Chapter 2172: Longing

While his other self was dealing with matters in the Heavenly Domain, another version of Vahn was helping Heng'e get situated in the Sage Dragon's Hearth. She had requested to become a Maid so the first thing he did was introduce her to Shiroyukihime, Leticia, Iris, Mira, Lisanna, and quite a few others. He also explained his relationship with Black Rabbit, a revelation that had caused the silvery-haired Avatar to briefly short-circuit as neither she nor Chang'e had expected to encounter the last surviving descendant of their former Masters.

Though Black Rabbit was more than a little famous within the Little Garden, few people knew where she lived or what she was up to. Her association with the No Names wasn't particularly well known, as, for the time being, neither were they. All anyone knew for certain was that she was working for and under the protection of the Eastern Floor Master, Shiroyasha.

Needless to say, Heng'e was both befuddled and tremendously relieved to learn that the daughter of her former Mistress was both alive and well. They even had a brief yet tearful reunion that caused Black Rabbit quite a bit of duress as she hadn't met anyone from the Moon Palace in more than 300 years. Heng'e's unexpected arrival ended up bringing back a lot of memories, so, while Lisanna and the others helped the former get situated, Vahn stayed with Black Rabbit to help ease her tensions...

"You okay...?"

Though she nodded in affirmation, Black Rabbit didn't remove her face from Vahn's chest. His smell had a calm and relaxing quality to it, almost like taking a nap in a verdant forest on a cool yet sunny day. She had developed a bit of a dependence on it, so, fearing Vahn might leave if she opened her eyes and said everything was okay, Black Rabbit elected to remain silent as she enjoyed the warmth from his body.

Well aware of Black Rabbit's thoughts, Vahn nestled his face between her ears, a faint melancholy visible in his countenance as he ran the fingers of his right hand through her silky blue hair. He had always been sensitive to the emotional states of others, so, whenever someone he cared about was feeling blue, he couldn't help feeling the same. Thus, with Black Rabbit's mind replaying memories of her family, Vahn couldn't help thinking about the family he had left behind...

"I want a baby..."

Blinking back to awareness, Vahn looked down to find the roots of Black Rabbit's hair transitioning from a melancholic blue to a luminous pink. Then, as if she could sense his gaze, she looked up at him, her red eye glistening with longing as she repeated, "I want a baby..."

Returning a smile, Vahn resisted the urge to ask why she had chosen this particular timing to ask for a baby. He had already been keeping her waiting for more than seven months, so, without showing any signs of unwillingness or hesitation, he brought his face closer to hers as he playfully replied, "I was hoping you'd ask..." before stealing her lips the moment she tried to respond.

As if a switch had been flipped, Black Rabbit went from sitting at Vahn's side to stradling his lap in less than three seconds. She had always been one of his more 'active' girls, but, now that she knew what was at stake, Black Rabbit was like an entirely different person as she ripped open Vahn's shirt without breaking from his kiss. This gave Vahn the urge to laugh. Instead, he followed Black Rabbit's example by tearing away her skirt and panties in the same motion...

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Sensing what his counterpart was up to, Vahn couldn't help cracking a smile and muttering, "Lucky bastard..." before throwing back a glass of hazel-brown liquid.

Hearing Vahn's remark, a battered and bruised Erlang Shen gave him a sidelong glance, asking, "Are you making fun of me? Which part of me looks lucky to you...?"

Answering in Vahn's stead, Wu ceased noming on a plate of golden apples long enough to chime in and remark, "Stop whining. You're supposed to be a proud warrior God. A few cuts and bruises after battling against the Great Me is getting off easily. Besdies, don't think I haven't noticed you stealing glances at my butt. I'm keeping count of each one so you had better prepare yourself..."

Though he paled quite a bit in response to Wu's words, Erlang Shen was unable to prevent his eyes from wandering towards the peachy mounds visible within arm's length. Wu, for reasons he dared not inquire, had taken it upon herself to lay across the table in front of Vahn. She had also changed into her martial attire, but, after complaining about the heat, she ended up removing the coat that usually concealed her exposed back and bottom. As a result, her butt was completely visible except for a piece of thin fabric that disappeared between her pert and peachy butt cheeks...

Snorting through his nose, Erlang Shen was tempted to state he didn't have an interest in children, but, understanding the risks involved, he elected not to. Instead, he took several large swigs of the six-thousand year old whiskey Vahn was having him try. It tasted drastically different from the wines of Heaven, but, thanks to the fiery aftertaste, it was quickly growing on the three-eyed God.

After increasing Erlang Shen's tally by three, one for each eye, Wu took a bite out of a half-eaten apple before shifting her attention to Vahn and asking, "You're doing something naughty, aren't you? I can feel my skin tingling in response to the excitement you're trying to suppress. Look."

Holding up her left arm, Wu revealed that the fine hairs along its surface were standing on end. Her tail also appeared noticeably more bristly, and, though he was certain she was only doing it to mess with Erlang Shen's dog-like senses, Vahn could smell an aroma reminiscent of flowers and fruit that didn't come from the apples strewn across the table.

Though it earned him a moderately incredulous look from Erlang Shen, Vahn didn't attempt to deny Wu's words. Both she and Erlang Shen possessed the ability to see through lies and falsehoods, so, after a moment of silence, he answered, "You're not wrong. Rather than saying I'm doing something naughty, however, it would be more accurate to say I'm being...procreative..."

Blinking in surprise, Wu's expression became unreadable even to Vahn as she responded with a soft and curt, "Oh..." before biting into the core of her golden apple. As for Erlang Shen, he honestly had no idea how to approach such a conversation so he ended up finishing off the contents of his glass before slaming it on the table, exhaling a sigh, and saying, "I should probably be going. When next we meet, drinks are on me."

Sensing things were heading in a strange direction, Erlang Shen decided to leave before he ended up digging himself into an even deeper hole. Before he could depart, however, Vahn called out to him, saying, "Feel free to stop by the Sage Dragon's Hearth in the future. I tend to take care of my friends so expect a pleasant surprise if you decide to stop by."

Turning around, it was Erlang Shen's intent to return an appreciative smile, but, as if compelled by instinct, his eyes briefly darted to Wu's bottom. As a result, his expression appeared more wry than grateful as he said, "I'm looking forward to it..."

With Wu giving him a casual look that was somehow scarier than when she was angered, Erlang Shen punctuated his words by promptly departing with a wave. He had always trusted his instincts, so, the moment he got outside, his speed increased as he bolted from the premises like a criminal in flight...

Sensing the speed in which Erlang Shen departed, Vahn's expression hardened ever so slightly as he remarked, "I thought I told you not to bully people..."

Raising her brows, Wu took a bite out of a fresh apple, its flesh and juices mixing in her mouth as she flatly rebutted, "You said you wouldn't tolerate me bullying people in your presence, not that I couldn't bully them. Besides, I'm the victim here. All I've been doing the past hour or two is eating apples. I didn't force him to stare at my butt."

Unable to outright refute Wu's words, an exasperated sigh escaped Vahn's throat as he leaned back and combed through his hair. This prompted Wu to shift atop the table, but, instead of perching on his lap as Vahn expected, she ended up sitting at the very edge of the table with her legs drawn up in a way that allowed her to rest the soles of her feet on its side. This left absolutely nothing to the imagination, but, instead of staring at the ostensibly inviting sight less than a few centimeters away from him, Vahn met Wu's gaze as he asked, "What do you want...?"

With a smile developing across her face, Wu supported herself by leaning back on her hands as she lowered one of her feet to Vahn's left thigh. Then, as if stating a simple truth, she answered, "I don't know. I'm not exactly the type of person that wastes time anguishing over the consequences of my actions. I just follow my instincts and act in the moment..."

Punctuating her statement, Wu traced her toes along the interior of Vahn's thigh before moving further up. Before she could make any substantial progress, however, Vahn grabbed her ankle, his expression flat yet serious as he clarified, "That isn't what I was asking about. I want to know what your dream is."

Blinking in surprise, Wu hesitated for a moment before leaning forward to place her right foot on Vahn's knee. Then, with her face less than ten centimeters away from his, she asked, "Who sent you here? Was it Shiroyasha...?"

Though he wouldn't be able to deny Shiroyasha's involvement, Vahn shook his head, answering, "I came here of my own volition. I'm aiming to occupy a 4-Digit Gate in the near future so I'm making deals with a few existing powers to ensure things progress smoothly. If you think I came here at the behest of someone else, you're mistaken. I also had no idea our paths would intersect. In fact, prior to the banquet, I didn't even know you were a woman..."

Sensing no falsehoods in Vahn's words, Wu's tensions gradually relaxed as she liberated her foot from his grasp and said, "I see...though I find it hard to believe you were unaware of something as basic as my gender, I can't really blame you. The Demon King of Confusion has been spreading all kinds of misinformation about me in an effort to influence my Origin..."

Recalling her self-proclaimed nemesis, an exasperated sigh escaped from Wu's throat as she stared up at the ceiling for several seconds. Then, just as Vahn was about to ask if everything was okay, she elected to answer his previous question, revealing, "My dream died more than three-hundred-years ago. Now, the only thing I'm looking forward to is teaching a certain three-headed albino bastard a lesson..."

Undertanding exactly who Wu was referred to when she said 'three-headed albino bastard', Vahn's expression softened into an apologetic smile. He could be jumping to conclusions, but, with what he knew of the Seven Sages and their bond, he imagined Wu had been devasted when nearly half the group was wiped out. Wu was a prideful person who cared deeply about her subordiantes so she had likely taken it personally when the Demon God and his forces killed her friends...

Feeling the deep-seeded resentment Wu had towards the Demon God, Vahn pulled the befuddled monkey girl onto his lap. Then, before she could protest or misinterpret his intentions, he wrapped his arms around her body, his tone as sincere as possible as he whispered, "Shhhhh...it's going to be okay..."

Furrowing her brows, Wu was tempted to escape from Vahn's grasp, smack him on the head, and remind him she wasn't some child that needed coddling. Instead, her body tensed as he hugged her head to his chest and added, "Your hair smells nice..."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: '(O w O): Oh my...','Poor Shen xD...','Bruh...')

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