Days past and Mephiles was actually able to relax. He hadn't smelled the wretched hanyou in his halls anymore and it really felt like he wasn't there. Which was perfect, as Shadow would never know.
So, he was out in one of his many gardens, walking peacefully one day during the week. A servant everyday came up to him, announcing his brother's arrival. Then, almost like a child, he ran to the front entrance, swinging the double doors open see his brother walking hand in hand with a blue hedgehog. He eyed the uke suspiciously. Then his scent was carried on the wind by a gentle breeze.
'Hanyou,' he realized, as his heart sank.
"Hello, brother," Shadow greeted his younger sibling, going to hug Mephiles as the young hanyou that accompanied him quietly and patiently stood off to the side, the obvious uke giving Mephiles a kind smile when his emerald gaze met his own as the two brothers embraced.
Mephiles eagerly embraced him in a big bear hug as well, smiling. "It's been so long." He happily replied, pulling away a bit. He then smiled politely at the hanyou.
"And who might this be?" He asked, not wanting to offend his brother's guest even if his first instincts were telling him to chase the pest off his land.
"This, my dear brother, is my beautiful mate, Sonic," Shadow said with pride as he went to stand next to the smaller blue male, a hand around his slim waist.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Mephiles," Sonic said politely, bowing at the waist in well trained respect. "Shadow has told me such wonderful things about you..." he smiled kindly.
Mephiles bowed in response. "I'm sure he has." He stated, standing straight again. "But please, just Mephiles."
He then stepped closer to the door, as he extended an arm inside his palace home and said, "You both must be exhausted from your trip, please, why don't you come in to rest? Dinner will be served shortly."
Shadow nodded in acceptance, giving his mate a gentle nudge to the small of his back to get him to enter the palace home as they followed Mephiles inside--servants going about to make sure that all of their belongings and their servants that accompanied the two were well taken care of as well.
As they walked, Meph pondered over the sudden turn of events, having not anticipated on being all hanyou-friendly for his brother's visit. But for however long they chose to stay, he'd have to smile and endure. And as the doors had shut behind them, Shadow already seemed to be wrapped up in his memories here. The lord of the manor continued to solemnly walk behind them, politely adding to what Shadow had to say about their childhood home to Sonic.
But other than his blood, Sonic seemed liked a very good choice of mate, even to Meph. He was very beautiful, without a doubt. He was well mannered and respectful, only speaking when he was spoken to even though his curious green gaze held countless questions. Plus, he carried the Legendary Sword of Earth on a sash around his waist, able to hold his own in a sword fight despite his frail and innocent demeanor apparently. And it would seem that Sonic was from a high demon blooded family line, even though he was a hanyou--the smaller male no doubt a descendant of the mortal princess from long ago since the Sword of Earth was now in his possession. That now meant that there were two of the three Legendary Swords in Mephiles' family...
Shadow had probably picked the best hanyou there was out there, Mephiles mentally confessed. He was definitely worthy of respect from a demon such as himself...
The pale striped male was too caught up in his own thoughts by the end of the quick tour of the manor that he hadn't really realized, they were heading towards the brothers' old play room...Which was by the servants' quarters...Which was where he was hiding his most unwelcomed guest.
His whole entire being quickly filled with dread. Gods, how was he going to explain this if they actually met Silver?!?!
"Shadow, there isn't much to see in there anymore." He stated, grasping his brother's shoulder. "I've packed all our old things and put them into storage," hoping that would convince his brother to leave the room alone.
Shadow laughed, however, "I should hope so; I'd hate to have my little brother still playing with rattles." He teased, elbowing him in the gut playfully. "I just want to show Sonic that scenery painted on the wall. I remember it so vividly; I'm just aching to see it again."
Swallowing a lump of nervousness, Mephiles could only watch as Shadow and Sonic headed for the room.
And low and behold, Silver sat there, shocked to see people walk in.
"Oh, hello," he smiled politely as he stood and bowed in respect at Mephiles' guests, quickly falling into the role of an obedient and respectful host, much to Meph's confusion. Thankfully, he was dressed in suitable dress robes for one of his...position as Consort.
"My deepest apologies," he continued with a kind smile, bowing again, "I wasn't expecting to have visitors...."
"Mephiles, are these our guests you told me about?" He asked, feigning curiosity as he gazed softly at him.
Meph had to hide a flinch when he suddenly heard Silver's voice in his head, saying, 'Alright, you stuck-up black bastard. Since you didn't expect them to meet me, just sit back and shut the hell up and let me handle this, got it? Lucky for you, I planned for this, now answer the stupid question!'
"Yes, these are our guests." He stated coolly as if nothing ever happened, "my brother Shadow, and his mate."
Silver smiled kindly, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Silver, and although Mephiles has provided me with Lord Shadow's name prior to your arrival, I don't remember him mentioning you had a mate, my Lord," he said respectfully to Shadow.
"What is your name, if I may ask?" He curiously said to the other hanyou in the room.
Sonic bowed. "I'm Sonic. My arrival was not announced," the uke had replied and Shadow smiled sheepishly, he had forgotten to mention that in his letter.
"So, who are we speaking to?" Shadow asked, referring to who Silver was to Mephiles. He was dressed rather nicely for a hanyou in his brother's home and spoke so formally to his sibling. He was aware his brother didn't appreciate hanyous as much as he did, but he was happy that his mate hadn't gotten the short end of the stick of Mephiles' welcome. Silver cast a quick glance at Mephiles that the others missed before smiling kindly and replying, "I am Mephiles' consort. I apologize that I was unable to join him in meeting you at the gate, but I have to stay inside till a more...convenient time."
Shadow blinked stunned shock, "Oh." It took a moment for him to register the more formal word for mate. And even then, it stunned him.
"Well, Brother, you've been holding out on us," Shadow chuckled, he and Sonic both walking over to properly greet the other hanyou.
"Yes....my mate, Silver." He muttered to himself, not at all pleased.
And Silver was laughing his head off in his own mind at all of this. Meph's face was just priceless!!
After proper greetings were passed between the mated pair and Silver, a cry from one of the other rooms caught everyone's attention, totally confusing the guests.
"Oh, will you excuse me for a moment, please?" Silver said, bowing once more before he went to tend to his crying pup in the other room.
Shadow laughed slightly. "You really have been busy while I was away. You have pups too?"
Mephiles just shrugged, saying, "I hadn't intended on you all meeting this way. Silver's been...very tired since the pups arrived."
"How old are they?" the other demon asked curiously.
"Nearly a week old," Silver smiled as he returned, his eldest pup held close. "My pregnancy wasn't an easy one, so the healers have recommended that I and the pups all stay inside and not move around so much..."
Shadow nodded in understanding, Sonic then asking, "What are all their names?"
"This is our eldest, Reiketsuna, or Rei for short," Silver replied--knowing Meph didn't care to remember since wasn't even paying attention now--right before he placed said pup in his Sire's arms, holding back a snicker at the shocked look Mephiles gave at suddenly having his hands full of baby.
"Quite the resemblance," Shadow stated with an amazed smile, walking up to his brother to get a better look at his nephew, the little ebony colored infant just waking up.
"Sonic, will you help me bring in the other two?" Silver politely asked the fellow hanyou.
"Of course," he smiled before eagerly following Silver to the next room as Shadow and Mephiles continued to stare down at the little pup in Meph's arms.
The little one yawned cutely before shocking both brothers--his father mostly--when he sleepily blinked open his eyes, two little amber orbs blinking tiredly up at his dad for the first time.
Both Mephiles and his son were stuck in a curious staring contest for a moment before the baby gave his dad a toothless smile as he squirmed in his grasp.
Mephiles was at a loss on what to do. He had never held a pup before in his life!
Little Rei giggled cutely, reaching tubby little arms up at him as he made various baby noises.
Shadow chucked beside his brother, smirking, "I think somebody likes you..."
"It would seem so..." He murmured, moving one of his arms so the baby could play with his fingers.
Both Silver and Sonic returned with the other two pups, only to spot Mephiles actually paying with his son.
It was Silver's turn to blink in confusion, having totally not expected it.
Mephiles still kept a neutral expression when he finally realized he was being stared at, saying, "Shall we move to the dining hall?"
Silver snapped out of his confused stupor before easily replying, "Of course they shall, but Mephiles, should I stay here or should I go? You are the one to decide..."
'If I leave this room, I still want my end of the deal, you know,' he told him mentally.
'Shut up!' He snapped back, not even sure if Silver could hear him. He wanted to have Silver wait here, but there would be questions, like how they met and all that. He was a good liar, he lied a lot actually. He just wasn't looking forward to convincing his guests he could at least tolerate the hanyou.
"No, I think you should come. You've been coping much better and I don't think it would be a bad thing if you stretched your legs."
"Very well," the silver hanyou nodded, mentally smirking since he knew the fool wouldn't be able to get through a complete conversation without him.
They all went to the dining hall, Mephiles was still holding Rei, but not fully conscious of it though. He was more worried about Silver slipping up in front of his brother.
But, to his surprise, relief, and slight annoyance, Silver played the role of consort rather well. A little too well.... He must've gotten all the experience from those months living with that green demon Manic... Mephiles still felt no remorse for Silver's dead mate. That demon should've never sullied his hands with the blasted hanyou, so in his eyes, his death had been a just and deserving one.
They all sat down, Mephiles taking his respected spot at the head of the table with Silver sitting beside him much to his distaste...
And Silver and Sonic seemed to get along well, both hanyous holding the two younger pups while Shadow now held his eldest little nephew.
Mephiles listened intently to Shadow's told them of his travels. His brother seemed to have gone all over the world since he left home.
And it would seem that he'd met Sonic throughout all his wanderings, Sonic coming from a powerful family line of both demons and mortals alike-just like Meph had thought--both sides of the hanyou's family all living in a hidden village far in the deep Eastern forests of Japan, only a few days from the coast, actually.
There wasn't much known about that area, but it must've been what piqued Shadow's curiosity to venture there in the first place....
Mephiles nodded as he continued on, asking, "What made you decide to go there of all places?"
"Mere curiosity mostly," he shrugged before smirking, "plus I'd heard rumor that there was this demon-slaying hanyou that resided near the coast. And, well....let's just say that things didn't go well when we first met..."
"My father is a very strict and traditional demon," Sonic smiled when Mephiles asked him to elaborate. "My mother passed the night I was born, so my father raised me alone with help from our various relatives. Once he found out I was a Uke, he trained me to defend myself, which only seemed to add to my already busy lessons in proper etiquette and my studies of my family's royal ancestry, not that I minded of course. He's always said that I was a fast learner."
"So he would send me out into the woods by myself with a simply dagger as my only means of protection when I was no more than a century old (10 human years old). Every day he'd tell me that if I returned, then I was worthy of living another day; if I didn't return, then I wasn't strong enough and would have paid for my mistake with my life. For the past 130 years (13 years) he would leave me in the woods to defend myself against wandering demons and other creatures that lurked around during the night."
"Long story short, I grew stronger and more adaptable with time and once I reached my second century (20 years) he rewarded me with my family's heirloom--the Sword of Earth."
"It was just another day that I was left deep within the forests when Shadow stumbled across my path," he said, his smile growing as he and Shadow intertwined their hands on the table before them.
"I'd thought he was just another demon that wanted to kill me, so I attacked first," the uke giggled.
"And after I barely managed to escape, I was entranced by him ever since," Shadow concluded with a chuckle, giving his mate a soft kiss to the cheek--making the uke blush and smile.
"And that's how we met," they both said happily, looking like the ideal couple. Mephiles smiled, truly believing that was a romantic story. That was how their own parents had met, ironically, trying to kill each other.
"You two a very lucky." He purred. Mostly over the fact his brother mated a hanyou.
"I truly am," Shadow smiled with pride.
"Sonic had many suitors during the mating season, but thankfully, he chose me..."
Mephiles nodded. "Well I must thank you Sonic for finally giving my brother a reason to settle down," He grinned, teasingly,"And here I thought you'd be gallivanting around for the rest of your youth, Shadow."
"And I most likely would have," Shadow chuckled, "but Sonic has agreed to travel with me whenever the opportunity arises."
"We've just finished touring the Mediterranean," Sonic smiled.
"Indeed we have, but enough about us," Shadow smirked slightly, "Tell us, Mephiles, how did you and Silver meet?"
"Well, I'm sure Silver would be much happier to tell you how we met. He'd explain it so much better than I ever could." He murmured, he couldn't think of a story that didn't sound cheesy and cliché.
Silver--having expected that--easily slipped into their own tale of how they met, "Well, we both met in a way much similar to your own, but under entirely different circumstances," he smiled to their guests.
"I guess you could call us one of the 'typical' mating season pairs," he smiled before continuing, "We crossed one another's path during the peak of mating season, one thing led to another, and well..." he managed to blush a little somehow to add to the 'romantic' story, "We're parents now..."
Mephiles gave a soft nod in agreement. "We couldn't be happier," he purred. Well he could be happier, actually...single again and sleeping around and all that like he used to, but they didn't have to know that...
"Well, it seems that the Fates sent you two to the right place at the right time," Shadow smiled.
"Silver, if I may ask, where did you come from?" Sonic asked curiously, "What I mean is, could you tell us a little about your background?"
"Of course," the silver male nodded kindly. "Well, to basically sum up my life, I was a commoner before I met Mephiles. I was an orphan for as long as I can remember, so I never knew my parents...I've always been on my own, mostly trying to defend myself from demons and creatures that were constantly out for my blood...kind of like you had to do, Sonic, only my fighting was non-stop."
"Anyways, not to turn this into a sob story," he smiled softly, "After Mephiles and I met, my life changed for the better....Many hanyous could only ever dream of living in a place such as this with such a loving and attentive mate by their side. Our beautiful pups have only made my dream life all the more realistic and it would seem that I finally got the family I've always wanted..." He just wanted to gag from all these nauseating lies, BLECH!!!!
Mephiles almost snorted when he was referred to as a loving mate. That couldn't have been a bigger lie. Mephiles then gripped Silver's shoulder tightly, though it looked like a simple loving touch to anyone else. It was not quite enough to hurt him, but just enough to make the hanyou uncomfortable and to get his point across. "I couldn't be more blessed with Silver in my life."
And both Shadow and Sonic believed the story, the actual happy couple congratulating them on their mating and their pups...
Their meals were served not too long afterwards. And Silver couldn't help but pig out a little. What Mephiles had served to him was gruel compared to this.
Mephiles was thankful that the hanyou had the decency to at least eat properly and display proper etiquette at the dinner table.
It would seem those months with Manic had paid off....
He would've hate to see the state in which his manners were if he never met the demon.
As their meal came to an end, they moved out into the very back of the garden. After putting the children to bed. There was a hot spring there, that served the demon lords who came before Mephiles and Shadow for many centuries.
And Silver politely declined the offer of joining them in the water, simply giving a little white lie that getting cold once he was out of the water wouldn't be too good for his health. Healer's orders. Shadow and Sonic sincerely understood.
And as the other three males enjoyed the hot springs, Silver shocked them all when he conjured an oriental bamboo flute from thin air and began to play soothing melodious tunes to entertain them all.
Mephiles glared at his 'mate' when his guests weren't looking. There was something up with all this... Magic he's been doing. It would have to stop.
Silver just glanced back at him and continued to play the soothing music. Mephiles continued to stare at him, only this time in confusion, finding the music to be surprisingly soothing.
And once everyone had relaxed enough to the point of sleepiness, Shadow and his mate thanked the 'other' couple and decided to retire for the night, hoping to see them both again in the morning for breakfast.
As soon as Sonic and Shadow were in their own rom, Mephiles hadn't given Silver a single glance before he hurried to his own bed.
And Silver just shuddered at all the lies he had to tell that day before he himself went off to his own room and back to his pups. If Silver hadn't been around, he would've loved to have had his brother take his sweet time in leaving. But with Silver here, he wanted his brother gone so he didn't have to talk to the hanyou.
He rested in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was very fascinated with Sonic's sword. His sword had been an heirloom as well. But his father had skipped over Shadow during their inheritance and had given it to him, for reasons he would rather not think about.
And there was still this confusion of Silver doing all this magic from some unknown source....
He'd have to dig into that. There was a few books his mother left behind that he could look into since she dabbled in the dark arts a bit.
And once his mind had wandered enough, the ebony male's green eyes slowly closed as he slipped into peaceful slumber...thankful that he was plagued with fewer and fewer nightmares as time went on...
