Mia sat down at the table with her face still flushed red with what Kate called ZH that early morning. "Mila, you don't have a fever do you?" Sara felt Mila's forehead not feeling any hot temperature. Mila grew redder to think back when ZH also felt her head that morning to check up on her.
"I-I-I'm fine." Mila ate her food while Kate was eating with the rest of the beasts nearby.
[Mama! This is really good food!] Kate said, happily eating her food around near the other four beasts who she referred to as her elders with Mila watched them all in awe.
[H-H-How long will we let this go on for?] Cotton asked the group of beasts around her who were just as concerned and worried about Kate's young mindset.
[Until she is old enough to understand the difference between humans and beasts. Along with knowing between master and companions in the future. Just not now.] Skye sadly said since they couldn't say 'no' to such an innocent baby beast at this stage of their life.
Mila couldn't say anything and she didn't want to make Kate cry since she was still a baby beast. Yet, they know that they are spoiling much more than they shouldn't be. 'I have a bad feeling about this.' Mila thought, feeling very worried about the future but Kate got too confident with herself.
***
Somewhere in the Asiradda Palace...
"Okay, so what's the plan this year?" Emmett asked, knowing that they were going to do a surprise birthday for Mila. They had all gone to the kitchen of Asiradda palace with all of the ingredients that they bought all together.
"Well, I'm going to be making the cake while you all have to think of something." Sara was always the one making the cake since none of them knew how to even make it to begin with.
"What's going on?" Kayla had walked in on the four of them with ZH also curious about the entire stir up in Kayla's home.
"Don't be too loud!" Thelma shushed them a gesture, getting the two to come over to the rest of the group.
"It'll be our lady's birthday tomorrow so we are going to surprise her. She will be turning twelve this year and so we always try to make the best of it for her." Tim told Kayla and ZH who now understood why they were being so secretive. "Wanna join us?"
Kayla and ZH smiled since they didn't think doing a surprise party would be fun. They had never really done one before and so it was a new experience for them.
***
Mila was out in the Asiradda palace garden, she laid down on the grass with Cotton, Net, and Kate laying down around her. Cotton and Kate rolled around on the grass, enjoying the cool temperature that it gave off. Net just watched the two beasts roll around in front of him while he sunbathed under the sun's light. Vivian and Skye were looking around and messing with one another using their elements since it wasn't dangerous for them. Taking a deep breath, Mila released it feeling her hair still covering her left side of the face with her mask on to hide her.
'How is it possible that I can still have my memories after my reincarnation?' Mila was stuck with questions that continued to linger in her head since Kate didn't have her memories after being reborn into another younger body of hers. 'What just happened? Am I supposed to have my old memories for a reason?' Holding her head, she recalled all the bad events from her last life once more which could never be forgotten no matter how hard she tried to forget it.
[Mama, are you feeling okay?] Hearing Kate worried for her, Mila smiled petting her small fox head that popped out from the side of her view.
"I'm okay. Just thinking about old stuff." Mila sighed, looking up to the clear sky that showed no sign of the day turning dark anytime soon.
"Mila?" ZH appeared in her view after which caught her by surprise to see him appear all of a sudden before her.
"ZH?!" Mila got up immediately, unexpectedly hitting both of their foreheads together. "Owww!!!!" Mila rubbed her forehead sniffling and wanting to avoid the tears from coming out of her eyes. "W-Why are you here?" Forcing her raspy voice back down, she did not want to look like her tears were coming out soon.
ZH was rubbing his forehead, feeling it sting just as much as Mila's, looking to see how Mila had a very strong head. "I came here to get you. This is what I get in return." He grunted trying to ease the pain that was on his forehead.
[Mama and Papa got hurt!] Kate rushed over to both of them, forming small ice cubes which landed in both Mila and ZH's hands. [Put it on your head and it will get better! The lady Kayla said coldness helps with certain injuries!] Kate at that moment just made Mila think of herself when she was much younger.
ZH on the other hand couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed that it was Kayla teaching Kate. 'What is that woman trying to get out of this? Teaching me and Mila's daughter these things' ZH did not know what Kayla was thinking, trying to teach Kate such little things that did not need to be taught to her.
"Thank you." Mila kissed Kate's head, seeing how she wanted to help them in some kind of way.
[Mama! Why don't you kiss papa's head?! You know where it got hit!] Kate shouted out with everyone around hearing it loud and clear.
Mila just kept staring at the little fox that wanted to push her and ZH together for some unknown reason. "Kate, I don't think..."
"I can see she wants a precious memory to happen here between us." ZH placed a small peck on Mila's head. "Did she maybe want that?" ZH smirked to see how red Mila was turning at that moment.
"Idiot!" Mila rushed off ahead first unsure of how he could see what Kate was talking about or understand what she meant.
"Wait! Wait! Wear this!" ZH had a blindfold which he tied around Mila's eyes when she had no idea why he went ahead and did it himself. Mila didn't know what he was planning this time. "Don't worry. I won't do anything." ZH was not the type of fellow who would take advantage of her. Leading her around to the location that he was supposed to, he held tightly onto her hand with her beasts all following after her from behind.
"Where are we going?" Mila was still following ZH or rather she was being led by him from the very start. They then stopped once they were in some kind of room that Mila had not too clue about.
"You can take off your blindfold now," ZH said, which Mila did exactly just that.
"Happy birthday!"
Mila saw everyone all there with a cake at the center on the table set for her. She couldn't help but feel tears start streaming down from her face, seeing how they were all surprising her every moment in her life. "You all..." Mila started wiping her eyes, seeing how they were all making her cry every time with nothing but new memories for her to keep forever.
"You're now twelve years old! Make sure to make the most out of your young years while you are still young!" Sara hugged Mila who needed comfort at the moment. Mila only ever had Sara who was like a mother figure to her in her two lives. Thelma had then done the same hugging Mila after since she was like an older sister to her.
"You will soon be at a marriageable age that can settle down," Tim said, making Emmett smack him harshly on the head. "Hey! What were they about?!" Tim rubbed his aching head that could easily be taken care of by himself.
"Marriage is not in the picture yet for our young lady. She still has a long way to go." Emmett looked to Tim who would have been killed instead if Duke Reynard ever heard what he said. 'He is lucky that the duke is not here. His life has already gone at this moment.' Emmett worried about Tim when they went back to Mila's home in the Mireraweth Kingdom since it was not exactly the best kingdom to settle down at.
Mila went ahead blowing out the candles and smiled celebrating her birthday with old and new friends all around her from left to right. "It's almost the end of our journey. We just have to get back home now." Mila said to them all and knew that it was about time that they returned to their lives in the Mireraweth Kingdom.
"We are all ready to go when you are. We will always be happy wherever you go. Serving our young lady will always be our duty no matter where you are." Sara always knew what to tell Mila which made her happy to know how well Sara knew her.
The party had ended with Mila looking out to her room balcony which was surely a habit of hers now. Feeling the wind, she saw all of her beasts sleeping soundly with Kate waiting patiently on her bed until it was time to sleep.
"You can't sleep." ZH hopped down onto her balcony and smiled looking down at her. "You should be sleeping since you have a long trip back home from here." ZH worried about her whenever she went on her travels since he couldn't exactly be by her side since she would either be gone already or he had something important to handle.
"It will be a long trip back, but I don't know how my father and Leo will react when they see me after three years. I don't know if they missed me at all." Mila held her hands looking down to the town with glowing lights all around below for people to use and travel back home safely.
"You had your reasons back then. It does not give them any reason to be mad when your life was even on the line during that time." ZH didn't want to think about Mila being harmed or rather her life being drained away if she hadn't left to search for her beasts. The time that she had coughed and vomited blood had him shake in fear of losing Mila during those moments. "Don't get hurt anymore." He petted her head, then kissed the top of her head once again. "Happy birthday." He smiled, seeing the same purple pearl hairpin that he had given to her years back still in her hair.
"Thank you." Mila never once gave ZH much of a gift even though he refused to give her the exact date of his birth. "Hey, close your eyes," Mila told ZH who looked at her weirdly unsure of her motive.
"What are you planning?" ZH crossed his arms unsure of what she was thinking to make him close his eyes.
"Just do it," Mila said, waiting for him to hurry up and do what she told him to do. ZH just simply closed his eyes, waiting for her to do whatever she wanted. "I don't trust it because your mask doesn't show your eyes." Mila instead tiptoed and covered his eyes instead of with her small hands that had grown just a bit over the two to three years.
"Hey?!" ZH was more confused by her gesture since he saw nothing but complete darkness now. He then felt soft lips kiss his cheek which had his ears turning red since he knew what just happened. He froze looking down at the little woman who just pecked his cheek.
***
A/N: A lot has been going on right now in my life. One of my elderly relatives requires a 24-hour care so me and my family are stuck with waking up every hour or so to take care of her with pilling college assignments. I will still try to update till then. Happy reading!
