Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Um…S-Shadow-sama, may I ask why you are all the way here?” 

No. 666, AKA Rose Oriana, new Queen of the Oriana Kingdom, asked the tall figure cloaked in jet-black slime before her as she bowed low. 

I’m honestly still surprised. Who would’ve thought that Rose-senpai became a member of Shadow Garden in addition to being the Queen? Hmmm…I can’t wait to see her reaction when I reveal my identity to her. 

Despite not raising her head, Rose could literally feel Shadow’s gaze piercing right through her soul. (Cid’s gaze really was that intense. Not that he was aware of it.) Yet, despite all that, she somehow felt…safe. There was undoubtedly no small amount of awe and wonder, but also a deep sense of security. 

“Raise your head.” 

Rose slowly lifted her head to stare nervously at Shadow, his face hidden beneath his mask and hood. 

“How are you?”

“...Huh?” 

“Have you been adjusting well to Shadow Garden?” 

“Y-y-yes!” Rose stuttered, still feeling shocked and more than a little touched that Lord Shadow would be concerned over someone as new as her. 

“I’ve been adjusting well. Alpha-sama and everyone else have been very kind to me.” 

“Hmm. That’s good.” 

Rose waited for Lord Shadow to continue speaking, but he just stood there, his crimson gaze staring right through her. His gaze made Rose squirm. 

“Is there anything you want to ask me?”

“Huh?! N-no…” Rose bowed her head. There was something she wanted to ask him, but…how could she ask him such a stupid question?

“Are you sure? Whether a question is truly wise or foolish is unknown until it is asked.” 

Rose widened her eyes. So this was the fabled ‘Shadow Wisdom’. 

“Yes, Lord Shadow! W-well, if you’ll excuse me…” 

She took a deep breath, and stared into Shadow’s eyes. Her eyes felt like they might be incinerated under his burning gaze, but she pressed on.

“Lord Shadow…are you, by any chance…Cid Kageno?” 

The silence that followed seemed to last for an eternity, and as Rose’s heart sank to the bottom of the ocean, she prepared to apologize hastily, but-

“Long time no see, Senpai.” 

Shadow had pulled back his hood and taken off his mask, revealing a very familiar plain-looking boy with jet-black hair smiling at her. 

Rose could only stare at him, utterly transfixed. “C-Cid…”

Yes, I did it! Rose-senpai has finally realized I’m Shadow! Will she be like, “H-h-how is this possible?! You were so weak!” or “I can’t believe you were Shadow when you were such a mob!” I can’t wait to see-

Rose had rammed into him and flung her arms around him. 

“Cid…it really is you…you really were looking out for me all along…”

Huh? 

“All this time you were fighting evil without asking for anything in return…you’re truly such a great person…”

Rose continued sobbing into him, while Shadow stood there, frozen.

Well…this was not what I was expecting. But if Rose-senpai seems happy, I guess there’s no problem. Also…this doesn’t feel bad at all…

Slowly, Cid wrapped his arms around Rose, patting her back soothingly.

"Hey, leader. Whaddaya think they're talking about?" No. 665 asked. 

"Whatever it is, it must be something important." No. 664 stated. 

"Ah...Shadow-sama looks so magnificent and invincible! He's even more handsome than I imagined him to be!" 

"Shut up, you idiot! Shadow-sama isn't meant to be looked at so casually!" 

"EH?! But I was just-"

"Wait! What's Shadow-sama doing?! It can't be-"

"It can't be- he's taking off his hood! And his mask! I can't believe this!"

"H-h-he's actually showing No. 666 his true face! What's happening?!" 

When Rose flung her arms around him, it took all their willpower not to jump out screaming at her. When Lord Shadow actually returned the hug, that was too much for poor No. 664 and 665. They fainted. 

Chapter Text

The main office of the President of the Mitsugoshi Company was usually occupied by four people on any day. Alpha was at her desk managing paperwork, Beta was at the wooden table helping her lessen the load of paperwork or writing “The War Chronicles of Lord Shadow - Complete Edition”. Gamma and Nu were likewise at the table, discussing and brainstorming ways to expand Mitsugoshi’s range of products. 

“Phew…I’m glad that Delta decided to go out hunting today.” Gamma said, sifting through papers with Nu sitting next to her. 

“Me too. If not, we’d have to replace the carpet.” Beta said, pushing her glasses up. 

“And the windows.” Nu added. Gamma sighed and rubbed her temples. “Don’t remind me…”

“Everyone, it’s almost lunch. Let’s finish this last stack.” Alpha announced softly. 

“Yes, Lady Alpha!” Everyone in the room repeated.

No sooner had Alpha finished speaking than they all heard a tapping on the window behind Alpha’s chair. 

“LORD SHADOW?!?!”

One Cid Kageno was literally floating in mid-air whilst knocking on the window, carrying a bag of MagRonald’s in his arm. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, he then walked through the window, phasing right through it as though he were a ghost. It took all of Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Nu’s willpower not to faint in shock there and then. 

“Hey, everyone!” 

“Lord Shadow…! H-how did you…?!”

“Hmm? Oh, the phasing? I just refined my magic to help me phase through solid objects. Pretty neat, huh?” 

“As expected of Lord Shadow!” Beta exclaimed, pumping her fists excitedly.

"Anyways, I bought lunch for y'all today. I hope y'all like MagRonald's..." Cid trailed off, because he noticed that the four of them were frozen in shock. 

"Lord Shadow...you bought lunch just for us?" Alpha stared at Cid, her eyes shining. 

"Um...yes?" 

Damn it! Are they able to see that I'm trying to apologize for the fast one I pulled on them as John Smith? I thought that their anger would disappear after I brought lunch for them, but...EH?!

Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Nu were all sobbing quietly and wiping tears surreptitiously from their eyes. 

"Lord Shadow...you're so kind to us...beyond what we deserve..." Beta was lifting her glasses as she wiped her tears with her handkerchief. 

"Master, we truly are unworthy of you-WAAAHHH!" Gamma tripped as she was weeping and walking towards Cid at the same time, falling face first into the floor. Even so, she somehow still managed to continue weeping into the carpet. 

Usually, Nu would be the one helping Gamma to her feet, but she was too busy weeping too. "Lord Shadow, words can't describe how happy we are that you bought lunch for us..."

"Lord Shadow...Thank you...thank you..." Alpha was openly sobbing as she buried her face in her hands, all her composure forgotten. 

Hey, hey, hey...what's this? It's like they're starving children. Don't tell me...they've been neglecting their meals?

"Y-you're welcome, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Nu. Now, let's eat before the food gets cold."

"Y-yes, Lord Shadow!" 

"I'm off."

"Thank you again for the meal, Lord Shadow." Gamma said, as she and Nu bowed deeply. 

"Please come again soon, Lord Shadow." Alpha said, trying her utmost to stay calm as she uttered those words. 

"Sure. But before I go-" Cid turned to face all of them. 

"Just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you girls. I'm honestly impressed by how you took the wisdom I shared with you and used it to start such a successful and thriving company. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and you too, Nu...y'all are awesome." 

And with that, Cid was gone like the wind. 

Leaving four women to once again drench the room in tears of sheer joy and bliss. 

Chapter Text

"...so, in summary, Beta as Natsume-sensei and Epsilon as Silon-sensei will be competing to see who can make the best chocolates, and they will be assessed by the three judges: myself, Princess Rose and Lord Shadow himself as Cid Kageno. That concludes my report." 

Usually, whenever Gamma finished her reports, Alpha would smile and say, "Thank you, Gamma. You may go." and Gamma would carry on with her usual business. That was why, when Alpha remained ominously silent in her seat, that a deep sense of foreboding began to well inside Gamma. 

"Um...Lady Alpha? Is there something wrong with the report?" 

"Gamma." 

"Y-yes?" Gamma gulped nervously when she saw Alpha smiling at her, her eyes closed. Having known her since they were little girls, Gamma knew that kind of smile. It was the kind of fake smile that she wore whenever she was hiding intense anger. In that moment, Gamma felt like Delta whenever Alpha had caught her doing something wrong. 

"You are saying that Beta and Epsilon are making chocolates?" 

"Y-yes..." Gamma trailed off, not sure where this was leading. 

"For the judges? One of whom is Lord Shadow himself?" 

"Yes." 

"On Valentine's Day?" 

"Yes, but what's the prob..." Gamma trailed off, her eyes widening when she realized the implications of what she had just said. 

She locked eyes with Alpha, whose eyes were now open, and her smile completely vanished. Now, she wore the look that would send Delta cowering and begging for mercy. Usually, such a look would be terrifying for anyone who laid eyes on her, but even now, Gamma was too overcome by shock and more than a little bit of jealousy at Beta & Epsilon's shenanigans to be terrified. She also subconsciously knew that Lady Alpha was feeling the same way as her. 

"My sincere apologies, Lady Alpha! I was a fool for not realizing!"

"Never mind, Gamma. Do you know where they are now?" 

"If I'm not wrong, they should be in the kitchen preparing chocolate..." 

Gamma had never seen Alpha push her chair back and run out into the living room space so fast before. 

"Let's go, Gamma! There's not a moment to lose!" 

"Yes, Lady Alpha-ACK!" 

In her haste to turn around and run to the kitchen, Gamma had once again, unsurprisingly, fallen flat on her face. Usually, being the caring leader that she was, Alpha would help her to her feet. However, for today, all that was thrown out of the window as Alpha practically sprinted out of the room to the kitchen. 

"Lady Alpha! Wait for me!!!" 

Chapter Text

"So this is where you were, Zeta." 

Zeta's eyes widened, as she turned to see Lord Shadow behind her. Immediately, she and No. 559 dropped their knee into a respectful bow. 

"Lord Shadow?! M-may we know the reason you have come?" 

"Rise." 

Zeta and Victoria rose to their feet, their backs straight as they awaited orders. 

"Zeta...you really plan to revive the demon Diablos?"

Both Zeta and Victoria audibly gasped. 

"L-l-lord Shadow...I..." Zeta cast her gaze down, before whispering, "...yes." 

Victoria cast a nervous glance at her, before casting her gaze down as well. 

Silence followed for what seemed like an eternity, and Zeta and Victoria grew increasingly nervous the longer Shadow said nothing, merely staring at them with his piercing, burning red gaze. 

"So this is what you meant by securing eternal life for me?" 

"Y-yes..." 

"I see." 

Zeta closed her eyes as she heard her lord walking towards her. She squeezed them shut, waiting for the reprimanding or the deadly strike that her lord would punish her with. 

Instead, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. 

Surprised, she looked up to see Lord Shadow staring at her with a look of...pity? 

"Zeta...why do you even want to do this? Is the Cult not your enemy?" 

"It is!!!" Zeta screamed out. Even as she resolved to revive Diablos, her conscience never stopped hounding her about how the Cult was her hated enemy and how she was just doing what the Cult wanted by reviving Diablos. 

"I know, Lord Shadow! I know that the Cult wants to revive Diablos, and I know that I'm just giving them what they want. I want to destroy the Cult slowly, painfully, completely as well..." 

Cid watched as Zeta's big, fat drops of tears fell like rain as she screamed everything she had been bottling up for months, seemingly forgetting that he was her Lord Shadow. 

"But...even after the Cult is destroyed, the darkness of human hearts won't end...there will always be another evil cult, another wicked organization to take their place...more people will suffer like me...more people will lose their parents and loved ones like me..." 

Victoria was staring in amazement at Zeta who just continued spilling everything out, both from her eyes and from her mouth. 

"That's why...that's why..." 

Zeta gasped as she felt herself being pulled into a warm hug. It took her a while to realize that it was Lord Shadow who was embracing her. 

"Zeta...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what you went through. I'm sorry...that you had to bear this alone for so long." 

"L-Lord Shadow...wu...wu...WAHHHHH!!!" The dam broke, as Zeta bawled at the top of her voice into Cid's shoulder. 

Cid continued to hold Zeta as she sobbed uncontrollably, before his eyes landed on Victoria, who was also weeping at the touching scene. 

"Lord Shadow...m-m-may I have a hug as well? I also...I was abandoned by everyone I knew and loved..."

Cid said nothing, but the left arm he opened up was all the invitation she needed to rush into him and bawl into him as well. 

Even after their wails had subsided into little sniffles, Cid was still holding them protectively, comfortingly. 

Chapter Text

Ever since the Snow Fox Corporation became business partners with Mitsugoshi Company, Yukime had noticed a considerable improvement in her Corporations's profits. 

As business partners, Mitsugoshi and the Snow Fox Corporation also regularly exchanged information about the locations of secret Cult bases and hideouts located around the Lawless City. Another thing Yukime was immensely grateful for; she took great pleasure in raiding those locations and slaughtering the Cult members gathered there. 

Being a close working partner of Shadow Garden meant that Yukime had gotten to know the highest-ranking members of the organization on a more familiar level. She had meant and conversed with Alpha more than a handful more times, both formally and informally. She had also met Beta, Gamma and Epsilon several times - although the latter seemed unusually ardent about flaunting her large breasts towards her everytime. She heard that amongst the other Shades, Delta and Zeta were Beastkin, but it was best for her not to meet the former. After hearing about how she was violently strong and a true-blue wolf Beastkin that despised fox Beastkin, Yukime was secretly glad that she didn't meet her.  

They had all told her, with no small amount of passion and fondness, about how Lord Shadow had saved them from Demonic Possession, taken care of them, trained them in magic and combat and given them new purpose in life. It was in Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Epsilon that Yukime found kindred spirits, considering that she too had been saved by Shadow multiple times. And judging by the way their eyes all shone when she recounted how Shadow had saved her and had worked with her as John Smith, it was clear that they found common ground in how wonderful and awesome Shadow was. 

Life was good. But even with her newfound friends from Shadow Garden, Yukime still felt lonely. It had been a very long time since she had seen Shadow. From what she had heard from Alpha and Beta, Shadow was an extremely busy man. As much as she understood that, she still secretly wished that he would crash into her room and sweep her off her feet. 

Tonight, she was alone in her room, sipping wine and sighing heavily to herself. Until her nose caught a very familiar scent...

She turned, and there was her beloved Shadow, standing at the window like Romeo in Romeo and Julietta. Oh, how romantic! (She was very glad that, because of her friendship with Beta AKA the famous author Natsume, she had received a free copy of one of her favorite books.)

"Good evening, my beautiful ex-partner-in-crime."

"SHADOW!"

As Shadow stepped through the window into the room, Yukime flung herself at him, hugging him for dear life. (She also made sure to press her ample bosom into his strong, muscular chest.) 

"Y-you came..." 

As Yukime cried tears of joy, Shadow hesitated, before slowly raising his arms to hug her...

Another surprise, huh...here I was thinking that Yukime would still be mad at me...man, these girls are way too forgiving...

"So, you've been getting along well with Alpha and the others?"

"Yes. They've been very kind to me, and I've loved talking to them." About you. 

"I see." It's always nice to see girls getting along. Although, you should NEVER ask what their topics of conversation are, it's a sacred secret. 

"They've also been feeding me information about the Cult and the locations of their secret bases. Together, we've been able to crush many organizations. But, you probably already knew that."

"Mmm." Beta reported to me the other day. These girls sure work fast. 

They continued talking into the night, until Shadow stood up to leave. 

"Wait!"

He turned to look back at her. "What is it?"

"Um...could you...tell me your true identity?" 

.

.

.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." 

.

.

.

Yukime bit her lip nervously. He still doesn't trust me after all, huh?

"Cid." 

Yukime looked up in surprise. He had pulled back his hood and taken off his mask. 

"My name is Cid Kageno." 

The face that Yukime saw was a face that would've been considered utterly plain and unremarkable to anyone else who didn't know him personally. But for Yukime, for the Seven Shadows, for Nu, Lambda, Victoria, Rose Oriana, Alexia Midgar and Claire Kageno, he couldn't have looked more stunningly handsome. 

"Cid Kageno...Thank you." 

Chapter Text

The 10th seat of the Knights of Rounds, Petos, was extremely happy that he was able to rise to this most important position within the Cult. Wiping out the Golden Panther Tribe and obtaining a sample was the foothold for his promotion, he always told himself, and had absolutely NOTHING to do that the previous 10th seat had been killed by Shadow years ago.

So great was his overinflated ego, that he told himself that what had happened to the 10th seat wouldn’t happen to him. Even if he encountered Shadow, he was strong enough to hold his own against him and even defeat him. He was far stronger than the 10th seat, after all. The Beads of Diablos would ensure his victory.

Until that night where he found out that, all the above had been his delusions alone.

Blood was pooling from the countless stab wounds that Shadow had given him, but those weren’t his most serious wounds. Every bone in his legs had been shattered when Shadow brought his foot down on each one, and his right arm had been twisted by him at angles far too large to be considered natural. Now, his left arm was feebly clawing away at Shadow’s arm as he held him up into the air by his throat.

“P-p-please…s-s-spare m-my l-l-life…”

“Spare your life?”

Shadow lowered his head, and Petos’s fear was only momentarily replaced by confusion as a series of chuckles began to issue from him, before it was followed by full-out, explosive laughter. Shadow’s laughter rang for miles around, seemingly uncaring that anyone heard him, or that other Cult assassins would come running for him.

When Shadow finally stopped, he fixed his blood-red eyes on Petos, who felt fear return to him in massive waves and droves.

“You actually thought I was going to kill you? How amusing.”

Petos felt relieved. “So, you won’t-”

“No. But…I have something else in store for you…”

And Petos blacked out.

Zeta shifted uneasily on her feet, as she awkwardly tried to avoid looking at Alpha, Beta and Epsilon. Next to her, 559 was strangely interested in a tree trunk that faced away from the other Shades. She was also pointedly not looking at 666, who was staring at her with a look of pity.

“Zeta.”

“Y-yes.” Zeta reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet Alpha’s.

“Why won’t you look at us? We’ve already forgiven you, you know.”

“I know, but…”

“Even though we didn’t agree with your methods, we could understand where you were coming from, trying to make Lord Shadow immortal and all that. And ultimately, we all agreed to let the Cult revive Diablos.” Epsilon stated.

“Lord Shadow himself personally approved of this objective for the Garden. So why are you still acting like you haven’t been pardoned?” Beta asked.

“Because…” Zeta stopped, before looking away. “Because I never wanted to drag any of you into this. I see you all as family, as so…you don’t have to bear this burden that was meant for me, the descendant of the Hero Lili.”

Beta and Epsilon looked at each other, uncertain of how to respond. They started as Alpha took a step forward.

“Zeta, look at me. Please.”

Zeta met her eyes again. She gasped in surprise to see Alpha with a kind smile on her face.

“Do you remember that time when we first healed a Possessed by ourselves?”

“Yes, I do.”

“It was Beta’s first time with combat experience, and I was trying to do everything myself as leader of Shadow Garden. Do you remember what you told me?”

Zeta gulped. She remembered what she had told her.

“You told me that I didn’t have to do everything myself, and that I could rely on you all.”

559 and 666 remained silent, soaking every bit of juicy story information about Shadow Garden’s past. They met eyes briefly before looking away awkwardly to continue listening.

“Of course, I wasn’t happy with how you disobeyed me and went behind my back. But in a sense, you were right. I was too short-sighted. I thought that everything would end once we wiped out the Cult of Diablos, but I was not looking at the bigger picture. The Cult has so poisoned the culture of the world that a far more thorough, permanent solution is indeed needed. That’s why I’m in favor of letting the Cult revive Diablos so that the people of this world can see them for who they truly are. And that is also why I want to tell you that this time, you can rely on us too.”

“L-lady Alpha…” Zeta tried and failed to stop the tears from falling.

“I’m a descendant of the Hero Olivier. My ancestor naively believed that if she did the Cult’s bidding, the world would be at peace. I don’t want to make the same mistake she did. So, please, Zeta, will you rely on us too?”

Zeta stared at Alpha, before looking at Beta and Epsilon, who also smiled and nodded at her. She wiped her tears from her eyes and nodded eagerly.

“Yes!”

Alpha smiled.

“559.”

“Y-yes?” 559 turned to look at Alpha nervously.

“Your disobedience would have resulted in your execution in front of the entirety of Shadow Garden. However, your reasons were valid. Therefore, you will still be one of the next generation of Shades. I expect you to not commit this mistake again, though.”
“Y-yes, Lady Alpha! Thank you very much!” 559 bowed deeply. 666 smiled despite her rivalry with her.

“Well done for waiting, you all.”

Everyone gasped as their Lord Shadow suddenly appeared out of the darkness.

“Lord Shadow?!”

Shadow chuckled. “Surprised?”

“Y-yes, Master. You caught us off guard again.” Zeta said.

“Our sincere apologies for our lapse in focus, Lord Shadow.” 559 bowed. Shadow waved her off.

“No worries. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation. It was very touching. I’m glad y’all managed to improve your bonds further.”

“Y-yes, Lord Shadow.” Alpha said, blushing.

“Anyways, Zeta…”

“Y-yes?!”

“I have a present for you.” Shadow flopped the sack that he’d been carrying on his shoulder down.

When Shadow dragged what- or rather, who - was inside, Zeta’s heart stopped.

“It was you…it was you!” Zeta drew her slime sword and pointed it at Petos’s throat.

Petos groaned in pain as he opened his blackened, bruised eyes.

“So…cough cough…it’s you…cough…that girl from the Golden Panther Tribe…”

“He called himself Petos, the 10th seat of the Rounds.” Shadow said it as though he were talking about the weather.

Instantly, every SG member from 666 to Alpha herself pierced Petos with their gazes.

“Zeta, you know him…?” Beta asked.

“He’s the one…he’s the one who murdered my family! He’s the one who killed my baby brother in front of me!” Zeta gnashed her teeth. “He’s the one who wiped out my people, the Golden Panther Tribe!”

Zeta felt a hand on her shoulder; looking up, she saw her Lord Shadow looking down at her with a sad smile on his face.

“I understand your pain, Zeta. That’s why I want you to interrogate him for information. Don’t let him die so easily.”

It took a while for Shadow’s implied meaning to sink in.

“Master…really?”

“He’s all yours.”

Shadow turned to face the rest.

“Alpha-tachi.”

“Yes!”

“Supervise the interrogation. Make sure that he doesn’t die, and that you squeeze every ounce of information out of him.” Shadow made sure to place emphasis on the word ‘squeeze’.

“As you wish, Lord Shadow.” Alpha said, the cold glint in her eyes mirrored by Beta, Epsilon, 559 and 666.

Petos was going to be in for a very, very long night.

Chapter Text

"There, there, good girls." Cid Kageno patted their heads affectionately. 

The two girls responded with heart-melting purrs, the crimson blushes on their faces completely exposing their exponentially increasing heart rates. 

One might've thought that Cid was patting the heads of Delta and Zeta, the only two beastkin amongst the Seven Shadows...

Even Cid, otherwise known as the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful Lord Shadow, would have assumed such as well. 

But NOPE. 

The girls in question were a tall, voluptuous woman with violet hair and violet eyes, and a shorter, lithe girl with crimson hair and crimson eyes. 

The former, the Witch of Calamity and the former Demon Diablos. The latter, the fearsome Blood Queen and the Vampire Progenitor. 

Both happily content to be have their hair ruffled and their faces caressed like pet cats thirsting for their master. Cid wondered how Delta & Zeta would react if they saw all this. He was already very surprised himself. 

Who knew Aurora and Elisabeth were part feline? Maybe having otherworldly demon blood awakens your animalistic instincts?

...eh, but it wasn't unpleasant for Cid at all. He quite liked this; patting his girls' heads and seeing them act like happy kitties somehow felt right for his Eminence in Shadow persona. 

A pair of threatening, guttural growls caused Cid to look back in slight alarm. Did Delta stumble upon them after all? 

...oh, it was neither Delta nor Zeta. It was just a pair of tall, slim, very pretty and very voluptuous elves. 

Elves that looked practically identical to one another. 

Elves that were both burning holes with their eyes at the scene played out right in front of them. Cid couldn't tell whether they were directed at him or at Team Monster. Or BOTH. 

So it was them, Cid realized, who had made the growls. Interesting. Were they related to Delta by any chance? 

"I'm terribly sorry, Lady Aurora and Lady Elisabeth," Alpha spoke, closing the 10-foot distance between her and Cid in literally less than a second. She grabbed Cid's right arm, causing his hand to slip off Aurora's head, and pressed her chest against his very jacked triceps, "but we would like to borrow Shadow's help for an urgent matter." Alpha said all this with closed eyes and the most radiant, sweet smile on her face, seemingly oblivious to Aurora's twitching eyelids. 

"Oh, really? And what matter could possibly be so urgent, Ms. Alpha?" Aurora closed her eyes and mirrored Alpha's radiant, dazzling smile. 

Alpha's aunt also crossed the 10-foot distance between her and Cid in less than a second, and mirrored her niece in grabbing his left arm and pressing her bosom against it. 

"We bought too many burgers from MagRonald's," Beatrix had the exact same matching smile as Alpha, "and we need Shadow's help to finish them. He likes MagRonald's, after all." Beatrix was also seemingly oblivious to the fact that Elisabeth had narrowed her eyes dangerously at them. 

"Is that so?" Aurora stood up. "Then perhaps it would be best if Elisabeth and I came along." 

"That's right." Elisabeth piped up, joining the smiling contest. "More mouths means a higher chance of finishing them all. Lady Aurora and I like MagRonald's too, you know." 

"Oh no, no, no, we couldn't possibly trouble you two. It will only take three people to finish all the burgers." Alpha said. 

"Oh, please, we absolutely insist." Aurora said, none of their smiles breaking for a second. 

Cid sighed inwardly. Just another day where his arms were subjected to bust-sandwich hell and where he was caught in the middle of a four-way smile bombardment war. 

"We have Cid's favorite drink, apple juice, which you two may not like." Beatrix continued. 

"Oh, apple juice? How lovely! All the more you should take us!" Elisabeth made a show of clasping her hands together and looking like she was going to watch a movie with her friends. Not that she would've known what a movie was.

Despite the invisible sparks flying in every direction, Cid still managed a small smile. He had seen this enough times to know that there was no real hostility between 'Team Monster' and 'Team Heroic Elf' as he liked to dub them, and that they were just contesting for the fun of it. Even better, he knew exactly how to put an end to the arguments. 

"Oh, that reminds me, I was thinking of having a sleepover tonight and I was initially planning to invite the four of you over. But since you girls hate each other so much, I guess I'll just invite other girls. Hmm, maybe Team Beastkin? (Delta, Zeta and Yukime) Oh yeah, I guess I won't be inviting you four over for a month. " Cid pretended to think out loud. 

"You can join us all you want, Lady Aurora and Lady Elisabeth!" Alpha blurted out, looking panicked. 

"There's more than enough for you two!" Beatrix added in hurriedly. 

"We won't cause any trouble when we come along!" Aurora frantically nodded. 

"Elves are our best friends!" Elisabeth frantically added in. 

Cid smirked in a way that would've made Rimuru Tempest proud. Success. 

"Let's go then!" 

"He always manages to catch us off guard like that." Aurora remarked as she took a bite from her burger. 

"Yes. That's Shadow for you." Alpha said. 

"You're blushing inwardly, aren't you?" Beatrix smiled at her niece. 

"S-shut up, Auntie. You're just as bad as I am." Alpha glared halfheartedly at her aunt, her blush now apparent on her cheeks. 

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Beatrix continued smiling, her cheeks turning red as well. 

"However, I think it's a good thing that he's able to do so. The man we all love has to be awesome like that, after all." Elisabeth said, taking a sip from her apple juice. 

The other three all nodded in agreement, before they all looked at Cid, who was standing on the ledge of the roof, looking as awesome and Eminence-cy as ever. They wondered what he was thinking. 

'Shit, why did I agree to let them have a sleepover? My bed's barely big enough for all four of them! Maybe I could steal a queen-sized bed from YKEA?'