The castle in Hell, now Kikidori's domain as Prince of Hell, was surprisingly calm for a place surrounded by fire and brimstone. Yumi was sprawled out on the couch in the massive living room, scrolling through her phone with Cerberus curled up in her lap. Her eyeliner was sharp, her black lipstick flawless, and her nails painted a deep crimson to match her overall goth vibe.
Kikidori walked in with a mug of coffee, wearing his usual casual but intimidating look—a ripped shirt, dark pants, and his ever-present sense of annoyance. Ere'ana followed behind him, graceful as always, a soft glow around her from her angelic nature, which seemed hilariously out of place in the hellish decor of their home.
Yumi sighed, her fingers tapping against her phone as her dad plopped down in the chair across from her.
"Hey, kid," Kikidori said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Shut the fuck up, Dad," Yumi muttered, not even looking up from her phone.
Ere'ana gasped softly from the other side of the room, her angelic sensibilities clearly not used to Yumi's casual cursing, even after years of it. She clutched the book she was reading a little tighter, trying not to interfere.
Kikidori raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Shut up, you lesbian shitter," he shot back without missing a beat.
Yumi froze, her thumb hovering over her phone. Her cheeks flushed a deep red, and her head snapped up to glare at her father. "Excuse me, *what?*"
Kikidori leaned back in his chair, the smug look on his face growing. "You heard me. Don't act so surprised. I'm your dad. I know everything."
"How the fuck do you know I'm a lesbian?" Yumi demanded, her voice cracking slightly from the sheer embarrassment. Cerberus lifted his head from her lap, ears perking up at the sudden shift in energy.
Kikidori shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. "It's obvious. You get all weird and flustered around that Elnora girl. Plus, you've got more posters of goth girls in your room than anyone else I've ever met."
Yumi groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You're such an asshole, Dad."
Kikidori chuckled. "And you're a bitch. So I guess we're even."
"Be quiet, Dad, you bitch!" Yumi snapped back, her face still red as she tried to regain some semblance of composure.
Cerberus barked softly, almost as if he was laughing at the ridiculous exchange.
Ere'ana, who had been silently observing the entire conversation from her chair by the fireplace, closed her book with a sigh. "Is this… normal for you two?" she asked hesitantly, her gaze shifting between her husband and her daughter.
"Completely," Kikidori said, grinning.
"Unfortunately," Yumi added, rolling her eyes.
Ere'ana shook her head, clearly at a loss for words. "I'll never understand how you two communicate like that. It's… chaotic, to say the least."
Yumi smirked, leaning back on the couch. "It's called *bonding,* Mom. You should try it sometime."
Kikidori nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Ere'ana, maybe if you called her a little shit once in a while, she'd respect you more."
"Dad!" Yumi shouted, half-laughing, half-horrified.
Ere'ana gave them both a stern look, her angelic demeanor slipping just a little. "I think I'll stick to being the *reasonable* parent, thank you very much."
"Boring," Kikidori muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Ere'ana.
Yumi couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. As weird as their family dynamic was, she wouldn't trade it for anything.
After a moment, the laughter died down, and the room settled into a comfortable silence. Kikidori went back to sipping his coffee, Ere'ana returned to her book, and Yumi resumed scrolling through her phone, Cerberus still curled up on her lap.
And though it was far from a typical family dynamic, in their own chaotic way, it worked.
The End of Chapter 14