Sleep of the Night

"Ruiko?" Meruem called softly. For some reason, seeing Ruiko like this filled his heart with an inexplicable ache.

Sigh, little one, I owe you my life. My life is precious, so in return, I won't let you suffer the slightest grievance. Meruem did not know what kind of feeling this was. Sympathy? Heartache? Or something else? It was a feeling he had never experienced in his previous life.

This was different from killing. Meruem could kill without blinking, and he could casually watch his subordinates eat human brains—though he still found it disgusting. Meruem had never considered himself a good person. That was right; he was an evil man. He could kill others simply for his own preferences, for his own pleasure.

Yet at this moment, all he wanted was to protect Ruiko.

Pitou and Ruiko were the only two people in Meruem's life whom he wanted to protect.

Perhaps because Meruem's voice was too soft, Ruiko did not react. She merely continued to cry softly, curled up like a lonely kitten.

Meruem did not say another word. He quietly walked to Ruiko's side, opened his arms, and gently embraced her, feeling the trembling of her body and her warmth.

Faced with Meruem's sudden action, Ruiko struggled outward like a frightened little rabbit.

Only after seeing that it was Meruem did she stop struggling. She threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

"I thought... I thought you'd left! Sob. Just now, just now, I dreamed that everyone had left me, that I was alone again, living all by myself, and then dying all by myself. Then... then I woke up and found you gone. I thought you would leave after your injuries healed." Ruiko choked out her story. Meruem did not say a word, merely listened quietly, though his arms tightened around her.

"I should say I'm sorry. Actually... actually, I'm scared. I'm so scared that once you recover, you'll leave this place, and I'll be alone again. That's why I kept hoping your injuries wouldn't heal, so you could stay by my side longer. Am I selfish? Am I a terrible person? Maybe I should be alone. Maybe this is Heaven's punishment for me, punishment for someone who brings misfortune."

You fool. At the very least, I don't believe you bring misfortune. You're the benefactor who saved my life.

Holding Ruiko, he gently patted her back, not minding in the slightest that her tears soaked his clothes. He quietly waited for her to vent her emotions. People in the Naruto World matured early, especially children who were ninjas.

But in the end, Ruiko was still a child. Every relative she had in the world had already left her. All she had left was a clan that did not care much about her, simply because she had not awakened her Sharingan and had no talent. She had worked hard, struggled, and ultimately given up. For a nine-year-old girl, all of this was indeed too heavy.

Although such things happened every moment in the Naruto World, those people had nothing to do with Meruem.

Until Meruem appeared. Though she had only spent a few short days with him, for some unknown reason, Ruiko felt happy whenever she was with Meruem. She felt that she was no longer alone.

Feelings were complicated things. No one could explain them clearly, and no one could truly understand them.

But as long as one was happy, that was enough, wasn't it?

"Ruiko." Meruem leaned close to her ear and gently rested his head on her small shoulder. Breathing in the scent she gave off, a scent he liked very much, he spoke his first words since returning.

"Mm?" Ruiko answered with teary eyes and a flushed face.

"I won't leave you unless you leave me." Meruem's voice was firm and powerful.

"No, I like Meru! I want to be with Meru! Forever!" Ruiko's answer was just as firm and earnest.

You're still young. Who knows what will happen in the future?

Hearing Ruiko's words, Meruem was somewhat dismissive. People always changed, especially as time passed. Once she grew up, she might not agree with the things she said now.

Ruiko's shining eyes seemed to know what Meruem was thinking, so she made a move that even she had never expected.

She fiercely pressed her lips against Meruem's.

Meruem had not expected Ruiko to do something like that either, and for a moment, he was stunned.

Ruiko's kiss was very inexperienced, after all, it was her first kiss. Normally, a little girl's shy first kiss would end quickly, but Ruiko did not pull away. Her lips remained tightly pressed against Meruem's. Once he came to his senses, Meruem responded to her as well. This kiss feels nice!

After that, the two continued kissing deeply, only reluctantly separating after a long, long time.

"Come on, let's go to sleep. You still have classes at the Ninja Academy tomorrow. Otherwise, you'll doze off in class." Meruem looked at Ruiko's slightly swollen eyes with heartache.

"Mm." Ruiko's voice was so soft that if Meruem's five senses had not been exceptionally sharp, he might not have heard her.

Ruiko's cheeks were bright red, making her look exceptionally adorable. Meruem could not help gently kissing her forehead again.

"Let's go. Time to sleep." Meruem easily lifted Ruiko into his arms. Yes, it was the legendary princess carry. Ruiko's weight was practically nothing to Meruem.

"Tonight... we'll sleep together." Meruem said shamelessly. Rather than a negotiating tone, it was more like a statement. That was right, Meruem had always been domineering.

"Mm." Ruiko did not object. She merely buried her head in Meruem's chest.

I really like Meru's scent. I want things to stay like this for the rest of my life. With Meru, I'm no longer alone. I'm not lonely anymore. Mom, Dad, are you happy for me? Ruiko happily covered her chest, where the amulet around her neck rested.

If you leave me of your own accord, I'll kill you, and then kill the person who made you leave me.

Meruem was selfish. Letting go and walking away? Sorry, he did not understand that.

Blame yourself, then. Blame yourself for making this Demon King develop feelings. It is both your fortune and your misfortune.

But was that truly misfortune for Ruiko? No, it was Ruiko's greatest fortune.

In his previous life, Meruem had always liked the line Lelouch said to C.C. in "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion."

"If you are a witch, then all I need to do is become a Demon King."

Then if I am a Demon King, who will become a witch for me?

With that thought in mind, Meruem held Ruiko and fell asleep.

The next day

After the events of the previous night, Meruem and Ruiko's relationship quickly grew closer. Of course, they could not yet be called lovers, since Ruiko was still too young. Still, their relationship had become far more intimate.

At noon, waves of tearing sounds came from within a huge cocoon deep in the Forest of Death.

Finally, an entirely human arm reached out from within. At the same time, a smile curved Meruem's lips. The evolution was finally complete.

"I didn't expect the Golden Silkworm Gu's enhancement to have some effect on Chakra in the ninja world as well. This body's Chakra has increased by at least fivefold, and its physical qualities have improved greatly too. Even so, it's still far too weak. Forget it. It isn't my own body, after all. As a puppet, it will barely suffice." Meruem controlled Lin Mu as he crawled out from the enormous cocoon shell. Suzuki's body looked as though it had been cleansed. His skin had become smoother yet tougher, and his physical condition had improved significantly, though it was still far inferior to Meruem's expectations.

After all, Suzuki's aptitude could only be considered ordinary, and this body's potential had already been developed to its limit. In other words, no matter how it trained or cultivated, this body would never make any further progress for the rest of its life.

But Meruem only needed a puppet. Everything else was irrelevant.

Fortunately, because of the Golden Silkworm Gu, even though Suzuki's brain had been eaten, as long as Meruem controlled this body, Suzuki's memories naturally surfaced in Meruem's mind. That was quite convenient and would not arouse anyone's suspicions.

"The rest is secondary. The key is to see how far the Uchiha Clan's greatest cheat ability has evolved. Sharingan—open!"

A pair of eyes that looked as though they had conjunctivitis slowly opened, each bearing three tomoe of varying sizes.

"So this is the Sharingan? It's quite a fascinating thing. Its ability to perceive objects has improved greatly compared to before. In other words, sight, one of the five senses, has improved considerably. But even so, its observational ability is merely average. It's still not as powerful as my main body."

Meruem spoke while using the Sharingan to observe his surroundings, though what he said was indeed nonsense.

First, the Sharingan was not famous for its powers of observation.

Second, the Sharingan was powerful because of the secret techniques it could use in conjunction with the Uchiha Clan's bloodline. Once the Sharingan evolved into a Mangekyo, those secret techniques would become even more powerful.

Third, and most importantly, what level were Meruem's eyes? They were the pinnacle of physical perfection. To rival Meruem's eyes in observational ability, one would need Kaguya's eyes. Of course, that did not include all sorts of other messy abilities. They were only talking about observational ability, namely sight, one of the five senses.

Still, the Uchiha Clan's demonic eye abilities were truly powerful. Apart from vastly improving observation, they also possessed hypnosis, copying, secret techniques, and other abilities. Most importantly, these eyes could actually evolve.

They would ultimately evolve into the Rinne Sharingan possessed by Kaguya. --(?>ω<*?)------＠(￣-￣)＠

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