The noise first alerted Oge that something was different. There were lots of voices, all talking at the same time. The difference was, all of these were of a higher pitch and far too excited, especially for this time of the morning.

She had been sleeping next to Suanni with Klem resting on her chest. These days, Klem wanted to be around the huge creature more often than not, more because she really missed Hui Gai. Each morning she would wake up, look around and then ask Oge, "Baba?"

And even though it broke her heart a little to say it, Oge would shake her head slightly, and Klem would understand. She didn't cry, or make a fuss, it was more of a resigned look...but she repeated this every morning.

Klem stirred and then woke up, a confused look in her eyes as Oge tried to make her go back to sleep, but Klem had spotted something. She wriggled out of her mother's arms and yelled, "Baba!"

So anxious she was to get to him, she took her first wobbly step. All by herself.

Hui Gai had run to catch her, but stopped a few feet away, proudly watching her. She tottered towards him, arms outstretched to reach him, and he let her have six steps all to herself before catching her up into his arms. He threw the laughing child into the air, relishing her squeals of delight.

Klem was a happy child.

And speaking of children...

"Um...who are they?" Oge asked Hui Gai, looking behind him.

She kissed his cheek in greeting, but her attention was mostly on the sight behind them.

"Ah...er...let me introduce you." Hui Gai held her hand and took her towards an elderly demoness, who held a child's hand in hers.

"Manu!!! And Chicku!!!" Yezi shouted, running towards them.

She grabbed both of them in a bear hug as the three of them danced in happiness.

"What are you doing here?" Yezi asked, excitedly.

Haitch came up behind her.

"Look Haitch, this is the wonderful Manu, who helped us when we first arrived in Gratak. She gave us our first ever meal in the Nether world, and she helped us find the Nie Sect Leader. And this is Chicku, her little one." She explained to him.

He bowed to her in greeting.

"Manu and Chicku, I would like you to meet Haitch-En-Kaysha, my..."

"Soon to be husband." Haitch finished off, grinning at her red face.

"Well...that sort of explains them, but who are all these children?" Oge asked, looking at the twenty odd smiling little faces eagerly looking up at her.

"Well...er...I can explain...that is to say...Klem needs brothers and sisters...don't you think?" Hui Gai stumbled over his tongue, trying to come up with a suitable excuse for why he had brought over the little ones he had defended.

"Why, you sly dog!" Yezi grinned, elbowing him in his side.

"What?" He shrugged at her.

"Do you even realise what you just said?" Yezi chuckled, as the demon repeated his own words in his head.

Then he blushed...if that was possible.

"Um...that's not...that's not what I...what I meant..." He was looking at anywhere but Oge.

But Oge stepped right into his space, wrapping an arm around his waist and looking up into his face.

"Okay." She whispered, her eyes shining full of love.

Vaguely, he could hear Yezi making all sorts of whooping noises, celebrating in the background, but here, all Hui Gai could see was beautiful, amazing, brave Oge, staring at him as if he was her whole world, with big black eyes he could drown in.

Oge was part of his family now, along with Klem and these little ones, and of course, Pengyou and his possessive husband, who had only gotten slightly better at hiding his jealousy.

He looked up to find Wei Ying looking at him, a big smile on his kind face and holding up two thumbs, while said possessive husband stared at him...

******

Once Hui Gai had explained to everyone who the children were and their situation, plus his on-the-spot plan of wanting to house them in the grand-and-so-empty palace behind them, he was greeted with cheers and applause. More when he told them that he had asked Manu and Chicku to look after them, quickly slipping in that he would probably be adding to them.

Although that last bit was mumbled rather quietly.

"A bit sudden though...?" Wei Ying sidled up to Hui Gai, with Rumi in one hand and Lan Zhan in the other. "And if it was a competition, then you beat me in one go."

"Huh?"

"About how many kids you have now." Wei Ying explained.

Lan Zhan bent and whispered something in his ear that sounded suspiciously like 'bunnies', and he blushed, smiling.

"Actually, Lan Zhan is right. You haven't beaten us at all...Still a few hundred to go, I'd say." Wei Ying grinned at him.

"They all needed a home." Hui Gai defended himself but he was smiling all the while.

"Ah, that's how it starts, my friend...and then they're staring at you with those big, innocent eyes, and before you know it, you've handed them your heart and it's too late to do anything except accept it."

"True..." Hui Gai looked at him thoughtfully. "Actually, I was going to come and find you, later on."

"Really? What can I do for you?"

Hui Gai took in a deep breath and searched his face. All he found was acceptance, and an abundance of love.

"I've been thinking about what you said."

"Er...I've said lots of things...wanna be a bit more specific?" Wei Ying slipped an arm around  Hui Gai's shoulders, while Lan Zhan wrapped the newly vacated arm around his waist.

"I want to take you up on your offer. I wish to talk to my parents."