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Kazuhiko sniffled, but tried to be strong. "I hit a button." he whispered, "In Watari's lab. It blocked off the planet... Blocked some of my powers... They tried to catch up with the ship, but, but the shield, it..."
He had watched them die with a heavy heart. "I, I tried, I tried to, to get them in, but, but the Muse, he, he..."
He took a deep breath, before starting at the beginning and relaying absolutely every detail to Po-ar.
Morrigan was likewise shocked into silence, but she came from behind, hugging the boy tightly. All the while, her eyes never left Po-ar's.
"But, but I brought, I brought," he choked, holding up the sword, "I brought everyone he ever killed back!" he declared, clearly meaning Konton, "I, I brought everyone back but them! I failed! I failed again! I should have teleported them out first! I should have thought! I shouldn't have been so distracted! I, I..."
"You did all you could." Morrigan kissed the boy's hair, hugging him tightly, "You did all you could."
At this the boy started bawling his eyes out, clinging to both parents as tightly as he could. "It's MY fault! It's MY fault!!!"
Even if technically, it was more Aoikage's.

Kazuhiko wasn't the only one in tears; Kaguyo was still practically hysterical from her grief.
She rested her upper torso in Ainsu's lap, just relieved to have someone still alive who could be honest with her. She just wanted comfort.
She knew that Ainsu was grieving for Aled almost as badly as she was, except his guilt was quadruple hers and more.
"He's dead..." she wept, clinging to his leg, "We're never going to see him again...! He's all alone....."
Perhaps that was the most painful part of the story for the woman. She never liked seeing anyone else as lonely as she had been, Ainsu knew that. It was in her nature to compulsively connect to those sorts of people, to show that they weren't. Everyone had to have someone...
She couldn't speak any further, clinging to the man, shaking as she wept. "I, I'm sorry!" she choked out, barely understandable, "I didn't want to kill either of you!"

Aoki in the meantime was eavesdropping, snapping his fingers.
Well, no fight for him. Damn. He'd have to figure out some way to make Ainsu get a better woman.
After all, how else would he end their rivalry without consequence?
If only she had tried to kill him. He could've saved Ainsu and killed her, no problem.
Damn!

But the woman just cried. Whether he was alive at the moment or not wasn't comforting...
The fact of the matter was that now, he would live the entirety of his life alone, seperated from the family and friends who had loved him when no one else had.
It threw Kaguyo into a despair unlike anything she had ever known.
She could still remember their last kiss...
Oddly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to remember it or forget it.
She sat up, kissing Ainsu as deeply as she could, trying to bury it as far away as she possibly could...
But even then, she knew that neither of them would be able to erase his face, or his voice, for a very, very long time.

Kazuhiko just sniffled, snuggling both his parents. "I want cocoa." he whispered softly, "With chocolate and milk and ginger."
And meade. Every time he'd seen Kaguyo or Morrigan upset he'd seen them drink something like the stuff, and they always felt better.
He'd sneak that later. Something told him if he asked his parents they'd say no.
Morrigan quickly went to make some for all of them, while Kazuhiko snuggled his father.
"I hate myself." he closed his eyes. "I'm supposed to save everyone."
Damn the kid had impossibly high standards.....
Given his heritage, it wasn't that surprising.

Kaguyo started to undress Ainsu, pulling the robe off herself; clearly, she had a lot of grief.
Then again, in the back of her mind, perhaps she just wanted to feel loved---to feel that she wasn't alone---or to try and ensure that Aled's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.
Perhaps she was trying to hide Aled's last 'gift' to her....
Perhaps it was all of those things and more.
But it didn't matter. She grabbed his hair and pulled him close, scratching him as she did; she was furiously trying to bury her sorrow as far away as she could manage.
She had promised him she would always return. Now, she didn't have a choice.
She didn't have anyone else.
She was desperate to claim his loyalty to her, if only for that... It was sad, but he could understand why.
It would break her heart even deeper if Aoki had been right, and she truly was alone without the only two she had ever loved.

Kaguyo seemed to be calmed by his response, settling into a normalcy that seemed to have evaded them for quite a long time.
The passion, the ferocity with which he needed her reassured that indeed she still had a home---had someone who wanted her there beside him.
She wasn't a nomad again just yet.
She pulled away, tears in her eyes. "I'm always going to love you both as much as the other." she sighed deeply, gently running her fingertips over his cheek, "I'm sorry for hurting you, Su-kun. I was selfish. You didn't deserve that. I know you understand I couldn't leave him... and... well..."
She watched him closely before closing her eyes. "That you still take me in after all this is very humbling." she lowered her head, "Gomen nasai... Aled was worried I'd hurt you... I... I thought for certain they'd torture you if you followed." she admitted quietly. "I decided if anyone should kill you, it should've been me. At least that way he couldn't have eaten you."
Well, at least that was off her chest.
"Thank you for giving me a home to return to." she whispered, looking back up at him.
Even if at the same time he had taken the only other home she had.
Not only would Aled be dead, but her parents.
"I don't have anywhere else anymore."
She still hated Earth though.


Morrigan in the meantime ordered the elephants not to---she had left for a reason.
Besides, it made her feel more motherly to actually provide for her son, instead of some damned pink things that made annoying, high-pitched noises as they flew past.
"You tell the others they do that and I'll slaughter the mess of you with a well-placed plague." she warned venomously, which was enough to send the one Po-ar kept following her constantly now headed for the hills.
She breathed a deep sign of relief, grinning at the ceiling. "Thank you, good Parents, that I didn't have to kill him... Thank you Cernunnos."
Oh, that detail Kazuhiko had left out. It seemed oddly appropriate.
He wouldn't tell his parents anything unless he was sure he could accomplish it.
When she returned, she had a GIGANTIC mug---Kazuhiko's favorite---filled with the cocoa and mounds of homemade whipped cream.
The boy picked at it, but it wasn't for a while that he relented and gave into his love of the concoction.
Kazuhiko simply shook his head, covered in whipped cream, his seriousness an extreme contrast to his appearance. "I knew it would happen." he answered. "I have that presight. It's like Mum. But I failed, Da. I failed to prevent it---hell---I may've even CAUSED it to happen."
He stole his mother's cocoa---she expected him to, seeing as she had maybe sipped it once, a considerable feat--and chugged it down.
It tasted different. Fiery.
She smiled a secret smile at him, winking.
He just blinked a few more times, confused.
"I'm tired." he yawned, "This cocoa is reallllly warming Mum... Thank you."
"Your clones." Morrigan added, "Bring them back to you. All of them this time. You need real sleep. Your father and I'll look after you."
"I f#cking love you guys." he yawned again, curling against them. "I thought I had you there."
"Not a chance." Morrigan assured him with a smirk. "Ava tells me everything."
"Lying p***k..." he blinked, but winced at her reaction. "I won't swear again. Really."
Another yawn confirmed the boy was passing out. He snuggled closer to Po-ar, drifting off.
"I put a half-shot of whisky in it." she admitted quietly. "My parents used to do it for me when I couldn't sleep... I'm guessing from that look that isn't appropriate in this era is it..."
Damn. Things sure were different nowadays....
"I can't believe he was considerate enough to bring back a trophy head." she picked up the stone relic, "How sweet..."

"Hm. Dunno. Maybe crown the roof with it, whenever we get a place of our own. Display it in a glass-shelved cabinet. It's called a trophy head for a reason. What do you do with trophies?"
She paused, thinking things over. "You realize... this may be the first time we can put him to bed and not worry about something bad happening." her eyes widened. "Are you serious? Are things really normal?"
As if sensing his urge to drink, she crept around the corner and picked up the jug of whisky. "The first shots go to our ancestors and families." she offered it to him as if it were some holy relic--perhaps it was, "And then we celebrate our son's strength by completing what we couldn't. He's strong as hell! Damn, I'm proud..."
But she was sorry for his loss, and it was obvious from the sadness that tinted everything. "Perhaps he'll find a way to bring them back." she kissed his cheek. "Keep faith."

Kaguyo returned the kiss, nodding quietly. "Alright." she kissed him again, sighing deeply, "Alright."
Although she didn't know, sometimes she'd need her space.
"So...Chiaki, huh...?" she murmured quietly, thinking. "Wasn't sure I liked that name... But what if it's a girl? What if Chiaki isn't the oldest? What other names did you like?"
She paused, thinking it over. "I almost killed your punkass too." she bit her lip. "The Muse is more persuasive than I gave him credit for..."
She had come to the realization that there was still hope for Aled's safety even now. "In a year or so, we'll go back..." she agreed, "I'm going to find Aled... We're going to bring him home." she closed her eyes.
Aled had been left behind, just like she had.
She was hoping Ainsu didn't make this a regular habit.
"Chiaki sounds more like a name you'd want." she slowly stood up, crawling into bed, "Was he more like you or me?"
She was more curious than she cared to let on when he had first told her. At least she could learn of this son now...
"Did Kazuhiko bring him? How did he even come about?"

Kaguyo smiled softly. "Sounds like you." she murmured, turning to snuggle him.
She just couldn't be alone after what happened. She didn't want to be that depressed again....
She was in truth a bit embarassed she had tried (and failed) at killing herself.
"The imposter." Kaguyo whispered, "I thought he seemed familiar... That was him then?" she asked, thinking it over.
It was a lot to take in.
"So we really have a child? I'm not barren?" she looked up at him. "Is that why you were so upset about the Muse taking me?"
Couldn't blame him.
"I'm sorry, Su-sama."

Morrigan smiled a bit, but tilted her head. "Tarnbsei whisky? Shame I never had any." she sighed. "And at least your tolerance is better than mine. I've tried to beef up my liver for centuries, my dear, and I've only gotten to three shots."
It was humiliating really.
"Neither of us have our peoples anymore..." she closed her eyes, "We really can be a family now, can't we?"

Kaguyo closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest.
The night before, it had been Aled.
"I guess we don't have to worry about any of that anymore." she sighed, closing her eyes. "Can... could we...?" she looked up at him nervously, "Could we have a family? We're older than the Ouji---Ou---does that title even apply anymore??---and he still has a kid..." she shook her head. "I want a family to come home to again."

Morrigan hugged him tightly. "A bittersweet loss." she sighed, kissing his chin, "But a vacation would be nice. I bet Kazu would like the beach." she glanced over, watching the boy sleep. "I'm worried he'll kill something and get us in trouble with the cops."
Like a whale.
"Otherwise I can't imagine anywhere else where he would be content... Get that boy around water and he's happy as a duck on uppers."
Perhaps she had hung out around Fir for a bit too long. He had started to grow on her, mannerisms and sayings and all.
"Then again, I imagine he'd be happy anywhere....ish...."
The best way to explain Kazuhiko was by watching the Home Alone trilogy, and then imagining Kazuhiko running through the house screaming at the top of his lungs (as he was apt to do).
Heavens forbid he ever watched those movies.

"Spearfishing." Morrigan shook her head. "He would see those fish and hunt them. I don't know why but I just have this terrible feeling he's going to try and hunt everything he sees."
He did have that sort of nature to him.
"Don't you?"
She was hoping he'd say no just so she could take solace in the fact he was partially his son.

"Baka." Kaguyo shook her head, before kissing him deeply, "Sooner than later."