I

Tohru sat at the kotatsu with the egg cradled in her arms. Kobayashi could see the hurt expression in her eyes, and seriously hated that stupid elder dragon for being so cold towards his own daughter. Not to mention his presence completely killed the lively atmosphere of the party.

Elma had seemed to feel guilty for not stepping in, being a member of the harmony faction meant The Emperor of Demise was basically her final-boss-tier enemy, but she probably knew she was far too outmatched. Besides, Lucoa managed to get things under control herself. The Emperor was far more docile around her, it seemed. Out of respect? Whatever the case she had convinced him to go out onto the balcony with her, so they could talk.

Shouta watched from the couch, probably partly concerned for Lucoa (though he would never outwardly admit to that) but also completely shocked by Lucoa's power. Kobayashi felt the same. It was always apparent Lucoa was strong, she did have Tohru outmatched in arm-wrestling, at least, but to silence that overbearing emperor simply with her presence… Kobayashi was realizing she may have underestimated the X-goddess quite a lot.

Fafnir went back to his games, after giving Makoto a simple, "Are you alright Takiya?" but he didn't seem able to muster up more than that. Kobayashi couldn't fault him for it either, not without being a hypocrite, because she really wished she knew how to comfort Tohru right now. She hated to see Tohru upset… but… she just didn't know how to fix it.

Kanna seemed to have an idea, though. She walked over to Tohru and wrapped her small arms around her side. Tohru's head turned as Kanna hugged as tightly as her small body could manage.

That put a smile back on Tohru's face. "Thank you Kanna, but do not worry. I am fine." She reached a hand over and patted the younger dragon's head.

Kobayashi glanced back over to the balcony, where she could see the Emperor and Lucoa still talking through the glass door.

Criticisms from one's parents sometimes cut deeper than is obvious at first. Kobayashi had felt that herself before, and could relate to an extent, but her parents had never just verbally beaten up on her the way Tohru's father had just done. That was just completely horrible. Screw whatever ethical dragon codes he was referencing, or whatever sins Tohru committed in his eyes; she did not deserve any of that! It was just wrong.

"Miss. Tohru?" Riko asked as she came over as well. "Um… so that was your daddy?"

"Yes it was," Tohru said back, still patting Kanna's head as the young dragon clung to her.

"Um… I don't really understand why he was being so mean, but everything he said about you was wrong! So don't be sad, because I think you are great!" Riko stretched her arms out and gave Tohru a hug from the other side.

Tohru smiled as she took her hand from Kanna's head and instead put her arm around Riko to return the hug. "Thank you Riko, you are a sweet girl." Her other arm was occupied with holding the egg, which was likewise sending out a warm comforting pulse.

Witnessing Tohru with the three of them like that managed to get Kobayashi's spirits back up. Tohru had once lived as a chaos dragon, constantly at war, but now she was settling into a more peaceful life. Her father might not approve, but this is where Tohru belonged. She was happy here, and she was a fantastic maid!... Well, she was a perfectly adequate maid, but more than that she was a wonderful companion. She could be silly sometimes, but she was also wise in her own way. She had a good heart, and Kobayashi had no doubts that Tohru was going to be a great mom too!

Kobayashi watched Lucoa and The Emperor through the glass door of the balcony, wondering what they were talking about. She did not know what she could do for Tohru at this moment, but she did know she had a few things she wanted to say to that jerk-wad of a dragon who had upset her companion. Without thinking about it any longer, she walked towards the balcony, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

II

"So you have decided to settle in this world as well?" The Emperor of Demise asked Lucoa.

"Yes, for now. I originally came to visit Tohru, to make sure she was really doing okay here. Then I guess I ended up finding a place for myself here as well."

"With that boy?" The Emperor questioned, pronouncing the word boy with some disapproval in his voice.

"Believe it or not, that boy is a wizard." She put a finger to the side of her cheek and winked at him. "And he summoned me."

"Impossible." The Emperor scoffed. "I suppose you are closer to a dragon than a god now, so it is not completely unfathomable. Even so, since the birth of wizardry there have only been a few who were capable of summoning dragons. There is no way that child has already attained the kind of power required for such a feat. Especially not if he was indeed raised in this world."

"Admittedly, it was more of an accident than anything, and I easily could have denied the summoning, but…" She shrugged and smiled. "I really just needed a place to stay at the time, and I was also worried he might accidentally summon a mean ole' demon instead. So I figured I ought to intervene. Since then I've become fond of him, and decided to just continue serving as his familiar."

The Emperor's eyes widened, nearly as shocked as they were when he was looking at the egg earlier. "You accept that? Subservience to a mere human?"

Lucoa shrugged. "Why not? As a goddess I was always in service to lesser beings, spreading culture and helping to grow civilization, so maybe subservience is in my nature? And I'm not the only one, you know. Your daughter has also found peace in her role as a maid."

The Emperor's lips formed a deep frown under his beard. "I… do not accept it…"

"What you mean is, you don't understand it. That's 'cause you think too hard, kid. That's always been your problem, but it's really not that complicated."

"Wretched woman. Do not speak to me as if I am still a child."

Lucoa winked at him. "Sorry, but you'll always be that cute, ambitious little whelpling in my eyes, kiddo."

She thought, Him and Shouta actually have a lot more in common than might be obvious.

The Emperor looked like he was getting close to completely losing his cool again, so Lucoa decided maybe she should quit picking on him. As much fun as it was, it was so much harder to get through to him when he was upset.

"Look, I get it," she said, softening her tone. "You have lived a life of war, fighting against the authority of the gods. To you, subservience is defeat, that's totally understandable. That is not the only way to view it though, especially if that subservience is chosen. Tohru chose to be with Kobayashi, because she loves her."

"And that love is for a creature with a miniscule lifespan compared to her own. How can that be worth it? It is foolish, but I may have been able to bring myself to allow that at least, even if I could not support it. But now… she has birthed a drackin, Quetzalcoatl. How do you not see the foolhardiness in that?"

Lucoa paused for a moment, thinking over how to respond. It was a risky proposition, she could not deny that, and The Emperor did not even know the full extent of how risky it truly was. Lucoa had been sure to hide the egg's pulse by drowning it out with her own power, so he would continue to see it as just a drackin. Before she could respond however, the glass door slid open and Kobayashi came outside.

"Hey," she said, glancing to Lucoa with a slight smile, then regarding The Emperor with a notably harder expression. "Everything okay out here?"

"Yup," Lucoa said with a cheerful tone. "We were just having a little chit-chat."

"Right…" Kobayashi's moved her eyes away for a moment, then brought them back to The Emperor. "Listen, you are Tohru's dad, and also our child's grandfather, so I have no problem with you coming over for that reason. However, if you act the way you did in there ever again you will not be welcome here anymore." Her heart was racing, but it was not out of fear. She could find it in herself to fear The Emperor at times, but right now she was too mad to be afraid. Tohru was her companion, and in the future she would be her wife. Kobayashi would always be able to find it in herself to stand up for those she loves.

The Emperor's eyes narrowed on her. He was clearly not use to being spoken to in this way by a human, and since his usual method of threatening her life was off the table he may have been at a loss for how to respond.

"She is impressive, don't you think?" Lucoa said, perhaps to steer him away from any violent thoughts he may have been having.

"For being a human, yes. I can not deny that," said The Emperor, surprising Kobayashi with those words. The moment did not last, however. "But, she oversteps. It will be her downfall one day."

"Hey, how about not talking about me as if I am not standing right here?"

The Emperor's piercing gaze shot back to her.

"Kobayashi," said Lucoa, an uncharacteristic level of seriousness in her voice. "I know you are fired up right now, but this is a dragon you are talking to, and not a very friendly one. You should probably tone it down just a tiny little bit."

Kobayashi gritted her teeth, not expecting that from Lucoa, but indeed too fired up to heed her words. "This is about common decency. How powerful I am compared to you dragons doesn't factor into it." She looked back to The Emperor. "And I meant what I said, if you continue to act like that then you are not welcome here. On top of that, you owe Tohru an apology!"

"I will admit to one thing," said The Emperor of Demise. "When I heard news of Tohru's child, I lost my temper. Perhaps I overreacted and should not have come here in this way."

Not exactly an I'm sorry, but Kobayashi figured that is as close to an apology as she was ever going to get out of him.

"However," said The Emperor, "Everything I said to Tohru tonight holds true. She was a fool to have allowed this happen and I will not apologize for speaking the truth."

Kobayashi could not help balling her fists at her side and taking a step forward. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere with the old man he goes and ruins it by saying something like that. "First of all, that is MY child you are talking about too, and we didn't allow this to happen. We wanted this!"

"Then you are a fool as well. Do you really believe you can be a suitable parent to a drackin?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kobayashi barked at him. "I'm her mom!"

"You are a human."

Kobayashi took a moment to exhale and slow herself down. She spoke under her breath, "You damn dragons and your biases." She stared The Emperor down without a hint of fear. "Except, I can't even give you the benefit of the doubt and blame it on you simply being a dragon, because I've become close to five other dragons who are nothing like you!"

"You imply that my biases are formed from mere animosity?" The Emperor's intense eyes narrowed on her. "At most you have another seventy years to live, human. By the time those years are up your daughter will be just budding into her adolescence. Tohru will be left without a proper mate to aid in raising her, living in a world where neither of them belongs. Furthermore, the very fact that the child is drackin means there is nowhere in any world where she will ever belong. She will ultimately end up alone. Do you think of that as a satisfactory life for your offspring?"

Kobayashi scoffed. "You don't understand as much as you seem to think. I don't know what the future holds for us… that's true… but don't stand there and act like you do! There are going to be some complications, but we'll figure things out. Seventy years is a longer time than you are considering it. It hasn't even been a full year since Tohru moved in with me, and just look at how far we've come just in that short amount of time! And we have both human and dragon friends; my daughter has every possibility of living a happy fulfilling life and nothing about me being human, or her being drackin, is going to prevent that!"

The Emperor paused for a long moment before responding. "You have a strong will, at the very least I can give you credit for that, and I can almost understand why my daughter fancies you. That is why I allowed her to stay with you. I reasoned it might even be good for her, to expand her knowledge of life and the worlds. Then after your death, which would be an insignificant amount of time compared to her own lifespan, she could have returned to the chaos faction with her curiosity of your kind satisfied. That is how I reasoned it, but I was a fool. It has now gone too far, and there is no turning back from what she has done by bringing that child into the world."

"You still insist on referring to my daughter that way… your granddaughter! Whatever, I guess there is no getting through to you after all."

"It matters not." The Emperor turned away from her, put a hand on the railing of the balcony then leviated up over the edge. He floated in the air as a black portal appeared in front of him which brought forth gusts of wind that blew at his cloak. He looked over his shoulder at her. "As I said, Tohru is no longer any daughter of mine, nor does that drackin mean anything to me other than a representation of what I've lost."

"You bastard," Kobayashi said under her breath.

"Tohru knew the consequences of her actions. By choosing you as her mate she discarded her place in her family and her faction. She was fully aware of this consequence, and she made her choice. This will be the last time we see eachother…" He spoke his final word with bone-chilling contempt: "...Human…"

With that, The Emperor flew into his portal, and out of their lives. The dark abyss closed shut around him, giving one more intimidating pulse of energy before vanishing from the air.

Kobayashi's breath left her lungs, suppressing a sob. She brought her hand up to her face, pushing up her glasses up with her index finger so she could use her palm to smother the tears. "That asshole!" she gasped out. Tohru had said this would happen, the night after laying the egg, but seeing the reality of those words coming to pass was still hitting her hard.

Lucoa sighed, staring out over the city from the balcony, watching dots of light creep along a distant highway. "I swear, that boy seriously just never grows up." She took a moment then turned back to Kobayashi, who managed to pull herself back together and wipe away the tears. "Try not to let it bother you too much Kobayashi. It sucks, but I think Tohru already expected this. She decided a life with you is what she'd prefer over her old life."

"I know, but…" Kobayashi didn't know how to accurately verbalize her disgust for the whole thing. She sighed. "It's like you said… it just sucks that he has to be like that." They were both quiet for a little while, until Kobayashi asked, "So, what is your relationship with him anyway?"

"Oh… we go way back." Lucoa grinned and got a glow about her face, as if thinking back on a fond memory. "I knew him when he was a little boy… long before anyone would have referred to him as the emperor of anything. I could tell he was going to be powerful one day, though. He was a natural leader. Strong and ambitious." She chuckled, causing Kobayashi to raise an eyebrow at her. "I hate it when he allows himself to become close minded like that, but all in all I'm really proud of him. He has come a long way, and he has accomplished a lot."

"You refer to him almost like a parent."

Lucoa smiled. "I'd prefer big sister. Parent makes me feel way too old."

"Hm… So how old are you?"

"Kobayashi!" Lucoa gasped with her head falling forward. "It's rude to ask a woman her age!"

"Heh, right… sorry about that…"

"But… you are a special case, so I'll tell you this much." Both of her eyes opened, the inhuman quality of her yellow and green eyes had a way of making her seem more divine. Well, she was once a goddess after all…

"Gods are not born in the same sense mortal beings are so it is hard to give them a specific age. We begin as concepts; like beauty, passion, or love. Well, there are also harsher concepts like envy, hate, death and war, but I tend not to associate with those guys. They are real bummers to be around. Anyway, it is hard to put into words, but if a concept has enough… umm…" she circled a finger through the air, trying to come up with the proper word. "Heart, I suppose. If a concept has enough heart around it, it begins to change from just being an abstract idea and begins to take on aspects of the mortals who had conceived of them. That is how the first gods were born."

"Hm, that makes sense," said Kobayashi with her usual placid tone. For a mortal, especially one born in this world with little magic, Lucoa was impressed by how easily she was able to take in such magnificent concepts. "Thinking about the ancient history I learned in school, it fits perfectly. I never imagined Egyptian or Greek gods were actually real, though."

Lucoa chuckled. "Well, do not confuse mythology for history. I have another friend who has a real pet-peeve about mortals doing that."

Kobayashi grinned. "I see." She paused, just taking the idea in. It was pretty profound, but somehow what she was just told was not hitting her quite as hard as it should have. She had other things on her mind, after all, and knowing about the creation of gods and worlds would not really have that much of an impact on her life anyway. "Well… I guess we should go see if it's not too late to salvage this party."

"Heh, alright sounds good."

With that, she and Lucoa went back into the apartment. The party got back on track somewhat, though not on quite the same level it was before The Emperor had crashed it. Whatever, Kobayashi thought, looking around at all her friends and family, if that is the way he wants to be there is no helping it. She watched Tohru for a moment. She had set the egg back in the nest on the kotatsu and was now with Kanna and Riko on the floor, joining them in one of their little games. Tohru's tough, so she'll be alright.

Kobayashi had nothing but optimism for what the future would hold for her and her family. They would face challenges, but get through them together. Right now, despite everything, she figured life was just about perfect…

III

I'll destroy them…

The dragon dove towards the heavens, breaking through the mortal realm and confronting the radiant beings that lay beyond.

…I'll put an end to this meaningless life of war… and be free from all of it…

A sword formed in the creator's hand, and before she could come forth with her own attack the weapon was flung at her.

Just one more battle…

The sword of heaven pierced her side, and the flames that spilled forth from the dragon's mouth arced away from their target, missing completely. The next thing she knew the world was spinning around her. Pain erupted from the wound, and her wings were no longer carrying her.

Humans gathered on the earth below, readying their weapons, pulling back their arrows and gripping their spears. She could hear their screams, the bloodlust behind their battle cries. She could easily annihilate them with a single breath, but then there would still be the gods above to contend with, and she was already gravely wounded by the sword.

With her last remaining effort, she used her spell to open a random portal. The wound would likely kill her, but if she were to die she would rather do it in peace. She dove through the portal and disappeared from the battlefield.

…if I only could have-

Tohru's eyes shot open with a gasp. Her dream ended, and she was now looking at Miss. Kobayashi's sleeping face. She let out a sigh of relief. It was a scary memory, and not the first time she had nightmares about it, but those bad dreams were at least becoming less frequent these days.

She looked down at the egg which both she and Miss. Kobayashi had an arm around, and she smiled. She could feel a mildly groggy pulse coming from her daughter, perhaps having picked up on the nightmare and was shaken awake, but Tohru suspected she could go back to sleep easily enough.

She positioned the egg closer to Miss. Kobayashi, guiding her lover's arm around their unborn child, then pulled the blanket up to cover both of them more thoroughly. She placed her hand against the egg and thought, get some more rest, little one.

She climbed out of bed slowly, to avoid disturbing Miss. Kobayashi, then tiptoed over to the bathroom to start on her morning personal-care routines.

She started with brushing her teeth. She expanded her mouth to its menacing bestial form, since her fangs were more separated than human teeth and easier to clean around. Toothbrushes were another nice invention of the humans, she thought. Before discovering these handy little tools she would just use her claw to pick between her teeth, which would never be close to as thorough as this brush could be. Plus the toothpaste would leave a comfortable minty feeling in her mouth when she was done.

When she was finished with that and had the toothbrush rinsed, she transformed her mouth back to its human form and smiled. Nice and clean!

She then stripped off her scales (which were in the form of her pajamas) and went to take a bath. Bathing like a human was so much better too. In her old life she would have to find a waterfall or a lake if she wanted to get clean, which was not entirely bad but the nice thing about using a human bath is she could adjust the temperature to her exact comfort level. She had never considered that possibility before, but it truly was a nice luxury. Though, the dragon method of licking each other clean could be a lot of fun too, if she had someone to do it with. She used to do that with Kanna a lot.

Tohru grinned, thinking she would really like to get Miss. Kobayashi to try that particular dragon-method of bathing. "Ah, that would be nice…" she said under her breath as she lowered herself into the tub. Her face turned bright red as she ran through the scenario in her mind. When she and Kobayashi would get intimate she could put her tongue on her a little; but giving her a full-body bath like that? … Tohru squealed and hugged onto herself. That would be sooooo good!

When she was finished in the bath, she transformed her scales back to her maid uniform and put them on. Now all clean and tidied up, she took one last look at herself in the mirror. "Let's do a good job again today!" she told herself, pumping a fist.

She now had about another half hour to get breakfast ready before Miss. Kobayashi and Kanna would wake up. She decided on an omelet with toast and bacon.

She managed to time it out perfectly. Just as the food was completed and transferred onto three separate plates, she could hear Kobayashi getting out of bed and beginning to get herself ready. Tohru went over to Kanna's bedroom and gave the door a few soft knocks. "Kanna, are you getting out of bed?" she asked.

She heard the young dragon let out a yawn as she shuffled under the covered, then call out in a small voice: "I'm awake, Lady Tohru!"

"Okay! Breakfast is ready."

Kobayashi revealed herself from the bedroom a moment later, fully dressed for work and letting out a brief yawn with the egg tucked under her arm. "Morning, Tohru."

"Good morning, Miss. Kobayashi!" Tohru said cheerily as she went to retrieve a pot of boiled water from the oven-top to pour her master's coffee with. She liked to do that at the table, because that way Miss. Kobayashi could get the full soothing aroma of the coffee which is at its strongest just as its being poured.

"Thanks Tohru," Kobayashi said after the filter and coffee grains were removed from the top of her cup. She looked over the meal and said, "Wow, you really outdid yourself this morning. What got into you?" She cut into her portion of the omelet. No tail meat either, she thought but didn't say.

"I just wanted you to have an extra good morning to start the week off!" Tohru said as she took her own seat. She watched Kobayashi take the first bite and let out a happy giggle when it seemed her master enjoyed it.

Kanna came out of her bedroom next, dressed for school with her yellow hat on, but still with a rather groggy look in her eyes.

"Good morning Kanna-chan!" Tohru said.

"Good morning Lady Tohru," Kanna said back in her small tired voice. Before taking her own seat, she walked over to Kobayashi and reached up to put her hand on the egg. Kobayashi lowered it down a little for her. "Good morning, egg!" She then walked back around the table and climbed up into her place.

Sitting at the table, eating with her family here in this new world, Tohru felt at peace. She could not help her mind from briefly thinking back on her dream from last night, and that fateful day when she challenged the gods. It was a scary memory, but not an entirely bad one, because in the end her goal was achieved. She may not have defeated the gods as she had hoped, but she still got a similar result to what she hoped to accomplish by doing so.

That battle led her to meeting Miss. Kobayashi, and therefore led to her finding the peace she had been searching for. Even if it did mean discarding her old life, along with her old family and her place in the chaos faction.

What had she been trying to accomplish when she faced off against the gods, though? Probably, she understood there were two outcomes and the more likely of the two is indeed the one that happened. She was tired of war, and she simply wanted to be free from it…

Without meaning to, Tohru let her expression become rather melancholy. She had been searching for freedom that day, and she did not care if the only way to get it meant she would have to-

"Tohru? You alright?" Kobayashi asked, glancing over to her and noticing the distant look in her eyes.

Tohru put a smile back on. Simply hearing Miss. Kobayashi's voice was enough to make her discard those sad thoughts. "Oh, yes of course. I was just thinking of something."

She had once said that Kobayashi saved her life. That could be interpreted literally by having the sword of heaven pulled from her. It could also be interpreted on a deeper level, in that Kobayashi had given her a reason to live.

After breakfast was finished, Tohru said goodbye to both of them on their way out the door, getting a quick goodbye kiss from Miss. Kobayashi which made her really happy.

After that, she set up a little nest on top of the kotatsu for the egg to sit in while she started on her daily cleaning routines. It was going to be an easy day, as the grocery shopping and laundry had already been taken care of in previous days. She grabbed the duster and started moving around the apartment with it while planning out what to do for dinner in her head.

She did not notice at first, but soon after she began her work the egg started to do something. It started off as small vibrations, but then the egg started rocking back and forth of its own accord… the baby inside was kicking her clawed feet at the inside of the shell, and a very soft, almost inaudible cracking sound could be heard...

IV

Kobayashi thought about Tohru a lot on her way to work that morning. Tohru was pretty resilient, but Kobayashi knew that the things her father had said to her were hurtful. Kobayashi did not have a very close relationship with her own parents these days, but its not that there were any animosities between her and them. She'd simply grown up and left her nest, moving far away from her home in order to pursue her career. She knew her parents were proud of her, even if they never said as much, but that was enough for her to be confident in her life choices.

Tohru on the other hand, having a father whom Kobayashi could see she had a great deal of respect for (even if she did not always obey him), basically tell her that this life she had chosen for herself was foolish… even going as far as to disown her… Kobayashi truly hated him for that.

She was just a few blocks from her office when she checked the time on her watch. She startled, let out a verbal "Oh, SHIT!" then started moving her legs up to a fast jog… she was at risk of being late!

When she got inside the building she saw the elevator was open with Elma standing inside.

"Elma! Hold the door!" she shouted.

"AH!" Elma had her arms filled with bags of… well, Kobayashi could not see what was inside them but she already knew it was stuffed with foods she must have picked up on the way to work. Elma stretched one of her fingers towards the buttons on the elevator, rotating her hips and arms to adjust all the bags of snacks she was carrying, but was straining to get her finger on the button. The metal door started closing.

"ELMAAAA!" Kobayashi yelled, now running.

Elma was close to getting it, but suddenly she lost her grip on one of the bags and screamed. "AH! Oh no!" she abandoned the elevator button and quickly caught the bag.

The door closed just as Kobayashi reached it and she slammed a fist against the cold metal. "Damn it…"

She could hear Elma scream from inside as the elevator started raising to the top. "I'm sooorrrrryyyy! Kobaaayaaaashiiii-SAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Kobayashi glanced down at her watch, there were only a few minutes left; not enough time to wait for the elevator to come all the way back down. "No choice…" she gasped, knowing that at this point hightailing it up the stairs was her only chance at being on time. She loosened her tie a little then started the trek.

By the time she slogged her way to her desk she was dripping with sweat and had an absolutely exhausted look on her face. Makoto turned in his chair and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

Once she was officially clocked in for the day she practically collapsed in her chair and tugged on her collar to try and get some airflow going down her shirt.

"Wake up late?" Makoto asked.

"No… just spaced out on my way here and lost track of time… then…" she sighed, not wanting to blame it on Elma, but if the dragon had simply stopped the elevator things would have been much easier. At least she still made it on time.

Elma then walked over, hanging her head guiltily and holding one of the baby bags of snacks in front of her. "Um… I-I'm really sorry Kobayashi-san. I tried to stop the elevator but…" she pushed the bag forward, presenting it to Kobayashi. "Please! As penance, please select one of these! They are really tasty!"

Kobayashi sighed as she straightened her posture and turned her chair to face Elma. "Elma, it's alright. What I'm more worried about is the fact you've got all those bags of junk food. We just got our paychecks last friday and you are already over-indulging again."

Elma blushed and glanced away. "I-I can't help it! Everything in this world is just so darn tasty!"

"Yeah, but at this rate you are going to end up overspending your budget before the end of the month and be forced to starve yourself again. Do you want that?"

Elma sighed, getting a depressed look on her face. "I-I know that… and every time I get my paycheck I tell myself I'll be more responsible with it this time, but then I walk by the stands selling food and the smell draws me in. After that, I see all the options and… it's impossible to pick just one so before I know what I'm doing I just end up getting a little of everything. Human food truly is such a devilish commodity…"

Kobayashi thought about it, and started to feel bad for chastising her like that. She had previously thought Elma was just being a little bit of an airhead with budgeting her money, but now it seemed she had a legitimate problem on her hands. She just did not know how to combat it.

"Here's an idea," Kobayashi began. "Leave your credit cards at home and bring only enough cash with you to buy one thing. That way you will be forced to only get one, and therefore won't risk blowing your whole paycheck on junk food."

"B-but!" Elma's face turned pale at the suggestion. "If I did that, I would never be able to choose what that one thing should be! I'll get stuck at the food stand just looking at the options and I would never make it to work on time again!" She clenched her fists at her chest with her face scrunching up into a pout. "Oooooooh, it's hopeless!"

"Hang on a second," Makoto chimed in. "Don't give up hope so easily."

Elma opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly.

"You have an idea?" Kobayashi asked.

"Elma," Makoto asked. "How do your mornings usually go once you've ran out of money?"

"Well…" Elma thought about it. "When I realize I don't have any money… I guess I just curl up into a ball for a little while and sulk, but then I eventually have to work so I just put up with being hungry and wait for payday."

"Do you stop by any food stands during your commute on days like that?" Makoto asked.

"Of course not! Why would I subject myself to such a torture? Being forced to look at and smell all those delicious snacks that I know I can not have!" She sighed. "It is best to just rush to work as quickly as I can and try not to let the smell catch up to me."

"Then maybe that's the solution right there," Makoto offered. "Just don't bring any money with you whatsoever and you won't be tempted to buy anything on your way to work."

"But I have to eat something!" Elma insisted. "Am I supposed to just willingly starve myself?"

"Yeah, she's right about that," said Kobayashi. "It's kind of defeating the goal of avoiding starving herself at the end of the month if she is just starving herself at the beginning of it instead…" Kobayashi thought about it, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Wait, all you get is fast food, right? How about doing some grocery shopping on the weekends? Not only is that healthier for you it's a lot cheaper as well, so you might be able to stretch your budget through the month that way!"

"I've tried that," Elma said, looking more depressed. "The problem is even worse if I go to the market. There are even more options there than at the food stands, so I just end up blowing my entire budget in one shot. Then when I bring the food home I'm so scared of the idea of any of it spoiling that I eat it all as quickly as I can. The result is I run out of money far sooner than if I simply stuck to the fast food stands."

"Gee, this really is a problem," Kobayashi said under her breath.

"What did you do before coming to this world?" Makoto asked. "How would you feed yourself back there?"

"Well…" Elma thought about it for a moment. "In the other world it was not much of a problem. I usually would just find a community of humans to worship me, and I would simply eat whatever they presented me as offerings. They typically would just bring whatever goods their country could produce without asking for my opinion, so I didn't have to think about it."

"I see, so you never had to make a choice between eating this or that?" Kobayashi asked.

"Exactly! But in this world there are so many options it is difficult to decide for myself… Oh, wait!" Elma's face suddenly lit up. "Of course! I just need to find some worshipers here in this world and all my problems will be solved!"

Kobayashi frowned, thinking that over. "Um, Elma? Doesn't starting a cult in a foreign world kind of go against the whole maintaining balance and not interfering thing?"

"Ah, right… guess I would be in a lot of trouble if I did that…" Elma sighed. "Then it truly is hopeless after all, isn't it?"

"No, don't give up hope yet," said Kobayashi. "We'll think of something."

The three of them continued pondering the situation, trying to think of a solution for her until someone new came over. "Kobayashi-san?"

Kobayashi looked up to see it was the team manager. It was not the head manager who had offered her the promotion a week ago, but the guy right under him in the chain of command. "Yes?" she asked.

He held a wireless phone out to her. "Here, you received a phone call."

"Huh? Oh! Thank you." She took the phone and then said, "Hello?"

"Miss. Kobayashi!" Tohru said from the other end of the line.

"Tohru? Is everything alright?" Kobayashi asked. It was rare for Tohru to call her at work. Actually, it has never happened. Usually if Tohru just really wanted to see her she would show up in person to watch her work, making herself invisible with perception blocking, but that was about it.

"Y-yes! But you must come home right away!" Tohru insisted. "It is time!"

"Uh, time?" Kobayashi asked.

"The baby!"

"HUH?" Kobayashi instantly sprang out of her chair. "Y-you mean?"

"YES! She's going to be hatching soon! I can tell!"

"Holy-" Kobayashi's eyes widened and she put a hand against her cheek, she was close to attempting to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Okay! I'm on my way right now!" She hung up the phone then handed it back to the manager, giving him a respectful bow. "I'm sorry, but I need to head back home. I promise I will work extra hours and make up for it this week!"

"Well, since it's you Kobayashi, that's no problem," the manager said. "Go on, I just hope everything's alright."

Kobayashi instantly started collecting her things. "Thank you! And yeah, everything's fine, great actually, but I do need to get back home." She put her bag over her shoulder then started heading for the door. "Thanks again! Sorry about this!"

After she left the manager said, "Hm, well that certainly is strange."

"Heh, yeah I think I have an idea what it is," said Makoto. "But I probably should leave her to talk about it herself." Elma nodded in agreement to that.

"Ah, that's not what I'm talking about," said the manager as he looked down at his watch. "It's just that according to this, the shift started twenty minutes ago and neither of you have started working yet. Perhaps my watch is wrong?"

Elma and Makoto both got deadpan expressions on their faces, just now realizing how they had gotten caught up in their conversation and completely forgot that they were suppose to be working.

"S-sorry!" Makoto said as he turned back to his computer and started booting up the programing.

"I-it is my fault!" Elma said, bowing her head. "My apologies!" She then quickly ran back to her own computer station to get started on her work.

V

Kobayashi rushed out of the office building, holding her briefcase against her chest so it would not get in her way as she ran. Halfway down the first block she had already worn herself out, however, and had to stop to catch her breath. She was too excited to even notice the typical constant sting from her lower back problems.

Alright, just relax… she told herself as she wiped her forehead. It was rare for her to let her emotions overcome her like this, but this was the biggest thing to ever happen to her!

It won't do any good if you let yourself pass out from heat exhaustion, she reminded herself.

She started walking at a brisk pace, but realized she was probably going to end up having to wait at the train station one way or another, so there really was no point in pushing herself. She figured she should have asked Tohru how much time before the egg hatched, maybe it was not quite as urgent as she was making herself believe, though she did not want to take any chances with missing the birth of her child.

She pulled out her phone as she walked, and noted the missed calls from their home phone which Tohru used. Kobayashi normally kept her phone silenced during work hours which is why Tohru had to call the office directly. She searched the train schedule online as she walked, and verified that the next one would indeed not be coming for a little while anyway.

However, when she was about halfway there she caught a flash of white zip by in the sky above her. She stopped and looked up. A moment later Kanna's long neck poked out from behind a building, with her big blue dragon eyes staring back down at Kobayashi.

Kobayashi grinned, figuring Tohru must have found a way to send for her. Telepathically? That was most likely; the school was in walking distance from their house so it should not have been too hard for Tohru to send a message that way.

"Kobayashi," Kanna's voice spoke inside her head, "find somewhere open I can land and pick you up. Tohru gave me her perception blocking, so I just need somewhere out of the way."

"Alright, I think I know just the place," Kobayashi said. "Follow me." A couple people walking along the sidewalks turned their heads to her, thinking they had just witnessed her talking to herself, but she paid them no mind.

Kobayashi crossed the street, now heading in the opposite direction of the train station, then walked a few blocks to a commercial construction site. She was not sure what was being built here, but luckily no work was being done on it today. She walked along the fence looking for an opening to get inside.

Kanna softly descended from above and landed on the other side, then slid a single nail under the fence and lifted it. Kobayashi glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, then got down to her hands and knees and crawled under. Once she was on the other side and back to her feet she threw her briefcase up onto Kanna's back, then hopped up herself. Mounting Kanna was a little more difficult than Tohru, despite her being smaller, because she did not have defined scales that could be used as finger holds.

After a little shimmying with her legs she still managed to get on. "So the school was okay with you leaving so early?" Kobayashi asked as she positioned herself behind Kanna's neck. She tucked the briefcase between her legs and got herself comfortable for the flight.

"Lady Tohru called the school and asked them to send me back home. She gave me her perception blocking when I got back and asked me to find you before you got to the train."

"I see… so how much time do we have before she hatches?"

"I don't know, but Lady Tohru said we'll have plenty of time."

Kobayashi smiled. "Alright, let's get going then."

She briefly wondered if it was okay for Kanna to take off school, but decided that it was indeed alright. After all, witnessing the birth of her little sister is a once in a lifetime chance, and she was only in elementary school anyway. "Are you going to be able to catch up on your schoolwork?" Kobayashi asked as Kanna began ascending off the ground.

"Riko-chan's going to bring the homework to me."

"Alright, sounds good."

Once Kanna was high enough that nothing would get in the way, she tilted her head forward and zoomed through the sky. Kanna was indeed faster than Tohru, but riding her was still easier on Kobayashi's back. Tohru's scales were really hard and uncomfortable compared to Kanna's velvety fur. Kobayashi figured she would have to be careful to never let this fact slip to Tohru, as it would be devastating for her to find out it was only riding on her that caused Kobayashi to have issues with her lower back.

Kanna landed on the rooftop of the apartment, then pulled back one of her wings to let Kobayashi slide off. Kanna then transformed back to her human form, and Kobayashi reach down and put her hand on top of the young dragon's head, giving her a soft pat. "Alright Kanna, let's go and meet your little sister!"

Kanna's eyes closed and her face brightened up at the suggestion. Her emotions usually were not readily visible on her face, but right now Kobayashi could see that she was beside herself with excitement as well.

They rushed downstairs and entered the apartment. Kobayashi almost felt like she was dreaming, her body felt light with elatation. Today, she was going to get to see her baby's face for the first time! It hardly felt real!

They entered the apartment and Kobayashi went right for the living room. She stopped just inside, Kanna right behind her. "Tohru…" she said under her breath, as she saw her maid sitting behind the kotatsu, watching the egg that was wiggling back and forth.

"You are not too late!" Tohru said happily. "Come! Sit down!" Kobayashi smiled as she and Kanna walked over and took a seat. Tohru leaned closer to the egg and whispered, "Everyone is here, little one. You can come out and see your family now!"

The egg rocked a little harder a few times, and Kobayashi held her breath. Another hard shake, and minor cracking sounds were heard but no change to the outside of the egg could be seen yet. This is it! Kobayashi thought. She's coming! She's really-

Suddenly the shaking stopped. All three of them watched silently for a while, expecting something to happen. After a full minute Kobayashi finally let out an, "ummm…"

Tohru's lips formed a diagonal line across her face as she reached a hand out and gently put it attop the egg.

"Is she okay?" Kobayashi asked, mildly concerned but not jumping to any wild conclusions.

Tohru suddenly laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, it seems she got tired from trying to hatch and decided to take a break! Um… she's sleeping…"

"Ah… I see…" Kobayashi said, as they all continued to stare at the egg. "So… I guess we just wait?"

"Oh yes, I am sure it should not be too much longer. Lets just allow her to take her time!"

VI

After three hours of nothing happening everyone got a little restless. "I suppose I will make lunch," said Tohru as she got up from the kotatsu. Kanna took one of the DVD's Makoto had given as a gift for the baby and popped it into the player, then laid on the floor in front of the television to watch. Kobayashi watched the egg for a little while longer, but eventually let out a yawn and decided to keep Tohru company in the kitchen.

"I am sorry to have called you home from work," said Tohru as she started pulling things out of the refrigerator to make sandwiches with. "I thought for sure she would be coming soon."

"Oh, there is nothing to apologize for. I'm glad you did…" Kobayashi glanced over to the egg. "Is it possible it is too hard for her to break the surface? I mean… should we try to help her?"

"Nah-uh!" Tohru instantly shook her head and crossed two fingers together. "This is the first challenge she must face and it is thought of as very bad luck to aid the child in the process. The egg is hard and difficult to break through, dragon eggs are not like those of lesser creatures, but I assure you she will be successful. It is simply something she must do on her own."

"Have you ever heard of a baby failing to hatch on her own?"

Tohru paused, clearly disturbed by the thought and Kobayashi instantly realized she had said something wrong. Tohru put a smile back on a moment later and said, "Do not worry, our child is very strong." Tohru grinned. "Maybe just a little lazy?"

"Ah… I see…" Kobayashi did not question Tohru on that scenario any further. She had an idea what Tohru's unwillingness to discuss such a situation in detail meant, and Kobayashi honestly did not want to go down that road either.

"On the other hand," Tohru began, "she attempted to hatch earlier than I would have expected. She may have simply been overly eager to get out into the world, and was not actually ready yet. In that case, it is possible she will wait another couple of days before trying again."

"I see…"

"It is possible she is being a little mischievous as well." Tohru giggled.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, she began attempting to hatch soon after you left, then gave up soon after you got home. Maybe she was just trying to get some attention?"

Kobayashi grinned, and glanced over to Kanna who was quietly watching the opening song for the magical girl anime she had selected. "Guess we have two pranksters on our hands then. We can't exactly ground an egg for misbehaving though, can we?"

Tohru laughed. "No, I suppose not."

It was a joke of course, but oddly enough Kobayashi felt a bit of pride for her daughter's potential mischievous behavior. Not that she wanted her to be a troublemaker, but if that is indeed what she was doing it showed she was smart since it would require some thinking to come up with such a plan. If it was just to get get mom's attention, then that was pretty cute as well.

By the time lunch was finished there was still no action from the egg. Kobayashi and Kanna lazed around for most of the day, while Tohru went about catching up on some of her cleaning since her typical morning routine was disrupted. Later into the afternoon Riko stopped by with Kanna's classwork.

"So how come you had to leave school so suddenly, Kanna-chan?" Riko asked after handing her the papers.

Kanna pointed a finger at the egg. "Egg is hatching soon."

"Really!?" Riko asked. "Wow! Um, can I stay and wait with you?"

Kanna looked to Kobayashi for the answer, who of course smiled and said, "Of course, you are always welcome here Riko."

"Yay! Thank you!"

Riko and Kanna sat at the Kotatsu for a little while, watching the motionless egg, but being two young girls they did not have enough of an attention span to watch for very long and eventually gravitated back to the television.

"So…" Kobayashi began, once again keeping Tohru company in the kitchen as she was cooking dinner. "We haven't exactly come up with a name yet, have we?"

"I have a couple in mind," said Tohru. "I would rather wait until she is born and we can see her, then I will say which I think suits her the best. You should think of some names as well, Miss. Kobayashi!"

"Huh… I'm really not good with stuff like that, though." Kobayashi thought for a moment then added, "You know, she'll be carrying my last name no matter what, so we probably should go with one of your names." Kobayashi ran through the names of all the dragons she knew, and with the exception of Quetzalcoatl (who went by Lucoa anyway) they all seemed to fit well enough in a japanese society.

By the time dinner was served and eaten, the egg still had not made another move. Kanna and Riko did their homework together at the table, and eventually it started getting dark and Georgi came to pick Riko up. Kanna said goodbye to her while Georgi thanked Kobayashi and Tohru for letting her stay over again.

After saying their goodbyes, it was late and time to start getting Kanna ready for bed.

"I want to stay up and wait for Egg," Kanna said, looking up at the two of them.

Kobayashi and Tohru looked at each other and smiled, each giving a little shrug. Kobayashi bent down in front of Kanna and said, "Alright, go brush your teeth and get into your pajamas and you can sit by the Kotatsu with me and Tohru." That made Kanna really happy, and she quickly scampered off to her bedroom to start doing what Kobayashi asked. She's probably going to end up falling asleep soon either way, Kobayashi thought.

As Kobayashi thought, not long after sitting at the Kotatsu with everyone, Kanna's head slowly began to lower and her eyes got droopy. She was fighting to keep them open, but it quickly became a losing battle. Her head was soon completely down against the table with a tiny puddle of drool forming around the corner of her mouth.

Kobayashi let out a yawn, feeling the exhaustion herself. She put her head down on her arm with her eyes still on the egg. Maybe I should take off work tomorrow if she really doesn't hatch tonight, Kobayashi thought. As she was considering that, her own eyes starting winking closed. With each wink she saw her egg, her still unhatched daughter who would be coming into the world very soon. Take your time… Kobayashi thought… you've got your whole life ahead of you, no need to rush for now… It was a thought produced by her half-awake mind as she slipped into unconsciousness, the idea acting as a gateway into her dreams...

VII

Kobayashi's eyes opened to a new world. She could feel a soft wind blowing against her face, and looked around. There was a red haze tinting the landscape; an endless field of grass hued by the setting sun. Then, she spotted someone.

There was a young girl standing, facing the sunset with her back to Kobayashi. She was wearing what was clearly a high school uniform. She had long dark-pink hair, similar to the color of Kobayashi's hair but also with a tint of blonde on the lower layers. Her hair was long, trailing all the way to the center of her back where it blew in the wind.

Then Kobayashi noticed the horns protruding from her head; they had a similar shape to Tohru's, but smaller. Also, there was the stubby end of a short green tail poking out from under the skirt of her uniform, only a fraction of the size of Tohru's massive tail.

Kobayashi smiled, feeling warmth just by looking at her. She had a similar dream to this once before, back on the first night she slept with the egg nestled between herself and Tohru. Though in that dream, her daughter appeared much younger than this version of her.

The drackin's hand dropped to her side, revealing sharp yellow claws at the end of her fingertips. The back of her hand and wrist were covered in green scales. Her head turned.

The bangs of her strawbeary-blonde hair blew in waves against the wind, giving only brief flashes of her face. Through it, Kobayashi could see a red dragon's eye looking back at her, split down the middle by an oval pupil. Her lipless reptilian mouth rose in a smile. The shape of her body was mostly human, but with dragon-like features on the outside. She would be quite a sight to behold to any other human, but to Kobayashi she was simply beautiful.

"Hey," Kobayashi said with a smile. No sound came out of her mouth when she spoke, but the word still seemed to reach her.

The wind blew.

"I'm okay," her daughter said, speaking in the same silent words. "I can't wait to get there."

"I know, but take your time," said Kobayashi. "There is no rush, and we'll be waiting for you when you are ready."

That red eye widened, as if surprised. "Oh." The soft expression on her reptilian face became more contemplative. "I see… so that means... this is-" Her words trailed off.

Oddly enough, though Kobayashi did not yet know her name, she called it out, questioning if everything was alright.

Her green, lipless mouth formed a smile once again. "Yes, I'm ready. And we'll have lots of time together! Like Mommy always says, we should cherish that time while we have." There was a melancholy tone to those words. Was she really okay?

Wake up

The drackin turned and started walking towards the sunset.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kobayashi called out to her, not sure what to make of this. Then she could hear a cracking sound. It seemed to emit throughout the entire world. She looked up and realized lines were forming in the sky, like black lightning that froze after being formed.

Wake up

"Hey!" Kobayashi called out again. "Where are you going?"

The black lines in the sky were actually cracks, and red light started to shine through from behind them. It was so bright that it started to dampen out the features of the world, and everything became consumed in red.

Wake up

Her daughter too, she started to disappear inside the red mist which consumed the world. This was really just a dream though, right? Everything felt so surreal. The cracking sound... the sound of the sky cracking? It was so present… so real… so...

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up Miss. Kobayashi!

Tohru nudged her shoulder and Kobayashi's head suddenly shot up, her eyes blinking heavily. There was a pounding in her temple from being roused from a deep sleep. "Miss. Kobayashi, look!" Tohru said again.

"Huh?" She quickly adjusted her glasses and gave her vision a moment to unblur itself from sleep. The egg was rocking back and forth, and that cracking sound she heard in her dream was actually the shell beginning to open and fall apart. She gasped. "She- she's coming!"

Her dream was already forgotten, disappearing to the back of her mind where it would forever turn into a vague ungraspable memory.

"Kanna," Kobayashi whispered as she gave the younger dragon a soft tap on her shoulder. "Wake up, it's time."

Kanna apparently was much easier to wake than Kobayashi herself. Her eyes opened right away, though she did not lift her head she let out one of her soft mystified ooooh's. "Egg's waking up!" she said.

Kobayashi and Tohru both chuckled happily, giving each other a soft smile.

Tohru had been careful to nest the egg tightly between some towels, so it would not roll around too much when this time came, but it still managed to rock back and forth at a good pace. The sudden jolts became more pronounced as more pieces of the shell began to fall away.

This is it, Kobayashi thought. I'm about to get to see my baby!

Then, all at once, something burst out of the side of the shell. It was a tiny green foot with sharp nails on each of its little toes. The foot paused a moment, feeling the air of the outside world for the first time. Its clawed toes opened wide, then balled back into a little fist and receded back into the egg. All three of them leaned their bodies over the kotatsu to get a better look as the egg continued to wiggle.

The foot started chipping away at the edges of the hole it just made, ripping away with its sharp nails, making the hole bigger. The egg itself wiggling all the while this was done. Then, it stopped completely.

Kobayashi held her breath. The foot had receded back inside so they could not see her at all, but Kobayashi was struck with anticipation, feeling like something big was about to happen. The egg tilted to one side, as if the child inside braced herself against the wall of the shell. Then, all at once, chips exploded outward, breaking two sides of the shell away and causing the top to collapse down.

"Yay!" she heard Tohru and Kanna cheer, but the sounds of their voices drifted past her ears. Kobayashi's hand reached out uncertainty. She could see the green of her child's body underneath the beautiful red and gold fragments of the broken shell. Her clawed toes opened and closed; to others those sharp claws may look menacing, but Kobayashi thought they were cute.

Tohru's hand come forth to gently pick the pieces of the shell away, and finally Kobayashi could fully see her… She could see her baby!

Her cute little face had its eyes tightly shut, and her mouth half open in the cringing gesture of someone who had just stubbed their toe. Her little hands balled into fists and shook in confusion. She was green all over except for a patch of hard white flesh along her abdomen.

Tohru reached both hands down and gently scooped her up. While Kobayashi felt almost hesitant to touch her, like the delicate little thing might break from the smallest touch, Tohru's motions were smooth and confident.

Tohru held her in one arm and let her butt face up. There was an adorable little tail only about the length of Kobayashi's index finger coming from her lower back. Tohru folded her thumb over her palm and used four fingers to give the baby a soft slap on her butt.

Her cringing gesture became a little more pronounced for a moment, then the silent face let out an audible cry as she finally took her first breath.

Her baby's voice… Kobayashi hadn't realized she started crying herself but she could feel tears rolling down her own cheeks.

"There, there," Tohru said softly as she brought the baby into a more comfortable position against her bosom. Kobayashi could see Tohru's red eyes were glassing over as well. Kanna's hands were on her cheeks with a mistified expression on her face while she watched.

Tohru gently rocked the crying baby back and forth, softly cooing her with her voice. She reached into her blouse for a handkerchief and gently dabbed the baby's face. Kobayashi had not noticed right away, but she was covered in fluid from inside the egg.

Tohru was extra careful with cleaning her eyes, and when that was done the lids finally opened and Kobayashi could see the reds of her babies eyes for the first time. They only softly blinked open a few times though, until it seemed she decided she preferred to keep them closed for now.

Her cry started to die down, though she still whined a little. Her little hands and feet softly batting at the air as she squirmed in Tohru's arms.

Tohru looked over to Kobayashi and smiled. "Would you like to hold her? Miss. Kobayashi?"

Kobayashi just smiled back and said, "Yes."

Tohru carefully handed her over, then helped adjust Kobayashi's arms to make the baby comfortable. "Here, support her head with your hand," she explained. Kobayashi felt a little awkward and clumsy, but it was okay. She briefly wondered how Tohru was so good with handling a baby, and figured she just had natural mothering instincts.

"Hello," Kobayashi softly cooed at her. Her red eyes blinked open a couple times, then more steadily squinted to get a good look at her mom. She was so cute, Kobayashi thought, and she was finally here, in her arms. Her daughter… she almost felt like it was a dream, her body felt weightless with joy.

Kobayashi held her like that for a while before looking over to Kanna and asked, "Do you want to say hello to your little sister?"

Kanna's face instantly brightened up and she came right over. Kobayashi still held her in her arms, but turned her towards Kanna as the young dragon sat beside her. The baby's eyes opened more fully, now getting adjusted to the light, and they suddenly became wide and curious as they looked back at Kanna.

"Hello egg," Kanna said, as she reached up and softly held one of the babies little hands. "We're going to play a lot. Okay?"

While the babies expression until now had been more bewildered than anything, when Kanna said that her little green mouth curled into a smile.

VIII

It was late, but sleep was far away from Kobayashi's mind. She was comfortable, but not tired at all. She felt refreshed.

They all moved over and sat on the floor, Kobayashi and Tohru's backs were against the couch, and Kanna had already dozed off with her head on Kobayashi's lap. Tohru held the baby who was also fast asleep, resting the side of her face comfortably against her mommy's bosom. The two mothers just silently watched her. Her little sleeping face was so adorable it was hard to look away from.

Tohru had licked her clean earlier. Kobayashi offered simply using a towel but Tohru insisted that she would much prefer to do it that way. She offered for Kobayashi to get a lick in as well, which surprisingly, Kobayashi ended up accepting with a humorous smirk. She gave the baby a small touch with her tongue right on her belly.

Kanna still seemed to refer to her as "egg" probably for lack of knowing what else to call her, and Kobayashi wondered if it was time to decide on a name.

"So, we can't just keep calling her egg, you know." Kobayashi smirked, she was softly patting Kanna's head as she slept in her lap.

"Yes," said Tohru, smiling happily at her newborn. "I was thinking of naming her after a dragon. As you said, she will have your name to reflect her human side so I would like her to carry both worlds with her. If you think that is a good idea."

"Of course, I was thinking the same thing."

Tohru thought for a moment and said, "Tiamat is an ancient dragon, and stories of her are very popular among our culture. She is thought of as having been brave, powerful, and kind hearted. I think naming our child after her will bring good luck. I had several such dragons in mind to name her after, but Tiamat is the one who feels right. Though, I think we should alter it a little. It is a powerful name, and I have trouble attaching it to this delicate little face." Tohru chuckled as a one of her fingers moved to softly brush her baby's cheek.

"Hmmm… Tiamat…" Kobayashi repeated it. Tohru's explanation felt right, but looking at the innocent little newborn, Kobayashi understood what she meant. "Maybe change it a little to make it sound more japanese?"

"That is what I was thinking as well."

Kobayashi's mind quickly ran through some possibilities. A few slipped by her mind and were quickly discarded until one stuck out so strongly it felt like it had to be spoken…

"How about… Tiama?"

"Tiama?" The way Tohru's expression changed showed that she liked the name as well. She looked at her baby and repeated it one more time. "Tiama… I love it."

Hearing it spoken out loud, and looking at the baby's delicate sleeping face, the name felt right and Kobayashi already felt it attaching itself to her.

"Tiama it is, then," said Kobayashi, smiling at her daughter's little green face.

Tiama…

Tiama Kobayashi…

When I started writing this over a year ago I had not yet read the manga, and therefore I planned things out only using the anime series as a reference. This is why Iruru has not made an appearance. Since reading the manga I've thought about trying to work her in somehow, and even began to do so last chapter, but ultimately decided her presence was clashing with what I already had planned and changed my mind about working her in.

Don't get me wrong, I think she is a great character, but at this point I kind of have certain things about CotD cemented in my mind and I feel like trying to force her into the plot at this stage would do more harm than good. Therefore, think of CotD as an alternate branch in the Dragon Maid storyline. The official content went one way after season one, and this fanfic goes another. Iruru is not here because in this version of their world she simply does not exist.

Though, I really do like her character… Perhaps I'll write a separate one-shot featuring her some time? It's an idea…

*looks back at the author's note so far*

Oh look at that, I started rambling...

Anyway…

YAY! Tiama Kobayashi is finally here!

We'll only be spending two chapters with baby Tiama, though. Chapter ten will be the end of Part One, with Part Two (chapter 11) giving us a time jump of ten years where we will see an older Tiama (and an older Kanna and Riko as well!)

In total, I have three parts of this story planned, each of which should be around 10 chapters and therefore this story should be about 30 chapters total. To give you an idea of what to expect ;)

This is one of my favorite writing projects I've ever undertaken and I thank you all for reading it and giving such nice feedback! If you want more updates from me follow me on twitter /atomyst_fics where you can also find a link to patron page. If you like my stuff and want to support me please consider becoming a patron!

-Atomyst