Zrocker119: Sorry for the wait everybody. Been in a bit of a lazy mood these past few months. Can't promise it won't happen again, but I sure as hell will try not to go so long without an update.

-Chapter 5-

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When the rays of dawn rose over the horizon, they cast light over a bleak scene of what had once been a small, bustling town that was known as Sleeping Meadow. The people that populated the town had been simple but hard-working folk. Ones that hadn't been afraid to put in the effort that came with living on the frontier.

For generations, the population had been sustained by the nearby forest, one that had been rich with game animals and healthy trees that were cut down and sold as lumber. And their efforts had been rewarded in the form of the town prospering.

But all of it was gone. Not by any decision of their own making. No. The people who had once called Sleeping Meadow their home were dead. All of them. Every single man, woman, and child. But it wasn't just them. Every forest, meadow, and all the neighboring towns for over a hundred miles had been wiped off the face of the Earth.

The cataclysm that had swept through the region had spared none, leaving behind a trail of upturned earth in its wake. Every spark of life had been snuffed out in an instant. And amidst all of the death and destruction were two figures.

One stood tall, their posture relaxed as the multiple wounds that were scattered across their body healed. Even the blood seemed to disappear, leaving behind nothing but unmarred flesh. The only sign that they had been injured in the first place was the damage that had been done to their clothes.

Rolling his wrist, Yuji looked at the destruction that surrounded him. Taking it all in. He stared at it for what felt like hours, committing it to memory. Down to the most minute of details. This was but the latest cost of war. A war that he had never wanted to happen in the first place.

"W-why!?"

Any semblance of emotion faded from his expression, and Yuji returned his attention to the being that lay before him. Or what was left of it anyway. It had been humanoid, once upon a time. Now? Now it was little more than a mutilated torso with only its head and a single arm remaining. Its once pristine, marble-like skin had been scorched black with bits now flaking off.

Its face once capable of bewitching all but the most resilient of minds with its otherworldly beauty was heavily disfigured alongside the rest of its form. It glared at him with its sole functioning eye, the other had been torn from its socket during the first moments of their battle, with unrestrained hatred.

Even with its body crippled beyond recovery, it still emitted a vast amount of magic energy. A mortal would've been reduced to fine red mist from just being in its presence. But even with gravity increasing a hundredfold, Yuji bore the weight with little effort.

Stuffing one hand into what remained of his pant pockets, he kicked the entity onto its back and returned its glare with one absent of emotion.

He stomped on the entity's head, grinding his heel into its empty socket as apathy gave way to smoldering rage. The things screams fell on deaf ears. Any sympathy Yuji once held had long since faded.

"This world has no use for cruel gods."

He applied more pressure and the god's screams rose to new heights. It grew desperate, clawing uselessly at his ankle with such ferocity that flesh and muscle tore from its fingers. When that failed it began to beg, spouting false promises of how it would leave this land and never ask, let alone demand worship from humanity.

But Yuji had heard such promises before and had been foolish enough to listen. And now the village he had helped build nearly three centuries ago was gone.

Never again.

After all. Gods were little more than Curses.

With a final push, the once mighty god's head burst like a grape, and its struggles finally ceased. Unbothered by the gore now caked to the bottom of his foot and seeping between his toes, Yuji turned his attention towards the east. Even from a distance of hundreds of miles, he could sense the battles that his brother and comrades were participating in.

But as much as he wanted to come to their aid, Yuji remained in the burning ruins of Sleeping Meadow. Sitting on a nearby pile of rubble, he took a moment to get his emotions back under control. Once he had collected himself, he sent out a pulse of Cursed Energy, waited, and sent out another. He only had to repeat the process a handful of times before he sensed an immense concentration of Ethernano making a beeline for his position.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

No. This was a war that he had never wanted.

The presence he had sensed arrived, landing before him with a mighty crash, but he remained unphased.

He hadn't wanted to go to war with the gods. But their arrogance had led them to believe that they were untouchable. That any action that they took, regardless of how depraved or twisted, would forever go unpunished.

Yuji ignored the group of newly arrived gods. Standing, he placed one of his hands in front of his face with two fingers pointing skyward and began to chant.

"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."

The deities, each capable of raising entire kingdoms on a whim, looked around in confusion as a veil of darkness formed in the sky above, expanding outward until it encompassed the entire town. Confusion swiftly gave way to panic as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over the lot of them. The one at the front of the pack turned to the one that had issued the challenge, only for its head to erupt in a fountain of gore, painting those closest in a fresh shade of golden ichor.

Frozen, the gods could only stare in shock as one of their own was instantly slaughtered.

"Is that all," Questioned Yuji. Lowering his hands, he cupped his chin. As he did, black markings slowly began to faze into existence across his face, chest, and arms. A slit appeared on the back of his hand. One that split open, revealing a grinning mouth.

"The last one had been more impressive."

Releasing a slow breath, he opened his eyes.

All four of them.

"How disappointing."

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Yuji's eyes slowly opened and were greeted by naught but darkness for several moments as they adjusted.

Sitting up from his laying position on the couch, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at the clock before letting out an annoyed sigh when he saw that it was only three in the morning. Even after almost a month without so much as a nap, he had only managed to get four hours of sleep.

And as always, that sleep had been ravaged by the memories of battles and past mistakes. But that was just parred for the course.

Running his fingers through his spikey locks, he was about to get up and grab a drink when the sound of a door opening caught his attention. He looked down the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. A couple of seconds later, someone stepped out of the darkness.

"Yuyu?" yawning cutely, Erza stood at the hallway entrance. Dressed in a pink onesie and holding her blankie close, she rubbed at one of her eyes tiredly.

Smiling softly, Yuji walked over and crouched so that they were at eye level. "Hey there, kiddo. Trouble sleeping?"

She nodded. "Bad dream."

Heart practically melting from sheer cuteness overload, Yuji scooped up the sleepy six-year-old so that her head rested against his shoulder. Rubbing her back soothingly, he carried Erza back to her bedroom.

It hadn't existed when he had first opened his home to Irene and Erza, but when the little redhead's second birthday came around and she was old enough to sleep on her own, Yuji had commissioned the additional room to be built while they were all away for a weekend.

Irene had been hesitant at first as Erza seemed to be quite vulnerable to night terrors, but with some reassurance from Yuji, she had agreed that it would be good for the both of them to start having a bit more space to themselves. Besides, her room was right across the hall if Erza had any problems.

Back to the present, Yuji nudged the door open but was kept from going inside when Erza shifted in his arms.

"Mama," She said, snuffling all the while.

Though he hadn't awoken to her crying as he had in the past, it was clear that tonight's night terror had shaken her something fierce. Smiling, Yuji headed to Irene's room and gently knocked on the door. The two didn't have to wait long. Not even ten seconds passed before the door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled-looking Irene.

Even though she had been awoken at an ungodly hour, Irene didn't seem upset or annoyed.

"Nightmares," Irene smiled fondly at her daughter's tired nod. "Well then," with a tired yawn she took Erza into her arms, "You can sleep in my bed tonight."

Seeing that his part in all of this was done, Yuji began to head back to the living room but stopped when he noticed Erza still holding onto his sleeve.

"Yuyu too."

It took a second for her words to register with the two adults.

"Eh?" Came Yuji's oh-so-elegant response, pointing at himself while doing so.

Irene didn't fare much better. Her face makes an admirable impression of a tomato.

Completely oblivious to the two's reactions to her request, Erza continued to tug at Yuji's sleeve. Not knowing how to respond, the pinkette looked to Irene for aid who simply stared back. The color in her face had lessened to some degree but still held a tinge of pink.

"Tired," Erza wined, doubling her efforts.

With a look of utter defeat, Irene offered Yuji a tired smile and stepped back into her bedroom. With Erza still latched onto his sleeve, he was left with no other option but to follow suit. Well, he could have easily broken free from the toddler's grip, but he knew that such a route would only end in tears. First hers, then Yuji's for being the one that would be responsible for making her cry in the first place.

He may have been responsible for terrible things in the past, both willing and unwilling, but he refused to make his little strawberry cry! He wasn't that much of a monster damn it!

So moments later and the three were lying beneath the covers. And like magic, Erza was fast asleep with her mother on one side and Yuji on the other. Her chest rose and fell with ease, the nightmare that had awoken her just minutes ago completely forgotten.

Waiting in silence for several minutes to ensure that she was indeed out, Yuji mimed getting out of bed but Irene shook her head. Erza had an uncanny ability to sense when either of them was present. If he were to leave, the chances were high that she would subconsciously notice his absence and wake up. Yuji simply nodded and made himself comfortable.

After a couple of minutes of watching her daughter sleeping, Irene spoke. "Did she wake you?"

He shook his head and whispered. "I was already awake."

"Bad dreams again?" Having spent the last six years living under the same roof, Irene could count the number of times she had witnessed him sleeping on one hand with a finger or two to spare. Each time she did, his expression had always been anything but peaceful.

Turning onto his back, Yuij rested his hands on his stomach and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't remember the last time he had had what one would consider a regular night's rest. Realizing that he hadn't given her an answer, he simply shrugged.

"Seems like they're all I have anymore."

Irene bit her lip. After a bit of hesitation, she asks. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Yuji looked at her out of the corner of his eye, a smile tugging at his lips. "I appreciate the concern, Irene. But if nightmares are the price to pay for the life I've made for myself and my family, then I'll gladly pay it a hundred times over."

He reached over and stroked Erza's cheek. She squirmed slightly at his touch but quickly settled down, smiling subconsciously. He chuckled before a hand fell onto his own. Returning his gaze to Irene, Yuji saw her stare back with unhidden concern.

"Will you tell me one day?"

"...Yeah," he smiled, "It's a promise."

That was all the confirmation that she needed. Satisfied that he would tell her when he was ready, Irene, in a move that caught Yuji entirely by surprise, leaned over and placed her lips against his cheek.

"Good night," That was all she said before snuggling up to her daughter and closing her eyes. A few moments later the sound of her breathing steadily could be heard.

In complete contrast, Yuji remained tiredly awake. Realizing that he wouldn't fall asleep any time soon he turned onto his side. He watched Erza for a time, but his gaze eventually fell onto the older redhead.

Despite what many would believe based on how he likes to portray himself, Yuji was far from the imbecile he had been in his youth. Sure, he liked to play it up every once in a while, but he wasn't stupid or blind. And he would've had to be both to not notice the signs of Irene growing affection towards him.

And over the last couple of years, Yuji couldn't deny that he wasn't beginning to develop similar feelings toward her.

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"Mama, what's a papa?"

Irene paused in brushing her daughter's hair, nearly dropping the brush in. Yuji had left earlier in the day to do his rounds around the village, helping out where ever he could. It was also one of the two days throughout the week when Irene would take a break from her rigorous training.

She would spend the day doing various things, from picking up a book that caught her fancy, to taking a walk through the nearby park with Erza. And if she was feeling incredibly lethargic, sleeping. This time around though, she had opted to spend the day within the confines of their home.

With the sun having long since set, the two sat in the living room. Having just finished taking a bath, Irene had been in the middle of brushing Erza's growing locks before bedtime when the younger redhead had suddenly asked her question.

"W-what brought this on?" Irene said after a moment of awkward silence and resumed brushing.

"I asked Simon why Mr. Sid picked him up when he had to go home. He said Sid is his Papa." Her large, brown eyes narrowed as she frowned cutely. "But what's a papa."

For a moment, Irene didn't know how to respond. While she had always known that Erza would eventually have questions about her father and his current whereabouts, she had hoped that those curiosities wouldn't crop up until she was older. And though at this moment she wasn't asking about her former husband, Irene knew this line of questions would inevitably lead down that path.

"A father is…a man that fills a similar role to a mother. They're someone that looks after you and teaches you important lessons about life."

"Ooohhh," Irene could practically see the gears turning in the toddler's head.

Happy that her daughter's curiosity about the subject seemed to be momentarily satisfied, Irene finished brushing her hair and picked Erza up, and carried her to her room. The room itself wasn't huge, but it served to be more than enough for a small child. On one side was a play area where toys were haphazardly scattered about, ranging from dolls to stuffed animals. A small plastic table sat in one corner and was covered with crayons and pieces of paper, all of which depicted colorful and childish drawings of anything that caught Erza's fancy.

Irene deposited Erza onto her bed and the little redhead quickly dove underneath the covers. Giggling, Irene watched Erza scurry about before she popped out from under the blankets, clutching her favorite doll and "Bestest Friend".

It resembled a man dressed in black, with spikey, white hair, a blindfold, and a cartoonish smile. The head was hilariously large in comparison to the rest of the body, with the arms and legs being short and stubby. A "Chibi", Yuji had called it. He had made it for Erza's third birthday and she had loved it ever since.

Just as Irene began to tuck her in there was a noise in the hall.

With an excited gasp, Erza Leaped to her feet and dashed across the room. Once in range, she tackled the target of her affection with a flying hug.

Catching her, Yuji could only laugh and hug her back. "Hey, now. You're supposed to be going to bed."

Shaking her head in amusement, Irene watched with an adoring look in her eyes as Yuji carried the excitable toddler back to bed. "Busy day?"

Yuji shrugged and finished tucking Erza in for the night.

"G'night, Mama!"

"Good night, Sweetie." Kissing her forehead, Irene gave her one last hug before making her way out the door with Yuji close behind her.

"See you in the morning, Kiddo."

"G'night, Papa."

There was a brief moment of hesitation before the door shut completely, leaving Erza alone with only the nightlight and her Bestest Friend to keep her company. Having spent the entire day running around and playing, she was out within minutes.

Out in the hall, Yuji stared at the closed door for several moments in silence. He was broken out of his stupor when Irene spoke.

"I-I'm so sorry about that," She couldn't even look at him she was so embarrassed. Given how she had explained it, of course, Erza would assume Yuji to be her father. Barring the times Choso would stop by, which was quite often, there was no other male role model in her life.

It was only natural that she would view him in a similar light to Irene.

"Hmm?" Yuji tilted his head in confusion. "What are you apologizing for? Sure it caught me a little off guard, but it's not like I don't understand where Erza's coming from."

But his reassuring words did little to alleviate her embarrassment. Noticing this, Yuji's smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. There's no need for you to get all flustered over something like this. I'm not bothered by it. Unless that is… Erza seeing me in that sort of light makes you uncomfortable?"

"No!"

Irene's hands shot to her lips. She hadn't even thought before she had spoken. Or, in this instance, shouted.

"I-I mean, I don't know." Lowering her hands, one rested atop her breasts while the other reached out and grabbed onto Yuji's. Her gaze lowered to the floor and her cheeks flushed the whole time. "I don't know."

And that was the truth of it. She didn't know how to properly process her feelings toward Yuji. At first, she simply stuck around because she saw no other option available to her at the time.

But as things progress and she slowly gained control over her Draconic aspects and spent more time around him, the more comfortable she became. No longer did she simply see this house as Yuji's home but hers and Erza's as well.

This is where Erza opened her eyes for the first time. Where she had taken her first steps. Spoken her first words. And Yuji Itadori, the goofball that he was most of the time, had been there alongside her throughout all of it. Both the good. And the bad.

"Irene."

Tearing her gaze from the carpet, she saw Yuji's brown orbs staring back into hers. Taking her hand into both of his, he squeezed it with surprising gentleness and smiled. "You're overthinking things again. Just focus on what it is that you want."

What she wanted. What did she want? Her only goal for the longest time was to simply be human again. And while she had accepted that would never be a possibility, she had come as close as she could. But what about what came afterward?

She needed but a few moments to come up with an answer.

"I want to stay here."

She wanted to be able to watch Erza grow up without having to worry about Dragons or the prospect of war that plagued her childhood. To watch her play and laugh. To be there for her when she gets hurt or cries.

"And I want you to be there for all of it. Just like you have been."

She cemented her declaration by resting her head against his chest and pulling him into a hug. One that he returned without a moment's hesitation.

"Don't worry," he spoke, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, a tear falling down her cheek. Wiping it away, she smiled and nodded. "Good."

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From the very minute she could crawl, Erza had been an adventurous child. Whether it was the house or the forests that lay just outside the village outskirts, she was always trying to explore and discover something new. And on more than one instance, her almost instinctual need to wander had landed her and her friends in trouble.

Nothing too major of course. Though the forests that surrounded Rosemary were quite vast, they were home to no hostile or harmful creatures. The only danger they presented came in the form of getting lost. But one would have to travel deep into the thickest parts of the trees for that to even become a possibility.

Something that Erza was more than smart enough not to do. Especially when she brought her friends along for the ride.

"Are you sure it's okay to be this far out?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Erza gave Simon a gentle shove toward a nearby tree. "Now hurry and climb up!"

Simon was one of the many children from the village that was around the same age as her. Though he was quite shy when compared to the fiery-haired girl, the two of them had been friends since they were little and hung out almost every day.

With a small amount of groaning on Simon's part, the two of them scaled the tree with relative ease. They climbed higher and higher before eventually reaching a point where the branches grew too thin to safely support their combined weight.

"There, now we can see the whole village from here."

There was an audible gulp from Simon as he peered back down the tree and at the ground some sixty feet below them. "A-A-Are you sure this is safe?"

Climbing this high seemed a bit excessive for a simple view.

"Yep," Erza began bouncing where she sat. This caused the branch to shake dangerously and make Simon shriek in fright and hold the center of the tree in a death grip. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"IseeIsee! Please stop bouncing!"

Erza did as asked and resumed sitting. Giggling quietly all the while at her friend's expense.

After a couple of minutes, Simon eventually relinquished his hold and relaxed when he saw that Erza wasn't going to break the branch that served as their seat. As the minutes passed, the two did nothing but stare out across the canopy and at the village off in the distance. The silence only being interrupted by the sounds of nature around them.

But eventually, Erza broke her silence and spoke.

"Hey, Simon? Do you like having a sister?"

"Uhm, yeah." The slightly younger boy was slightly put off by the question but answered it nonetheless.

His sister, Kagura, had just turned three a few weeks ago. She was normally glued to him or Erza, treating the older girl as a sister in all but blood, but she had a crippling fear of the woods. Something about believing that there were monsters that would gobble them up and no amount of reassurance from them would convince her otherwise. The two would break her of her fear eventually, but for now, the forest was their place to hang out.

"Why are you asking?"

Erza shrugged. "Just wondering."

Erza absolutely adored the younger girl ever since she had first held where when she was just a few days old. She had even asked her Mama if she too could have a baby sister, but Mama had said that it wasn't that simple.

She didn't know why but for the rest of that day Mama's face turned really red whenever she looked at Papa.

Grownups were weird.

Swinging her legs, Erza and Simon stayed up on their branch for a while. Just chatting and enjoying the view. They were up there for so long, that the sun had begun to set. It was around that time that a voice called up at them from down below.

"Erza! Simon! I know the two of you are up there! It's time to come down and go home!"

Recognizing the voice, Erza leaped to her feet in excitement. Peering down through the branches, she saw that it was who she thought it was. With little to no warning, Erza bent her knees and jumped out from the tree, and plummeted the sixty feet towards the ground. Not that she was ever in any danger of actually hitting it.

There was a blur of red before something wrapped around her waist and her rapid descent gently slowed to a crawl. Looking at her waist she saw a tendril of crimson curled around her. As she approached the forest floor she was greeted by the unimpressed expression of her favorite person. Outside of Mama and Papa, of course.

"Hi, Uncle Choso!"

Her uncle sighed. Setting her down, Choso willed the tendril made of his blood to go back up into the trees. It returned moments later with a sheepish Simon in tow. Only once the boy was safely on the ground did the tendril retreat underneath his clothes and back into his bloodstream.

Brushing them down for any stray twigs, Choso gave the two children a nod and began to make his way back toward the village. They were quick to follow, with Erza running so that she could walk alongside him and grabbing onto his hand.

Simon was much more reserved and simply kept close.

"Are Mama and Papa back?"

"No," his response was swift and blunt in delivery. Though there was a small upturn to the corner of his lip, revealing that he was purposely teasing her. Erza, having been around her uncle long enough to recognize his little quirks, took notice of this and smiled.

"When can I go with them?"

"Once your magic kicks in."

"When will that be?"

"When your body and soul are ready?"

This was hardly the first time they had had this exchange and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.

Every couple of months or so, Yuji would take Irene and disappear for a week or two, leaving Erza to be looked after by Choso. The popular rumor around Rosemary was that they were gone on a retreat to unwind and "keep the relationship fresh".

The women of the village found the idea romantic, their imaginations making them gush. The men however couldn't help but feel envy toward Yuji for being able to spend so much alone time with a beauty of Irenes' caliber. There was even a growing betting pool on how much longer it will be when the two returned with news of Irene being with child.

While the actual status of the relationship between the two seemed obvious, Choso knew better. He was aware that while Yuji and Irene had grown close over the years, the purpose of these getaways wasn't for something so benign as romance.

No. The true purpose of their disappearance was so that the two could fight. To gauge how far Irene had come in harnessing the full scope of her dragon abilities. Such a clash between them required extreme isolation. Both to not draw unwanted attention and to keep innocence out of harm's way.

Honestly? Choso's only worry was that the two would be gone longer than anticipated. It wasn't that he didn't like Erza. That couldn't be farther from the truth. He quite liked being around the little redhead. Even those few times he had let her braid his hair.

He never kept them, much to her displeasure, but he enjoyed the time they spent together.

What he didn't enjoy was the amount of attention he received from the fairer sex that called Rosemary home, regardless of whether they were married or not.

He was single and he was happy to keep things that way.

"Come along now. Once we get back, dinner shouldn't take too long," he paused before adding, "Simon. You can come along as well if you wish."

That earned excited gasps from the kids and Choso smirked. If there was one thing that he had accomplished over the years outside of his substantial growth in power, it was his capabilities as a chef. And his culinary skills were ones that he loved to show off whenever a situation presented itself.

After all. What kind of Special Grade would he be if he didn't take an immense amount of pride in himself?

Brushing those thoughts to the back of his subconscious, Choso led the now eager children back to his brother's home. Or rather, the smaller house that had been built off to the side of the main building that was connected via a singular connecting hall.

Seeing as how often Choso visited them, Yuji had floated the idea of the addition and Choso had been more than happy to take him up on the offer. A few weeks later and here they were. While not nearly as large as the main house, it had more than enough space for Choso.

And besides, Choso would tolerate any sort of living conditions if it meant being able to spend more time with his family. Both those related to him by blood or by his choice. He would forever endure whatever it takes to see them live and prosper.

For that was his blessing…and his Curse.

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-End-