Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 2- Descent of Darkness

Episode 64: Family and Friendship

*Koukyuu*

[Hours Later]

"Papa is dinner almost ready?" Zafi asked, looking up at his daddy with those big eyes of his. "I wanna duel you!"

Hideo patted his head.

"Yeah. tell your siblings that dinner is almost ready!" Hideo said as the two of us prepared dinner in the kitchen of our hotel suite. I was staying at his place as I wanted to spend more time with the kids.

"Don't worry, I'll go fetch them," I said, drying my hands on a cloth towel. I ran out of the kitchen into a wide open living room with only a pair of sofas, a glass coffee table, and a large screen television.

Seated on one of the small sofas were my two younger kids. They were watching an animation about a card game. The same game their uncle Dan once used to play. Also sitting alongside them was Zydeco's son. He had wanted to play with my kids instead of going to the hospital, so I allowed him to. Plus, maybe it was for the best. He would've been distraught if he had seen his uncle Alto in the state that Sonata described he was in.

"Dinner is ready," I said.

None of them seemed to pay me any attention.

I sighed. It seemed that I needed to do to them what I once did when babysitting my nephews for Shin'en. I picked up the remote control, ready to push the off button.

"Let them watch it," Hideo said, grabbing my hand. He looked at the kids and smiled. "Their uncle was the same way. Only thing that could take his attention out of the television was when we told him we were making curry."

"Did someone say curry?" our kids said, turning around.

I sighed. "The three really love your curry, don't they?"

Hideo grinned. "Yup. Though it's still not as tasty as mom's."

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

I put down the control on the glass table and jogged over to the door. It was Zydeco and his family.

"Thanks for taking care of our little boy," Sonata said. She squatted down and smiled at her son. "Were you a good boy?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling.

"He spent most of the time watching a marathon of that show."

He turned back to the television and cried as the credits rolled. "I-I missed the end!"

"Don't worry, I got a DVD of it back home. I can bring it next time," Hideo said.

"Really? Thanks mister!"

Melody giggled. "Little brother must've really enjoyed it."

"I did," he said, fidgeting.

"Want to join us for dinner?" I asked. "We made enough to spare."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have friends over... I mean..." Hideo said.

Zydeco chuckled. "So you do see as a friends."

Hideo crossed his arms and pouted just like he did when he was younger. "Maybe... I do."

Sonata giggled. "So it seems you didn't change completely."

"Who does?" he asked, shrugging. "I mean, Zydeco here is basically the same happy-go-lucky guy he is from when we first met."

"Yeah, he sure is," I said, smiling at Zydeco.

Zydeco scratched his face and blushed. "I guess I haven't. Though you two did change a lot. I mean, who would've figured that..." He stared at Zafi and his siblings and smiled at them.