[1745] – Y07.245 – Training Out Hearts V

Adam loomed over the girl.

The girl tilted her head back, causing her hair to shift over her shoulders.

“Did you think I would forget?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Adam held the girl’s gaze long and hard.

“Do you know what I have brought you?”

“A gift?”

“Okay, little miss smartypants, obviously I’ve brought you a gift on your birthday, but do you know the kind of gift?” Adam asked, his brows raised, and he held out his hands, threatening to pick up the girl.

“Um…” Inakan replied. “A gift to make me stronger?”

Adam’s mouth formed a tiny circle, causing Inakan to giggle. “How did you know?”

“I know because I am a genius, cousin Adam, I am a genius!” the girl declared, almost cackling. She bowed her head lightly once Adam lifted her up, planting a firm kiss on her forehead.

“Oh my gosh! You must be Jirot’s sister then, since you are so smart?”

“No! I am not! I am her aunt! You silly cousin Adam!” Inakan cackled with such delight, and as Adam leaned in to brush his cheek against hers, swaying from side to side gently, he let her down, and allowed Vonda to bring the gift. “Gauntlets?”

“Gauntlets,” Adam said, as he allowed the girl to adorn them.

They were formed of steel that looked almost silver, the bronze trim around the finger tips and the backplate broke the silver, and as she put them on, she gasped, feeling the tingle of magic.

“What do they do, cousin Adam?”

“They make you a little stronger.”

“Just a little bit?” Inakan frowned.

“I think you’ll be very happy once you meditate with them.”

“Cousin Adam, I am too young to meditate with magical items.”

Adam blinked. “Oh. Uh. I guess you’ll have to wait then, but, they are yours, and in the future, when you are big, they might make you even bigger?”

“Thank you cousin Adam, cousin Vonda,” Inakan said, hugging each of them, with so much strength one might assume the gauntlets were already working. The girl smiled, revealing the gauntlets to her father, who smiled too, and brushed her hair.

“When Amokan comes back, put them on and beat him up, okay?” Adam said.

“I cannot beat up my brother, he is too strong!”

“Oh yeah? We’ll see who is stronger! Our Inakan, who is working so hard, or Amokan, who is having fun outside!”

Inakan accepted the rest of her gifts, and then went to meet with the business members, revealing her gifts to them.

Shikan let out a soft sigh, for, as with the glasses, it was his nephew, once more, who assisted them so greatly. ‘My debt is even greater now.’

It was not just her birthday that week.

The chonky girls, cousins, yet born on the same day, flushed under their cousin’s attention, who couldn’t help but kiss their faces all over.

“No! No! The Iyr cannot do this to me! No!” Adam almost wailed, picking up Maygak and Faygak, pretending as though they were too heavy for him. “I can barely lift you up now that you’re both… you’re both… I cannot say it, I cannot!”

It was at this time a girl would speak up to bully her father.

He opened an eye, to see how his daughter’s eyes were closed.

“…”

“Kakos are so big now, daddy…” Jirot said, though her heart was not in it, for it was Maygak and Faygak who turned five years old before their cousins, the first to do so, and she looked up to her father, with the understanding they would begin schooling. Indeed, she recalled how she had begun schooling early, so spent less time with her father and mother, and though they had lightly begun it for the girls, it would begin in earnest now. She could not say it, for the sake of her heart, for the sake of her father’s heart, for the sake of her aunts’ hearts.

“You are so big now…” Raygak said, picking up Maygak, staring into her eyes. She had just turned three by the time he had left, too young to remember him well, and yet she ate from his fingers well enough. He hugged the girl, brushing along her hair, planting a gentle kiss upon her cheek, and even though the Elder was here, he would not surrender his sister to the woman.

‘Should I take a day off from my role so I can beat him?’ Jaygak thought.

“Faygak, big,” Taygak said, picking up her youngest sister, staring into her eyes. The girl flushed, hiding within her sister’s shoulder. Taygak’s heart grew heavy. “School, soon.”

Faygak pulled back, the betrayal in her eyes evident.

Laygak closed his eyes, trying to resist the urge to laugh.

“You will enjoy school, Faygak,” Saygak said.

Faygak turned to her older brother, and then looked to Kavgak, and the girl’s face contorted, making to cry.

“Stop bullying my Faygak!” Adam exclaimed, taking the girl from her sister, all the while the large toddler shook, though within her cousin’s arms, she did not sob, though the tears trekked down her cheeks. ‘Sorry, Faygak, but…’

Adam handed out the daggers, and then when it was Mokan’s birthday, and Dagek’s birthdays, he gifted them each their daggers too, as they turned five, along with the rest of the children who turned five, and for those who turned six, even though they betrayed him, he gifted them weapons appropriate to their family.

Tanagek held little Dagek within his arms, feeding him from his fingers, feeling how big the boy had become. He had met the boy when he was three, and now he was five.

“You look so much like Tonogek,” Tanagek said, brushing the boy’s hair behind his hear. He turned towards Danagek. “You must watch over him well, okay?”

“Okay!” Danagek assured, for he was a responsible elder brother.

‘I should go visit his grave…’ Tanagek thought, though forced it away, for it was his youngest borther’s birthday. He, obviously, handed the boy a sword he had bought from the swordsmith.

“Rowajin,” Adam said the next day. “I can maybe forgive Alykan, I can maybe forgive Minool, since she can outrun my annoyance, and for Jazool, she who watched over my Larot well, I can forgive, but you…”

“Kaka!” Rowajin called, pointing to Adam, all the while looking to her eldest sister.

“You must call me sister now.”

Rowajin gasped, waddling over to Adam, clutching his trousers tight in hand. “No!”

“Rowajin, you must.”

“Rowajin cannot! Rowajin cannot!”

“You must, for even Mijin does so.”

Rowajin turned to her elder sibling, Mijin, who blinked. Rowajin’s made face contorted, making to cry, and Alykan gasped, rushing over to Rowajin, hugging her tight. She turned, glaring towards Uwajin.

“Kaza Uwajin! You are so mean!”

“You must call me cousin Uwajin,” Uwajin replied.

Alykan gasped, and turned to Adam, her lower lip quivering.

“Stop bullying my darling cousins!” Adam exclaimed, picking the two sobbing girls, hugging them tight.

As the ninth month arrived, Gurot and Tinajin hugged their cousin Adam, who they once called kaza, as Nirot betrayed her youngest brother, and thankfully, Timojin was not around to betray Tinajin, but Uwajin had, now called cousin Uwajin for Tinajin too.

Maool, Minakan, Mijin, and Majin all enjoyed their birthdays, for they turned six, and had gone through the betrayal previously.

Jitool, too, had gone through it all.

Kavgak, Tavgak, Gurot, and Danagek all enjoyed the attention of their birthday, but on that day, a particular girl also turned three.

“Enough, Ranya, enough!”

“Nuff!” Ranya replied, holding up her fists.

“What? You think you can bully me? I expected it from everyone else, but from you?” Adam sniffled.

“Bully!” Ranya confirmed.

“Ranya…” Adam lifted the girl up, hugging her tight, while Enisa cried, wanting to hug her sister, who was adorned all in red, with golden trim, and her hair was braided, and a gold pin kept her braids in a little bun. “Did daddy give you a nice gift?”

Ranya shook her head, and then pointed at her father accusatory, as the golden bangles jangled, those which her father had procured for her third birthday. She held out her hands, shrugging her shoulders. “No! Daddy not spoil Ranya!”

“Ah,” Adam said, doing his best not to break, even as Jirot hid her face within the side of his knee to stop herself from laughing, because Dunes had gifted them only a minute ago. “Silly daddy.”

“Silly daddy,” Ranya confirmed.

“Why is it always our daughters who bully us so deeply?” Dunes asked.

“Bully?” Amira asked, reaching over to her daughter’s nose, poking it lightly. “Ranya does not bully me.”

Ranya smiled, hiding within her ahm’s neck.

Dunes looked down to Jirot.

Jirot side eyed her ahm. “What are you saying, ahm?”

“I am saying you bully your father so much.”

“No, no. A daughter does not bully too much, a daughter does not bully too little, a daughter bullies precisely as much as she means to.”

Adam’s tears slipped down his face.

PATREON FOR 30+ CHAPTERS!

How can they do this to me?