Night's Sleep

"Ruiko?" Meruem called softly. For some reason, seeing Ruiko like this filled him 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 even the slightest grievance. Meruem did not know what kind of feeling this was. Sympathy? Heartache? Or something else? It was something he had never experienced in his previous life.

This was different from killing. Meruem could kill without batting an eye, and he could casually watch his subordinates eat human brains—though he still found it disgusting. Meruem had never considered himself a good person. No, 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—the only two people in Meruem's life he wanted to protect.

Perhaps because Meruem's voice had been too soft, Ruiko showed no reaction and merely continued crying quietly, curled up like a lonely kitten.

Meruem said nothing more. He quietly walked over to Ruiko, opened his arms, and gently embraced her, feeling the tremors in her body and her warmth.

Startled by 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, I had a dream. I dreamed that everyone had left me, that I was alone again, living all by myself, and then dying all by myself. And then... then I woke up and found you gone. I thought that once you recovered from your injuries, you would leave." Ruiko sobbed as she spoke. Meruem did not say a word, merely listened in silence, though his arms tightened around her.

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

You fool. At 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 one of her relatives had already left her. All she had left was a clan that barely cared about her, simply because she had not awakened her Sharingan and had no talent. She had worked hard, struggled, and finally given up. For a nine-year-old girl, all of that was indeed too much.

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

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

Feelings were complicated things. No one could explain them clearly.

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—the scent he liked so much—he spoke his first words since returning.

"Mm?" Ruiko answered, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shimmering with tears.

"I won't leave you, unless you leave me." Meruem's words were firm and powerful.

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

You're still young. Who knows what the future holds?

Listening to Ruiko's words, Meruem did not take them too seriously. People always changed, especially as time passed. When she grew up, she might not agree with what she was saying now.

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

She pressed her lips fiercely 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 clumsy, 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 recovered, Meruem began responding to her as well. This kiss feels rather nice!

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

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

"Mm." Ruiko's voice was so soft that if Meruem's Five Senses had not been exceptionally sharp, he might not have heard it.

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

"Come on, time for bed." Meruem effortlessly lifted Ruiko into his arms—a 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 of a declaration. Meruem had always been a domineering person.

"Mm." Ruiko did not object, merely burying her face in Meruem's chest.

I really like Meru's scent. I want things to stay like this forever. With Meru, I'm no longer alone. I'm not lonely anymore. Mom, Dad, are you happy for me? Ruiko happily held her chest, where the charm hanging around her neck rested.

If you take the initiative to leave me, I'll kill you, and then kill whoever made you leave me.

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

If you must blame someone, blame yourself. Blame yourself for making this Demon King develop feelings. This is both your fortune and your misfortune.

But was this truly misfortune for Ruiko? No, this 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 drifted into sleep.

The next day

After the events of the previous night, Meruem and Ruiko's relationship rapidly warmed. Of course, they could not yet be called a couple, since Ruiko was still too young. They had simply become much closer.

At noon, tearing sounds came from within a giant cocoon deep inside the Forest of Death.

At last, a fully human arm stretched out from it. At the same time, a smile appeared at the corner of 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 five times, and its physical attributes have improved greatly. Even so, it's still far too weak. Oh well, it isn't my own body. As a puppet, it will barely do." Controlling Lin Mu as he crawled out of the giant cocoon shell, Meruem found that Suzuki's body seemed to have been cleansed. His skin had become smoother and tougher, and his physical abilities had improved significantly, though it was still far below Meruem's expectations.

After all, Suzuki's aptitude could only be considered average, 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 in this lifetime.

Still, Meruem only needed a puppet. Nothing else mattered.

Fortunately, because of the Golden Silkworm Gu, although Suzuki's brain had been eaten, as long as Meruem controlled this body, Suzuki's memories would naturally surface in Meruem's mind. That was rather 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 red-eye slowly opened, with three tomoe of varying sizes appearing within them.

"So this is the Sharingan? It's quite a magical thing. Its perception of objects has greatly improved compared with before. In other words, my vision, one of the Five Senses, has improved considerably. Even so, its perceptive visual ability is only average. It's still nowhere near as powerful as my main body's."

Meruem spoke as he used the Sharingan to observe the surroundings, though what he said was indeed nonsense.

First, the Sharingan was not famous for its perceptive ability.

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

Third, and most importantly, what level were Meruem's eyes? They were the ultimate pinnacle of physical perfection. To rival Meruem's eyes in terms of perception, only Kaguya's eyes could do so. Of course, that excluded all sorts of other miscellaneous abilities. They were speaking only of perception—the visual sense among the Five Senses.

Still, the Uchiha Clan's demon eyes truly were powerful. Aside from greatly enhancing perception, 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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