HALCYON [Minamoto Teru]

8

"I don't like babies." The witch stated for the umpteenth time as the mother laughed at her. "I know, I know. Come here and look at how precious she is, Nora." The woman ushered the two children over as Teru gently placed Nora down on his mother's bed.

Nora flinched at the sight of a raw baby, skin cherry pink, eyes still clammed shut. Fingers that were the size of her nails. A small little body that was barley smaller than her own. It flailed and reached its arms out, instinctively touching Nora as she flinched, her head ducked down.

"I shouldn't even be in here." Nora muttered beneath her breath, although the priestess heard her quite loud and clear. "Why not darling? You're apart of us, you're the reason why I got to have a little girl. You deserve to be in this moment." Keiko pat the top of the black cat's head as it flinched again.

The moment they had taken the stray cat under their wing, she had become one of them. Keiko saw no reason why she shouldn't have been there, nor Teru and Kou.

After all, the witch had been protecting both their mother and sister for the last few months.

As Teru picked up his small younger sister, holding the small baby down beside Nora as she scanned over the girl. It was hard to accept. She couldn't believe how tiny new humans were, how vulnerable. "She's so small." The witch had muttered.

"Do you want to hold her?" Keiko offered as the cat had immediately declined without hesitation. Keiko was intentionally pushing the witch out of her comfort zone, doing things that she particularly disliked in general. But the mother trusted Nora without a doubt.

"You're going to protect her when she grows up Nora." Keiko had said softly. The cat glanced at her. "Have you named her?" Nora changed the topic as the woman tapped her chin and nodded, the two brothers had been so caught up about their new little sister, that they had forgotten about the name.

"Tiara." Keiko said adamantly as they blinked. Teru had begun smiling and that soon morphed into a chuckle as he understood. "It's amazing, Mom. I like it." Teru said, stroking the top of his sister's head while Kou jumped up and down. "Hey Tiara! I'm your big brother, Kou!" He grinned broadly.

"She's going to be our little princess. It's the perfect name. Tiara." Daisuke held his wife's hand lovingly as Nora simply stayed quiet, not having anything to say.

The small baby's arms had outstretched touching the top of Nora's ear, causing it to twitch as the baby giggled, taking a small pinch of her ebony black fur. Keiko stared at the interaction with a smile. Nora sighed as she laid down, fluttering her eyes closed, allowing the baby to continue grabbing her fur.

The Minamoto household had been more bustling and full than ever before, a full family now housing it. Daisuke and Keiko decided that it would be best for them to stay occupied with their little girl for a few months before leaving back on their missions.

Needless to say, Nora spent her next few weeks in her human form. When as a cat, her hearing was more enhanced and sharp. Listening to wails from a baby for hours on end as a cat made her ears bleed profusely as she scampered outside to escape it as she watched the two brothers spar against their father.

Keiko cradled the baby wrapped in a blanket within her motherly touch as the girl beside her had been indulged in her hobby of read a book while munching on some rice crackers. This was how they spent their days after the two brothers were done with school. They would go on exorcism rounds with their father at night and Keiko cared for the new born child.

Nora, as per usual, slept, was put to unnecessary work by Daisuke and slept more.

This had come to an end after a few months when the two parents were called to an emergency exorcism and decided that it was finally time to them to go back to work. Kou and Teru weren't necessarily disappointed since they would have their hands tied with caring for Tiara, but they had known this was going to happen eventually.