THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SOME READERS.
Damon woke to silence. Not peaceful but eerie. It was the heavy, controlled quiet of a house where professional killers had just settled down.
Daichi wasn't curled beside him.
Damon headed downstairs and stopped. Mira Korubane was already cooking, her movements sharp, precise, and almost anxious. Her hands which were lethal weapons moments ago, now worked methodically on an omelette.
His earth parent, Richard, sat nearby, nursing a mug with a half-watchful, half-amused expression. Daichi sat glued beside Mira's hands, nose lifted toward the pan like a starving wolf.
Damon: 'Why does my house feel like Black Widows Airbnb? Can't blame Daichi though. That smells heavenly...'
Mira looked up, her expression settling into a practiced neutral mask. "Good morning."
"Morning." He replied, opening a cupboard then turning to the fridge.
Damon was halfway to the fridge when her voice, soft but sharp, cut through the room.
"Damon." He stopped, instantly alert.
"I'm sorry for dragging your father into this," Mira said quietly, looking away from the pan. "But… he's the only one who can help us now. There are a lot of people who need him."
Damon sighed, the weight of the moment landing hard. He walked toward her while drinking orange juice, then dropped it, resting his hip against the counter.
"I get it," he said, his voice low. "I do. Just… don't expect me to be happy about it. No one wants their parents anywhere near danger, no matter how strong they are."
Mira really held his gaze. His face was half sorrow, half soft admiration. Then, the tension snapped. A flash of silver. Metal hissed past Damon's cheek, close enough that he felt the cold bite of displaced air.
Damon jerked aside, dropping low. Only to find the cold barrel of Mira's pistol pressed to his forehead, her thumb hovering near the hammer.
She glanced down, instantly confirming his position. His own blade was already resting at her waist.
They eased off at the same time; Mira lowering the gun, Damon sliding the knife away. Richard, leaning at the doorway, simply raised his mug in a silent toast.
Daichi sat down and wagged his tail like this was all completely normal. The tension cracked just enough for Damon to breathe again.
Inside the confined kitchen, they moved again. Fast, sharp, testing each other's weight and rhythm.
Whilst they gave each other attacks that would be deemed deadly by mundane eyes, Mira had a concentrated look on her face, as if trying to hide her struggle against a 17 year old. Damon felt unbothered, his gaze was almost mocking in Mira's eyes.
Mira suddenly flipped backward onto the counter, legs snapping around Damon's head in a swift, unexpected scissor lock.
Heat rushed up Damon's neck. Flustered as hell though he held his stance. His feet were rooted to the floor.
Mira couldn't move him an inch. So Damon simply grabbed her mid-manuever and tossed her. Richard stepped in smoothly, catching Mira without losing a single drop of coffee.
"How," Mira asked, still panting lightly as Richard set her down, "can you fight like this at your age?"
Damon dusted his sleeve. "Dad taught me well. Why did you attack me?"
Mira smirked, the professional killer back in charge. "I wanted to show you, your father's in very safe hands."
Richard shrugged. "Fun way to start the morning."
Then he eyed Mira over the rim of his cup, still holding her, his tone turning serious.
"…Why are you nervous?"
"N–nervous? I'm not nervous." She said looking up at him then instantly staring down.
"Mira," he sighed, setting the mug down. "You only cook before missions. And when you're trying to calm yourself."
She clicked her tongue and stirred the eggs harder, defeated.
AFTERNOON – The Camellia
The sun was low; it was just past 4 PM. Warm light streamed through the windows, casting long, familiar shadows. Damon lay in the tall grass of a quiet field with Daichi stretched across his shoulders, the tiny wolf breathing into his neck.
"Damon. I can sense you resisting something, you know?" Daichi's telepathic voice was low and insistent. "I can already sense you trying to hold the Purge from coming."
"The purge is close, but I think I can resist it for a while." Damon murmured, staring up at the darkening sky.
"You should've rested," Daichi scolded. "You had two weeks to do that but nooo, you pushed too hard yesterday. And then decided to fight in the evening."
Damon stared at the sky. " That was barely a fight, and if I don't train… I won't be good enough."
A portal cracked open beside them. It wasn't a flash but a quiet, rhythmic hum. Damon blinked as Nyra stepped out in Earth clothes, a white sundress with blue flower designs and accents of greyish green, holding a bouquet of flowers.
She was cute.
Daichi yawned loudly. Damon smiled. The stress from the morning melted away entirely. Nyra walked over and tackled him with a hug.
"Hello, big bro."
"You can't have missed me that much," Damon said. "It's only been two days on Woewyn." Though he hugged her back, patting her head.
Nyra punched his chest. "Just take it."
She squinted at his face. "…Why do you look tired when I'm not around?"
"I guess my body had gotten used to expecting your chaos, when you weren't here it felt like something was missing. I feel a lot better seeing you."
She sensed the insult and frowned. Damon began pinching her cheek.
Daichi leapt from Damon's shoulder onto hers, rubbing his face into her neck. Nyra handed Damon the bouquet. It was beautiful, dark green, and the blooms were a shocking, velvet red.
Middlemist Red Camellias.
"Why this flower?" she asked. "They're common on Woewyn."
"They aren't common on Earth," Damon said, gently taking the bouquet. "And it's Natsuki's favourite. She deserves to see it at least once."
Nyra smiled like she was truly proud of him.
They walked to Damon's old school, staying far from the fence line. The sun had dipped, but the gyms lights were on.
Natsuki stepped out of the gym, dark workout shorts hugging her toned thighs, the kind that made every step look naturally graceful. A white shirt stuck to her stomach from training, bandages in an X over her thigh. Her sweat still glistened. Her breathing still heavy.
Nyra leaned on the railing, blinking, truly captivated. "Wow… I didn't know Earth dwellers could have bodies that perfect."
Damon, before he could stop himself, stared openly, his throat dry. "You underestimate Earth way too much," he muttered.
Her body was carved from discipline. The kind earned through early mornings, late practices, and simple human persistence.
Daichi poked Damon's mind: "Your mask is fading, Damon. You know she can sense when you're—"
"She won't." Damon's reply was instantaneous and laced with hidden fear. "I won't turn her into some nurse for my pain."
Daichi pressed his tiny body closer to Damon's neck. Natsuki rummaged through her bag, mumbling: "These gifts are too much…"
Then, as she adjusted her bag strap, she felt strong, controlled wind pull her forward. Before she knew it, she was standing directly in front of Damon.
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Happy Birthday."
Natsuki's eyes went wide, happily shocked. "Damon! What are you doing at school?!"
"Isn't it obvious? I came to give you this." He handed her the Camellia bouquet.
"Where did you… how did you get this?" she whispered, touching the petals.
Nyra popped out from behind Damon, beaming. "He sent me to get them from Woewyn. They're pretty much everywhere."
Damon frowned at his sister. "Nyra."
"Nyra, you're here!" Natsuki said cheerfully, ignoring Damon's silent reprimand.
"Yeah, Damon said he wanted to surprise you," Nyra replied, happily.
Daichi jumped from Damon's pocket onto Nyra's head and into Natsuki's hand, licking the sweat off her face and barking happily.
Natsuki laughed. "What's he saying?"
"He says he has a gift for you," Nyra translated.
Damon brought out a stylishly wrapped string of sausages. Natsuki looked at Daichi with the prize in his mouth, took the string, and kissed his forehead. "Thank You."
Daichi rolled happily in her arms as she rubbed his belly.
They started walking toward Natsuki's house, Damon carrying her heavy gym bag. Natsuki leaned into him slightly as they walked.
"It's the 6th of January. You know what this means, Damon? Hmm?" she teased. "I've turned eighteen before you."
Damon, pretending to be oblivious, said, "And?"
"Ouuu, he's being rude to his elders," she singsonged.
"Listen. To your. Sen. Pai." She poked his cheeks, punctuating her words.
Damon sighed, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "I would listen to you anyway. And you get to ask me to do anything you want... for today."
Natsuki had a slightly comedic, eerie grin on her face. "First request of the day, carry me."
Damon chuckled and swooped her off her feet, cradling her effortlessly. She whispered into his ear, "You're stronger than last time…"
Damon's voice was quiet, a pure moment of honesty: "I've been training… for you." She giggled, her face buried in his neck.
They reached her house. Damon gently set her down. She opened the door and the entire living room erupted.
"SURPRISE!"
Inside were her parents, her grandparents, and a couple of relatives. Her parents held a beautiful, long-sleeved furisode kimono. Natsuki's smile was the brightest Damon had ever seen as she hugged them all.
Haruto, Natsuki's younger brother, suddenly stood in front of Damon, hands on his hips. Damon looked down.
Nyra whispered from the side, "It seems like you got one boss to get through, big brother."
Damon and Haruto stared at each other like David and Goliath, like a gamer and a final level boss— a short one this time. Their eyes locked in a searing, silent challenge.
Haruto gestured, lifting his palm up. "Tax. Pay up."
Damon sighed. Then lifted him so they were face to face. "Haruto. No one pays their girlfriend's younger brother for dating his sister."
Haruto grinned widely. "Perhaps I should announce what I saw you two doing on Christmas a few weeks ago."
Nyra elbowed her brother. "Ouuu, he got you there."
Damon conceded instantly. "Fine. What do you want?"
Before anyone knew it, Damon was outside, riding a bicycle faster than any human should. Haruto was sitting on Damon's neck, screaming in pure joy as the wind dragged tears from his eyes. Daichi was safely tucked into Damon's pocket, his tongue flapping in the wind.
Haruto shouted, "I like the toy in your pocket!"
Damon shouted back, "He's not a toy!"
A car horn blared as Damon almost hit it. He pushed the bicycle up while riding, executed a perfect summersault over the car with Haruto still securely on his neck, and landed smoothly on the other side.
Haruto yelled in absolute joy.
Damon drove back to Natsuki's house. Natsuki was introducing Nyra to her parents. Renji, Natsuki's father, squinted at Nyra. "Damon, I didn't know your dad adopted!"
Damon forced a nervous laugh.
Then Vanessa, Natsuki's mom, approached. "Damon, you must take a picture with Natsuki." The grandma agreed, pulling him toward a chair.
Everyone was asking him to smile, but he had that awkward, wonky grimace fixed on his face. The best he could make to form a fake smile.
Natsuki studied him for a second. "Hmm,"
Then she whispered into his ear in a voice bathed in affection. Quieter, truer, and completely unexpected:
"I love you, Damon."
The smile on his face became the brightest, most real thing. He blushed faster than he could run, and the smile was so genuine, so pure, that they had to take the picture at that exact moment.
Nyra said out loud, "I wonder what she said."
Her grandpa started poking him to tell him.
After the photo, after many photos, after cutting a cake and after too many laughs. Natsuki leaned into Damon's side, holding a single flower from the bouquet, and whispered: "Best birthday ever."
Damon looked at her, and his eyes, dark blue with their golden trace, held only certainty. He kissed her temple and she smiled.
The family continued laughing in the background, filling the house with a temporary, beautiful sound of peace.