I will be waiting

"I- It sounded like you were talking about someone else."

"I have no more stories to tell; you know everything. There is nothing else."

If she thought about the timeline of events, there isn't anything else left for him to talk about. Oh, wait, there is one more thing.

"What about the accident?"

Haruka frowned for a moment before he nodded. "I wanted to tell you. But even if I say it now, you will forget it. Your body is becoming one with the new world right now, and the events back then are too disturbing." He trailed off. "What I can say is, back then, Zane had no control of his ability. He was searching for something, anything that would calm him down. His soul had a bad habit of leaving its body searching for compatible spouses. Then, when we were in the sunflower meadows together, he saw you."

Is that why in those pictures, there is a blurry-looking black shadow? However, the more Haruka spoke about it, though her head started to hurt. Haruka pulled her into his arms. "It's fine, once this is all over. I will tell you properly. Do not force yourself now."

"Okay." Lila trailed off and realized something. "So, um, your second reason to fight is love?"

His lips curve to a grin, and Lila hits his chest with her hands flustered. "I thought you would say something grand, but you spouted foolish things."

"Are my feelings for you foolish, my dearest wife?"

"That's-" Lila paused when she saw the serious look in his eyes. Before finishing her sentence, he placed the cap he was wearing over her head, covering her eyes. She briefly felt something tap against her forehead.

"I'll fight for you."

"That's wrong; we will fight together."

"Yes, so don't worry, okay? I will spoil you rotten; after this, you will wish you got away from me." Haruka joked.

'Spoil me rotten?' Lila looked at him curiously. How does he plan to do that-ah! "You have to remember we have a child now. You can't be a pervert."

Haruka looked dejected. "Damn, then why did I restrain myself this whole time? This is probably the best time to do things well. The kid is still avoiding us. Well, there is still time; we have all night-"

Lila stepped on his foot and started to walk away. Geez, what is he thinking of doing the night before the big battle? This foolish husband of mine. Still, she hears him slowly approach her from the back and felt a familiar hand on hers. He complains how violent she is now, yet she senses the warmth in his tone.

They are both going to be okay; they will fight and survive.

...

Lila woke up to a pair of warm arms wrapped around her waist and glanced over half dazed. She saw Haruka fast asleep beside her. They went back together and- the images of what happened last night flashed through her memory. Lila coughed; she told him off once he finished.

They are both key players in the battle today, so they should be in full strength. Granted, that is probably why he only did it once. But still, he is a moron. Is that truly all that goes on in his mind?

'I promised to make her smile more.' Lila recalled his words from yesterday. She didn't think he still remembered that. After all, their relationship had a rocky start. They fought a lot at the beginning because she was still in love with Kiryu, and it irritated him. Despite those moments, she never thought to leave him.

This entire time she wondered what the reason was. Back then, she wasn't as in love with him. She could have left him anytime, but she didn't.

"Still, I should have restrained myself. Wasn't I the one who jumped on him?"

"You always worry about the strangest things."

Lila glanced down and saw that Haruka had woken up. He sat up and yawned. "I shouldn't have spent the next three hours after you fell asleep looking at you; now I'm exhausted."

H-he did what? But she looks so ugly when she is sleeping? What if she made a weird face- or what if she started drooling? How unsightly- Her thoughts broke off when he nuzzled his face against hers.

"Morning."

Lila felt a sudden warmth in her chest. This is what she missed, waking up with him by her side. Although due to their busy schedules, there were days when he woke up before her. She would still wake up to him having made breakfast for her.

She buried her face in his arms, and Haruka wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"

"No, I'm just happy."

"Me too." Haruka placed a kiss on her forehead. "We will have more days like this, so just be patient."

After hugging for a few minutes, they eventually got up to get changed. Lila didn't bother with a shower; ,she would be covered in dirt and scars in a few hours anyway. Haruka, however, seemed to be very particular about it. Then again, he has been locked up in the lab the last few days.

Lila sat on the bed, patiently waiting for him, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Lila stood up and walked over to open it, but the person on the other side immediately closed it. "Um?"

"Mother."

Lila paused when she heard her son's voice. Ah?

"Please don't open the door; you know I can't bare to see you."

Lila leaned her back against the door. "Do you dislike your father and me?"

"That's not it. I haven't been avoiding you both because of that."

"Then-"

"The core of the sphere of dreams is me. If father breaks it, I will return to normal. That Miss Sophia person, did she ever give you anything strange to drink?"

Lila blinked when she heard those words. It was hard to pinpoint when, but there were a few cases of her getting very drunk since somebody drugged her drink. If she thought about it, there was indeed a case when she was pregnant.

So Sophia did that to interfere with her pregnancy?

"Mother, you have more dreams than most people, after all. That woman must have sensed how powerful those dreams were. When she took over the sphere, she must have noticed that it lacked a core."

"But to use you-" Lila couldn't believe this. Would she go that far? But after hearing Sophia's story from Haruka, she paused. If it was her who lost her loved one after he shielded her, she would probably go insane too.

It is not too hard to sympathize after hearing that story. However, she would never be able to forgive her.

"I do not deserve to see you, mother."

Eh?

"There was a time when I was shapeshifting a lot where I killed a person, no, I killed several people. Kiryu-san found me and stopped me. But it was terrible. Even though I was slightly older, I am still a child. How could I do that? I have already stained my hands."

'You are a monster.'

Lila stopped herself from getting emotional and opening the door.

"I won't blame you for that. How can I? If you think you are a monster, what does that make me?" Lila trailed off. "I respect your decision. You feel impure and unclean. You think we should meet and talk when you have regressed into an infant and no longer have such memories."

"Yes."

"That is fine with me. But your father, you see, he was not there for you when you were born. How badly has he wanted to hold his child in his arms?"

She carried him in her stomach for many months, so she understood. But it is different for Haruka.

"He chased me desperately the other day. I almost didn't get to escape."

Lila laughed. "So I hear."

"Mother, I came here to tell you that I love both of you. When this fight ends, I will be an infant again. I will have my memories wiped clean. I will not remember this time at all since this goes against the world's logic. But I wanted you both to at least hear this from me."

Her gaze softened when she heard how frantic he was. "Neither of us will sacrifice ourselves. You do not have to worry."

"Please stay safe. I will be waiting for you both."

"Mm, you also have to remember. That I love you-"

"That we love you."A voice interjected. Haruka had just finished taking his shower and returned to the room.

"I will wait, so you both have to return." With those words, she heard the sound of footsteps fading away.

Lila turned to Haruka, who buried his face in her chest. "That kid, who does he take after? I don't think it's me."

"Are you sure? You two are quite similar."