm. Shichirou takes it easily, but is more than shocked by the strength behind it and the sharpness of Iruma's gaze. He is calculating his next move after the block, already fluidly shifting to a new position to attack with in midair, that he isn't prepared to be snagged by Hermod and brought back down to a low crouch on the floor.

The wolf hovers over the boy, and it's then that Iruma notices how tense Kalego is, and that his mother has stood up from their seat as well.

Iruma blinks, "...Uhm?"

The tension pulls back, and the Lady studies Shichirou's arm before looking up at him, "That was a good hit, little bird."

Shichirou eases from his position, "Ah, uhn. It was a lot stronger than I expected." He unconsciously smooths some of the plumage around his neck, as he was left slightly unnerved by the steele in Iruma's eyes. He knows the boy isn't prone to violence, but he has been learning to loosen his restraints.

If he had been raised here in the Netherworld, he could have been potentially ruthless with the ability to have started possibly at Rank four, much like Asmodeus.

Kalego and Shichirou are still not entirely sure what Rank Opera started as at Babyls, but they can only guess that it must have been higher than Kalego's.

The Lady studies Hermod, before brushing her Mana against the wolf in a soothing motion. The wolf flinches at being brushed- unused to such comforts as a solitary protector. Kalego ruffles at the motion, but the Lady lifts her hand towards him to keep him at bay.

The Lady steps forward with purpose, and Hermod becomes more stressed with each step, until their fur is on end with sharp teeth bared and snarling. She is unafraid of the dogs of the family- all will bow to her as the matriarch, and her dog will protect her from sniveling whelps that would dare bite her.

But Hermod stays over Iruma in position, growling low while meeting her hard gaze.

The wolf relents to their elder after a drawn out minute, and falls silent.

The Lady places a gentle hand upon their snout, and brushes down some of their fur, before reaching out with her Mana once more..

Her Dog, Sceólang, pulls the bewildered wolf into her rhythm, while the Lady pulls Iruma into her chest. She would have woven her hands through the pup's hair, had Kalego not so thoroughly tamed it, so she must make do with the soft ends of his ponytail. Iruma doesn't understand what she is doing, but much like Kalego clearly had done earlier, in her mind's eye, she too must claim this errant pup as hers.

He will always be a Branch Member, but it is just as well that she and Kalego alone claim the pup, and never let him around their Clan.

They are a vicious pack, who would not do well with Kalego's chosen hunt. Her pup is capable of pulling away from the pack, but decorum must be upheld.

There are those that would hunt errant strays, her eldest son most especially would be more than happy to smear this pup's blood into the mud beneath his paws, as it is his right as the protector of the Netherworld's borders.

But she will fight him in this one thing, and protect this pup that has managed to survive humanity's selfishness, no matter what Iruma contests about what they gave.

He was still abandoned, and forced to fend for himself, and his Mana shows a litany of emotional scars that he cannot yet fathom.

Iruma takes in a deep breath before sighing into her, closing his eyes, and accepting her Claim. He is hesitant to hug her, but his arms gently cling to her sides. He is a docile pup and relaxed feline all in one, and the Lady is pleased with his obedience.

Opera moves to the Lady's line of sight, staring and watching intently. They sense a coil of Magic weaving around her child and throughout his Mana, and they are stressed at their lack of understanding.

It is Sullivan who speaks after a long moment of silence, "Scáthach."

The Lady exhales softly, before gently squeezing the boy's shoulder, "Return to your mother, pup."

Iruma blinks, somehow sleepy from the ebb and flow of the Lady's Mana, before looking over to their mother. She is stressed, and he easily pulls away to be by their side. Opera is swift to tuck him into their chest, and he feels their Mana coil around him possessively.

Their mother's Mana is so very different from anyone else's. It is sharp claws and soft fur, warmth pressed against him, while giving space. There are so many different feelings at once, and he cannot read them all because they repeatedly bury their flurry of emotions behind professionalism.

They are fighting two sides of themself, and Iruma understands their struggle. He doesn't really know how to deal with everything that's happened in the past couple of hours, but Opera is part of his pack just like any of his classmates.

He presses his Mana against them in curious worry, and Opera pulls his Magic into themself just as much as he is taking in Opera's Magic.

Iruma fully relaxes into the safety of his mother's warmth. He is safe there.

At least, until the Lady speaks once more. "Little kit, how exactly did you help the Master of the Valley's child?"

Iruma slumped slightly. He'd hoped the topic wouldn't come up again, but he supposes it's inevitable. It was an unusual occurrence, and it is his most guarded secret.

He pulls back slowly from Opera's hold, but does not stray far as he faces the other adults nervously.

Iruma is silent for a long moment, wondering how to explain without saying too much, before meeting the gaze of four others. "I did my best to broadcast my intention to help them by cutting myself, and then wrapping my injury. After talking to them, they let me see their injury and I took care of it."

There were omissions, but he had taken care of the injury, even if it was a lot more literally than he'd intended. "When they were feeling better, they picked me up and flew me to their mom, where Sabnock happened to be fighting them."

Kalego narrows his eyes at the boy, vaguely recalling the appearance of bandages on the boy's left hand. He, however, knows that the baby bird did not have an injured leg when the Master's keepers checked on the two of them.

He glances at Shichirou, and his friend is frowning, puzzled. Buzzer didn't go off, per se, but with omissions, there is skirting around the truth. This alone can cause disturbances along "the surface" of his mind's eye.

Shichirou decides to try his hand at pulling more truth out of the kit. "Iruma-kun, you had a pretty serious injury at the end of the Harvest Festival. You also stated you cut yourself on a rock, and as such, I can't help but wonder at the amount of Mana it would've taken to create such a large mutation of the Nigi Nigi weed."

Kalego doesn't even have the chance to be surprised by Shichirou's admission, as Iruma had seemed perfectly fine at the celebratory banquet afterwards.

However, Iruma immediately tenses and presses back against Opera's front. They automatically respond to his stress by gently holding his shoulders, as his eyes become ice blue and slitted. Iruma unconsciously clasps his right hand close to his chest in an attempt to protect himself. The only thing he could do back then was cut his middle finger on his fang and use a drop of his blood as a growth catalyst.

But he did not want to admit that. It was impossible to lie about, and while he may not be fully aware of Shichirou's Bloodline Magic, there was a sense that he was trapped and cornered.

He absolutely couldn't admit to his blood having healing capabilities!

Iruma sensed when Opera caught on to his deep reluctance, and it is then that Purson appeared in front of him, terrified and knowing full-well he is out of place and Rank when he declares, "No."

The Lady bares her fangs at this stranger and growls deep. Kalego moves to protect his foolish student, but it is Iruma who surprises them all by pulling his classmate close and biting down on his right shoulder with a loud growl of his own. The fabric isn't pierced, but there is uncomfortable pressure on the muscle. Iruma rumbles through fabric, "Mine!"

Kalego sucks in air through clenched teeth. The Misfits are close, and Iruma is their leader- he had not recognized the signs of a building pack until now. He should have seen the signs for what they were, but it had made no sense in the past. Now it makes too much sense, and now the teenager is territorial.

The Lady snaps her fan shut and shifts with narrowed eyes, "He has heard too much, pup."

Iruma buckles down by pulling his classmate even closer to himself, while also angling his body over him in protection. "My Pack! Trusted! Mine!"

Purson wasn't prepared for Iruma's reaction, but the growling rumble of his chest pressed against him isn't terrifying, but a comfort. He senses the safety Iruma attempts to provide him, so he takes a deep breath and pushes as much authority as he can, as the next head of the Purson Clan, into his voice. "With all do respect, Iruma's been through enough for one day."

Shichirou eases and nods at this. He hadn't intended to corner Iruma, and clearly there was something the teenager desperately refused to reveal to them relating to injuries.

Opera slides in front of them both to take on the Lady's ire with a stern and logical voice, "I believe it would be best for Iruma-sama and Purson-kun to return to their practice for the Music Festival. They are running out of time, and Iruma-sama needs as much practice as possible."

The Lady eases back before settling. She takes in a deep breath before exhaling on a count through her nose. "Understood." She glares at the intruder, "But if that stranger breathes a word of what's been spoken within these walls, I will crush him beneath my paws and grind his bones into less than dust."

Purson's knees go weak, but he stays standing in Iruma's snarling hold, "On the Purson Clan's name, I, Purson Soi, shall keep everything spoken within these walls secret."

The Lady relents, "Iruma, Soi, you are Dismissed."

Iruma's fangs disappear and it is silent before Purson grabs Iruma's hand so that they can both disappear. He snags a stash of snacks he's collected while the adults were studying his classmate, and Opera opens the door and follows them out.

They can't see the two students, but they can still feel the brush of Iruma's Magic pulling on them.

It isn't until they are close to their practice room that Opera speaks, "Purson-kun, Iruma-sama." Purson pauses before finally allowing the two of them to be brought back to the visual plane. The two turn towards Opera, and their ears are low.

Iruma takes in a sharp breath, "Hahaue-"

Opera's eyes soften, but they are unable to smile as they speak gently, "I apologize, Iruma-sama."

It is quiet between the three of them. Distant sounds of musical practice lingers deep within the walls.

Purson nearly misses Iruma's soft words, "...It's okay." Iruma takes a few steps towards them before rushing to hug them tightly, "I know you're all just worried, and that you needed to know things, and I…" He trails off. "I can't tell you everything." And it hurts that he has to keep this silent, but it is too imperative for his survival to not keep it a secret. "I love you, Hahaue."

Opera relents with a soft sigh as their posture eases while hugging their child back, "I love you too, Iruma." They want to nuzzle into his soft hair, but that damn gel is there, and they declare to themself that they will never use the horrid stuff in the boy's hair ever if it can be helped.

Opera gives him an affectionate squeeze before letting him go. They look towards Purson and give him a small bow in thanks, "Please continue to be good friends, Purson-kun."

Purson can't help feeling a little out of place, "Ah, uhn. Of course."

Opera gives the two one last look over before nodding and returning to the boardroom to continue speaking with Kalego's mother.

The two boys wait until they are out of sight before returning to the piano room.

xXx-xXx-libra-xXx-xXx

Purson barely has the chance to set down his bounty before Iruma drags him off to the shower room to change and collect their uniforms. Iruma swiftly rinses out his hair, and Purson finds a hair dryer to speed up the process. Iruma's hair is a fluffy mess when he is done, but Iruma is no longer tense when he is finished, and his eyes have returned to normal.

Purson plops down next to Iruma and leans against him tiredly. Iruma takes his weight quietly, and they both stare blankly at the mirror before them as they think about the bizarre morning they've had.

"I know I told you to trust me, but I think this is a little much, all things considered."

Iruma snorts at Purson's statement, and he shrugs with his opposite shoulder, "Sorry."

Purson hums, drowsy.

"...Is your shoulder okay?"

Purson huffs lightly, "It's fine. Thank you for doing… whatever you did."

Iruma blushes lightly, "...I'm honestly not sure what came over me! I'm really, really sorry about biting you!"

Purson hums before letting his eyes drift close. He is from a family of loners, so to know that Iruma considers him to be "pack," whatever that means to him, makes Purson feel warm and wanted.

Iruma is a good brother.

Purson feels his phone go off, and after glancing at it, gently nudges Iruma to show him the message.

The other boy smiles awkwardly, and the two finally move to stand up.

xXx-xXx-libra-xXx-xXx

The two boys eat in silence from the portion Purson swiped, and Iruma is texting back and forth with the others.

It is quiet, and both teens need it to decompress.

Purson wonders how they're going to get into the mood to practice. Iruma has to work three times harder than him due to being a newbie to piano playing, and well… Despite the fact that Iruma has tended to play in pianissimo, he finds that he likes it.

Iruma has always been gentle, and it's that caution and care that makes it so much easier to get wrapped around his finger.

An hour passes in silence before Purson stands, "Let's go see the others."

Iruma looks up at his companion before shrugging, "Okay." Maybe it would help him feel normal again, and to begin working on how he could get the image right for Lilith's Red Carpet.

It was too quiet in the dancer's practice room, "Uhm, Purson, I don't think anyone's here-"

"Surprise!"

Iruma jumps, wide eyed as his classmates throw hastily made confetti towards him, and there is a small spread of snacks and treats for everyone. Clara sneaks behind him to push him into the room, and settles him in front of a hastily made and decorated cake, "We woulda done more if you'dve told us today is your birthday, Iruma-chi!"

His classmates are around him with grins and smiles, "Happy Birthday, Iruma-kun!"

Iruma sucks in a deep breath, there are no candles, but he wouldn't have been able to blow them out anyway, as tears build up and stream down his face.

He smiles wetly, "Thank you so much, everyone!"

Iruma ends up with more hugs than he can count.

xXx-xXx-dissonance-xXx-xXx

A/N: I had never planned to name Kalego's mother, but due to the circumstances, I decided it'd be best to do so. Scáthach is from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Sceólang is from the Fenian Cycle.

I wanted to use mythology that wasn't Greek or Norse, so uhm. Yeah. Thanks FGO for making me think of Skadi (And Cu), and for making me do a little research for other mythological dogs.

Let me know if you enjoyed it!