A/N: Here's the big one. Not much to say, as I don't want to give it away. But I do think I might be jumping the shark here a bit. Especially since I was just going by rule of cool.
Oh, but I did recently buy the EiS season 2 blu-ray. I like the dub of the show and this way I can watch it without ads. Not all the voices are great, I feel like some of them don't lean into it as much as the JP VA's do, and sometimes they don't give Cid the "atomic" voice effects. But Cid, Gamma, Alpha, and most of the male voice actors do a good job. Delta is good at times, and I like her voice, but I guess that voice is hard to emote in. Yukime is pretty good too.
You know what's funny and leans into my weird luck with this series? The day after I wrote that Alpha got pregnant, I got the blu-ray which came out 9 months after the show aired. Like it's a bit of a stretch, but I also got demon Alexia after rolling on a whim today, so I think I was lucky today somehow.
Leon Fou [now Rapha] Barfort: Renowned adventurer and current crown prince. / previously: Hiro (pre:isekai)—Lea of Bart's Fort (The true founder of Holfort and lover to the Saintess Ann and Mary)—JOU_MOU_ (someone who used to work in Luxion's facility.)
Angelica Rapha Redgrave: Daughter of Duke Redgrave and ex-fiancé to Julius/ Previously: Ann of Bart's Fort (aka Saintess Ann and lover of Lea of Bart's fort). / Also goes by Angie to close friends and loved ones.
Olivia: Commoner from the Kagenou Barony. / previously: Mary lover and companion to Ann and Lea. When they had returned from their adventures in ancient Midgar, all three had been attacked by the founding heirs as they all wanted Ann. To save Lea and Ann from such a fate, she teleported them away, and swapped bodies with Ann. / Is also known as Livia by her close friends and loved ones.
Cid Kagenou: fiancé to several famous elves but just a regular mob you'd find anywhere / previously: Minoru Kagenou boy from Earth that would be transported to the ancient times of the current before dying at the hands of his friends due to becoming demonically possessed out of grief. / Also dons the secret identity of "Lord Shadow." Leader and founder of The Shadow Garden. / Mundane Mann, a pathetic looking sword wielder that disappeared many years ago and has returned for the Bushin festival.
Alice [Kagenou: Cid's personal elf servant, lover, and childhood friend / previously: Beatrice (this is non canon, but all of Shadow Garden had identities before joining so I made a name up for her.) / Dons the secret identity of "Alpha" or "Lady Shade." Co-leader and second founder of The Shadow Garden, first of the Seven Shades. The name "Alpha" is only used by those in Shadow Garden.
Other Shadow Garden Members: All of the seven shades have secret identities. They see their Shadow Garden names as their true names and will use that in their own thoughts. But to everyone not in Shadow Garden that sees them as their secret identities will use those names.
Beta: Natsume Kafka, renowned writer.
Gamma: Luna of Mitsugoshi, owner of said store and many others, richest Woman in the world. Xianyun, Swordmaster of the fareastern kingdoms.
Delta: Sara, certified good girl.
Epsilon: Shiron, amazing musician known internationally.
Zeta: Zetan. Previously known as Lilim, named after the therianthrope hero, Lili.
Eta: Goes by Eta Lloyd Wright, renowned Architect.
Charlie: Known previously as Carla Fou Wayne.
Yankee: Known previously as Stephanie Fou Offrey
Foxtrot: Sherry's mother.
Aurora: Called Violet by Cid, and now camps out in his soul/brain. Known as the Witch of Calamity, and the Demon Diabolos.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs nor The Eminence in Shadow. The only Beta reader here is the elf.
Quick warning—I'm doing the thing where Cid/Minoru/Shadow is used interchangeably. So, if that confuses you, just remember until stated otherwise, they are all the same person. It's just a matter of how he views himself in the moment.
-P2W-
If one were to be asked what they expected what they expected the most eventful day of September to be, those in the western hemisphere would likely reply with "The Bushin Festival's Final Match."
To their credit, they would be mostly correct. The final match of this years Bushin Festival was one of the most impactful days in the history of Midgar, Holfort, Oriana, and even Fanoss.
But it was not the official final match that had changed everything, no. In fact, almost no one recalls the final match. Least of all the two participants, Claire Kagenou and Princess Iris of Midgar.
No, what everyone else remembers is what happened the day of Princess Iris of Midgar's semi-final match.
But before we can get to that, perhaps it would be prudent to start with that morning, given the match happened in the evening.
Like most major historic events that occurred in the last year, it all leads back to one man. Call him what you wish, Cid, Minoru, Lord Shadow, Kageno, or Mundane Mann. For at the time, he had just about as much knowledge of who he was as everyone else did.
Like most mornings Cid had started his day cuddled up to his all-but-missing-the-ceremony-wife and childhood friend Alpha. The main difference is that this time rather than spooning, Cid had been hugging Alpha from the front, as the night before they had come upon the realization that Alpha had become pregnant. It was a joyous occasion for the whole of The Shadow Garden, as while Cid and Alpha had passed out from their shock and joy, the rest had been celebrating.
The information hadn't gone much further than Mitsugoshi's Midgar branch, but that was far enough to spread the news to four of the seven shades: Gamma, Delta, Beta, and Epsilon. Obviously, Alpha was well aware of the news, but unfortunately Zeta had been in the cold north at the time researching Shadow Wisdom while Eta was in Alexandria researching.
As such, the girls had been more than happy enough to allow Cid and Alpha to rest on their bed by themselves for the first time in a while.
There had also been another matter, namely Princess Rose of Oriana's inclusion as a new member of The Shadow Garden. Not to mention all of Eta's subordinates coming to Midgar a few days ago.
-Nu-
There isn't much that one could say about the news that Lady Shade is with child. Perhaps that it was inevitable? Given the way the ground shakes whenever Lord Shadow is left alone with one of his lovers at least.
Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy for them. However…
"Delta!" shouted Beta as she attempted to get past the therianthrope, "Let me through! I want to talk to Alpha and Lord Shadow!"
"Grrrr." Growled the therianthrope girl as she sat in front of the door.
"Delta, I have a mission with Lord Shadow." Tried Gamma, "I need to talk to him about it since he as something to do today. Do you think—eeep!"
Gamma shouted in surprise as Delta pounced on her and forced her to the ground, only to sit upon her as she usually does when frustrated.
"Gah! You brute! Stop this!" shouted Gamma in frustration as she attempted to punch Delta. I know that if I were hit dead on by as many punches from Gamma as she's currently giving Delta, I may not have much of a face left over, but Delta just ignores them all.
"Er… is this normal…?" asked Number 666 (Rose) hesitantly.
As the newest member I normally would have treated her with disrespect in order to continue our habit of enforcing the Shadow Wisdom. As Lord Shadow had taught us, those who join an organization such as ours should be treated harshly. Essentially, broken down to be built back up.
However, as she was personally chosen by Lord Shadow, and he had even told us to treat her like a friend, we couldn't do that. There was a similar case in Yankee, Foxtrot, and Charlie as they had been recruited by Lord Shadow, but hadn't received the gift of power from him.
666 did receive the gift of power. She even received a slime suit as dense in magic as Lady Epsilon's. The only other member of shadow garden to receive such treatment was Lady Victoria.
As such, I have been doing my best to treat 666 like a coworker that I've known for a couple of weeks.
"No… ever since she heard of Lady Shade's pregnancy Delta has been taking the role of an extremely protective guard dog." I explained to 666.
"Delta!" shouted Epsilon as she tried to at least touch the door handle before drawing her hand back as Delta almost bit it off. "We want to talk to Alpha!"
"No!" said Delta with the fiercest of pouts.
Over the course of an hour the other three shades do heir best to force Delta away. The scene somewhat reminding me of people attempting to pull along a very stubborn dog on a leash.
As they pull with all their might, Delta not budging an inch, the door to Lord Shadow and Lady Shade's room opens.
"Delta." said Lady Shade with a voice that demanded the world stand still. This caused Delta to immediately stand still, and the other three shades went flying due to Delta giving way.
Delta then immediately took what is known as 'the pose of submission' in sheer fear.
Honestly, part of me feels like I need to as well.
"Y-yes…!" whimpered Delta with small tears forming in her eyes.
Lady Shade then sighed and then took a more motherly expression as she helped Delta up and patted her on the head.
"I know that you're just trying to protect me, but you know that we can trust at least the other shades." Said Lady Shade.
Delta nodded before stopping and looking up, "Even Eta?"
Lady Shade stopped to consider it.
…
She considered it some more.
…
And a little bit more.
"Delta, you're staying with me." Commanded Lady Shade. Delta happily trotted over to Lady Shade's side on all fours. Lady Shade then directed her attention towards the others, "You three. I need one of you to wake up Darling- "
"Dibs" shouted Beta with a raised hand.
""Dibs! Tsk!"" Epsilon and Gamma called out before clicking their tongue upon realizing Beta won.
Beta then rushed past Lady Shade as we were given more commands. "Gamma, I want you to talk with me and Rose. Epsilon, you go monitor Eta's subordinates. Nu, carry on with your day as you were."
All of saluted, even 666, and carried out our orders…
Though I wish I had volunteered to wake up Lord Shadow as well. It's been a bit since I got my reward, and since Lady Shade is now with child, she likely won't be performing her… night wife duties and someone has to pick up the slack, right?
-P2W-
Beta carefully walks into Cid's bedroom, expecting him to be asleep, however she finds herself having to pinch her nose and prevent it from bleeding as she realizes that Cid's up. And in the middle of changing.
Cid smiles at Beta, "You know, at this point I'd expect you to be used to this."
With her eyes sparkling Beta gives out a half-hearted apology as she stares at Cid's Excalibur as it threatens to burst through his pants. "Sorry, but I'm used to seeing the sunset too Cid- *gasp*"
Beta slaps her hands over her mouth, looking as though she spoke heresy. Cid merely sighs.
"It's not like I'd get angry at you for that." Muttered Cid as he walked over to Beta. Cid then sighs again as he realizes that Beta's eyes aren't meeting his own.
Cid grabs Beta's face and forces her to look into his eyes, only for her eyes to go south once more.
A/N: Cid x Beta lemon.
A/N: Lemon Over
After letting Beta calm down and scolding Violet slightly for her interference—she will do this again—Cid and Beta get dressed.
"So…" said Beta as she put on some fresh clothes, "Do… can… can I still call you Cid…?"
"Do you want to?" asked her lord and lover.
Beta nods, "It… it really meant a lot that you asked us to call you that. I could tell that it made you happier than being called Lord Shadow… so the thought of never calling you that again makes me a little sad."
Cid smiles.
"Well… when it's just the shades, or a moment like this, then I suppose it's fine." Said Cid, not mentioning how much Beta's words healed him. "But otherwise… how about… Kageno?"
"Kagenou?" asked Beta with a cute tilt of her head.
Kageno shakes his head. "No, K-a-g-e-n-o. If my parents ask, I'll tell them, 'it's me without u'."
At this, Beta giggles, admiring her lord and love's cute stubbornness, and noting how he still acknowledges the Kagenou's as his parents.
-Alpha-
I pat Delta's head as I watch Rose kneel before me. She had just finished telling us of the plan she had come up with Leon and Angelica.
"I see…" I said as I sat in my darling's throne and patted Delta's head as she sat on her haunches. "We do still have to wait for Lord Shadow's approval, but I can't say the plan is without its merits."
Rose nodded before raising her hand.
"Yes?" I said to allow her to speak.
"…Am I still to consider you a friend, Alice?" asked Rose.
I smiled softly, "When we're not working, sure."
Rose raised her head and smiled. As she did, I saw the door to the throne room open behind her and all the others filed in. I attempted to rise from my darling's throne, but he quickly closed the gap between the door and the throne in an instant and forced me to sit back down.
"I'm not one to force a burden upon the woman carrying my child, so sit." Declared my darling in a way that would have me swoon if I had not needed to maintain my Lady Shade persona. He then stands my side, much like how I always do for him. The other girls, aside from Beta who seems to be glowing from post-intimacy, stare at me with an envious look. Said look only gets worse upon me donning my—as my darling calls it—maximum smug smile.
"Lady Shade, Lord Shadow, if I may." Said Foxtrot, to which I gave approval upon darling squeezing my shoulder gently to show his as well, "Lady Eta had sent us here to collect Lord Shadow. Apparently something with the armored angel helmet warrant his attention."
Darling stroke his chin, "I suppose Lea's lingering memory must be causing problems…"
Ah, just like always he seems to know what's going on before we even have time to bring it up to him… I had hoped we'd be closer to catching up to him at this point, but I suppose we can only have so many victories. And by that I mean I have won.
"I'll go tomorrow. I have a mission that cannot be interfered with anymore than it already has." Declared darling.
Foxtrot, Charlie, and Yankee all bow. "By your will milord."
"Oh…" said Rose out of turn, "I suppose that is my fault?"
If he was annoyed, darling didn't show it. "No, some things are simply beyond everyone's control. What's important is to keep moving despite that."
At this everyone nods, agreeing with the information one way or another. Darling then leans down and kisses me on the forehead, to which everyone reacts in some way that makes me feel like I'm being teased.
"Darling, Gamma, do your best today." I say with a warm tone of voice before turning to Rose, "666, do your best to not interfere with your plans."
"Oh? I had not been informed of this friend." Said darling with a tone of voice he usually reserves when he's spending time with Leon and Olivia.
"Ah, right! Well…" said Rose as she began to brief everyone else.
-P2W/Iris-
The announcer's voice cuts through the roaring crowd.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME FOR THE SEMI-FINAL MATCH BETWEEN THE RED BEAUTY, LEADER OF THE CRIMSON KNIGHTS, PRINCESS IRIS OF MIDGAR!"
The crowd screams in excitement as the woman emerges from the waiting area, waving towards the crowd.
From the VIP area, her lover Leon and friend Olivia calls out excitedly "You can do it Iris!" while the more dignified of their friends watch bemused but clap all the same.
But out of the corner of their eyes, they watch as Doem sits by King Raphael. Both looking somewhat worse for wear in one way or another. Doem due to tiredness, Raphael due to his drugged state.
"AND HER OPPONENT, THE MYSTERIOUS MAN FIGHTING FOR HIS BEAUTY OF THE EAST, MUNDANE MANN!"
Mundane gets nothing more than some polite clapping, but he doesn't seem to care. But for anyone who could see his face, they'd know his purple eyes were twinkling with excitement.
Both opponents take out their blades. Iris readies herself while Mundane stands up a little straighter.
With one last call from the announcer, the battle begins.
For a brief moment, Iris finds herself feeling similar to how Deirdre described. A sudden pressure will emerge and suddenly every move feels unsafe. The area will turn cold, not at all helped by the cloud riddled sky that looks as though rain will start at any moment.
But, before Iris can scream, either in despair like Deirdre or determination like Julius. She feels cold steel. Not at her neck. No, what she feels isn't a blade. No, she feels it at her chest. This 'steel' is a ring. The ring that was given to her by her lover Leon.
And, just for a moment, she feels as though Leon is with her. She recalls his promise of always being with her. She recalls her own promises to Alexia given over the years.
And she finds herself able to move.
She's able to face Mundane.
Perhaps not as an equal.
But as an opponent.
As a threat.
Iris takes another step, and another, and another. She channels magic into her body and dashes into Mundane and prepares for a strike.
Mundane sneezes, attempting to parry her strike much like he did another opponent. But he finds that Iris isn't thrown off by the parry, and instead spins to capture the momentum and ready for another strike.
Mundane dodges by cracking his neck.
But Iris doesn't make the fatal mistake of backing off and continues her attack with her feet, attempting to kick Mudnae with both legs as she's in the air. It almost hits, but at the last second Mundane blocks with the side of his blade and sends Iris away.
Before Iris can stop her momentum Mundane closes the distance and strikes at her. Putting up a quick barrier with magic Iris finds herself skidding on the ground once more. Copying a move she saw performed by Xianyun, Iris plants her sword in the ground, spins on it, and then goes flying back into battling Mundane.
Mundane smiles. He meets each and every one of Iris' blade, they're skills appear to be evenly matched.
But, for anyone that knows how battles work, they'd tell you that when it comes to battles it is not just skill level that matters. The equipment does as well.
And Iris' blade was forged by the finest quality material available from Mitsugoshi…
And then reconstructed by Luxion secretly.
So to Alexia who begged Leon to secretly do this, it comes as no surprise to them when Iris' blade eventually cuts through Mundane's.
What does come as a surprise, is that after cutting through Mundane's blade the blade seems to dissolve into something. Something familiar, dark, and gooey.
It's slime.
But before anyone can react to that, the door to the VIP room opens.
-Leon-
I look to my right and see princess Rose come in. I grab Livia and Angie's hands tightly.
It's show time.
Rose walks up to her soon to be ex-fiancé Doem and father.
"My apologies for interrupting the tournament, I am back father." Declared Rose.
We all stand up as well, ready for what's to come.
"Princess Rose!" the man shouts in fake excitement, "My beloved fiancée, you came back, just as you promised me! I can't describe my joy!"
Rose ignores Doem, and looks to her father with a smile.
"Are you ready to leave, father?" asked Rose.
King Raphael smiles, "Whenever you are, Rose."
"WHAT!?" shouts Doem as he turns around to see King Raphael standing. This mere action alone has several of the Oriana dignitaries back up in shock.
Step one: Have Livia secretly heal King Raphael.
As I was able to figure out, Mundane is likely a member of The Shadow Garden. Maybe even a disguised Lord Shadow himself. But either way the match between him and Iris would prove a good distraction for Rose to sneak into the VIP area unnoticed, somewhat helped by the members of Mitsugoshi turning a blind eye.
But that's not the important bit. No, what's important is that everyone would be so focused on the match that they wouldn't be able to notice Livia channeling her healing through a cloaked staff. See, the staff had this neat feature of letting Livia heal any of the boys from anywhere on the map. So, having Luxion secretly cloak it and have Iris put on an impressive display that would make everyone nervous due to Mundane's hidden prowess… well it was exactly what we needed.
"Where are you going!?" demanded Doem.
Raphael brushed off Doem, "Why, to speak to my fellow rulers about what had been going on in Oriana."
Doem tried to take out a sword and that was my cue.
"King Raphael, would you like for you and your daughter to be taken under my protection?" I asked.
"Ah, Crown Prince of Holfort, Leon." Said Raphael with a chuckle, "Yes, if you'd be so kind. Could you take my daughter and I back to our kingdom?"
I nod, "Of course, as soon as I am able."
Doem raised his arms, "The fuck you will! Guards, seize them."
This signaled all of the Oriana guards to come forth, pointing swords at me, Rose, Raphael, and just about everyone in the VIP area.
I raise my own arm, "I didn't stutter. Girls!"
I find my back greeted by the warmth of Angie's flames and room lit by Livia's holy light as the former casts a focused Maragi to melt all of the guards' blades and the latter uses her holy chains to force them to stand down.
Clarice and Deirdre nod at each other and cast Magaru and Bufudyne in order to force everyone else out of the room and onto some freshly made snow for them to land on.
This just left Doem. Surrounded on all sides and left alone.
"You're going to have to come with us." I declared.
Doem grunted in frustration, attempting to charge toward me… only, someone got to him first.
"CID!?" I shouted in surprise as I witness him cut down Doem.
"I'm over here though?" said the same man from behind me.
I look behind me to see Cid, or rather Kageno, standing behind Livia and Angie alongside Luna. I then look in front of me and see the 'Cid' in front of me begin to chuckle.
"Didn't you give up that name? You go by Kageno, right?" said Cid(?).
Kageno replied quickly, "Who are you?"
"Let's just go with Cid for now." Shrugged Cid(?) "And sorry Princess Rose, but I believe that now this stage is mine to perform on… Well, me and them."
Suddenly the room has three people, women, come into the room. A human, an elf, and a therianthrope. I recognize them. Or, no, I don't recognize them. But Lea does.
So, now I know who it is I'm facing.
"Minoru… that's who you are." I declared.
Minoru smiles, "Aw… you really do remember me."
Minoru then begins to morph, and so do the women. Suddenly, all of their hair turns stark white, their eyes have black sclera and red iris's. Minoru though, he takes on a demonic appearance that I've only seen before thanks to Luxion's recording. (a/n: the one from the Valkyrie connect crossover)
"Not like that means anything to me now, betrayer." Declared Minoru.
…It takes me a second, but I briefly recall that Lea was the one who ended up doing in Minoru. It may have been because Minoru was beyond saving at that point, but if Minoru still has those memories, and he's in this form, then it makes sense he'd have some resentment.
"What is it you want?" I asked, stepping in front of everyone else. "Why show up now?"
"If you mean why show up during the drama with Oriana, then don't worry I don't give a damn about that." Said the Man with a dark chuckle, "No, what I want… is for you to suffer as I had, Lea."
Shit.
-Kageno/Shadow/Mundane-
Oh…
Yeah I kinda forgot about this story beat that was going on. The real question is how is Minoru here, unlike when Leon summoned Lea during his previous match with Minoru, I didn't summon Minoru…
Or did I?
Hm… I can't question it here.
Violet, do you think you can separate all of us?
You got it~! Called out Violet from her place as Mundane in the arena.
Although I had originally thought it too sophisticated for Violet to do anything with a slime body other than simple movements, with Epsilon's help I had learned that we could do a little bit more by treating the body differently than we would a real one. It's pretty difficult to explain, but basically, treating the body like a 3D model constantly in danger of ragdolling let's Violet fight with it by using some previous animations.
In other words, Violet can fight in a body if she's seen me do some stuff before hand, but she can only do the stuff I've done.
So, to come back Violet melts her 'Mundane Mann' body and comes flying to the VIP area, before exploding and having everyone go flying.
From what I can tell, Leon, Minoru, and I all go one direction. Olivia, Angelica, Lili, and Olivier all go another. Clarice, Deirdre, and Freyja all fly into the arena. But Rose and her dad are left alone. Wouldn't do to upset my new friend after all.
As I fly by her I give her a blink and you miss it wink, signaling for her to retreat with her dad.
-Iris-
Of all the things I expected to happen to my opponent, them melting into slime and then exploding in the VIP area was not one of them. But before I can even think to do anything, I see two of my sister wives fall into the arena, accompanied by what I originally believe to be Alexia, however—
"Nee-sama!" shouted Alexia from the stands, telling me that whoever was in front of me, was not her.
"You…" I said as I stood in front of Deirdre and Clarice as they got up, "Who are you?"
But the woman does not speak. She merely raises her blade.
Deirdre, Clarice, and I all respond in kind.
-Angelica-
I find myself grasping for Livia as we fly into the stands, able to briefly pull up a barrier with her help that has us bounce like a ball before coming to a peaceful stop. As we stand once more we find ourselves face to face with an elf that reminds me a lot of Alice, and a therianthrope that reminds me a lot of Zetan.
"Are you okay Angie?" asked Livia as she readied herself.
I could barely hear her over the cacophony of screaming bystanders doing their best to leave the arena.
"Yes, though I suppose our adversaries are going to want to change that." I said as I stared down our adversaries.
(It sounds like we have a difficult battle ahead of us ladies)
Part of me was glad to hear Cleare, though I would have prepared Leon or Luxion.
In any case, while not taking my gaze away from our enemies I asked, "How quickly do you think you could get us our armors or some back up?"
(It'll take at least 5 minutes).
"Then we just have to hold out until then." I concluded.
But Livia laughed, "Or maybe we could win and then go help Leon."
"Or that." I agreed, appreciating her boldness.
-Leon-
I roll as I land on the roof of the arena, before being hit by Kageno as he lands. I do my best to get both of us to our feet, and put him behind me as Minoru lands in front of us.
"Nice trick." Said Minoru. "I'll admit it even hurt a bit."
"Yeah… by the way what was that Ci…d…" as I turn behind me, I find not my friend Cid, but Lord Shadow. I immediately back off so that I have some distance between myself, him, and Minoru. "Where did Cid go?"
Shadow chuckles, "Well… are you familiar with chess? I… castled with him essentially. He's fine, probably crying and hugging his pregnant lover."
I nod at this, "I see… I don't suppose you'd mind teaming up for now then?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say." Said Lord Shadow as faced Minoru. "And someone wearing that face and speaking like that is no friend of mine."
Hm… Not sure how to feel about that considering that Cid has the exact same face. But I guess for now I should do my best to keep—
CLASH!*
I hear the sound of clashing swords before I can process that it happened in front of me, due to that I realize that I maybe should boost my speed. So, with a quick sukukaja I'm suddenly able to see Shadow and Minoru battling in front of me, the flurry of blades so quickly that I see them briefly stall the rain.
[Quite the pickle you've gotten yourself into, Master.]
"Yeah… get the armors on their way." I commanded as I readied myself with a rakukaja for defense and tarukaja for attack.
[Already done, I hope you don't mind that I prioritized getting the girls theirs first.]
I shake my head, "No, that's just what I wanted to hear."
I feel a brief shiver up my spine and move my sword behind me.
It was the right move, as right when I do I manage to catch Minoru's blade as it attempted to hit me from behind. Luckily, I don't have to fend him off as Shadow immediately joins the fray and kicks Minoru off of me.
He goes flying into the sky, but he stalls in the air.
Ah.
Of course he can fly.
"We're going to have to take him out of the city." Stated Shadow.
I nod, "I'm guessing that he's about as big a fan of public infrastructure as you are?"
Shadow chuckles, "You could say that."
I look to my left and a nearby rooftop. Namely, the rooftop that Clarice and a few others left their airbikes on.
I then turn to Shadow, "Hey, how weak to being run over do you think Minoru is?"
Shadow contemplates this for a second before declaring, "I think that's how he ended up here in the first place, so… very."
I smile. Shadow smiles. Minoru charges towards us.
-Gamma-
"Go this way and don't look back. The others should be able to help you." I said to the princess and king.
Rose and Raphael both bow as they go into a nearby alley with a carriage from Mitsugoshi awaiting them on the other side.
"Will you not accompany us?" questioned King Raphael.
I shake my head, "My lover was still back there. I need to see that he's alright."
"Then godspeed upon you both. May we meet again under better circumstances." Raphael then took Rose and then left.
Godspeed, eh?
I'd need the balance to use it.
Ergo…
Swoosh!*
The new and improved slime suit given to me a couple of days ago dons my body, and I race back to the arena.
I briefly pass by a flying Lord Shadow and Prince Leon clashing with the faker, and Shadow gives me a thumbs up to show that he has everything under control. So, I continue my path to the arena and see two groups.
For now, I'll wait until they need my help. Epsilon and Beta should also be on the way.
-Olivia-
"Agidyne!" shouts Angie, doing her best to hit Lili but failing due to Olivier tanking the hit, then having any damage she sustained healed away by Lili.
"We're not going to get anywhere like this…" I grumble.
"I'm open to suggestions Livia." Shot back Angie, both of us frustrated at the standstill we're forced into. "Sorry… but I suppose that our own power can do only so much against ancient heroes. Cleare, how's it looking on getting reinforcements?"
(Well… how reliable do you want them?)
"I'd even take the five idiots right about now" I utter as a joke.
(Great!)
Before I can question that I see a brief flash of blue light.
Then that annoyingly familiar voice calls out, "Gain way!"
A head of dark blue hair then flies past the two of us to have his blade meet with Olivier's.
"Hey don't leave me out of this!" shouted an annoyingly brash voice.
"We're with you!" shouted a colder voice.
Julius is joined by Greg and Chris in his efforts to combat Olivier.
I turn back to see Jilk, Brad, Kyle, and even Marie run up as well.
"You guys…" I can't help but utter, touched that they finally could help someone other than themselves.
Marie turns to Angie, "Look, I know we don't exactly like each other, but I can tell that sitting this one out wouldn't be a good idea. So, we'll have to work together."
Angie nods, "Right. Can you and yours hold off Olivier? We'll take care of Lili… that is to say that you all hold off the elven woman and we'll deal with the therianthrope."
"We'll draw aggro from the DPS so you can take out the healer, got it." Said Marie as she began to order her harem of boys. "Jilk use your debuff skills, it's fine if you hit everyone, we can have the boys come back one by one and buff them back up. Right Brad?"
It's a bit weird to hear Marie use the same terms I used hear Leon use during our adventures. But it tells me that they know what they're doing.
"Let's go Angie!" I shout.
To which Angie shouts back, "As one Livia!"
We close in on Lili, and unfortunately for her, Mary has plenty of memories of getting rid of the clones of the heroes.
-Iris-
"Garudyne!" shouts Clarice, attempting to hit the Alexia look-alike and send her flying, only for her to reflect it back with a makarakarn.
"Rose Hurricane!" shouts Deirdre, canceling out the reflected spell with her unique one and sending the Alexia look-alike flying on to her back. However, the woman manages to stand back up and brush herself off.
She charges towards us, and I do my best to defend the two girls. But I can't bring myself to due any damage to someone who bears my sister's face. So I only defend myself from each of the sword strikes.
What's worse? I'm still tired from facing Mundane.
So it's only inevitable that I find myself knocked away when my arms begin to give way.
-Alexia-
I watch in horror as my sister is batted away like a ball by the woman that bears my face.
"Oh my… your secret twin doesn't seem to share the sisterly devotion." Laughed Princess Hertrude.
I raised my hand to slap her due to my lack of sword to stab her with.
"Wait!" shouted Sherry as she stepped in front of Hertrude, "Let's not fight each other too! Rudy, is there anything you can do to help?"
"Why would I?" asked Hertrude.
Sherry scratched the back of her head, "Maybe because we're political allies with Midgar?"
"And?" said the pale witch bitch as she ate some popcorn.
Knowing how a woman like her thinks, I explained, "Well if you took down my look-alike you'd be able to show up some nobles from Holfort."
Hertrude considers it before pulling out a melodica, "Well I won't get my own hands dirty, but I suppose I can at least do this…"
She then plays a few notes, triggering a few magic circles to appear above the arena. From those magic circles I see a few fish looking monsters with big teeth appear.
Hertrude then plays a few other notes and the symbol of Fanoss appears over the monsters, which then rush pash Clarice and Deirdre and charge towards my look alike.
"…Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty cool." I said.
Hertrude smiles smugly. "Of course it was. Now, shouldn't you check on your sister? She hasn't gotten back up yet."
"Right, thanks!" I book it toward the VIP area. There's trash all over the ground and some rubble near the door, so I have to fire off an Agi to burn it down and jump in.
When I get in there I see Iris trying to sit up, her head bleeding slightly.
"Nee-sama!" I shout as I sit by her side, "Here, let me help."
I then do my best to cast dia on Iris. Grr… why did I have to still be stuck at tier 1 and 2 spells! I should've practiced more magic, but all Nii-Sama taught me was conditioning for physical stuff!
"Alexia, I should be good now, I just need to wrap it and I'll get back into the fight." Said Iris as she tried to open a nearby compartment with a first aid kit. I take the gauze from her and start wrapping her head for her. "…Thanks."
"You'd do it for me." I reply.
As I wrap her head I keep an eye on the battle field. Deirdre and Clarice manage to keep my look-alike busy with the help of Hertrude's monsters. But no one is able to land any kind of definitive blow. If anything my look-alike manages to cut through most of the monsters with ease. I'm not sure I could one-shot most of them like she is.
"Nee-sama, is there a spare sword? I didn't bring one with me." I said.
Iris looks like she wants to say something but closes her mouth, takes a deep breath through her nose, and then sits up. "You can use mine. There's another in this room that I'll use."
"Really? Where?" I asked.
Iris pointed to the statue holding a green sword with a red gem in a red and gold scabbard. "Father never told you, but that's actually one of the kingdom's lost items. It's a blade that amplifies the family's fire power. So-"
I tighten Nee-sama's bindings, kick the statues arms off, and grab the sword.
"Alexia!?" screamed Iris.
"I need it more!" I shouted as I began to leap out of the broken windows.
While I was airborne, I channeled magic into the blade, immediately feeling it take it and then have it course along the blade. As it does, time seems to slow down and I remember poochie's voice for some reason.
Oh, well if you don't have the power to cast a tier 3 spell, then casting a tier one fire and a tier one wind will usually do about the same thing. Money please. Woof!
Time speeds back up and I yell a the top of my lungs, "DEIRDRE, CLARICE, USE YOUR BEST WIND SPELLS AND THEN FIND COVER!"
I think the two hear me because I see the signs of Garudyne and Rose Hurricane forming as I slam the sword right in front of my look alike.
In a conversation exchanged between the two of us through our gazes, I tell my look-alike—I refuse to be a spectator.
Then, as I smell a bunch of roses, I feel everything get really hot and see everything go white.
Then it gets cold as I feel something slimy around my torso.
"*sigh* Honestly, you always jump straight into action without thinking… which is like him in some part, I suppose… Anyways, you're lucky I have this new suit." Is the last thing I hear before I pass out.
-Angelica-
One would think that with my knowledge of how well Livia can fight I'd be able to realize that Lili wouldn't be a pushover just because she's been focusing on healing this entire time.
"Kouga!" shouts Livia as she begins to rapid fire light bullets in Lili's way, forcing her to run along the wall of the arena.
"Agilao!" I shout, attempting to cut off Lili's route only for her to tank it, then heal herself of the damage from her burns.
Gah! If this were a normal combatant we'd just have to worry about how long it'd take her to run out of mana, but as far as I can tell Lili hasn't so much as broken a sweat while facing us!
(Girls~ I have a present for you~!)
Two coffin shaped boxes slam behind us and from them two blobs explode and cover our bodies.
"Cleare! What is this!?" I demand.
(It's something Luxion and I have been working on, we call it nano-tech.)
The blobs change shape and suddenly I find myself in a plug suit meant for mech piloting, crimson in color, meanwhile Livia finds herself in something in a white suit with light blue and gold accents. {a/n: the ones they wear at the end of the series, with the black mesh underneath the colored bits and capes over their shoulders.}
(It's should be functionally similar to the slime suits The Shadow Garden wears, but no chance of it melting off your body!)
…If that's the case…
I form a sword with my arm, then shift it back.
A grin takes my lips, one I believe I called Leon creepy for donning but I'm sure looks better on me, "I'm going to have some fun with this."
I dash towards Lili with renewed vigor, looking as though I would slap her but last second forming a blade with my arm, forcing her to just barely block it with a well timed bufu that stops my strike.
"Me too!" shouted Livia as she joined in the fray, jumping behind Lili and shouting "Sukunda!"
Lili slows down, which is still faster than us, but now more manageable.
I go on the offensive and morph the legs of my suit to push me off the ground like a rocket with call of "Agilao!" crashing into Lili before I morph the shoulder into some spikes.
Despite the fact I manage to create a few holes in her torso this way, she doesn't say anything, just heals herself once more after pushing me off.
"Angie! I got an idea, just aim for her legs next time!" shouted Livia as she started to channel something into her staff.
I nod and go on the offensive once more, casting agi this time to conserve mana as I begin to lead Lili into a more precarious position.
As I do I feel the air begin to turn… stagnant… I see!
Livia you genius!
"Angie! Now!" called out Livia from behind me.
I smirk in a way that I hope Cleare doesn't capture on camera while I triumphantly shout "MARAGIDYNE!"
Lili is surrounded by pillars of flame and can't move away as Livia comes from behind me and casts a well timed "Dormina!" Lili tries to fight it, but I can see her stop moving and sway back and forth. Livia walks up to her, holds her face, and whispers "You can sleep now Lili…"
This causes Lili to fall, and then dissolve into a pile of slime. But before I can think of even touching it to get a sample for Leon to experiment with, a figure in all black descends and grabs me and Livia. Throwing us out of the arena.
As we fly I briefly hear what I believe to be Alexia's voice before I see the arena be engulfed in flames, almost resembling Lord Shadow's pillars of pure mana with the way the flames reach the sky.
As I land on a nearby roof I see our fellow countrymen also be thrown through the air, followed by a black blob only interrupted by hints of red and pink.
I suppose they managed to get Olivier, then. And it's good to see Hertrude and Sherry alright as well.
Which just leaves Leon.
"Angie…" said Livia. I take a good look at her and see that her chest is heaving in exhaustion, her face is covered in dirt, not to mention the bruise near her eye. I can't imagine I look much better, and if I do, it's only because she's been healing me.
I grab Livia's hand, "I don't think we'd be able to help him anymore than we have. All we can do now is pray for his success."
A figure lands next to me holding princess Iris over her shoulder.
"You can rest assured he'll be fine," explains the woman with the bottom of her breasts exposed. "Lord Shadow is helping him, after all."
"But… aren't they fighting another Lord Shadow?" said Livia as she began to heal Iris.
The woman laughs, causing her breasts to move rather interestingly in that outfit… I'm not a lecher, but from my position of kneeling on the ground, I can't help but notice it.
"No one, and I mean no one, could ever hope to replicate Lord Shadow." Said the woman with absolute certainty. She then turns to leave, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some people to talk to."
…
The sky begins to finally rain. And I begin to pray for my husband's safety.
-Kageno/Shadow-
I have to admit, seeing myself get ran over by an airbike is pretty funny. Especially this super cringe past version of myself. Ugh, I should just bust out a Kill yourself, Minoru Kageno.
"woah, that's a little harsh." Chimed in Violet who laughed a bit too hard with how Minoru had looked like a looney toon when he was rammed by the air bike. "I mean, stones and glass houses I guess, but I didn't think you could ever think a single negative thought about yourself."
The me now? No. The me back then? Yeah. I mean, who just crashes a tournament like this? How's this at all related to being an Eminence in Shadow? No, this guy just ditched all that to become something else…
A cheap villain. *Ptoo!*
I can't understand. I won't understand. That is why I must do what I must do.
"Guh…I…I've had enough!" shouted Minoru from his place on the front of Leon's air bike. He then began to punch the front of it hard, denting it quite a bit. Sensing danger, I grab Leon and have him essentially eject.
We land—well Leon does, I float menacingly in the air—somewhere in the middle of one of the mini floating islands near the capital. I think this place is some kind of botanical garden given as a gift from some noble to his lover…? Meh, no one's here so we can fight as we please, and that's all that matters.
"Feel like talking while you recover?" I say in an attempt to get the cheap villain to start monologuing.
And as predicted he chuckles and does just that. "Talk? Talk about what? With who? You? Him? No, neither of you will bother listening, now will you?"
I see Leon load a shotgun.
Minoru continues, "I don't get it. Why do you still cling to that childish fantasy?"
…
I feel my veins pulse with mana.
"Hey, no, stop. Just calm down. Don't do it." Said Violet as she tugs at my cloak, "Leon's still here, and we shouldn't hurt him. He's a good friend. You would really miss him, right?"
I give myself a quick mana overload to calm myself down, sorta like meditating.
"I tried it too you know. I did it all. I separated things into things I like and things I don't like. I gave up everything in pursuit of our dream. And look where it got me." Said Minoru, his demon traits beginning to crumble off due to the rough landing. "I ended up losing that dream. And what's worse? I realized that I lost everything else too."
"That wasn't your fault." Tried Leon.
But Minoru shook his head and laughed again, "But wasn't it? I was the one who led them there. I was the one who gave them the idea I knew what I was doing. I was the one…" Minoru slams his hand on the ground as he rises to his feet, surrounding us all in a violet-blue fire that begins to eat away at the garden we stand in. But given the life giving qualities of that particular fire, what happens is that the flowers just lose their color.
Oh…
OH…! A fight in a sea of white flowers!
He might be a pretty decent villain!
"I WAS THE ONE THAT GOT THEM ALL KILLED!" screamed Minoru.
"Yes." I agreed, "You did."
Minoru stares up at me with blood shot eyes.
"You… you can't seriously think that things are going to end up any differently for you!" shouted the failure.
"Of course it will." I said.
"…" Minoru looks down.
But both Leon and I know that this isn't the end of it. Because Minoru stands up, takes out his dual crowbars, and then disappears.
I don't move, as I feel the familiar cold steel of one crowbar press against my cheek as Minoru shouts for once last time. "You only say that… because you haven't learned what it feels like to be hurt!"
"How arrogant of you to believe that you'd teach me that." I said, pulling the same disappearing trick. I think Leon does too, because I lose track of him for a second.
I move faster than the text can kee—*shwing!*
I see my sword meet with the two crowbars, But before I either of us can react.
BLAM!*
Leon fires from somewhere in the trees, managing to get one of Minoru's legs. This allows me to grab him by the coat and begin to spin him around. I jump up and then spin sideways in the air, causing Minoru to be slammed roughly into the ground. So roughly, in fact, that I feel as though the small island goes down a little.
He gets back up quickly enough and tries to hit me with a "megido" only for me to dodge and let it hit the area behind me. I dash in, first meeting his crowbars with my sword, then when he lets go and allows them to fly in the air, I meet his surprise claw strike with three blades extending from my foot.
Minoru is pushed away but doesn't let up, immediately charging back in towards me and beginning to fight me hand to hand.
Just the way I like it.
He throws a right hook only for me to bat it away, followed by a kick that I have to dodge. I do so by twirling and try to use the momentum to aim for his side, but he leans back to dodge. He leans so far back he falls onto his hands, which he then pushes off of to try and kick me with both legs.
I dodge the donkey kick and kick his side so hard that he goes flying.
"How…?! How are you so much stronger?!" demanded Minoru. "You're literally me! The inferior version I left behind! You're just a boy in the middle of his delusions!"
I shake my head, "No. I am Shadow. The true self."
Minoru balks at this. "True…? Hah! Here's the truth!"
Minoru walks back over to me, looks me dead in the eyes, and then states, "No matter what you do, you'll never be able to run away from your fate. You'll always become me. You'll always lose everything!"
…
"Hey Minoru." Called out a voice through a filter, "Did you guys have mechs back then?"
"Wha-grk!" Minoru finds himself grabbed by the giant hand of Arroganz.
"I don't know about all this running away or fate stuff, but you were alive 500 years ago. A lot has changed since then, and we aren't the same people from back then," explained Leon, "So, even if Shadow is your reincarnation or whatever, he won't be you. And I won't be Lea. I won't lose."
"Well said." I admit. I then look to the rainy sky. I think I've spent enough time in the dark today. "Minoru. You said that I couldn't run away from fate. I would like to ask you a few things."
Leon moves Minoru to face me.
But I don't bother looking at Minoru again.
"Who's running?"
I take in the sight of the giant flame coming from the arena.
"To where?"
I take in the sight of the city. There's ships and carriages and air bikes and people just going about everywhere. I look at Mitsugoshi, and some part of me feels like Alpha is staring back at me from there.
"From who?"
I close my eyes and think back to the boy in front of the tv, learning about the eminence in shadow role for the first time.
…
And I smile.
"WHY WOULD I RUN!?"
-Leon-
From my seat in Arroganz, I get to bear witness to what was likely the scariest moment in the history of the floating isles. Those ultra thin violet blue magical circuits cover the entirety of the sky as far as I can see.
[Master. The entirety of the capital is covered by the area of effect. You must begin to evacuate.]
"Would we escape?" I ask, not planning on doing it since I know the girls are still in the middle of the capital, but trying to be polite.
[…There's a… nonzero chance.]
There's probably a joke I can make about my gacha luck, but I can't bring myself to do anything but sit still as Shadow takes Minoru from Arroganz, floats higher to the sky, and begins his chant.
"Do you have visuals on the girls?" I asked.
[Yes, shall I patch them in?]
"Please." I begged.
I
["Leon! What's going on!?"] demanded Claire from her spot in partner alongside her parents.
["Leon! Are you okay?"] asked Livia and Angie.
AM
["What's the plan?"] asked Clarice.
["Now's not the time to withhold information, dear!"] shouted Deirdre.
But Iris realized sooner than everyone else and hugged her unconscious sister.
"I love you." I said, hugging my monitor as though I could somehow hug all the girls through it. "I'm sorry."
ATOMIC
-Kageno/Shadow-
Well, this time was just for show though.
To be honest, I felt a little bad with how much I scared everyone when I got rid of Minoru. I just wanted to erase my dark history, you see?
"Mm. I guess I understand. I did kill the child version of myself in the sanctuary after all." Added Violet.
I watch everyone party in Mitsugoshi.
The girls are doing their best to keep up, but they didn't worry about almost dying by my hands so they're kinda just letting everyone else run wild.
…
It's a nice scene.
…
I'll do what you couldn't and protect it.
.
.
.
A/N: Okay, ending here. There was supposed to be another lemon this chapter but I could bring myself to write it at this point, so first thing next chapter instead.
By the way, I'm surprised no one caught onto the joke of Cid's weakness. Here's a hint, what element is Makoto Nijima weak to in persona 5?
Also, two things. When I wrote Cid's outburst I expected people to call me cringe, not for everyone to be like that one simpson's meme of "stop, stop, he's already dead" in terms of shock and horror.
Also it's fun to see everyone congratulate Alpha.
Let's answer those comments
QQ (On page 11 now, so that's cool)-
Zackman2k12: Hope you like the chapter!
Someoneani: Part of it happened this chapter, but I ain't done with him. More will be explained about Minoru's deal in Cid's upcoming mini arc.
Cid's outburst is kinda just something he pushes off.
Ao3-
Gary(Guest): I forgot about that scene actually, but I do agree that Cid's mom cares somewhat about him. Glad you liked my take on it, since I was trying to focus on the stuff Cid kinda represses since it gets in the way of his goal.
I hope the fights this chapter were interesting enough. I took a more comedic tone, and Minoru was only vaguely hinted at, but I kinda didn't have a way to get everyone to fight here otherwise.
Oh, well… I do have plans for that but It's next arc technically so you won't have to wait long.
I didn't want to drag it out more than a chapter because I felt like it'd be annoying. Honestly part of me wanted to come up with some excuse to have the baby come out right away, but I figure it'd be a good way to give the other girls some more screen time.
DivineDemonDragon: thanks! It was a little annoying to write but I wanted a quick way to show her fractured self (doesn't have more than one part of herself right now). That's probably some of it.
Lol yeah, I forget some things too it's cool
Violet's need to stay silent will come up later, but basically she is in Cid's soul/brain. She's experiencing everything he does, even the stuff he says he isn't.
JackTheMemer: I randomly recalled the panel of Moonknight while writing, so that's what I was referencing.
Wolfpaladin: that story did kinda stab him in the heart through the back, yeah.
I'm glad you noticed that detail, it was one of my favorite bits last chapter.
Minoru was actually said not to be important to Cid during his confrontation with Mary. Where he kept saying he was Cid. Plus, he learned back then that Minoru lost. And the only thing Shadow ever lost was his virginity.
I did think about having Livia go first, but thought maybe it could wait a bit.
At some point I feel like the John Smith arc will get overhyped. Keep it up for now though, it keeps me thinking about it.
It's funny no one mentioned that Rose came up with a plan with both sides of the story. Both Leon's faction and The Shadow Garden.
Marie only saw some matches, not all of them. But she did believe in Julius.
More on that Sherry stuff during the invasion arc.
Your conclusions were pretty spot on in your edits. A few differences in my actual execution though, but nicely done. I'll explain it more later in the next chapter, but essentially it links back to the slime children.
Shadowy_mann: I'll admit I'm not sure what you mean by your comment. Like Cid should recommend other people give themselves magical overload so he can hold back a little less?
Though, "He wouldn't do 1/10 of the things he did here in this fic"
Guh! Just hit me with a megidoloan to the face next time!
Oh but thanks for recommending I check out that trailer. I have the dvd so I was able to find it easier, and I like the lines used.
Anisomeone: Glad to see I'm getting Eta down nicely.
Alpha is his sub-ordinate, lol. More on the slime kids later.
He's on an uphill in self discovery, but it's kinda like a roller coaster so…
I forgot about that fic, re read it and I see what you mean.
Rose was asking who she was speaking to, because as far as she knows they share a face.
The Eta thing is a surprise tool that will start the next arc.
I hope I can meet some of your expectations.
Violet's a good pick for that, I have my own ideas, but I like the idea.
Totntotbt: The invasion should be fun. Oriana just has so much leading up to it. Like I think it should be after Alzer, which means I have to read the light novels. Which I own now, but like I'm not sure how much stuff can fit together at that point.
Soulbow109: Glad I hit those beats instead of just being cringe. And that the Alpha being a sub joke made a bunch of people laugh.
Alexia is probably going to happen sometime later in the story. Not sure when.
Yeah, if you see the second season when Rose and Cid talk about following their dreams Cid goes on a tangent on all the things people said to make him give up his. It's clearly something that bothers him.
Yup, Minoru.
BOY4_GOW:
Eta's one of two things, lazy or overzealous.
But I feel like Cid would though.
Fanoss is coming up, so.
Looks at the first invasion's ending. Looks away.
You don't love Leon if you don't roast him every now and again.
I didn't expect that to hit that hard honestly.
Yup, fun detail.
I wanted to punch him too, but he'd just shrug it off.
I mean, it's the equivalent of the medicine that does the same thing, so not really.
I will revisit the relationship, but Cid often takes the approach of letting people have time to themselves for a bit (or until he needs something) so I didn't do it right away.
Deathfang1920: Thanks. I'll probably put it up to a vote on SB and QQ.-
Guest(1): Lmao, I think that if you have to do that the therapy wouldn't work. But He does have an emotional support person in the form of Violet for now.
Endersmit: The best lies (performances) have a hint of truth to them.
I liked writing the pregnancy too, had to balance out the heavy stuff in the chapter.
A lot of people thought Leon and Livia would go first. Wonder why.
Thanks for reading, your comment made my day.
Guest (2): I agree, I feel like Cid could just pick her up, lie down, and she'd have zero complaints.
Misaka Phenex: The lemons are on Ao3 too.
Claire x Cid feels to weird for me, while Leon x Louise doesn't. I can't explain it too well.
For your last comment… No. Why would you even suggest that?
SB-
MWKillKenny84: I like the idea that Leon gave Cid a trophy with that written on it, lol.
Otrizi: I could see that about Perv, but the thing is EiS has lots of ridiculous names for everyone, so I think that's not really a motivation for him.