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Emi had always stayed true to the oaths she’d taken when she was first named the Hero. She was in a whole different world now, fighting some of the same people she’d once followed.
She will still get revenge. She and Maou had both changed a lot, everything had changed a lot. That didn’t mean he shouldn’t pay for his war and the death of her people.
“You’re my mama, and he’s my papa.” Those words- well they’d changed a lot.
“We’ll figure it out, we can raise her together, she can live here, you can move in too, I don’t know how we’ll all fit but we can make it work,” Maou assured himself, pacing the now empty apartment. Everyone else was outside playing with the child -their child- leaving them to discuss.
“Do you even know how to take care of a child?” Emi asked.
“Do you?”
“I do, actually. And I have a bigger apartment, and less mouths to feed. I’ll take Alas Ramus. I frankly don’t trust you to take care of a child.”
“What?” Maou whispered, hurt in his voice.
“Maou you’re a war monger and a king, not a father. You conquered your own people and then tried to destroy mine! There’s so much blood on your hands. You got so good at causing fear is us, do you know what you’ll do to a little kid?”
“Emi, I’m not like that, you know-“
“I don’t know anything. All I have is your word and I don’t trust that. I hope you know that this little girl doesn’t mean you won’t have to pay for your crimes someday.”
That was that. Maou pressed his lips together but quietly agreed to let Emi take care of Alas Ramus. The girl had protested at first, but was happy enough to go with Emi.
——
Things had been going surprisingly well. Emi found herself very capable of taking care of Alas, especially with Rika’s help. She didn’t have to pay for childcare, and Alas seemed to be entertained even is she was in her shard form.
But then the little girl started asking about Maou. It wasn’t like they didn’t see him, Emi would bring the girl over, and eventually even leave Alas with him as long as Chiho or Suzuno were around. However Alas started asking about staying the night with Maou, or spending time with the both of them.
“She wants to stay the night. She started crying when I told her she couldn’t,” Maou explained, arms crossed, glancing over his shoulder at the little girl now giggling with Chiho on the swings.
“She’s been asking me the same thing. She also keeps asking if I’m mad at you.”
“Emi, can I be honest with you?” Emi squinted at his, partially out of suspicion and partially due to the bright sun.
“What is it?”
“She knows we’re fighting. I think this whole revenge thing is effecting her.”
“Don’t treat it like it’s by fault, you went to war with my people!”
“Emi…” she turned, eyes widening to find Suzuno at Maou’s side. “We both know it’s not forgivable, but revenge isn’t helping you here, it’s only hurting you.”
“Suzuno, you know I swore an oath to get vengeance for my father and everyone else the demon army has killed,” Emi responded, voice filled with anger and pain at this betrayal.
“Your oaths poison those you would protect! Alas is being affected by your constant bickering, she’s scared her parents are going to kill each other!”
“What?” Emi choked out.
“She keeps telling me that if you ever try to fight me not to hurt you, Emi,” Maou said softly.
Emi’s heart suddenly ached, as if trying to tear itself into pieces. She tried to stop them but tears pricked at the back of her eyes as she realized she had failed her oaths and her people. Suddenly there was a tugging on her dress and Alas was there, eyes round and worried.
“Are you two fighting again? Don’t hurt papa. I just wanna stay tonight.”
Emi looked at Alas, clutching her doll to her chest, staring up at them. She remembered another little girl, a broken wooden horse, and blood. For so long that little girl was all she could picture.
She thought she was protecting Alas from Maou. But maybe she was just trying to protect herself from the pain of war, from loosing her own father. By doing so, she’d torn another girl from her father.
“Okay. If your papa says we can stay over, we can.”