Cell of Empireo Fansite 2025
Empyrean Valentines
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This event contains spoilers for Cell of Empireo.
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Happy Valentine's Day!
Artist: ihseshi (discord)
Characters: Kanou Aogu and Atou Haruki
Pairing: KanouAtou 가명조
Writer: Mermaidzkiss
Characters: rai isoi, haruki isoi, kazue enomoto, noriyuki utsugi, minoru harada, and hajime hatsutori
Relationships: rai & haruki, rai/minoru
On Love
Writer: Mermaidzkiss
Characters: rai isoi, haruki isoi, kazue enomoto, noriyuki utsugi, minoru harada, and hajime hatsutori
Relationships: rai & haruki, rai/minoru
“Today’s a special day, Haruki,” Rai said, stroking the boy’s fine hair. Even though he’d just turned nine months old, he was still so small.It would be a lie to say she didn’t know what he’d look like when he got older. Already, he looked so much like Minoru. And she didn’t doubt that he’d only look more like his father with age. The similarity was both a balm and a barb. It stopped her from dwelling on the fact that she didn’t know how big she’d get to see Haruki get. And it kept her dwelling on how Minoru didn’t know the truth.“Today is Valentine’s Day. It’s a day all about love.” The boy cooed as she rocked him; looking up at her, he clutched the front of her shirt. “Romantic love… platonic love… familial love… Valentine’s Day celebrates them all.”Slowly, with Haruki still in her arms, Rai stood from the bed and wandered over to the kitchen. “Usually, you give your Valentine’s chocolates. Unfortunately… you’re a bit too young to have any, but I promise I’ll give you some as soon as I can.” Opening one of the bottom cupboards, Rai took out a small cardboard box. Taking it to the table, she opened it to reveal several boxes of chocolate. Drawn to the bright packaging, Haruki reached out for them. Chuckling, Rai gave him one of the smaller boxes. A maroon ribbon tied the box shut, and Haruki went put the end of it in his mouth, only to be stopped by Rai.“Now, Haruki, that box is for Noa. I don’t know if she’d appreciate you putting it in your mouth.” Rai took the box from Haruki, making him pout. However, he didn’t cry—he never did, when Rai held him.She couldn’t help but wonder when that would change.Tucking the cardboard box in one arm and Haruki in the other, Rai left her quarters. The first of her inner circle she ran into was Kazue. She’d been making her way down the hallway, clipboard in hand, when Rai intercepted her.“Rai,” Kazue greeted her warmly, “it’s wonderful to see you.” When Kazue’s eyes fell on Haruki, her expression changed. Imperceptible to anyone but Rai, who had noticed the twitch of her brow and the pursing of her lips.“And Haruki… how wonderful it is to see you, too.” Haruki shied away from the unfamiliar face, hiding away into his mother’s chest. Lowering her voice, Kazue put a hand on Rai’s arm. “Is everything okay?”Rai bobbed her head. “I’m just taking Haruki for a walk around the facility. We’re… celebrating Valentine’s.”“… Valentine’s?”“Yes. I want Haruki to learn about love. As much as he can.” Cautiously, Haruki turned back to face Kazue, and she gave him a warm smile. “With that being said, I have something for you.” Rai handed her two of the chocolate boxes.“Oh… Rai. You shouldn’t have.”“Happy Valentine’s, Kazue. The larger box is for you and George, and the smaller box is for Noa.”Wordlessly, Kazue pulled Rai in for a hug. Her body was warm, soft where Rai’s was solid. Haruki welcomed the hug, too, running his small hand through Kazue’s glossy hair.After they parted Kazue went on her way, boxes in hand. Rai held Haruki closer to her and murmured: “the Enomoto’s are good friends of mine. They are warm and kind… especially Kazue. I hope you can befriend similar individuals in the future.”Rai had to go deeper into the facility to deliver her next box. The increasingly sterile environment made Haruki begin to whimper, but he brightened when he saw the man he knew as ‘Father Utsugi.’Rai’s laugh as Haruki reached for the man was a tad strained. At the sound of her voice, he turned around; while Kazue’s eyes had first fallen on Rai, Noriyuki’s immediately settled on Haruki.Rai was in two minds about Noriyuki supporting the raising of Haruki. While she wanted him to be surrounded by people who cared for him… she wanted that care to be for the right reasons.“Mrs. Isoi, I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Is… anything the matter?”“No, we’re… just doing the rounds!” Rai laughed again—just as awkwardly. “Haruki and I have something to give you.”“… Oh?”With Haruki’s ‘help’, Rai held out a purple, circle shaped box to him. “I don’t know your preferences, so I got one of the bestsellers.”“This is…”“For Valentine’s,” Rai finished for him, urging him to take the box. “If you don’t like them, you can always share them around.”Noriyuki… took the chocolate box, an unreadable expression on his face. He gazed at the box, observing it from all angles before popping the lid.Rai felt a bit flustered; more embarrassing than giving out chocolates was having the recipient of them eat them in front of you. And she’d never expected that he would eat them in front of her. Noriyuki popped one in his mouth—a lemon flavoured one, as indicated by its yellow patterning. After chewing, he simply went, “hm,” before putting the box aside.“… Um…” Rai mumbled. “How… was it?”Instead of answering, Noriyuki asked: “are you giving chocolates to Hajime as well?”“Yes. If Father Hatsutori chooses to accept them.”Noriyuki gave her a look before turning back to his work. Rai was about to walk away—a little dejected, but not surprised, by how the encounter had gone—when he said: “and Mrs Isoi… I’ll excuse it for today, but please don’t take Haruki out on any more unnecessary outings.”Rai grit her teeth; “of course.”As she had done with Kazue, Rai mumbled to Haruki about Noriyuki as they walked away from him. “Father Utsugi is… incredibly devoted. It’s likely his form of love. He is devoted to his work, and to the people he cares about. And it seems that you are one of them.”Haruki seemed a little disappointed that they were leaving Noriyuki so soon, but Rai didn’t let him stay down. She handed him one of the two remaining boxes, and let him dribble on it as much as he wanted as they made their way to their final stop: the library. Her husband was having a meeting with Hajime in its back room, and Rai picked out a few picture books from the library’s limited collection to read with Haruki until they were done.Haruki listened quietly as she read aloud, alternating between watching at Rai as she read and pressing his hands to the picture books’ pages, enamoured with the illustrations upon them. He seemed particularly fond of images depicting plant life, running his finger along every stem.The meetings end was signalled by the boisterous sound of her husband’s voice infiltrating the larger library. Hearing his father, Haruki whipped around, and Rai followed suit, turning to see Minoru and Hajime leaving the back room. As quickly as she could, Rai gathered Haruki and her boxes—she didn’t want to disturb the other library goers by calling out to them across the room, particularly after Minoru had already caused a disturbance.Hajime was the first to notice her approach. Minoru, on the other hand, only noticed that something was amiss when Hajime paused beside him. Turning around, he jumped a little at the sudden presence of Rai and their son.“Geez, Rai!” He exclaimed. “When did you get here?”“A little while ago. Haruki and I were waiting for your meeting to finish.” Turning to Hajime, Rai adopted a more formal tone than the one she used when talking to her husband. “Father Hatsutori, I do hope you found my husband to be useful today.Hajime nodded at the same time Minoru exclaimed: “hey, I’m always useful.”“Certainly,” Rai agreed. “Well… at least when you’re around Father Hatsutori.”Before the two could ‘argue’ anymore, Hajime asked: “can Minoru or I help you with anything, Rai?”“Ah, no,” as she spoke, Haruki struggled a little in her arms. Wordlessly, she passed him over to Minoru, who he’d seemed to be reaching for. The sight of him cradled in Minoru’s arms once again reminded her of the similarities between the two. “Haruki and I were waiting for the two of you so we could give you something.”“Oh-ho?” Minoru leaned in, intrigued. Rai… wasn’t exactly the type to give gifts. So, her giving them now was indicative of something important happening.“As the two of you have so many other things on your minds—” things Rai would never be privy to “—I doubt you’ve remembered that today is Valentine’s Day.”Minoru seemed a little taken aback: “wait… really?!” As Rai had thought. Minoru had always been the type to get lost in his own thoughts, but lately, his tether to reality had been remarkably thin.“To celebrate, Haruki and I have been giving out chocolates. And, if you’d accept them, my final two boxes are for you.”The chocolate box she’d procured for Hajime was white and triangular, wrapped with a golden ribbon. As she proffered the box to him, Rai doubted he would take it… but just before she could pull the box away, Hajime took it from her. His cold fingers brushed against hers, and a sudden spark of pain bloomed in Rai’s temple.“Rai… thank you.” As always, Hajime’s expression revealed none of his true thoughts.The smile Minoru gave her when she handed him his box quickly morphed into a frown. “… Uh, not to sound ungrateful but… why’s mine wet?”“I’d ask Haruki about that,” Rai replied, amusement shining in her eyes. As Minoru began ‘scolding’ Haruki, Rai noticed Hajime carefully considering his box. “Is… something the matter?”Hajime looked to her. “No.” And after a pause: “… just… Valentine’s Day is an interesting holiday, isn’t it? Just a genuine as it is superficial.Rai bit her lip. While she agreed… “I wanted to expose Haruki to love. I want him to love and be loved in the future.”“… Even with his fate?”Rai’s lip began to sting. “Everyone deserves love, Father Hatsutori.” Hajime didn’t reply.Their conversation finished… Hajime excused himself, leaving Rai and Minoru alone with their son. Once he’d left the library, Minoru took Rai by the hand, his touch warm and gentle—so different from Hajime’s.“Just how many people did you buy chocolate for?” Minoru asked.“Oh… just a few,” Rai shrugged. “Though, trust that they were all platonic offerings.”“What? Even mine?”Rai just smiled.With nothing else on his schedule, and Rai having the day off to look after Haruki, the two decided to head back to their quarters. On their way, Haruki began to fall asleep in Minoru’s arms—evidently tired from his and Rai’s errand. Rai looked on fondly as Minoru cradled him closer.Noticing, Minoru asked: “what are you looking at?”“Nothing,” Rai hummed, “I was just thinking about… how I don’t need to explain to Haruki why he should love you.”“And what do you mean by that?”“Well, I’ve been trying to teach Haruki about love by telling him about the people I love. But with you… well, he already loves you.”Minoru grinned: “I’d hope so! I don’t think I’d be a very good dad if my son didn’t love me.”Rai nodded. “As for Father Hatsutori… well, there’s plenty of things for Haruki to love about him.” But as long as he loved himself, he would be doing much the same.Back in their quarters, Minoru carefully tucked Haruki in while Rai prepared some tea. When she was done, Rai brought it over to the table, where Minoru was now seated. He’d opened his box of chocolates and was looking at their different flavours on a small card that had been tucked inside.“Damn. I was thinking mine looked cheap compared to Hajime’s, but these flavours sound nice.” Rai whacked him, making him laugh. After deliberating, Minoru picked a chocolate out of the box before handing the card to Rai. “Pick any flavour you want.”“What?” Rai pushed the card away from her. “I got those for you.”“And I want to share,” Minoru replied, mouth full. When Rai didn’t budge, he rolled her eyes and leaned towards her.Rai tensed. The implication of his lean was obvious. They’d… kissed many times before, but she still felt awkward about it. Nevertheless, Rai screwed her eyes shut and waited for Minoru to kiss her.… Only for something small and round to be slipped between her lips instead. Her eyes shot open when she heard Minoru laughing, and she was about to chastise him when she was stopped by the sweetness spreading in her mouth.“Hope you don’t mind that I picked for ‘ya,” Minoru grinned, a cheerful flush dusting his cheeks. Rai’s face was red, too—but with far more heat.“… It’s sweet.” She said, swallowing the chocolate he’d given to her.“Want another?”Rai pulled a face, then grabbed the kettle. “Only if you start on the tea.”“Okay, okay.” Minoru was still leaning close to her, and after Rai had finished pouring their drinks, he dropped his head on her shoulder.“… Thank you, Rai,” with a glance at Haruki, he continued, “… for everything.”Rai rested a hand in his hair. Knowing what she did… she couldn’t quite accept his thanks. Or his love. No matter how much she wanted to.