Episode 40.5: "Fluttering Hearts"

In the dimly lit downstairs living room, shadows danced along the walls, cast by the soft glow of antique lamps scattered among towering bookshelves. The air was heavy with the scent of aged paper and leather-bound tomes, and lavender oils burning in a small dish on the table by the couch. In the center of the room Shiva sat alone, her figure illuminated by the gentle flicker of a fireplace crackling nearby.

Shiva’s hand was on her stomach...feeling her baby wriggle around as it continued to grow...she was showing more and more each day. Her eyes were usually filled with curiosity, were now clouded with worry of what was about to take place. Her free traced the intricate patterns of the embroidered armchair she occupied, an attempt to ground herself in the present moment. Yet, her thoughts instantly went to what was about to be…to meet her children from the otherworldly timelines now trapped in this world.

Her heart fluttered with a mixture of anticipation and fear. Would they accept her as their mother, despite the complexities of their shared history? Shiva took a deep breath, attempting to calm the butterflies that danced in her stomach along with the baby pushing inside of it. The echoes of distant laughter and the pitter-patter of tiny feet reverberated in her memory, a poignant reminder of the bond she shared with her children across the vast expanse of time and space.




Tuya walked down the stairs with two glasses in her hand; one was steaming slightly and filled with a lightly colored liquid, the other tea that she opted to hand over to Shiva. Shiva took a sip of tea while keeping her other hand on her stomach.

"I can't believe this is happening...I tried to remember some of the things future Scarlet said and Zena helped me set up rooms for them. Tuya my love, this is so overwhelming...what if they are scared to be here,” Shiva said nervously.

"They likely are going to be. But not for the reasons you're thinking. They were being held captive by Haruka of all people. Ripped from their times. But seeing you is going to make them happier; I promise you. You may not be the one from their times, but you ARE their mother.” Tuya reassured Shiva.

Shiva placed her hand on the cup before placing in on the table in front of them.

"Just a few months ago...I found out you and I would be having a child of our own and now we are getting two more added to the mix…Is this too much for you,” Shivas asked.

"Like I've told you before, I've handled the sheep no problem for my tribe. Plus, it's not uncommon for my tribe to take people in…I'll be fine. I'm more worried if they'll even like me."

The two sat for a while talking about the things they learned as of late…that there were even more children here. Back at Fairytail…Yue took Jai back for Leric to take care of but a child of his and Yukio’s was now in this world as well. She was a teenager and looked very much like the two of them. As much as Shiva wanted to have all of The Legacy meet the kids at once, she opted to bring them to her home before they traveled back to the guild and were overwhelmed with everything that normally went on there.

As the two sat together Aymeric began to call their linkpearls leaving Shiva’s heart to race more.

"We're almost here," Aymeric said, "We're just about to cross over the hill to the front yard."

Tuya understood Shiva’s nerves and helped her off her feet, "You ready to go meet your children?"

"Yes,” Shiva said taking a deep breath, “...yes let's go meet them."


As they stepped outside, Tuya moved from her spot behind Shiva to in front of her. Coud Shiva still move about rather easily on her own? Yes. Was Tuya paranoid? Very. She wasn’t leaving anything to chance so she did her best to support her fiancé. With each step Shiva took a breath...the weight of this baby inside of her was a lot...but not before long they made their way outside. As Shiva looked towards the hill, Tuya could see two small children following Aymeric. Their eyes darting around as they made their way through the area Tuya could see the sudden smile on their faces as they started to head to Shiva.

"Mother," Shizuka shouted, “It really is you!"

Tuya smiled as she stepped to the side to let the two kids go straight to Shiva.

"Before you two hug her, something you should know. She's pregnant right now, so try to be gentle with her, okay,” Tuya said pointing out the baby in Shiva’s stomach.

As they approached their mother, their steps hesitant yet eager, they couldn't help but notice the subtle changes, like the gentle swell of her abdomen, a testament to the new life within her. They looked up at Shiva who looked at them with a gentle smile, the bond between them already growing stronger. The two children ran happily to their mother to embrace her.

Almost instantly Shizuka's smile lit up as she nodded to Tuya.


"Mother has a sibling for us," She said surprised, "Truly this world is much more exciting than my old home."

Shizuka and Haru gently hugged Shiva as she did them.

"I know you don't know us all that well...but we are excited to be here with you," Shizuka smiled to everyone.

"Mom...it is good to see you again," Haru said as he stayed closer but more observant for the moment.

Aymeric looked on as he leaned against the light pole in Shiva’s front yard. His eyes watched Shizuka carefully as she spoke excitedly to her mother. Tuya could sense that he was taking this all in just as much as they were. Aymeric locked eyes with Tuya and spoke nervously.

"They are remarkable kids...but this too is a lot for even I to take in...I cannot deny that she is my daughter...she looks like me and Shiva,” Aymeric admitted to Tuya.


Tuya chuckles a bit as she ruffles the hair of both of the kids. "Don't worry, we're not going to have you pay for her upbringing or anything like that. However, It might be best if you don't get too far away. She's half El...el... knife ear. She'll need guidance that Shiva and I can't give her,” Tuya said to Aymeric.

"It may be a lot for me to take in but, I plan on being there for her as much as I can...I want her to have a better upbringing than I did,” Aymeric spoke sternly.

Shiva suggested to Tuya that they go inside and have a nice time together. As Aymeric hesitated for a moment, Shiva reached out to him welcoming him to her home. Aymeric looked to Tuya to see if it was okay and not being too invasive of their space but, Tuya also welcomed Aymeric kindly. As he made his way into the house he could already see that Shizuka and Haru were exploring the main hall of the house.
While Shizuka looked at some of the crystals that Shiva had around and an area of herbal plants Haru seemed to be a bit cautious. Aymeric explained that during his ride here…Haru spoke about his life on an island with his father where they would travel sometimes or how he often lived in Snowcloak. Tuya could see in his eyes that he was not used to such “fancy living” Tuya decided to break the ice and talk to him.

"Haru, don't worry. I can teach you a lot about your culture. ...Or at least the culture of what you look like. Language is a big one, and I plan to teach your siblings after they are born. But given how most boys your age are, I think you're going to love Bokh,” Tuya smiled.

"It is cool here...the island I grew up on was never this cool...this world is really...cool...and rains often,” Haru began, “Learning about my culture should be good.

As Tuya talked to Haru, Shizuka found herself fascinated with Tuya as she followed Tuya into the kitchen, "My Mother and you were best friends...in this time you are…what exactly?”

“About that... You know this is a different world, so this will be easier to explain. In this world, I'm what your father is to your mother in your world,” Tuya tried to explain.

"How exciting! My mother in my world has two friends that are women...but time travel has made my memory a bit foggy I admit,” Shizuka said trying to remember.


Shizuka watched Tuya work in the kitchen as she already had a large thing of tsuivan ready to go and some hot milk tea. Tuya grabbed a series of bowls and things to prepare for the nice meal she was about to share with the others. As Tuya made her way into the room with all of the food, Haru's eyes lit up at the sight of everything before him. Shiva helped Tuya serve the food to the children and Aymeric as everyone thanked Tuya for the delicious meal they were about to consume.

"Tuya is cooking still your passion," Shizuka asked as she waited for her food to cool, "Mother always spoke of your cooking."

"Something like that. My mother taught me how to cook, and I studied under the head cook for a group I used to stay with. For everyone but Shiva, it's simply fair. Tsuivan with seasoned meat. Let me know if it's too spicy. My people eat this as much as we can, and we also love spicy foods. But then, that's what the milk tea is for. Shiva on the other hand gets fried rice with no meat."

Tuya observed the two kids tasting her creation for the first time, her eyes sparkled with anticipation. With every bite they took, Tuya's smile widened, her passion for cooking igniting their taste buds and kindling a love for the spices she put into the meal.

"If there's anything you two want to eat, just let me or one of the other women know. ...Except Anthi. For your sake, do NOT let her cook. We'll try our best to make food that you like. Speaking of things you like... Haru…Aymeric told me that you used to hunt with your father. But what about you, Shizuka? What did you do with your father that you enjoyed?"

"Father and I often travel with Mother...We have traveled the world wherever Father had an Alliance Meeting...We often traveled to Kugane because a lot of trade meetings happen there. Mother and I would go to the springs to relax while Father was busy...we once saw this giant tower in the Ruby Seas! Have you been there before,” Shizuka smiled.

Tuya nodded and reminisced about their travels to Kugane. Both Shizuka and Haru’s eyes dance with excitement, about the tales of the bustling markets and towering pagodas within the walls of the city. With each word, they paint a vivid picture of a world waiting to be explored, inspiring the children to dream of their adventures beyond the horizon someday.

As Shizuka took a drink from her cup she looked to the adults in the room with a simple question, “...do you plan to save Mr. Envy?"

“I can't make any promises. We try to save every one of the Sins. In Envy's case, Scarlet from the future told us that it would be great to save him for Anthi's sake. So... I'll just say this. We'll try our best to save him,” Tuya explained.


"He protected us. Whenever Haruka tried to hurt us...Envy would take the beatings and she would inject him with that Venom and disappear. It hurts him,” Haru explained.

Haru went back to eating as Shizuka looked a little more nervous as she spoke, "There were times that she would hurt Envy...to...scare us...She is not a nice lady...she is mad...she often talks to herself...sometimes she even argues with herself which doesn't make sense."

Almost instantly Tuya could feel Saint's anger let alone the look on Aymeric's face knowing that their children were endangered by this woman. The kids ate their meals peacefully while Tuya could sense the sudden tension between Aymeric and Shiva…their eyes speaking a million words on how they wanted to end Haruka.

Tuya reached out and squeezed Shiva's hand to try and calm her down, "Well you don't have to worry about her anymore. We'll take care of her. For now, though, you two have been through a lot. You two should focus on resting. Because tomorrow, you meet the other kids. And word of advice, don't listen to Scarlet."

All the adults agreed and thought that the kids needed to go upstairs and get washed up and ready for bed. As Shiva brought the children upstairs Aymeric insisted on helping Tuya get the dishes cleaned and put away. As soon as both of them were done they walked out of the kitchen, leaving Aymeric with a moment with Tuya.

"I actually would like to talk with you downstairs if that’s alright,” Aymeric asked.

Tuya agreed and guided Aymeric downstairs as the two sat on the couches near the fireplace.

"This may be new to me but, I want you to know I am going to be here as often as I can for my daughter...on our way here I could sense her bond with me. I don't want to let her down, my father was not the best in my eyes, and I want to give her the world. I am sure Shiva would not mind me coming here from time to time, but I wanted to make sure if it was alright with you that I visit here often to also help raise her,” Aymeric explained.


"Just make sure to keep it in your pants. Shiva may be Shizuka's mother and you her father, but here Shiva is my fiancé… I won't hold anything against Shizuka or Haru. They may not be my kids, but I plan to treat them as they are so long as they let me. So I guess in this situation, I'm closer to a step-mom for those two,” Tuya replied.

"Although in the past Saint and I have had our relations...I do not intend to interfere with what you and Shiva have...she is madly in love with you,” Aymeric reassured.

As The two could hear many sounds of two children beginning to come down the stairs Aymeric decided to add one more thing.

"That goes for the unborn child as well...whatever you and Shiva need...I will be here to help with Shizuka and Haru as Leviathan is currently unaware of what may be...That is a concern we can address at a later date, seeing that the room is about to be filled with children.

“I don't know why, but I get the feeling Leviathan will be rather...hands-off. So as long as we don't hurt Haru, he won't pose much of a problem,” Tuya whispered back.

As soon as Haru and Shizuka came down the stairs, Shiva opened the door to their bedrooms and both could not believe how cool the space was…Each of them had their own space with different activities that they were aware of from future Scarlet’s visit. The children looked excited to sleep here and although they were given the option to be with their mother they wanted their rooms. Haru seemed a bit sleepier and wanted to head to bed right away whereas Shizuka was worried about Aymeric leaving. Shiva and Tuya suggested that she could get clothes from the guest room, and he could use the guest bathroom and stay with Shizuka for the evening.

“Mama, you look tired too you should get some rest,” Shizuka smiled.

“I will,” Shiva smiled at Shizuka before looking at Aymeric, “Do you need anything from us Lord Commander?”

Aymeric shook his head no, “Thank you for the hospitality, Lady Lunaria…please get some rest I will make sure she’s tucked in.”

Shiva and Tuya agreed as they headed upstairs and turned down the lights in the home. Shiva looked to Tuya as they both got ready to lay down. Shiva took off her night jacket as she gently kissed Tuya's lips.

"Thank you for everything today...you helped make them feel welcome and helped me feel a little more like a mother with them,” Shiva smiled.


"Pretty soon, you'll be doing a lot better than me. They're going to naturally gravitate towards you. And you'll come into your own. I saw some of it tonight already,” Tuya said kissing her back.

"I know it will be hard, but I can't wait to meet our child...in just a few months they will be here to meet us,” Shiva smiled placing her hand on her waist, “For now we sleep.”

Tuya kissed Shiva once more as she held her close, "Sweet dreams, my love."

As Shiva and Tuya crawled into bed downstairs Aymeric opened the room to his daughter’s room to make sure she was ready for bed. In the cozy haven of Shizuka's bedroom, she could see Aymeric checking in on her as her heart filled with delight.

"PAPA!"

Shizuka squealed with delight, her face lighting up like a firefly in the dusk. With her arms outstretched, Shizuka rushed to him, her little heart beating like a drum of joy. Her dad’s-tired eyes sparkle at the sight of his precious daughter, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten in the radiance of her love.

“Papa, can you stay and sleep here," Shizuka asked.

“Of course, my little princess,” Aymeric smiled kissing her forehead.

Aymeric’s heart swelled with tenderness as he looked down at her, his fatigue melting away at the sight of her genuine affection. With a soft smile, Aymeric placed her on the bed as her covers rustled as she gently closed her eyes. In that precious moment, Aymeric and Shizuka found solace in each other's presence, their bond as unbreakable as the stars that hung in the sky outside her bedroom window. As sleep claimed them both, they drifted into dreams filled with love and warmth, and their hearts entwined in the magic of a shared bedtime.