𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 | | 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐱 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐡𝐚 | | 𝐊𝐍𝐘

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏: 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞

"Bad!", Inosuke yelled while pointing his finger at Douma who was hugging Kotoha on her right side while she carried Inosuke on her left.

"Noo, I'm not", Douma replied, nuzzling his face against Kotoha's neck.  'Hahaha, they're like two little kids', giggled Kotoha.  

"Kotohaa, you love me right~?", Douma asked with big shinning eyes.

"Bah!  Mama loves me-me!", Inosuke exclaimed, turning his head to face his mother.  The two looked similar, both looking at Kotoha with doggy eyes.  Gleaming with cuteness and sparkles, big and bright, looking identical except for Inosuke's looks.  

"I love you both equally", Kotoha sweetly smiled, yet her response brought no justice.

"No!  Me or dada!", Inosuke insisted and Douma nodded.  

"E-Eh??  But-But I love you both...", Kotoha mumbled with an embarrassed look.

"You have to choose, my dear Kotoha", Douma persisted.  Kotoha looked at both Inosuke and Douma, staying silent and having a mental war inside her head.

"I-I'm sorry, but I love Inosuke more...Douma-sama", Kotoha said, turning her head away from him, balling her hand into a fist and holding it close to her mouth.  Kotoha's words shocked Douma; he turned pale white and just stood still, letting the morning breeze swift past his hair, looking like a statue.  However, Inosuke seemed to be proud of himself and had a smirk expression on his face, knowing that he was ruler to his mother's heart and no one else.  

'I....I lost to a child.  A child that isn't even one-years-old yet...', Douma thought to himself, 'Is this what a heartbreak is?', Douma dramatically wondered.  

"I'm sorry, Douma-sama!", Kotoha pouted and walked in to his arms.  Inosuke was bothered by this as his face was squished when Kotoha embraced Douma, and Douma smirked him a 'ha, serves you right' kind of smile while he placed one of his hand on to Kotoha's head and softly kissed her forehead.  Inosuke got annoyed even more and pulled on to Douma's right cheek, causing Douma to get annoyed as well, but still kept his smiling face.  Of course, he wasn't annoyed as if he'd slit Inosuke's head off his throat, like he did with other people, it was a different type of annoyed that didn't make him feel any anger towards Insouke.  In fact, it felt like joy, like a normal happy family where the son and father fight over the mother, where the son is protective and the father needs attention.  

"Hm?", Kotoha turned her head around to Douma and Inosuke because she felt a small tug on her hair, but when she did, Inosuke and Douma were widely smiling, sparkles around them, acting as if nothing was wrong.  But, as soon as Kotoha turned her head again, both Insouke and Douma pulled each other's cheeks.  Both having small droplets on the corner of their eyes, both of them glaring at each other for the other to let go, but neither stopped.  Yes, a happy-normal family. 

However, there's always those people who try to get in the way, nasty people that can't keep to themselves.  And unfortunately, there were three woman, just like that, watching them, or more apparently, Kotoha.  The jealous types, not the ones who feel jealous but are alright as long as the person they love is happy, no, these three woman were filled with rage.  They stopped spying on them and proceeded to walk to the kitchen.  A tense aura around them as they walked.

"Tch.  She only came here about 6 months ago, yet she thinks she's high and mighty", one of the woman spoke.

"Yes, stealing all of Douma-dono's time and affection", another commented.

"Affection and time that shouldn't be focused towards her but us.  I don't even see what's so special about her anyway", another woman among the three said.

"She's not even that pretty and she looks completely useless", the first woman scowled.  As they entered the kitchen and sat down on a table bathed in sunlight, the shadow revealed their appearance.  The first woman who talked was a woman with short black hair reaching her shoulders, with empty black eyes and wore a black kimono with purple flowers.  The second woman had a rather pale face, covered in extreme white powder, with black hair tied into a single ponytail draping over her shoulder covered in a white kimono with yellow flowers.  The last woman who spoke had a small scar across her nose, wore heavy blush with her long black hair reaching her waist and wore a purple kimono with blue irises.  They were very pretty, despite their heavy make-up, but not every woman who were lovely had a charming attitude to company their pretty faces.  Yes, they were pretty, but not beautiful.  They all have a crush on Douma, since he also saved them from their rough past, and their feelings for him stayed strong.  So when Kotoha had arrived and was always by Douma's side, the three raged in silence from the shadows, watching her in anger.  

"Kotoha, you and Inosuke can eat first, I'll join you a bit later since I have some duties to perform right now", Douma said as he walked Kotoha to a table, with his hand embracing her waist.  

"Are you sure?  We can wait for you, Douma-sama", Kotoha replied with a worried face, making a smile form on Douma's face, a real smile.

"You're so sweet, Kotoha", Douma responded as he hung his head down near Kotoha's neck, "I appreciate you wanting to wait for me, but I don't want you to starve", he continued.

"But-"

"Remember what I said?  As long as you two are here with me, I'll never let you both go hungry and besides, I have a lot of work to complete.  Being with you made me miss some work, haha", chuckled Douma. 

"Oh, I-I apologize", Kotoha whispered.  

"No, no, you don't need to.  I enjoy spending time with you, if I could, I'd cling on to you throughout the month", Douma said, causing Kotoha to blush deep red.  

"O-Okay, ple-please go", Kotoha stuttered as she gently pushed Douma out the kitchen entrance, making Douma confused on what he did.

"Kotoha-"

"Goodbye, Douma-sama!", Kotoha yelled as she pushed Douma out the door and slid it closed.  She placed a hand above her chest, feeling it increase and pound loudly in her ears.  'Why does he have to be so charming....', Kotoha wondered, her face red from embarrassment.  As Kotoha kept her gaze at the wooden floor, she noticed three shadows approaching her.  When she lifted her head, the same three woman stood in front of her, smiling.  

"Hello, you're Kotoha right?", asked the woman in a black kimono decorated with purple flowers.

"Oh, yes!  It's nice to meet you three", Kotoha smiled.  

"Yes, it's a pleasure...", the woman in a purple kimono embroidered with blue irises replied.  Unknown to Kotoha that behind their facade was something  boiling with jealousness.  

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"Hm?", wondered Douma.

"Is something the matter, my lord?", one of his (male) demon servants asked, his mouth dripping in blood.  

"No, I just felt a bit uneasy for a second...", Douma responded.  Both of them in a dark room with no light inside as the smell of blood filled the room, with two women bodies laying on the floor.  The tense chill air sliced thinly around Douma's neck as if he couldn't breathe, feeling a deep urge in his stomach.

"Maybe it was the woman's make-up", the demon servant suggested.

"She did look pale as snow", Douma replied.

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"So, Kotoha..."

"You're awfully close to Douma-dono"

{Note:  This is actually chapter 18 since "Gratitude 1 and 2" plus "Glow up Kamoboko Squad" don't count as chapters, but Wattpad says it's chapter 21 and I don't want to go back and rewrite the headings.  ;-;}