Bound by Fate (Shigadabi)

152

Theodora gasped softly as she frowned. "Oh, you poor darling." Carefully, she brushed her hand along Coì's forehead. Her hand lit up, causing Coì's own head to lit up. Small designs shone the brightest; swirls and dots across her forehead soon spread down to her arms and legs. The girl shuddered and quivered, flinching and twitching as she lay in the bed. The spots where the plants had infested her, including the flowers Zatsu had used for examination, shriveled up and burst into piles of dust. The second Theodora removed her hand, the lights slowly faded. "There," the goddess sighed, "That should get rid of those pesky snap-dragons."

"Thank you so much. Can we repay you with anything?" He asked as he patted his daughter's head happily, almost in tears. He had been so exhausted worrying left and right. And now it seemed as if it would all be okay again. Or sort of.

Theodora smiled and shook her head. "I require nothing as this was partly my own fault." She looked at the child and smiled softly. Carefully, she brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face.

"Are you sure? I mean, you just saved my daughter." he looked over at her. He did not know how happy he felt at the moment. The color was slowly coming back into her face.

Akira, on the other hand, had picked up both Soren and the twins. "Let's go inside, boys. Playtime is over." she muttered.

Tadashi whined as he was carried away. "Noooo! I wanna stay outside!"

Soren huffed and tried to wriggle away so Akira wasn't carrying him. He watched Kazuki, who just trailed behind Akira with his head down.

"I'm sure," Theodora smiled kindly at the alchemist, "Just be more careful with your little one, okay?"

"Of course, it just happened that this time, I didn't have such a close eye on her. But I will in the future." He added quickly at the end. He then breathed out to think for a second, "Should I escort you back?"

"No need," Theodora shook her head. She stepped back just as Akira entered the room. Her eyes shifted to the woman alchemist as she made her way to the others. The goddess smiled warmly and bowed, "It was a pleasure to meet you all. I hope to meet again on better circumstances." Petals began to wind around her, causing an almost miniature tornado. These petals soon covered the goddess' human body, revealing nothing more when they disappeared.

"Huh..." Akira gave a hum as she set down both Tadashi and Soren. Seconds later, she helped Kazuki in the room, too.

Tomura gave them a warm smile. "Coí will be better very soon." He gently took the toddler's hand and massaged it. Using his alchemy to help her body recover a bit more. He knew that the earlier the girl would wake up, the faster everything would be better again. He sent another silent thank you to the goddess as he did so.

Zatsu's eyes shifted to Akira. She let out a silent sigh as she shook her head and rubbed her neck, picking up Soren. "Did you have fun, Little One?" she whispered, kissing his cheek.

Soren nodded softly as he rested his head on Zatsu's shoulder.

The alchemist laid her head gently against his, closing her eyes. She still felt exhausted; she knew she had to stop working almost all hours of the night, but it was a habit. An unbreakable habit. The alchemist shook her head as she toyed with the boy's hair.

Tomura, on the other hand, had both twins on his lap now. They both watched over their sister as he had leaned back and closed his eyes. He knew that after what he had just put his body through, he would need to sleep and take it slower than usual. But he was happy. Happy to be with the twins. To be their father and care for them in every way possible.

Akira smiled as she looked at the relaxed group. The old man is sitting in a chair near the window, enjoying the breeze. Her wife and son and Tomura's family. All here. It made her truly happy.