Later that afternoon,

It was raining when she returned to the palace. It came down softly, each drop splattered against the marble and concrete. Miwa's mind was fuzzier than pulled apart cottonballs. When she teleported to the marker set upon the balcony, it took her several seconds to realize that it was even raining.

"Where'd you g—ooo, is that something yummy I smell?" asked Neferpitō.

Miwa had stopped by a bakery in Soleil before she returned. The blonde pigtailed girl slowly turned to face the cat-ant. She tried out a smile. "Butter buns and milk coconut buns."

Neferpitō held out their hands expectantly and Miwa gave them the whole box. "Mmm. Smells divine." They leaned in, tilting their head. "Miwa?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"How come your eyes are all puffy?" they asked.

"Oh—um—someone I cared about got hurt and I was upset," she admitted. "Like—like if your king got hurt."

Neferpitōs's eyes widened briefly. There was a heartbeat of silence between the two. Only the sound of gentle rain could be heard.

They reached forward and gently cupped Miwa's cheek. Softly, they said, "I'm sorry they got hurt."

Miwa closed her eyes and leaned into their touch. "Thank you."

(≧ڡ≦*)

Neferpitō had given Miwa a towel to pat herself dry. It wasn't raining too heavily yet, so Miwa wasn't soaked enough to need to change her clothes. Miwa hugged Neferpitō as thanks, the cat-ant accepting the affection with a small smile.

As Neferpitō was on guard duty, Miwa decided to check in on the king and Shaiapouf.

"9-9-1, marshal," intoned the king.

Miwa sat next to Shaiapouf, turning so she could rest her chin on his knee. Shaiapouf lifted his hands holding his book up a bit more, then rested them atop Miwa's head while he read.

"1-5-1, marshal," said the young woman.

"7-9-1, pawn."

"2-3-1, pawn."

"8-1-1, spy."

"2-3-1, cannon."

"9-1-1, fortress."

"2-7-2, musketeer," she said.

The king smiled. "I'll call this remote concealment. 7-1-2, fortress."

There was a moment of hesitation on her end until she said, "1-6-2, general.

"9-1-3, archer."

"3-2-2, major general," she said.

"I'm done," said the king.

She bowed. "Let us begin, then. 1-9-3, new archer."

"9-7-1, new spy."

"2-9-1, knight."

"5-5-1, lieutenant-general."

For the first time since Miwa had seen the young woman play with the king, the woman paused for more than a few seconds. In fact, she paused for nearly a minute.

'Wow, is the king finally going to win?' Miwa thought in surprise.

"9-2-1, new lieutenant general," the young woman said, placing a new piece on the board.

The king stiffened, then threw his pieces upon the board. "That's checkmate."

The young woman closed her blind eyes.

"You knew my strategy was a dead end," the king accused.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Why did you need to think before making your move?" he demanded. "You could have made that move at once."

"Your remote concealment strategy is actually named kokoriko." She shyly smiled. "I came up with that strategy ten years ago. Placing the lieutenant general in the center to counter a three-pronged attack is also a move I devised, called general in the middle. At the time, both drew a lot of attention. Moving from kokoriko to general in the middle was a popular transition that tested both players' ability to read their opponents."

She sheepishly scratched the back of her head before continuing, "I was pretty happy that a fool like me could figure out a smart strategy... but then I saw how to defeat it. A year after I came up with kokoriko, an opponent used it against me in a national tournament, and I figured out how to counter it. I won the match, but the strategy disappeared from official matches and textbooks. That the Supreme Leader thought of the same strategy as I had..." She fidgeted, abashed. "I was so honored and touched... my heart trembled. It felt like seeing my child brought back to life. That was how it felt. So it was difficult for me to take that life again. That was why I hesitated."

"Foolishness," said the king, standing up and walking away. "I've had enough. Get some rest."

The young woman lowered her head, her brow furrowed as if disappointed.

"Once we begin again," said the king, "you won't get any more breaks. Be prepared."

"Y-Yes!"

'Ah, this is my chance,' thought Miwa, getting up. Miwa used that opportunity to approach the young woman. She had been meaning to introduce herself to the woman for some time, but it was hard to time it right since she played with the king so often.

"Hello," said Miwa, moving to kneel in front of her.

"Ah—hello?" the young woman said in surprise.

Miwa carefully took the young woman's hands in her own, grasping them tightly. "It's very nice to meet you. Please call me Miwa."

"Ah," she said. "Your hands—" The young woman smiled. "They're very cute."

Miwa's heart thumped.

"You're cute," Miwa whispered, her cheeks warmed as she stared at the young woman.

"M-M-Me?!" she squawked. "N-N-No! S-Surely not...! U-Um...!"

Miwa smiled at her, squeezing her hands. "What can I call you?"

"I—I—I'm Komugi," she stammered, her cheeks bright red.

"Komugi," Miwa repeated. "Let's be friends, okay?"

Komugi's face only grew redder by the second as she stumbled, "A-Ah—u-umm—yes—-th-thank you!"

"Miwa," Shaiapouf intoned. "Go get food."

"Stinker," she muttered, pulling away from Komugi. "Komugi, is there anything you want?"

"I—I wouldn't dare to ask of such a thing—"

"Do you like sweets?" Miwa pressed.

"Anything is fine, really...!"

'I'll just get food that's good for people who are sick,' thought Miwa, standing up. "Okay." Miwa skipped over to Shaiapouf. "Pouf, do you want anything specific?"

"Crêpes," he said flatly.

Miwa saluted, turning on her heel to leave to see what the other guards would want.

"Miwa," Shaiapouf said after she turned around.

Miwa turned back. "Yes?"

"... Your eyes."

"Yes?"

He was silent for several seconds, hazel eyes narrowed. "You should tend to them. They're unsightly like that. Make sure it doesn't happen again."

Miwa smiled weakly in response.

(≧ڡ≦*)

After Miwa collected and dropped off the food, she found she had a rare opportunity to speak to the king alone.

The Chimera Ant king sat upon his throne, barely acknowledging when Miwa brought him the cream puffs.

"Hey, um, your majesty?" asked Miwa.

She had refrained from bringing up any heavy conversations directly with the king. Miwa had learned from experience, asking pondering questions could lead to arguments. Loud, long, and draining arguments. Especially if Shaiapouf was in the vicinity. The butterfly-ant had a sixth sense for whenever Miwa was going to ask a question and seemed to always be in the area.

She had wanted to ask right away, but didn't want to needlessly start an argument and sour her beginning introductions. She felt like she had to wait for the right moment, and at that moment her gut said it was time.

The ant glanced in her direction.

"Why do you want to rule?" she asked him.

He twitched.

"Why...?" he repeated slowly, eyes narrowing. "It... is my duty."

"Why?" she asked. "Does it make you happy?"

"Happy?" the king was normally monotone, yet he had a note of perplexion when repeating that.

"Happy," she said. "You know... like when you play games? You seem happy when you're playing with that sweet girl."

He shifted his weight, eyes moving away from Miwa as he stared out the window. "Happy, huh..."

Miwa tilted her head, a thought occurring to her. "Um, it's okay if you don't know."

"Why?" he asked in turn. "Shouldn't I?"

"No one is born knowing everything," she said. "Life is about figuring out what you want. It's a journey. You can be whatever you want to be, and sometimes you can be things you never thought you'd be." Miwa smiled. "I never thought I'd be an empress, but in my city—"

"Your c—you're a ruler?"

"Yeah—"

The normally stoic king had a moment of emotional lapse as a faint look of disdain flickered across his face. "... I pity your people."

Heh.

Miwa gasped. "That is so not nice to say."

The king stared at her, his tail raised as if he was debating on attacking her not.

'Ah,' Miwa thought, turning on their heel and leaving before he came to a decision.

Why are you running?

'You know why. I'm trying to make friends, and if he attacks me I don't know if I'll be nice enough to let it slide.'

Unsurprisingly, the Shaiapouf was on his way back to the throne room and ran into her.

"Pouf," Miwa cried, running out of the throne room. "I told the king I was also a ruler, and he said he pitied my people too."

A very brief giggle escaped Shaiapouf before the guard quickly covered it up with a cough. "Ehem, well... he has excellent insight."

Miwa hung her head, resting her forehead against Shaiapouf's abdomen. The butterfly-ant sighed. "What do you want?"

"You're supposed to give head pats when someone hangs their head in pain and go there, there!"

"There, there," he said flatly, patting the top of her head.

"Thank you."

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa played a riveting game of bullshit with Neferpitō and Menthuthuyoupī that lasted well over five hours. Neferpitō claimed victory, even when Menthuthuyoupī and Miwa teamed up to try and take down the cat-ant.

Tragically, Menthuthuyoupī and Miwa were simply awful at poker faces and prone to falling for Neferpitō's tricks. Some might even call them gullible. They wouldn't. But some would.

The rain continued to pour as the afternoon waned into the evening. Miwa decided to see if the king was playing with Komugi again.

Amazingly, he was.

Miwa took her seat beside Shaiapouf, pleasantly surprised that there was now a cushion beside the stool.

'Who placed this here?' Miwa wondered, glancing at Shaiapouf who did not acknowledge her existence as she sat beside him.

The king and Komugi set up for another game.

The king said, "For this match... we should make a wager."

Komugi raised her head in surprise. "A wager?"

"Correct," the king softly said. "If you win, I shall grant any wish you request."

"Any wish?" Komugi folded her arms together, her brow furrowed. "Uwahhh... Any wish... nnn..."

"However," the king said, smiling in dark mirth upon seeing Komugi squirm, "if you lose, I shall take your left arm."

"My left arm... mmm... my left arm... mmm?! Ahhh! Should I do it?!" Komugi scratched at her head, perplexed by the king's wager.

"Why do you hesitate?" the king asked.

"Well, instead of my left arm," Komugi began, pointing at herself, "is it all right if I bet the thing I usually bet?"

The king leaned back in surprise. "What? What do you bet?"

Komugi smiled serenely. "My life."

The king's eyes widened.

Komugi went on, "If I lose, I will offer you my life." She rubbed at her head again, a touch sheepish. "But you might consider that an insult."

The king stared at her in disbelief. "I do not understand. Explain yourself."

"Um. Well, Gungi is really the only thing I can do. In other words, Gungi is the reason I'm alive. But professional Gungi players, even national champions, make but a pittance. Only after you become the world champion as representative for a nation will you receive any meaningful reward. To become the national representative, you must win tournaments. In other words, you cannot lose a single match.

"I come from a family of twelve, and in our home, I'm the breadwinner. If I lose a single match, I will become the greatest burden on my family. Gungi players have a saying that, after losing once, a Gungi master becomes a normal person. If I lose, I'll be garbage."

She quickly added, "Ah, it doesn't bother me. It's just what my parents always said. So the day I set my sights on becoming a professional player, I decided that if I ever lost a match I would take my own life." She paused. "But that could be a problem..."

"How so?"

"When I lose, I'll become garbage. And all you'd receive for winning would be garbage. That would be a terrible insult."

'That hurts my heart for some reason,' Miwa thought, leaning into Shaiapouf's leg. Despite Komugi's dismal words, her voice remained serenely sweet. Komugi genuinely believed in what she said with all of her heart.

Her life only mattered on how well she played. She only had value as a Gungi player. The day she lost, she was trash, and her life was forfeit.

The king said, "It doesn't bother me. I'm more interested in learning what you'd want if you win."

Her brow furrowed again, and she folded her arms back over her chest. "Hmm. You see I've spent all my time thinking about Gungi, so... mmmmm. I'll think about it later, after I win."

"Very well," the king replied softly, his eyes never straying from her face. His lips curled in a cold smile before he chuckled darkly. "Your life, was it? It appears I was the one lacking in resolve. I never imagined that, if you won, you might ask for my life."

"Your majesty!" Shaiapouf sharply interjected.

'WHOA! Did she really ask for that? How did I miss that?'

Er, not directly. The fact that the baby says that, however, implies he respects her enough to consider it an option.

The king snapped, "Silence."

"The Supreme Leader's l-li—" Komugi frantically waved her hands. "I w-would never ask such a thing. The thought never crossed my mind!"

"I know that," said the king. "The fault is my own. The wager is off. It was a petty tactic."

"No—" she said at the same time the ant king ripped off his left arm.

Miwa gasped. Kurama laughed. Shaiapouf let out an undignified scream/gasp. The ant king dropped his arm on the floor, blue blood gushed out of it, splattering Komugi.

The king said, "Accept this apology."

"Uh—uh—?" Komugi reached up to touch her fast, undoubtedly feeling the warm blood on her but not understanding what happened.

"Y-Your majesty!" Shaiapouf rushed to his side. "How could you do this?" The butterfly-ant ripped off his sleeve. "I must treat your arm."

"Yandere," whispered Miwa in awe. She had heard tales of the archetype from Shalnark since he was trying to convince her to try something called an otome game, but Miwa never expected to meet one in reality.

As Shaiapouf wrapped his sleeve around the king's now stumped arm, the king said, "Continue the match."

"A-Arm?" Komugi squeaked.

"He ripped off his arm," Miwa told her.

Komugi gasped.

"Continue the match," repeated the king.

"I refuse," she said. "I refuse to move before you have your injury treated."

The king raised his tail, the tip of it pointed at her throat. He said flatly, "Don't make me repeat myself. Make your move."

"I refuse," she said sharply. "If you wish to kill me, use Gungi!"

"Why you—" The king glowered darkly at her. Tears pooled at her eyes and she trembled. She did not dare refuse or back down. "Tt. Summon Pitō."

"At once," agreed Shaiapouf, who quickly left the room.

Miwa moved to sit beside Komugi, pulling out her handkerchief. Gently, she cupped the young woman's face, and started to wipe the blood off her. Komugi flinched in surprise, but recognized the touch of Miwa's hands. "Th-Thank you, Miwa."

"Mn!" Miwa wiped away Komugi's snot as well, glancing over at the king who glared at them.

'Think we'll ever live in a world where violence and gore isn't normal?' Miwa wondered.

I hope not. That sounds painfully boring.

(≧ڡ≦*)

1 day until the deadline

Miwa was doing a handstand with Neferpitō perched on her feet.

They were competing to see who could hold the position the longest. It wasn't a test of strength—both were plenty strong—rather who could deal with the headache of the blood rushing to the head for so long. Neferpitō set the record at one hour, and now it was up to Miwa to break it.

'I'm getting dizzy.'

You fucking lose to a sage-damned ant and I will never let you sleep again.

"Pitō," the king sharply called.

"Oh thank God," breathed Miwa as Neferpitō hopped off Miwa's feet. Miwa wobbled on her handstand before toppling to the tiled balcony.

Neferpitō kneeled before the king. "Yes, what do you need?"

The king glanced away. "Pouf."

Shaiapouf stepped out from a pillar. "Yes."

"Youpī."

Menthuthuyoupī walked out onto the balcony. "Yes."

Shaiapouf and Menthuthuyoupī moved to kneel on either side of Neferpitō.

Shaiapouf asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Pouf..."

"Yes?"

"Right, you're Pouf," said the king, folding his arms across his chest. "Then what is my name?"

Shaiapouf said, "I must speak with the utmost respect, your majesty. You are the king. You have no other name. You are the one and only king. At the moment, there are imposters using that name without permission, but we will eliminate them all. The entire world will know there is only one king."

"That assumes the others can be eliminated," said the king. "King is a title. A title can be bestowed, and it is not a name. What of you, Youpī?"

Menthuthuyoupī said, "Your question is far beyond my capacity. I cannot think of a way to provide an answer."

"Pitō?"

"Mmm. Nyow I believe that your feelings are what matter most," said Neferpitō. "You should select the name that you find the most pleasing."

A pause.

The king glanced at MIwa. "Miwa."

"I'd say the same thing as Pitō," said MIwa. "I chose this name for myself."

"I see."

"Respectfully, you can choose a name after the selection. Right now, our priority is to finish all the preparations before tomorrow," said Shaiapouf.

The king was silent, looking away.

"Your majesty?" Shaiapouf probed. "Is something wrong? If you have any concerns, we shall address them. That is why we are here."

"Komugi's entire body was glowing," said the king.

Shaiapouf hesitated, "Komugi—?"

"The girl with the closed eyes. She experienced an awakening. Komugi will one become much stronger, although only at Gungi. Pitō."

"Yes?"

"If Komugi were put through the selection that will occur tomorrow, what would happen?"

Neferpitō answered, "She would die. The selection chooses humans with physical and mental strength to serve as soldiers. The survivors will be those who demonstrate excellent combat abilities."

"After meeting Komugi, I've learned that strength can manifest in different ways. For example, during our trip here I killed a child. Perhaps that child had the potential to surpass me in a certain field. Yet I extinguished that potential. I extinguished it for no real reason. I am—"

A surge of nen burst from the king, his aura flaring to life.

"—king!" He laughed without joy. He laughed without happiness. It rang hollow and empty, a false bravado set up only for himself. "I took a life for no reason at all. What tremendous strength I must possess. I appear with no warning to rob countless beings of their inferior strength. To crush... to destroy... that is my power. Brute force is the strongest power in this world."

Miwa's eyes narrowed.

What a hollow statement.

'What a hollow king.'

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa walked behind the king as he slowly moved across the palace to Komugi's room.

'What are you going to do?'

An empty laugh. A bravado of force and power.

'What are you going to do?'

He moved slowly, ignoring Miwa's footsteps behind him.

Komugi was someone the king had shown kindness to.

If the king hurt Komugi...

'If he hurts her... I don't think they'll be a way to resolve this peacefully before the deadline.'

Are you prepared?

Miwa smelled the blood before they reached the room. Faint, but present enough to warrant concern. Komugi was already hurt—but how?

The king opened her bedroom door—

Miwa only had a split second to see that a large bird had broken into Komugi's room and was clawing at her. And then suddenly the king's tail snapped out and the bird was nothing but a splatter of blood and feathers.

Komugi shivered, covered in scratches that slowly oozed blood. "Th-Thank you very much—"

"Why didn't you call for help?!" the king demanded, trembling as he reached her side. He hovered anxiously, the picture perfect image of a worried friend.

'I don't think I need to be prepared,' Miwa thought as she smiled.

He could be faking.

'You think he is?'

Miwa stepped in, pulling out her medical scroll. "Oh dear."

"Here," he said, staring at her scratched up cheek, "and here—" He took her hand. "You're covered in blood!"

He glared sharply at Miwa who sat beside Komugi and pulled out the first aid kit.

Miwa gently wiped away the tears and blood on Komugi's face, the king anxiously(?) watching over.

"Don't worry," said Miwa, offering the king a warm smile. "All scratches—she'll be good to go in no time."

"If you're wrong, I'll kill you."

"So scary."

His tail twitched. Miwa could tell he was itching for an excuse to hit her.

Komugi sniffled. "Thank you, Miwa..."

"Mm. This is what friends do," Miwa dismissed. "I flipped out when Killua was hurt earlier, so I understand how the king feels."

"Do you now?" he coldly asked.

"Sure," she said, clutching at her chest. "It feels tight right here, doesn't it? And like you just ate a rock."

The king stilled at her description.

"Kinda shaky... maybe even a little scared," she said, gently tending to Komugi. "No one wants to see a friend get hurt. Or, er, sorry Komugi."

"No, no, no, no you don't need to apologize to me—ow—"

"OW?!" the king snarled at Miwa.

"It's just disinfectant," she defended herself. "Everyone goes ow when they get disinfected unless they're unconscious."

"Sh-She's right, Supreme Leader," stammered Komugi. "S-Sorry."

The king glowered. He growled at Komugi, "Why didn't you call for help?"

"B-Because it's early. I didn't want to be a bother."

"You're not a bother," he snapped. "You—You're an important guest."

For some reason his words made Komugi start to cry. Not little tears, rather, big heaping sobs.

The king was utterly petrified. He was a deer in headlights as he stared at her. "Wh-Why are you crying?!"

"I'm sorry! But—but—" she hiccuped. "No one's ever been this nice to me!"

Miwa whined at that, and unable to resist, she pulled her into a hug. "Shhh. There, there. There, there."

Komugi wailed in Miwa's arms, hiccuping and sobbing as Miwa patted her.

"Pat her back," Miwa told the king.

The king startled. "What?"

"This is what you do for friends," she told him, reaching forward and taking his hand. She placed it on Komugi's back. "There."

The king hesitated, then stiffly patted Komugi's back.

Miwa beamed.

'I think I have an honest chance.'

I think this king's a fucking idiot.

'Shhhh. This is a sweet moment.'

Feh.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Later that day

The king left after Komugi cried herself to exhaustion. Miwa tucked Komugi, and when she went to check up on the king she found him alone in his throne room.

"Pretty boring, huh," commented Miwa.

The king did not react. It was plainly obvious he was in a foul mood, and the fact that he did not try to kill her or shoo her away meant he was listening.

'Uwa~ he reminds me so much of you~'

Shut up.

'If you could have smacked me, you would have. I vividly remember you spitefully pumping my body full of your chakra so I couldn't sleep for a week just because—'

YA WANT ME TO DO THAT AGAIN!?

Miwa hid her smile.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa wandered around the palace, a smile on her face. The king was in a pensieve mood, which was excellent news for her.

He was upset because of Komugi—because of a human!

Miwa couldn't say she successfully befriended the king, but that didn't matter. He clearly liked Komugi—a human—and that gave Miwa hope. Between Komugi being buddies with the king, and Miwa being friends with the guards, maybe they really could persuade the ants to not be pro-human genocide!

And if that happened, then, then, then—!

Miwa couldn't stop smiling as she pranced about the palace. She had no real destination in mind. Neferpitō was reading a book and Miwa didn't want to pester them.

'Maybe I can pester someone else?'

As if the universe was reading her thoughts, Miwa spotted Shaiapouf. The butterfly-ant gloomily stared up at the sky, leaning on the balcony. His wings and antennae drooped his expression that of plain hurt.

Miwa quietly approached him. He sensed her presence, but he did not turn around to face her.

"The king..." Shaiapouf trailed off. "He's in a foul mood because of her, isn't he?"

"Yeah," answered Miwa.

Shaiapouf's face twinged. "... I do not understand. Why... why does he care so much for... for a human?"

"Pouf?" asked Miwa. "If the king cared about you, would you be happy?"

"Of course—"

"So he's okay to care about someone other than himself?" she sought.

Shaiapouf's expression soured. "I understand what you're getting at, but you do not understand the main issue. He is our king. He is above humans. To care for one... to care for one..." Shaiapouf shuddered. "It is not right. It is not right. It is not right."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because—" Shaiapouf cut himself off, shaking his head as tears streamed down his face. "He is our king!"

"I don't understand," Miwa said gently. Upon seeing him cry, the clone reached out a hand to wipe away his tears. "Why are you so against your king?"

"I am not against him," snarled Shaiapouf, jerking away from her. "Everything I do is for him."

"Is it really?" she asked. "Then shouldn't you be happy he's making a friend—regardless of who or what it is?"

"No! I mean—yes? I mean—" Shaiapouf's cheeks turned red in frustrated anger. "She's a human!"

"So am I," Miwa pointed out. "Can we not be friends anymore?"

"We are not friends! We have never been friends."

Miwa scratched her cheek. "I think we're friends."

Shaiapouf spluttered. "That's absurd."

"Really?" she pressed. "Is it really?"

Shaiapouf flinched, tears building up in his eyes. He did not answer right away, and when he did his voice was weaker, "It... it has to be. We can't... R-Regardless of us, the king should not—"

"The king," repeated Miwa. "The way you say that... it sounds like you love the idea of your king, rather than your actual king."

Shaiapouf turned away from her, hiding his expression as a shudder ran through him. Miwa could hear the plip-plops of tears hitting the pavement as he unashamedly cried. He whispered, his voice hoarse, "You're wrong. I love our king... I love..."

He quivered, then quite suddenly he spread his wings and flew away.

'You poor child,' she thought, leaping after him. He flew to the opposite end of the palace.

Even if he wanted to leave, his loyalty to his king would not allow him to wander far without permission. He descended, landing on one of the balconies and falling to his knees as he sobbed.

Miwa landed beside him, resting on her knees in front of him. She reached out a hand, carefully and tenderly wiping away at his tears. Shaiapouf hiccuped as she moved to pat his head.

"There, there," she whispered. "It'll be okay."

"How can you possibly know that?" he asked.

"Because we're friends," she said. "Friends help each other."

Pouf quivered.

"Pouf... have you ever thought about what you want outside the king?" she asked.

"How could I—! To even dare to have such thoughts—!"

"I don't think it's a bad thing," she said. "What if the king no longer wants to be a king? What if he... just wants to be himself?"

Fresh tears cascaded from his eyes. "No. Don't say that. He can't—without him—without him—" Shaiapouf shuddered, hugging himself as he bowed forward. "What's the point of my existence? What's the point of this? We were born to serve the king, the king!"

"You were born to do whatever you want," Miwa disagreed. "You have an identity outside of being a Royal Guard."

"I do not!" he snapped, trembling. "I... I do not..."

Miwa continued to pat his head with one hand, and wipe away his tears with another. "You do. You just need to take the time to look."

"How could I?" he whispered. "Alone? All by myself?"

Miwa smiled at him. "Doesn't have to be alone."

Shaiapouf bowed his head, holding himself tightly as his cries turned into heaping sobs. He fell forward into Miwa's arms, unable to handle the weight of his thoughts by himself anymore.

"There, there," she said, gently patting his head. "I'm here, my friend. I'll be here for as long as you need or want me."

(≧ڡ≦*)

Bonus:

Much later:

I fucking hate your therapy-no-jutsu, Kurama complained.

'Why?'

What do you mean why? Do you not see anything wrong with the current situation?

Miwa shook her head. Shaiapouf had been using her lap as a pillow for the past several hours, sniffling and crying intermittently. Miwa had continued to soothe the distressed butterfly-ant as best she could.

Seriously? You don't see anything wrong with this?

'Everyone should cry when they need to.'

He's going to become clingy.

'Huh?'

Fucking yanderes.

'Oh Kurama! Pouf isn't a yandere.'

Wanna bet?

'Sure!'

Heh-heh-heh...

(≧ڡ≦*)

Meruem x Komugi all the way bby~

One more chapter for this arc. We'll be doing a rewind & POV switch next chapter to tell more of what's going on with the Hunter side of the story before the Big Thing.

Answer: Haikyuu bby manager position here I come. Let me watch the bromance blossom and respectfully simp.

Question: Favorite love story? For my buddies that don't read romance, favorite friendship?

Reviews are love!