(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 79

"I am." Megumi jumped up to grab the picture, but Katherine spun around, making her grab nothing but air.

"Then why do you have black hair here?"

Running to Katherine's face, Megumi said, "You can thank Joel for that. He thought it would be funny to dye my hair after my father retained his title. Unfortunately for me, it became a tradition whenever we have a celebratory party. So, if you happen to see me with black hair, just remember that it's something good that happened."

Chuckling, Katherine said, "I'll keep that in mind." She hung the picture back on the wall. "So, where were we?"

Frowning, Megumi walked down the hall. "The door on the left is my parents' room. Whatever you do, do not go in there without permission. I'm sure you got a sample of how scary my mother can be."

"Oh, yeah. Your mom is Mrs. Gladestone. That must be rough."

"Not really. She has a different persona from how she acts at school." They walked down to the door at the end of the hall. Pictures of anime were strewn about on the door.

"I never would've guessed that. She scares me sometimes, to be honest."

Megumi grinned. "That's just because she wants to make sure you listen to her." She opened the door. "And this is my room."

Katherine looked taken aback once she saw the pink room, complete with a pink mesh curtain, both in front of her window and draped around her bed, and a black blanket with pink hearts sewn into it. Statuettes of anime and video game characters were displayed on her marble dresser, along with her Nintendo 3DS, gloves, jewelry box, and an assortment of hair brushes and makeup. "It looks like a little girls room." Megumi glared over her shoulder. "O-only because of the pink."

"Pink is one of my favorite colors," she sighed. "I wonder where Peek-a-Boo went." Katherine let out a yell as a small flame ignited on Megumi's bed. Megumi held up a reassuring hand before the fire died down. A ginger kitten took the place of the flames, mewing happily before it jumped in Megumi's arms. She grinned as she nuzzled Peek-a-Boo.

"Is that an Amian cat?" Katherine asked, eyes widened.

"Yep. People on Earth call them Hell-cats because of the fire. Isn't she just the cutest little cat that you've ever seen?" Megumi asked in baby talk.

"Y-yeah." Katherine scratched the top of Peek-a-Boo's head. She noticed the flames flowing from its small, white paws, but since Megumi didn't seem bothered by it, she decided it was because the kitten was Amian. "So, what should we do now?"

"Oh, I know." She placed Peek-a-Boo back on her bed before she went to her wardrobe. Katherine stood behind her, eyebrows arched. Moments later, Megumi turned back around, holding DVD cases of a variety of anime series. Her eyes flashed. "I can corrupt you."

An hour had passed. The both of them sat on the end of Megumi's bed, laughing at the show on the TV. "What did you say this was, again?"

"Toradora," Megumi said through a laugh. "This is, like, one of my favorite shows."

"You have to let me borrow this tonight."

Megumi gave a mischievous smile. "And the corruption spreads."

"So, you've corrupted someone before?"

"Oh, plenty of times. Kim was my first victim. Then, it was Rose some time in December, along with Michael and Keiko. Ian had already come over to the dark side years ago. As for Dre, I think that he liked reading manga more."

"Wow. Keep this up and you'll have the whole planet of Amity corrupted."

"One step at a time, baby," Megumi grinned.

They both watched in silence, save for laughing at various parts. "You know," Katherine began, "you're a lot like the main girl character. The one with the blonde hair."

Megumi frowned as she turned towards Katherine. "Is it because she's short?"

"What? It's cute," Katherine grinned before she kissed Megumi's cheek.

"Yeah, yeah."

There was a knock on Megumi's door; in an instant, fear flooded her heart. That had to have been either her mom or dad, and soon she'd have to tell one of them about her. "Come in."

Toney opened the door, still in his warrior's uniform. His black breastplate was covered with scars and inky liquid, along with his jacket and his leather gloves. He looked surprised to see Katherine sitting beside Megumi, but the surprised look faded almost instantly. "I didn't know you had company over. Are you guys hungry?"

Megumi shook her head. She took a deep breath, not looking over to Katherine out of fear that she'd pressure her on with her expression. Nevertheless, he had a right to know. They both did. "Dad. This is Katherine Hernandez, my girlfriend."

"Huh. Nice to meet you," Toney said with a warm-hearted smile. "I'm sure you know who I am, but just in case, I'm Toney Gladestone."

"Nice to meet you, too," Katherine said politely.

"I'd shake your hand, but I just got back from a mission, and, well, I'm pretty sure you don't want Edge Walker blood on you. Make yourself at home."

"You mean, you aren't disappointed?" Megumi asked.

"Disappointed?" Toney repeated. "Of course not, pumpkin. You're my daughter, my baby girl. I could never be disappointed in you, especially for doing something that makes you happy. Well, as long as it's not something illegal."

Tears began to well in Megumi's eyes. She smiled. "Thanks, daddy."

"No problem," Toney grinned before he shut the door.

Katherine grinned. "And you thought it wouldn't go well. Oh, don't forget to ask him about your prom tuxedo."

Megumi chuckled before she wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, yeah."