#alpha namaari

[moon-spirit-yue]

Fought for Me

Chapter 10: I Promise Now

(Guys I am so sorry for being the biggest liar on planet Earth. This was supposed to released a month ago. To be so honest I don't love how this chapter turned out but I know exactly how I want the last two chapters to go so this is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Also this chapter is way longer than I meant for it to be. Anywho, please enjoy and let me know what you good people think!)

Raya did not wake up in a particularly good mood. Aulia was extra testy the night before and Charanya was nowhere to be found so she can't even complain about it to her. She's also unable to find Namaari which is very strange. The woman's usually like three feet away from Raya for the most part. Must be an off day all around.

Aulia is thankfully not a fussy baby ninety percent of the time so Raya can handle these kinds of one off days. Certainly doesn't mean she's going to enjoy it though.

There isn't much for Raya to do today. Heart has absolutely flourished in the recent months thanks to the help of the other four lands. Aulia is hanging out with Ai for lunch so Raya figured she should just eat her own meal outside by herself.

It is a truly beautiful day even if Raya feels like a walking corpse. Sun is shining, sky is clear, and there's a small warm breeze keeping her at a comfortable temperature.

Honestly, eating this meal alone felt really nice. Peaceful, even. Raya loves the people around her. She really does. Spending this time with family and friends is what really makes life worth living. But so many people all the time gets overwhelming, especially for her.

Therefore, Raya will take in this moment of serenity and enjoy it. She takes a large bit out of her food and savors every flavor. Damn, this food is good. Nothing can ruin such a beautiful moment-

"Princess Raya. It is an honor to be acquainted with you again," the voice Raya unfortunately recognizes as Mali stated.

Raya fucking hates it here.

Seriously, was one moment so much to ask for? She gets a little bit of peace and this binturi materializes out of nowhere and ruins? This may be a bit of an overreaction, but Raya kind of wants to kill herself.

Raya worries she's getting a little too comfortable after the Druun left. The Heart alpha's not even wearing scent blockers and yet Raya still didn't realize Mali was there until now.

"Mali. It's been years," Raya stated, allowing annoyance to creep out of her tone.

The Heart princess should be mature and have a civilized conversation, but hell. She's young and lived in the wilderness for several years. The people will give her a break for acting petty. So, Raya looked at Mali's mouth and stared. She stared hard.

"Indeed it has. I came to- is something on my face?" Mali asked when she took note of Raya's intense gaze.

"Oh no, it was my mistake. Thought I saw something stuck in between your teeth. Looked an awful lot like an antenna," Raya said with a wicked grin.

Mali awkwardly coughed in her hand. Good. Be awkward, you evil rat.

"Charanya was always very creative," Mali sighed.

"Didn't really give her much of a choice now did you?" Raya glared.

"I did not. That's why I came up to you. I wanted to apologize for the way I acted when we were kids. Both Noya and I were on a power trip and egged each other on because we thought we were so superior to the rest of the world. Then the Druun hit and, well, you know what happened. Certainly got my head out of my ass and made me realize how much of a binturi I was. So, I'm sorry. Truly," Mali told her sincerely. Even her scent was remorseful.

Damn, that's an actual apology.

This.......is not what Raya was expecting. She knows she talked rather optimistically with Charanya about Mali turning over a new leaf, but Raya honestly didn't think it was actually going to happen.

"Thank you. I appreciate the apology. The Druun changed a lot of things for a lot of people. It's all water under the bridge in my books," Raya told her with a light smile.

No point in holding a grudge. But Raya would keep an eye out, just in case. As long as Mali didn't mention the courting this would actually be a fun conversation between old classmates.

"That's good. I wanted to apologize in person because I figured you were unable to read my courting letter," Mali shrugged.

When is it Raya's turn to be happy?

"Oh? And how did you know I didn't read such a letter? Maybe I didn't even know you wanted to court me in the first place," Raya shot back.

"I saw you and Charanya chuck mine and many others gifts in the dumpster. Then I heard you both say it would be a waste of reading the letters so it's a good thing you burned them all," Mali explained.

Ah. That would do it.

"Ahahahahaha so the thing is-" Raya said with incredibly nervous laughter.

"Don't worry about it. Whatever your reasons are, I completely understand. I figured since you hadn't read the letter, the least I can do is apologize formally," Mali smiled.

Ah geez. Why does Raya feel way more awkward than Mali looks when she's not even the one that basically got rejected?

"I really do appreciate it. There's just so much going on, and there's my daughter, so courting is really not on my priority list," Raya attempted to explain.

"Like I said, I totally understand. Friends?" Mali asked, holding out a hand for Raya to shake.

Oh hell, why not?

"Friends," Raya agreed while shaking her hand. Maybe Mali really isn't so bad after all.

"Say, now that we're friends and all, are you coming to the blue moon festival in a couple weeks? We could use the bodies," Raya told her.

"Oh, absolutely. I think that," Mali began.

As the Heart alpha was speaking, Raya spotted Namaari. That little binrturi! Where has she been?

Very easily distracted, Raya basically forgot that Mali was talking and called out to Namaari.

"YO UNDERCUT! WHERE YOU BEEN?!" Raya yelled.

At once, Namaari's neck snapped to where the Heart omega is located. Further proof that Namaari has embraced her Undercut identity, in Raya's personal opinion.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! You just disappeared," Namaari frowned as she walked towards her.

"Not surprising you could only find me when I revealed myself. You have a history of being a questionable tracker," Raya grinned.

"It's not my fault. You're so small, how's anyone supposed to see you?" the Fang woman smugly asked.

Raya rolled her eyes and was about to respond when she noticed Mali out of the corner of her eye. Oh right! Better be polite and introduce them.

"First of all, I'm going to get you back for that comment. Second of all, Namaari, please meet Mali. She's a friend from childhood. Mali, Namaari," Raya smiled.

Honestly, given their personalities, Raya expected the two to get along quite well. She was quite surprised to find that both of them looked at each other with a mildly irritated expression. It's like the two alphas were inconvenienced that the other was there.

Maybe they already met before?

"Pleasure to meet you," Namaari said in a way that absolutely did not sound like it was a pleasure at all.

"Pleasure is all mine, Princess Namaari," Mali said with crossed arms.

"Have you guys met before? You seem to know each other quite well," Raya asked with rather nervous laughter.

"Nope. First time meeting," Namaari shrugged.

Huh. Weird.

"Indeed it is. I have to run, but it was nice catching up with you, Raya. I'll see you at the festival, if not sooner. Have a wonderful day," Mali said with a small wink.

With that, she left. Raya immediately nudged Namaari's.

"What was that all about?" the Heart woman asked.

"What was what all about?" Namaari asked, apparently trying to play dumb.

"Are you sure you two have never met before? Kinda seemed like you hated her. You guys were doing that weird nonverbal alpha showdown thing," Raya said with a raised brow.

"No idea what you're talking about," Namaari simply stated.

Ugh, whatever. It's honestly not that important.

"If you insist. Just at a curiosity, have you seen Charanya at all today? Couldn't find her for the life of me," Raya explained.

"Nope. I can't seem to find Tien either. Weird," Namaari mumbled.

"HEY! RAYA! BINTURI! WHERE HAVE YOU PEOPLE BEEN?" Raya's dearest friend screamed.

Behind her, Tien was following like a lost puppy. Well, speak of the devils and they shall appear. Huh, now that Charanya's here, maybe she has some insight on the whole thing with Mali.

"Ranya, super quick random question? You didn't happen to hear anything about Mali or Noya, have you?" Raya asked.

"No way! You had a weird interaction too?" Charanya gasped.

"Oh yeah! She did a whole apology and from what I could tell, it was sincere. Anything like that happen to you?" Raya asked.

"Yes! Noya came up to me and also gave me a genuine apology. Who would've guessed?" Charanya asked thoughtfully.

"Not me, that's for sure," the taller omega huffed.

"I'm sorry, who are these people?" Tien asked.

"People we knew from our childhood. They were little jerks but changed their ways, I suppose," Charanya shrugged.

"I thought you guys were friends," Namaari said, now very confused.

"It's a very long and irrelevant story. Guess they grew the hell up during the Druun," Raya shrugged.

"Looks like it. I will be keeping the bugs on standby though," Charanya noted.

"You know what? I'm not too sure I want to know," the Fang princess muttered.

"Okay, I realize this is an abrupt topic change, but you guys are coming to the blue moon festival right? Ba's really excited about it so I've been harassing everyone I come across to attend," Raya explained.

"You already know I'm going. Ma and Grandma wouldn't miss it," Charanya nodded.

"I will too. My mother's leaving in a couple days but she should be back in time for the festival. Guess she has a date or something," Namaari shrugged.

Charanya, well aware of the fact that her grandmother is probably the date, looks like she wants to vomit. Now that Raya's thinking about it, does Namaari know her mother's date is Charanya's grandmother?

Oh, Raya needs to see that reaction.

"You're coming along too, aren't you?" Namaari asked, looking at Tien.

"Yes. My family will also be attending," the other alpha stated.

"Please don't tell me your father's coming," Charanya begged.

"No, he will not be joining us. It's just my mother and brothers," Tien assured her.

"What? Why don't you want her father to come?" Raya asked her friend curiously.

"The man hates my guts," Charanya bluntly stated.

"He does not hate your guts," Tien frowned.

"If I was on fire and he was holding a glass of water, he would quench his thirst," Charanya stated with an eye roll.

"You exaggerate," Tien bluntly stated.

"Literally every time you bring Charanya up, your father looks at you like you shot him in the leg," Namaari added.

The other three were quite shocked that Namaari backed up anything Charanya said. Then, the shorter omega absolutely cackled.

"I mean if Namaari's agreeing with me, you have to be wrong Tien," Charanya said between giggles.

"I did not come here to get ganged up on," Tien huffed with a light blush on her cheeks.

"You knew what you were getting into when you met me," Charanya snorted.

"No, I really didn't."

"I literally broke into your tent running from a guard who saw me destroy property. Please be serious Tien."

Raya snorted as the two continued to bicker. Namaari seemed to be zoning out and Raya, being the good friend that she is, stepped on the Fang woman's foot. Namaari, now out of her daze, winced and turned to glare at the omega.

"Is there any particular reason why you did that?" Namaari glared.

"No, it just felt right," Raya smiled.

"I can not believe I put up with you."

******************************

Aulia loudly shrieked Raya awake the very next day, which is always a fun way to wake up. That little girl does not give Raya peace ever.

The Heart woman groggily sat up and shuffled to her loud child. Once Aulia was tucked safely into her mother's arms, the shrieks devolved into simple yelps of indignation. It was probably time for a diaper change. And change it did.

Once Aulia was in a clean diaper and new clothes, she became perfectly content to play with the edge of Raya's shirt. The Heart woman took the opportunity to reapply her scent blockers and brush her hair.

Due to the fact that she's still waking up, Aulia yawned very loudly. Her baby yawns are so damn cute. Aulia throws her whole head back when she needs to yawn. Raya loves it honestly.

Then the Heart princess was struck with the rather painful reminder that Namaari also throws her head back when she yawns. It brings Raya to a subject she does not enjoy thinking about. The subject being the fact that Namaari has zero clue she has a child.

Honestly, the past couple days, Raya's starting to get the feeling that she should tell Namaari that Aulia's hers. She's seen how those two interact and they obviously deserve to at least know about each other.

But damn, Raya's terrified. She's terrified of how her relationship with Nmaaari will change because no matter how good or bad Namaari reacts to the news, things will change between them.

Also, hiding the fact that Namaari has a child is probably grounds for war, but Raya is sorta kinda hoping it doesn't come to that. Ugh, why does this have to be her life? Why couldn't she have gotten knocked up by some nobody with zero authority whatsoever?

There's also the issue of how to best tell Namaari. What does someone who has been hiding the fact that she has a kid with a person for well over a year say to said person? Hey man, remember when we fucked for a week straight? Well we procreated and the creation was Aulia, my kid.

...Raya's going to have to fine tune the script a little.

Even with all her worries, something in the Heart woman's gut is telling her to fess up soon. Namaari's going to have to learn the truth eventually.

Given the fact that Raya is pretty confident in Namaari's character, she can safely say that Namaari doesn't seem like the type to abandon her kid despite her young age. She also doesn't seem like the type to start war over the situation. Then again, Raya didn't think she was the type to get pregnant at seventeen. Toi, life is so stressful.

"You know, you're like my favorite person in the whole world, but you give me heart palpitations," Raya honestly told Aulia.

Aulia merely smiled in response. Raya smiled back and pressed a light kiss on Aulia's cheek. The contact caused her sweet baby to giggle. This prompted Raya to give her another kiss. In a flash, Raya pressed small quick kisses all over Aulia's face. The baby erupted with pure laughter and began squirming around in Raya's arms.

The Heart woman laughed and was about to continue her kisses when someone knocked on the door. At this hour, the only people that could be out the door are Charanya, Namaari, or her father.

"Which one are you?" Raya yelled.

"The Fang one," Namaari replied.

"Mkay! Come in!" Raya said.

Namaari then entered the room and practically slammed the door behind her.

"Sheesh, what did my poor door ever do to you?" Raya snorted.

"My mother is making me lose my fucking mind," Namaari groaned as she face planted onto Raya's bed.

"So business is as usual then?" Raya asked with a raised brow.

"More so today than others. I think holding Aulia would solve my problems," Namaari said while holding out her arms.

Raya rolled her eyes and gently handed her daughter off to Namaari. Aulia, now recognizing the Fang woman, smiled and lightly patted Namaari's nose with her tiny baby hand. Namaari grinned at the gesture and poked Aulia's cheek.

Those two are so adorable together it physically hurts. The reality that Raya is going to have to fess up soon weighs heavily on her mind. She needs a minute to gather herself.

"I'm going to change in the bathroom really quickly. Mind keeping an eye on her?" Raya asked as she hurriedly shuffled through her closet.

"No problem. She's safe with me," Namaari easily replied.

"I was talking to Aulia, but the gesture is appreciated," Raya smirked.

It took a split second for the jab to register in the Fang alpha's brain, but when it did Namaari decided the mature thing to do is to throw a pillow at Raya.

"You are so lucky you're holding my daughter right now," Raya said while pointedly looking away from Namaari.

"I know, I need to get my hits in while I can," the other woman laughed.

Raya scoffed as she closed the bathroom door. Okay, don't sob. A little bit of crying is fine, just do not make it obvious or auditory.

So there the Heart Princess sat, curled up on the bathroom floor in literal tears while her baby and the woman she loves are playing in the next room. This isn't how she wanted her life to turn out. Raya didn't want to fall in love with someone unattainable, she didn't want her child to be doomed from the start to grow up in two homes, and that's if the parentage reveal conversation goes well.

This secret Raya's hiding is huge. It's a literal child that she shares with Namaari and she has been lying about it for months. Namaaari may not forgive her for this, and honestly? She'd be in the right.

What would happen in the unlikely event of Namaari ending up being so enraged that Raya kept Aulia hidden from her that she really does start war? Would Raya have to surrender custody of her daughter? Would she even get to see her again? How would she-

"Raya, you okay in there?" Namaari asked.

Shit. This probably isn't the best time for a break down. Raya hastily rubbed her hands over her eyes to get rid of the tears. She took in a few deep, calming breaths before answering.

"Yeah, I'm good. Ended up with a bit of a headache this morning," Raya lied.

She also decided to take this opportunity to start actually changing her clothes. Washing her face is probably another good step.

"That sucks. Want me to get you anything? I know a couple teas that get rid of a headache in the blink of an eye," Namaari offered.

The guilt is starting to eat Raya alive. The Fang alpha needs to stop being so nice to her. She doubts it'll last once the truth comes out. Maybe Raya just needs to soak this in while she can.

"That's fine, it's nothing major. I think I'm also just tired. Some people like keeping their Ma awake all night," the Heart princess grumbled.

"I wonder who could be so cruel. It's definitely not Aulia though. She's the picture of innocence," Namaari teased.

"You are so biased," the Heart omega said while rolling her eyes.

Now that she looked presentable, Raya swung open the bathroom door. Namaari simply shrugged.

"How do you expect me not to be biased? Look at her!" Namaari insisted.

Raya stared at Aulia for a second. Then Aulia giggled. Raya tried really hard not to react, but she just couldn't help it. She had to smile back.

"Okay, points have been made," Raya relented.

"Thought so. Alright Aulia, I'm going to have to put you down real quick. I need to ask your Ma a favor and there may be some begging involved. I don't want you to see me like this," Namaari said while placing Aulia in her crib.

Oh? A favor? And one that could potentially require groveling? Huh.

"Raya, I have a request. A very important request. A request that will save my life," Namaari said.

"I have a feeling this is going to be ridiculous, but I'll bite. What is it?" Raya asked.

"So remember how I said my evil mother was making me lose my last shred of sanity? To very briefly explain, she keeps trying to set me up and she's using this festival as an excuse," Namaari started.

Oh. Okay. That pisses Raya off way more than it should. Her inner omega was going ballistic at the thought of Nmaaari with someone else. Shit, she needs to respond and sound normal.

"Huh. How do you feel about that?" Raya asked in what she hoped was a calm voice.

"Not very interested, which is why I need your help," Namaari told her.

This is great news! Now Raya doesn't feel the insane urge to climb on Namaari and make out with her to stake a claim.

Awesome. Love this for her.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" the Heart woman asked.

"I just need you to be around me as much as possible. Just constantly talk to me, compliment me, sit right by me, cling to me, and generally do not leave me alone," Namaari requested.

"Oh, so I'm gonna be cockblocking you while simultaneously acting as your adoring fan the entire night?" Raya clarified.

"That's correct," the Fang woman nodded.

"I swear to spirits Namaari, if this person is a total bitch to me," Raya started.

"Oh she definitely will be. You know very well how vicious omega socialites are. The ones from Fang are a particular breed of insane," Namaari shrugged.

Wow, the idea of another omega flirting with Namaari genuinely makes Raya want to rip her own hair out. Raya's probably going to go into a literal coma when Namaari starts to court people. Seriously, one problem at a time.

"What am I getting out of this, exactly?" Raya frowned.

She was not willing to say that Namaari staying single is more than enough motivation to do this. Curse you, unrequited feelings.

"Uh, my eternal servitude and devotion?" Namaari tried.

"I already have that. Next," Raya said smugly.

Honestly, the Heart princess thought Namaari would deny it. Instead, she kept quiet and continued to think.

"I'll give you my dessert for the next month," Namaari offered.

"Now we're talking!" Raya beamed.

"So you'll do it?" Namaari asked hopefully.

"I'll be on you like a leech," Raya giggled.

“Oh thank the gods,” Namaari sighed in pure relief.

Raya merely smiled as she thought about all the ways this favor would inevitably blow up in her face. You only live once, as they say.

Apparently Raya is going to make her one life as painful as possible.

******************************

"I don't want to go," Raya bluntly stated.

"Are you actually fucking with me right now?" Charanya deadpanned.

In Raya's defense, she honestly woke up feeling like absolute hell this morning. Her head is pounding, her throat is all scratchy, and one of her nostrils is completely clogged. Raya vowed she would play off her cold symptoms until after the festival to support her father, but she is coming to regret that choice.

"Listen up punk, we already agreed to go to the festival. Ba's so excited," the shorter omega insisted.

"We'll also probably be seeing Mali and Noya. I don't know what the hell their problem is with Namaari and Tien, but I swear they always look like they're going to brawl whenever they make eye contact," Raya frowned.

She had originally thought the absurdity with Mali and Namaari would go away. Then she heard from Charanya that Noya and Tien had issues which is just so much more confusing. Why can't alphas get along? It's so ridiculous.

Raya and Charanya suspect it's some power struggle they do. Alphas always have to be the best, the strongest, the fastest, blah blah blah. Alphas are so moronic.

"Admittedly, I hear you. It does sound like a disaster waiting to happen. Try to remember that this festival is supposed to be fun. Let loose! Live it up!" Charanya insisted.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know, I just have a bad feeling," Raya frowned as they began walking.

"You always have a bad feeling," Charanya ever so kindly reminded her.

"True," Raya admitted.

"C'mon, let's get dressed and grab a snack. You'll feel better," Charanya smiled.

Snacks did always make her feel better. Worth a shot.

Right when she thought she couldn't get anymore inconvenienced, Noya came rushing down the hall to the two of them. She stopped for a moment before looking at Charanya with a hopeful expression.

"Okay, super long story short, there was a total outbreak with the chefs. About half of them are down with the flu and we really need more people that can cook. Therefore, I'm kind of begging for your help," Noya sighed.

"Oh, damn. Yeah, of course. I'll see if I can grab my grandmother to join us," Charany agreed.

"Thank toi," Noya said with pure relief in her voice.

"I can help, too," Raya offered, momentarily forgetting she had a job to do tonight.

"No, no you can't," the annoying omega shot back.

"When it's not jackfruit jerky, I'm a good cook!" Raya pouted.

"I know that, but you're the princess of Heart. You have to be present in these events," Charanya reminded her.

Unfortunately, the shorter woman is completely correct. Raya has so many stupid responsibilities because she's a stupid princess. Plus, with the evident possibility of her getting sick, it's for the best if she stays out of the kitchen. Although, the flu outbreak did explain why Raya feels awful.

Wow, so Raya doesn’t even get to have her emotional support childhood friend in her time of need. Do the heavens hate her? Did she commit some heinous crime in her past life to deserve this?

"I'm afraid you're right, Ranya. Alright, go on. Don't put poison in the food of people you don't like," Raya instructed.

"Or bugs," Noya smirked.

"One time, Noya. Literally one time," Charanya grumbled.

"To be fair, it was a very memorable time," the taller Heart omega grinned.

"If you two binturis keep talking, poison and bugs will appear in your meals. Raya, just let Tien know where I am if you find her. She's probably already helping with the food, honestly, but just in case she isn't," Charanya told her.

"I will. Guess you two have to go save this entire festival. Good luck! Don't hurt yourselves!" Raya said as the two began to rush away.

"Right back at you!" Charanya yelled over her shoulder.

"Later Raya!" Noya waved.

It is so weird having a decent conversation with Noya. Growing up is just so weird.

Well. Looks like the only thing left to do is actually attend the festival. Raya grit her teeth as she made her way out of Heart's castle. As she walked the halls, she noticed several alphas perk ip with their heads swerving in Raya’s direction. The Heart woman tried to shrink herself as much as possible as she rushed to where she needed to meet Namaari.

Another tally to the list of reasons why Raya isn't totally loving the festival is because her scent blockers are running dangerously low. 

Oh how Raya hates going without her scent completely covered. She doesn’t like how alphas suddenly become much more interested in her and she especially doesn’t like how a shift in her sense gives out her true emotions. 

Raya is still wearing scent blockers to make it less obvious, of course, but it’s not enough to fully hide her scent. Not by a long shot. The Heart woman just wants the night to be over and it hasn’t even started.

Making her way through the crowd, Raya was surprised to find Namaari heading toward. She’s quite a ways away from where they were supposed to meet.

“Oh, I thought our rendezvous point was the fountain,” Raya said, mildly confused.

“It was. I could just smell your scent so I figured I’d walk to you,” Namaari told her.

Well now Raya’s embarrassed. She pursed her lips and avoided Namaari’s eyes.

“Makes sense. Been running low on scent blockers lately so I guess everyone’s just going to have to deal with my scent,” Raya said while trying to keep the tone light.

“It’s not a bad thing. Your scent smells nice,” Namaari shrugged.

Don’t freak out Raya. Don’t do it. That’s not an appropriate reaction for the situation. Oh for the love of all that’s good in this world, be normal.

“Thanks, so yours,” Raya managed to muster out.

Namaari then looked as red as Raya probably was. The omega’s heart was beating out of her chest and all Namaari did was compliment her scent. How is she going to survive a whole night of acting all lovey dovey with the Fang woman now?

"Oh, um, fair warning, I think I'm coming down with the common cold," Raya sheepishly admitted.

"That's fine, I've got the immunity of an ox. I could be surrounded by people dying of plague and not get sick. Besides, I think I'd rather contract whatever illness you have than endure matchmaking by myself," Namaari sighed.

Raya snorted as she continued walking with Namaari. Man, that woman really does not want to be set up.

“Princess Namaari! There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” a grating voice exclaimed.

“Ah, Minh. It’s been a while,” the Fang alpha said while sounding like she had the urge to vomit.

Given the obvious distaste coming from Namaari, the girl approaching had to be the vicious omega socialite from Fang that Virana arranged. Namaari looked down at Raya’s face with an expression that screamed ‘save me’. If Raya wasn’t irrationally angry when someone was so blatantly interested in Namaari, she would have laughed.

Alright, time to be an insufferable admirer. Show time!

“Well hello there! I’m Princess Raya! Namaari said your name was Minh, right?” Raya asked in the fakest cheery voice possible.

Realizing Raya’s presence put an immediate damper on Minh’s attitude and scent. The other omega crossed her arms and eyes Raya up and down.

“That’s right. Being so…close to Princess Namaari, I’d have thought you would have been able to hear that,” Minh said with an edge in her tone.

It physically hurts the Heart woman that she can’t just cuss this girl out. Honestly, it will probably be ineffective anyways. She supposed this is the time to really start fawning over Namaari. Besides, Raya figures that she can use this opportunity to say her real thoughts that she doesn't have the guts to say out loud. It might be fun if Namaari gets flustered.

“I mean, can you really blame me? It’s very easy to get distracted when Namaari speaks,” Raya said in a low voice while gently stroking Namaari’s arm.

Raya decided to be a little extra bold and link their arms together. As it would turn out, Namaari is wearing scent blockers so smelling her mood shifts is out of the question. But from the pink tinging her cheeks, Raya would say her words and actions had the desired effect.

“I’m flattered, Raya. If such a beautiful woman like you can think so highly of me, I must be something,” Namaari hummed with a light smirk.

Fuck, now it’s Raya’s face that turns a whole new shade of pink. Looks like Namaari’s playing offense. Raya’s never been one to go down without a fight. The Heart princess’s internal schemes were cut short when Minh cleared her throat. 

“We should probably take our seats. The chief was kind enough to place us at the same table,” Minh said while pointedly looking at Namaari.

“My mother does love organizing. Raya, you know where our table is, don’t you?” Namaari asked.

“Of course. It’s why I’m here after all. Wouldn’t want you to get lost, dep la,” Raya smirked.

Namaari rolled her eyes and discreetly jabbed her elbow at Raya’s side. The Heart woman fought the urge to laugh and lightly jabbed her right back.

“Princess Namaari is perfectly capable of finding a table,” Minh snapped defensively.

“Princess Raya’s right, I’m afraid. I can get hopelessly lost without a guiding hand. I’m grateful for Raya’s help,” Namaari rather dramatically declared.

If Namaari keeps this up Raya will genuinely not be able to contain her laughter. Who knew the princess of Fang was so damn dramatic?

The silence was rather awkward but the three of them made it to their designated table with zero issues. Minh very quickly took the seat one Namaari's right, causing said woman to grimace. Raya tried really hard not to laugh at Namaari's face and sat down on her left.

"Oh, where's Aulia? Is she with Charanya or something?" Namaari asked.

"Ah, no. She's with Ba. That man is so excited to tell people she's his granddaughter. Those two are obsessed with each other," Raya snorted.

The Heart woman caught Minh trying to get Namaari's attention. Well that just won't do.

"Hey, speaking of Aulia, I finally got her birth certificate finalized! So yes, she legally exists," Raya beamed.

Namaari shrugged and rested her chin in the palm of her right hand. Then the binturi gave Raya a smirk.

"I don't know, dep la. If I can't see the birth certificate, then I just don't know if you're telling the truth," Namaari grinned.

A spike of irritation coursed through Raya. Namaari has seen her damn baby every day since she's been in Heart!

"Do not make me smack you Namaari. Aulia is a real baby with a real birth certificate!" Raya snapped.

"Until I can verify that this alleged birth certificate is a valid legal document, Aulia just can't exist now can she?" Namaari smugly asked.

Raya gave Namaari a sarcastic smile and leaned in so close their noses were almost touching. Namaari's smug smirk slowly fell from her face the closer Raya got.

"You make it very hard to swoon over you, Namaari," Raya whispered.

"Oh, but you do it so well Raya. You've got a real talent," Namaari mumbled.

"Of course I do, I'm good at everything," Raya quietly giggled.

"Not everything. You're terrible at making that god awful jackfruit jerky," Namaari grinned.

"I hope I end up sneezing on your face," the Heart woman pouted.

With that, she finally pulled away just in time for the food to arrive. The Heart princess stuck her tongue out Namaari before taking a couple bites of her food.

Minh started speaking, but Raya just kind of tuned her out. She's not particularly interesting and her voice really irritates Raya's ears. Namaari once again jabbed her elbow into Raya's side. Shit, that's right, she has a job to do.

With much exaggeration, the Heart omega yawned and rested her head against Namaari's shoulder. She then tilted her head up to look at Namaari's face.

"You're really laying it on thick, dep la," Namaari grinned as she pulled Raya closer.

"I am nothing if not effective," the Heart woman smirked.

"I find it very on brand for you to do me a favor then proceed to make me work as much as possible for it," Namaari muttered.

"It's been a long day, you know. I've been so stressed out these past couple weeks with the baby and the festival. I'm just exhausted, I can't even muster the energy to pick up my own fork. Feed me, dep la," Raya said, while trying painfully hard not to burst into laughter.

Namaari's eyes widened at the demand, clearly not expecting it. She really should know by now that with Raya, she must expect the unexpected.

"That's a bit beneath Princess Namaari's station, don't you think?" Minh cut in with a harsh glare.

Oh this binturi has zero clue what Raya's capable of. The Heart woman now leaned in so close to Namaari that her lips grazed the Fang woman's ear.

"I wouldn't mind being beneath your station. Again," Raya whispered.

For an extra kick, Raya blew air into Namaari's ear. If Namaari gets to joke about their week long sex in a cave, then Raya can too.

Deciding she had done enough, she retreated back to her original position of resting her head on Namaari's shoulder.

Namaari was rendered speechless. Her face took on a whole new shade of red and she began hopelessly opening her mouth only to close it once more. It feels so good to win.

"So, Namaari, what do you say? Think you can lower your station? For me?" Raya asked while batting her eyes.

It's a pretty odd feeling so obviously flirting with the woman who Raya is keeping a life changing secret from. Oh, better keep the thoughts light right now, her scent blockers are not what they used to be.

"Of course, Princess Raya. I'd do anything to you," Namaari eventually responded.

Raya's brows furrowed at the phrase. That didn't seem quite right.

"Uh, don't you mean for me?" Raya asked.

"Sure, that too," Namaari purred.

The implications finally registered in her brain and which very quickly sent her into a coughing fit. Raya may or may not have done that to hide her blush. How does Raya even end up in these situations? Eh, it's probably because she's an idiot.

"Well get to it Undercut," Raya demanded once her blush died down.

"You'll make an excellent chief with how bossy you are," Namaari scoffed.

Despite her unnecessary attitude, Namaari did feed Raya a bite of dinner. She continued on like this for a little while until Raya felt full. Given the fact that Raya was evidently coming down with something, she had Namaari stop feeding when her plate was halfway done.

"You must really not be feeling it if you can't eat. Do you want to turn in early?" Namaari asked worriedly.

Raya pursed her lips in thought. She really doesn't think she's in an emotional state to be with Namaari alone right now, even if it's just to walk back to her room. On the other hand, she feels like actual hell.

"I can hang back for a bit longer, it's fine," Raya sighed.

"You're sure?" Namaari frowned.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit nauseous," Raya mumbled.

"Better hope she's not pregnant again with another bastard," Minh muttered under her breath.

At once, Raya's jaw dropped. Minh whispered so quietly that Raya's not even sure anyone else heard the remark. Huh. So the bitch called her daughter a bastard. There are so many feelings of rage inside her head that she can not choose which idea to express first.

Oh, they could smell it too. Minh must have realized she had been heard because she raised a cocky eyebrow as if to say 'what are you going to do about it'?

This is not the Druun times, Raya will get into serious trouble if she claws this girl's face off. Ultimately, the Heart princess didn't need to say anything. Mainly because Namaari beat her to the punch.

"What the hell did you just say?" Namaari hissed.

Raya peeked around Namaari's shoulder to get a look at her face. Sweet god if looks could kill Minh would be six feet under. Minh clearly did not expect the Fang princess to hear her comment, or at least care enough to respond, so she quickly tried to back pedal.

"What I meant to say was-" Minh started.

It was like her annoying voice unleashed all the bad stuff weighing down on Raya because her nausea suddenly hit so much worse. She knew she would throw up very soon.

The Heart princess hastily made it to her feet and sprinted a few feet away from the table. She thought she vaguely heard Namaari call after her, but Raya was too preoccupied to check. Then, she hid behind a tree and vomited her guts out.

Thankfully, she was done with that uncomfortable experience in only a couple of seconds. What Raya wasn't so thankful for is that the vomiting seemed to be the gate that unleashed all her feelings of illness.

Raya suddenly felt incredibly hot, her sore throat only got worse, and now she's pretty sure both of nostrils are clogged. It certainly doesn't help matters that her eyes began to feel incredibly heavy.

"Hey Raya, are you okay?" a voice asked.

It looked several blinks before the voice could be identified as Mali. Huh. Somehow, the Heart alpha doesn't look quite right.

"Have you always been so blurry? Or is it like, a new look you're trying out?" Raya asked.

"Oh, that's not a good sign. C'mon Raya, I'll get you to your room," Mali said while reaching a hand out to her.

The loud footsteps erupted from behind her. Raya looked back to see Namaari in all her undercut glory.

"Shit, are you okay? I knew I should have dragged you home when you said you weren't feeling well," Namaari sighed.

"M'fine," Raya mumbled.

"You're the worst liar ever," the Fang alpha sighed.

"It's fine, Princess Namaari, I can take her back to her room," Mali told her.

"Please, don't trouble yourself. I'm more than happy to take Raya back to her room. I was going to spend the night anyway. Wouldn't be the first time," Namaari snapped in a harsh tone that was very unlike her.

Malie seemed to be very irritated but Raya never did catch what she had to say. Her eyes were heavy, the day was too draining, and her stomach was now way too empty.

Raya's body could not take the strain of consciousness. So, with as much grace as Tuk Tuk trying to knit, Raya face planted on the ground and promptly passed out.

It was probably for the best.

******************************

Raya woke up to Charanya at her bedside, reading one of her old books. The scratchiness in her throat was damn near unbearable. Raya weakly flung her arm out to Charanya in an attempt to grab her attention.

Thankfully, her plan was effective. Charanya stopped reading and hastily stood next to Raya's bed.

"Hey sleepy head. You need anything?" Ranya asked quietly.

Raya lightly tapped her throat, their way of saying water. They made up the nonverbal code back when they were ten and one of them got sick. Charanya was always much better at playing nurse than Raya was.

Chranaya nodded and grabbed a cup by the nightstand.

"Here, the tea helps with a sore throat. It should still be warm. i've also got water right next to you in case you need it," the other woman assured her.

Once Charanya handed her the tea, Raya downed it in one gulp. By the spirits, she was so thirsty. At once, she could feel the tea soothe the burning in her throat. The immediate calming reaction was very appreciated.

"Where's um, our other family members?" Raya asked now that her throat feeling much better after the tea.

"Ma turned in early, Grandma's probably still up talking with Chief Virana, and Ba's with Aulia. They were all worried about it and wanted to stay, but I shooed them off. They knew I could handle it," Charanya explained.

Raya nodded in understanding. Now that Raya isn't blinded by thirst and discomfort, she's noticing Charanya looks pretty upset. Ah, so Raya's not the only one who had a miserable night.

"You okay over there?" Raya questioned despite already knowing the answer.

"It's been a shitty night," Charanya said after a beat of silence.

“That makes two of us. Would you like to start us off with your shitty night?” Raya asked.

“She thought I was fucking alpha,” Charanya simply stated.

“Uh, who did?” Raya asked, very confused.

“Tien. I’ve known her for two years and she thought I was an alpha literally until two minutes ago!” Charanya snapped.

Um. Wow.

Hell, it's no wonder Tien hasn't made a move at this point if she really thought Charanya was an alpha. A courtship with two alphas typically doesn’t end well. That situation also applies with having a relationship between two omegas. They’re simply too similar.

Plus, the scents. The scents are a big reason why those two pairings usually won’t work. When Charanya has her heats, the scent really aggravates Raya because of the fact that she’s a fellow omega. A lasting courtship isn’t necessarily impossible, but it’s pretty rare.

Tien has been pretty blatantly into Charanya for a long time now. Maybe the assumption that Charanya was an alpha is what really held Tien back from actually courting her?

“Wait, okay, tell me what happened. You know, calmly and rationally,” Raya insisted.

“There is so much to unpack here,” Charanya tiredly whined. “So Tien walked into the kitchens to help with food preparations. As I assumed, her and Noya started bitching at each other so I had to separate them. Noya made some offhand comment about how her younger self never thought she’d be getting bossed around by an omega, which is dumb because that’s how most courtships work. Next thing I know, Tien is saying that I'm an alpha!”

Raya blinked. Wow. Though she has to say, a lot of little things that kind of confused her made perfect sense. That knothead comment Namaari made at Charanya awhile back makes a lot more sense given the fact that knothead is an exclusive alpha insult for obvious reasons.

"So then I'm like 'what kind of drugs have you been taking because I've been an omega since birth' and she was just stunned into silence. It took several minutes for her to use her damn vocal cords again. Afterwards it was just, I don't know, weird. We still talked but it seemed like her head was somewhere else. How is this even real life?" Charanya groaned.

"I mean shit, Ranya, even I don't know what to say," raya sighed.

Seriously, what could she say? Sorry that the girl you were in love with was under the impression you two would never work out because she thought you were an alpha?

"Me neither. I just wish I knew why she got so weird. I mean, is it because she thinks I'm like, beneath her now that she knows I'm an omega?" Charanya frowned.

"I honestly don't think that's the case. I may not love the girl, and she may not love me, but she doesn't really seem to look down on omegas solely because of the fact that they're omegas. You're really just going to have to talk to her when she's not so off," Raya shrugged.

"When did you become rational?" Charanya frowned.

"I'm sick off my ass right now, I don't have much of a choice," Raya shrugged.

The shorter Heart woman smirked at that before leaning back against her chair. Then she let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Well, that really concludes my awesome thrilling night. What about yours?" Charanya asked.

"Other than me vomiting and passing out, the only thing really worth mentioning is that the girl Virana set up with namaari called my daughter a bastard. That was a pretty fun way to end my night," Raya sighed.

"Where the fuck is she?" Charanya bluntly asked.

"I am not telling you that information," Raya told her.

To be fair, it's not like she actually knows where Minh is anyways.

"Who the fuck does she think she is, calling my god daughter a bastard? Oh I will tear the binturi apart!" Charanya scowled.

"No you won't. Mainly because I'm not telling you who said it," Raya snorted.

"Are you serious? You're just going to let that freak get away with it?" Charanya glared.

"I mean, to be fair, Namaari very quickly stepped in. She got all pissed off on my behalf. But that was also the part when I needed to vomit so I kind of missed the rest of the conversation. She definitely heard it from Namaari, though," Raya shrugged.

Charanya huffed and crossed her arms. She pursed her lips before giving Raya a harsh glare.

"Please don't tell me things that are going to make me like Namaari, my night is bad enough as it is," the younger woman pouted.

Raya laughed at the comment before it quickly devolved into coughs. Charanaya could only wait until the hacking was done before offering some water.

"Yeah, I'm going to bed. I can not stand this," Raya sighed.

"I have to say, I'm feeling pretty beat. And hey, check it out, they gave me a cot so that I could sleep here with minimal risk of contracting your disease," Charanya beamed.

She pointed to said cot that Raya hadn't noticed until now. It was tiny, but it could certainly fit Charanya. The mat was a decent size so it shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of when we were kids and we begged our parents for a sleepover," Raya smiled.

"Yeah. Feels like a lifetime ago huh?" Charanya asked.

"Totally," Raya agreed.

The two sat in silence, reminiscing on a past so far away it was barely even remembered. Details were fuzzy, but the feeling of warmth and happiness was ingrained in Raya's mind.

Ah, the simpler days. How she yearns for them.

"Wake me if you need anything, Raya. Love you, sleep well," Charanya yawned.

"M'kay. I love you too, goodnight," Raya mumbled.

A moment of silence passed over them. Naturally, Raya had to break it.

"Can you get me cookies?" Raya asked.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Charanya asked with a scowl.

"PLease?" Raya begged.

".......I hate you."

"I love you too!"

"Whatever. Whore."

[omegaverserping]

I am a 30+ yrld female (she/her) with 15 years experience in roleplaying. I write in 3rd person POV past tense. I can write in 1st person present tense if convinced.

Timezone: EST

Pairing Type: F/F

I enjoy playing Alpha, Omega, and Beta characters.

I play with canon and OCs.

Fandoms:

The Witcher - Yennefer/Tissaia, Tissaia/OFC, Yennefer/OFC

Twilight - Bella/Tanya, Leah/Tanya, Tanya/OFC

Marvel - Natasha/Maria, Yelena/Kate, Maria/Captain Carter, Captain Carter/OFC, Natasha/OFC, Yelena/OFC

DC - Wonder Woman/Supergirl

Disney - Raya/Namaari, Aurora/Maleficent, Beauty/Beast,

I write novella length. I love discussing plot and possible tropes.

Tropes: Heat/Rut, Breeding, Knotting, soulmate marks

/

[endofherwildsideau]

🐼•🎋𝑳𝒊𝒛𝒂🎋•🐼

Her Voice by Princess Namaari

| Animal Mode | Bioluminescent | Royal | Arrival | Old-Self | War | Causal | Her weapons | Shapeshifting |

Deadname: Elizabeth Martin

Name: Empress Liza the Amazom Alpha or Panda Alpha

Name Meaning: God's promise; God is my oath. Oath of God. My God is bountiful. pledged to God.

Nicknames: Liz or Lizzie and Stuffo or Oreo (By Olive)

Birthday: July 19

Cause of Death: push off over the mountain

Age: 185 (die at age of 16)

Species: a hybrid of human, Giant Panda, and Panda shapeshifter.

Race: Asian-American hybrid 🇨🇳🇺🇲

Gender: Female ♀

Relationship status: Divorced/soon to be in a relationship

Sexuality: Bisexual

Roles: Goddess of Chi. Adviser. Panda Alpha. Ruler of Harasii Jungle kingdom, and Amazon Alpha. Queen of the Amazon tribe. Holder of Crown Jewel pieces.

Home World: Earth (Formerly) Miracle Region (Currently)

Kingdom: Harasii Jungle, Gongmen City, Indonesia, Thailand City, Cambodia City, Malaysia City, Singapore City, Vietnam City, Philippines City, Korea Town, Japan City, Mongolia Town, and Taiwan City.

Home: Waterfall Palace

Facts: Liza may look like an original friendly panda, but she isn't, she's the wisest advisor, a bit more tempered than other pandas, and the most serious animal of the Harasii Jungle Kingdom. She got married once, but she got divorced because her ex was irresponsible, irrelevant, and a troublemaker who cost her a terrible reputation and was banished from the whole kingdom. When she gets there before she meets her ex-husband, she starts having feelings for Olive, she starts blushing red when she starts seeing or getting called by the nickname from olive. She didn't know that her father is blonde, so she dye her black to cover her bit of blonde, and no one didn't notice in 100 years until...

Bonding Partner:

???

Partner:

Wukong the Monkey King (Ex-husband; Frenemies)

Olive the Cheetah Alpha (Friend; secret crush)

Parents:

Xiu Mei Martin (Biological mother)

Austin Martin (Biological father)

Sibling:

Zaidee Martin (biological youngest sister)

Abilities:

Ursine Physiology

Human Physiology

Panda Physiology

Animal Empathy

Animal Morphing

Animal Telepathy

Animalistic Vocalization

Bioluminescence

Ceiling Walk

Chain Blade Proficiency

Chain Proficiency

Claw Retraction

Declaration Aging

Dermal Armor

Dual Whip Proficiency

Enhanced Durability

Enhanced Endurance

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Smell

Enhanced Speed

Enhanced Strength

Enhanced Swordsmanship

Environmental Adaptation

Expressive Ears

Fan Proficiency

Glowing Eyes - only when the power is active or glows in the dark.

Hair Growth

Hibernation

Infinite Digestive System

Knife Proficiency

Kung Fu Mastery

Mind Control - to control Amazon alphas.

Mode Switching - Companion Form & Animal Mode

Nunchaku Proficiency

Pedagogy Mastery

Polearm Proficiency

Powerful Bite

Prehensile Tail

Regeneration Healer Factor

Ribbon Stick Proficiency

Rope Proficiency

Omnilingualism

Speed Swimming

Staff Proficiency

Stick-Fighting Mastery

Strategy Adaptation

Super Eating

Tail Manifestation

Thick Skull

Three-Section Staff Proficiency

Throwing Knife Proficiency

Trapping Mastery

Unique Eye Coloration

Unique Hair Coloration

Wallrunning

Weapon Summoning

Zoolingualism

Zoological Mastery

Powers:

Animal Kingdom Embodiment

Bamboo Generation

Bamboo Manipulation

Battlefield Adaptation

Chi Absorption

Chi Aura

Chi Concealment

Chi Constructs

Chi Detection

Chi Generation

Chi Healing

Chi Infusion

Chi Manipulation

Chlorokinetic Constructs - using bamboo.

Cloth Attacks

Cloth Constructs

Combat Empowerment

Compassion Embodiment

Contaminant Immunity

Determination Embodiment

Forest Adaptation

Forest Lordship

Gentleness Embodiment

Grass Attacks - using bamboo.

Jungle Adaptation

Jungle Lordship

Jungle Magic

Morality Embodiment

Observation Detection

Plant Aura - using bamboo.

Plant Blast - using bamboo.

Plant Kingdom Embodiment

Poison Consumption

Razor Wind

Ribbon Manipulation

Spiritual Meditation

State of Mind

[chapstick18]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Namaari/Raya (Disney) Characters: Namaari (Disney), Raya (Disney), Benja (Disney), Virana (Disney), Dang Hai (Disney), Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Namaari, Omega Raya, Jealousy, Jealous Raya, Arranged Marriage Summary:

Your omega snarls and urges you to go over there and tear the other woman to shreds but your feet remain frozen where you stand as your eyes watch the way the woman’s hand squeezes Namaari’s bicep. She laughs loudly at whatever Namaari has said and you swallow down the urge to vomit when she dramatically leans against the alpha’s muscled frame.

~ or ~

The Chief of Talon has offered his daughter's hand to Namaari and Raya is not at all pleased with this.

[holythighble]

I need more alpha namaari omegaverse fics

That is all *throws mic into crowd*

[randomlettrrsqqssfxwcvhxnqbwriro]

awww

Inspired by @moon-spirit-yue and her Omegaverse AU where, spoilers, Raya’s got a child with Namaari, named Aulia. Seriously. It’s fantastic and you should go read it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/34795198/chapters/86639455. Namaari has to find out somehow right? Obviously Aulia is her OC, and I only use her with permission. :P Raya: Hey, binturi. Watch my kid for a sec will ya? *plops Aulia in Namaari’s lap* Thanks! Alright jackfruit jerky, here I come. Momma needs some R&R. *walks off* Namaari: *staring after her in shock* …Ok… *looks down at Aulia and can’t help but smile* Aww hey there little kitten. Did your Momma leave you with me? That’s ok. I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun till she comes back. *bounces Aulia happily* Aulia: *happy giggles and clapping* Namaari: *notices a card, loosely tied around Aulia’s wrist* Oh? Hello now, what’s this? *flips it open*  Roses are red Violets are blue Guess who’s got a kid? Hey, turns out it’s you!

-Your Baby Momma: Raya Namaari: *staring slack jawed and slowly flicking her eyes between the card, Aulia and where Raya walked off to, as she whispers* Oh sweet mother of dragons… *faints* Aulia: *sitting on top of Namaari, clapping and giggling happily* Raya: *walking back into the room sometime later* Ah man that hit the spot. *patting her stomach as she notices Namaari* Pfff. She actually fainted. *scoops up Aulia* Welp, looks like your sire’s down for the count and Sisu owes me 50 jade. Guess she took the news pretty well didn’t she, love? Yes she did. Yes she did! *nuzzling her daughter, making her squeal and giggle as she walks off* 

[thedragonnerd]

AU where Raya and Namaari are fated mates , werecreatures and Namaari is an alpha and Raya is an omega breeder , and a rival pack does accept that mates can be the same sex and Raya gets stolen away to be the other pack alpha’s mate by force she gets hurt and locked away for days, and Namaari is frantic and does everything to get her back and finally gets to her as the other packs alpha is trying to force himself on Raya ‘s bound form uagainst her will. Raya is hurt and shaken but Namaari saves her and cares for her .

Hi anon! Sorry for a late response with this one...I know it's been in my inbox a while.

I can definitely do some headcanon with alpha Namaari and omega Raya, and a rival alpha. I will say that I personally tend to stay away from non-con or dub-con scenarios, so it might not be exactly the same prompt though ^^

[shy-peacock]

You and your friend Melpomene made some good points yesterday. I just wanted to say, do you all notice how Namaari is always stuck in the more masculine role? Maybe I'm alone in this, but I see her more femme/androgynous than Raya. Namaari's always the alpha, the one with a penis, the Dom and the top ಠ_ಠ Ugh, stereotypes! Raya deserves those roles too. I'm the same anon as the underwear ask, if you haven't noticed

Lmao ANON I am so guilty of that tho 😂

There’s just something about Namaari being the “top” that….😍👏❤️🥰🥵

But you are SO right. I love them as switches, TRUE FANFIC POWER, so I read them in both roles. Would be nice to see Raya get the lead more XD

[rayawaifu]

OH A STUPID ONE

Raya and Namaari's ABO status? Bonus: what scent would they be described as?

you have no idea how hard i’m wheezing rn

anyways - i feel like namaari would be an alpha. i’m basing the quote “where Alphas are depicted as the upper class elites” from wiki for this bit

as for raya… i honestly don’t know. i wouldn’t say alpha, but i can’t choose between beta n omega…

as for scents, i would say raya is considered like a sweaty dog that just rolled around in some fresh basil, and namaari is like fresh linen

[sortingabosincebirth]

Have you seen Raya and the last dragon? What dynamic do you think Raya and Namaari have? I personally thought they might be two alphas. Getting more bottom vibes from Namaari than Raya tbh.

I have not yet seen Raya and the Last Dragon but I want to! It's on my wish list.

I can't really sort the characters right now because I haven't seen them in action but I'll totally take your word for it and make sure to jot down a note to sort The characters when I watch the movie :)

[moon-spirit-yue]

Fought for me

Chapter 9: I'll Get To You Somehow

(You thought this was a story about Raya and Namaari's relationship? No, it's a story about Raya and Charanya being besties. This is honestly a filler chapter more than anything. Okay but I promise we get a good Namaari scene and she'll be more prevalent in the next chapter. She'll show up more in the next chapter. Anyways, hope you enjoy!)

Being Charanya's best friend is taking ten years off Raya's lifespan. Sure, rebuilding Heart and working with the other lands to achieve peace is stressful, but making sure Charanya stays out of trouble?

Practically impossible.

The first major issue Raya encountered with Charanya was her interactions with those in charge of agriculture in Heart a couple weeks ago. A few noble families from Heart own the farms and are in charge of harvesting food each season. Though there isn't really any explicit rule book for how each farm operates, the other noble families all unofficially chose Niran as their leader.

Quite the burly alpha man, Niran always seemed to know exactly what to do in order to get the best crops possible. Everyone else followed his orders to produce the best results.

That is, until the Druun hit.

Like most other Heart civilians, Niran was one of the first people to get turned to stone. He's no longer familiar with the way the soil works or the best area for water quality.

Six years was plenty of time to drastically change how the agriculture of Heart needed to run. The only person that's been harvesting anything from Heart in the past six years is Charanya. That means that now everyone now looks to her for guidance instead of Niran.

And boy is he pissed about it.

Raya suspects that it's mainly because Niran feels usurped from his original position of power. She's positive he got a kick out of everyone coming to him for help. Seeing people shift their focus from him to Charanya was definitely a blow to his ego.

The Heart princess is also rather aware of the fact that Niran holds traditional views. Also known as alphas are leaders, betas are meant to be subservient, and omegas need to stay at home to make babies. Just bigoted viewpoints that suppress everyone. Awesome.

While these stereotypes aren't even half as enforced as they were in the past, a small chunk continued to hold onto these views. Many people in this group are part of the nobility all throughout Kumandra. Niran is one of these people. He sees Charanya, an omega, leading the people in changing how their harvesting is done as a huge slap in the face.

In the first couple weeks during the rebuilding, Charanya and Niran were constantly at war with how they were supposed to grow plants and where to do it. Niran was trying to go with the way everything was done before the Druun while Charanya knew the current way of handling things.

Pretty much every time the two interact, they end up in a screaming match. Niran screams because he isn't being obeyed and Charanya screams because she isn't being heard.

Raya doesn't like Niran in the slightest.

"Okay seriously, how many fucking times do we have to go over this? Do I need to dumb it down for you? Soil by the orchids bad, soil by the river good!" Charanya drawled like she was speaking to a toddler.

Honestly, she was.

"You have no idea what the hell you're talking about! And quit talking to me like I'm a child!" Niran snapped back

"I'm responding accordingly. If I talk to you like you're a kid, it's because you act like one. You're too old and ugly to be a kid so how about start acting like an adult, yeah?" Charanya mocked.

Now Niran's just going on full blown tirade about how Charanya should respect him and his position as an alpha. The people around them were at a loss for what to do.

Raya felt her eye twitch involuntarily. She's not dealing with this anymore. Clearly, Aulia shared her mother's sentiment because she's frowning in Niran and Charanya's direction. Raya decided to pull out the big guns.

She's tattling to her father.

The sight of Raya immediately caused Benja to groan.

"Do not tell me-" Benja began.

"Yes," Raya bluntly stated.

Benja let out a string of curses before following Raya's footsteps. People had been complaining to Benja over the Charanya Niran disputes and it's driving him nuts. No matter how many private talks with Niran he's had, the man refuses to change. Time for public humiliation.

The Chief of Heart may be using a crutch to walk around, but he is a man that commands respect no matter where he goes. When he approached the squabbling duo, they both immediately shut up.

Raya tried to hide her satisfaction as Benja laid in on Niran. There haven't been any public incidents with Niran after that, but Raya sees the look of utter rage in his eyes when he sees Charanya. She made a note to keep an eye on him.

******************************

The second issue with Charanya, while very minor compared to the others, is the fact that her and Namaari are constantly at odds. Granted, Raya and Tien are very clearly not buddy buddy, but they make it less obvious.

Raya hadn't expected the four of them to end up constantly spending time together, but allegedly that's what teenagers do so she's rolling with it.

It honestly surprises Raya how often Tien and Namaari are in Heart. Ever since the Druun were vanquished, the two Fang alphas have only left Heart twice. And even then, it only lasted for a few days. Many people from all lands have been very active in helping rebuild Heart as a way to show support but man, the people Fang are seriously sticking around.

Both Namaari and Tien thought it'd be a good idea to hang around the serlots for the afternoon. Both Raya and Charanya are incredibly weary of the overgrown felines, especially because of the fact that Aulia's with them. Charanya insisted on holding the baby due to the fact that they haven't had much bonding time lately. (They literally spent all of yesterday attached at the hip.)

So, there Raya stood, constantly eyeing the animals that spent a couple years chasing her. Awesome. Well, the trip wasn't a total waste because Aulia seemed fascinated by the large beasts. She kept reaching out to the cats and staring at them with great interest.

"You know we can let her touch the serlots, right?" Namaari asked.

"Excuse me?" both Heart omegas asked at the same time.

"That was kind of creepy. But yeah, Aulia seems to really like the serlots so I just figured I should mention it'd be totally safe for her to touch and interact with the serlots," Namaari explained.

Before Raya could say 'you lost your damn mind', Charanya spoke for her.

"Uh, think with whatever's left of your brain please. Do you see that jaw? That creature could swallow my goddaughter whole. One gulp and the heir to the Heart throne is gone," Charanya scoffed.

"Okay, that's dramatic-," Namaari began.

"No no, she's got a point. I refuse to subject myself to childbirth again, that's the only heir Heart's getting," Raya bluntly stated while pointing at Aulia.

"The serlots are incredibly docile, they know not to attack unless we tell them to," Tien attempted to reassure them.

"What part of 'swallowed with one gulp' are you people not getting?! And the teeth??" Charanya exclaimed.

"This is why you're her godmother," Raya told her.

"I know right? We're so in sync!" the shorter girl smiled.

"Do you honestly think I'd do something to hurt Aulia?" Namaari asked.

Well now Raya felt a little bad with how sincere she is. She was about to respond but yet again, Charanya beat her to the punch.

"Who knows what goes on in your brain knot head?" Charanya huffed.

Raya snorted and quickly closed her mother after seeing Namaari give her a pointed glare.

"You're one to talk, no?" Namaari huffed.

"What-" Charanya mumbled before wincing in pain as Aulia tugged on her hair.

"I will allow thirty seconds of serlot interaction and if I get even one indication of hostile behavior, I'm putting the beast down," Raya conceded.

Raya figured having her daughter interact with other living beings would be good for development. Charanya did not seem pleased with the verdict, but relented. She kissed Aulia on her forehead and handed her to Namaari.

"I swear if anything happens to her, I'm going to burn you alive," the Heart woman scowled.

"Charanya, that's treason," Tien bluntly stated.

"But is it treason if I don't get caught?" Charanya asked innocently.

"Yes! Yes it is!" Namaari yelled.

Raya's not even surprised anymore. Those two can't have a conversation, or participate in the same conversation, without them bickering. But, at the end of the day, Charanya and Namaari never actually go too far with their bickering, so Raya supposes it's harmless. For now at least.

******************************

Now, the third incident is just downright hilarious and happened the day after her little spat with Namaari.

"Raya, stop this. Stop this right fucking now," Charanya hissed as she stared at a sight that would likely haunt her for years.

"I truly don't know if I can," Raya said as she tried containing her laughter.

Right in front of their very eyes was Chief Virana of Fang very obviously hitting on Kim, Chranaya's beloved grandmother. Aulia was being held by Kim and that baby is having the time of her life with those two.

"Grandma is like, elderly! Isn't she too old for the chief?" Charanya whispered in pure frustration.

"I mean, chief's like forty-five. Grandma's been stone for six years so she hasn't aged. She's still fifty. I'm sorry to tell you this, but a five year age gap is perfectly acceptable," Raya grinned.

"No. This will not happen. I will fake a heart attack if this goes on for even a moment longer," Charanya hissed.

"Oh come on, Ranya! Open your mind! If Grandma and the Chief get married, you and Aulia would be cousins! We could be a true family!" Raya grinned as Charanya's face was filled with terror.

"That would make Namaari my aunt! In what universe is that acceptable?!" Charanya hissed.

"Apparently this one," Raya said, getting more and more amused by the minute.

The Heart princess had to admit, it was odd to see Kim get so flustered while being hit on. Growing up, Raya wanted to be Kim. Despite her omega status, she had even the mightiest alphas shaking in their boots.

She was a rather tall woman with sharp features that made her look as stern as she acted. Not a whole lot of alphas approached her after the death of her husband. It wasn't like it's because of the fact that she wasn't pretty, because she is. Instead, she was never approached because Kim was incredibly intimidating and frightened the living hell out of most people.

Raya supposes that if there was one person in all of Kumandra that wouldn't get scared off, it'd be the alpha chief of Fang. It honestly made perfect sense.

"No. I just- no. Raya, start a diversion. Make it stop, I am begging you," Charanya frowned.

"Okay, is it really that bad? Grandma's fine-" the Heart princess began but was quickly cut off.

"Uh, she is an omega that is a chef while Virana is an alpha and a fucking chief! If, in some horrible reality, they end up courting, you know who's gonna suffer most if things go bad?" Charanya snapped.

Raya sighed and tried to think through her words carefully. The shorter omega is very protective of her family. It's been prominent even before the Druun's appearance. With how her parent's relationship ended due to her father taking everything and leaving her mother nothing, it makes sense how weary Charanya is of alphas. Especially those that could have romantic intentions with her family.

"Virana's not your father. The only person that is your father is, well, your father," Raya gently reminded her.

"Doesn't mean there aren't tons of people like him that will make an omega fall in love only to screw them over," Charanya scowled.

"True, but Kim's an adult. If Virana's being serious and Grandma's interested, you know you have no right to stop her," Raya told her.

"Oh go to hell with your completely reasonable thoughts. I want to be insane and bitter," Charanya pouted.

"I want to be insane and bitter too. As long as we do it from a distance and don't interfere," Raya smiled.

"Fine. It's too sunny out here anyways," Charanya sighed.

"I'll grab Aulia," Raya said as she squeezed Charanya's shoulder.

The taller omega also sighed, but it was out of relief. Now that Raya successfully talked Charanya out of doing something drastic, maybe they could just take some time to relax.

******************************

The fourth issue that takes the cake is what Raya is currently dealing with.

Raya had a late meeting with chiefs from the other lands that ran well past sundown. Though long, it ended up being much more productive than she had hoped. Namaari was originally going to join her for dinner but ended up having more paperwork than she anticipated. Raya told her she'd meet up with her after a quick walk, she really needed fresh air.

Namaari was willing to watch Aulia while the Heart princess went outside, which was honestly very helpful. She totally lost the baby sling she'd been using so it'd be a tad difficult to walk around fully supporting her baby.

Raya was able to peacefully roam the village outside the palace for a few minutes before she caught sight of Charanya. When Raya got closer, she found Charanya talking to another person. Upon even closer inspection the person seemed to be a beta woman from Tail who was very upset.

"-look, I have no clue who your husband was screwing. That was long after my time. Divorce the bastard or stay with him, I don't care, but don't drag me into your shitty relationship," Charanya hissed.

Raya immediately walked closer because she couldn't hear what the beta woman was telling her friend. Then she saw the beta pull something out of her pocket and it was a fucking knife! If she was going to save Charanya, she needed to be fast.

The Heart princess gripped the knife and quietly rushed over to the duo. Charanya was pinned against a wall just staring at the knife in front of her. If she saw Raya, she didn't make any indications.

Raya got close enough to press her own knife right against the Tail woman's neck. Whatever words she was telling Charanya died in throat upon feeling the blade press against her skin.

"Drop the knife or I swear on every dragon alive I plunge this in your neck," Raya seethed.

At once, the Tail woman dropped said knife.

"Run," Raya hissed.

The tail woman did not need to be told twice. She turned around and sprinted away from the scene. Sighs of relief were exhaled by both omegas.

"Thanks for the assist," Charanya gulped.

"Who the hell was that? What's her deal with you?" Raya frowned.

"Long story short, her husband ended up going to the brothel in Talon. Guess he was hooking up with Samorn. She wanted me to tell her where Samorn is, likely to beat her ass. I honestly have zero clue where she is, but she didn't believe me," Charanya sighed.

"That's psychotic!"

"Only a lot. It's kind of hilarious how I wasn't even a sex worker and that damn brothel keeps on coming to bite me in the ass."

"What do you mean keeps on coming?"

Charanya didn't answer. Raya gasped when she connected the dots. This has happened before.

"Exactly how many other times have you been confronted because of cheating spouses?" the Heart princess asked.

"It was only like, one other time!"

"Charanya."

"Two times?"

"Cha. Ray. Na."

"Okay fine, six times."

"SIX FUCKING TIMES-"

"Okay pause! The other times were just them bitching at me and then they would leave! I swear on my life no one has ever pulled a knife on me before or got physical in any way! If it had gone that far I definitely would have told you!"

Raya sighed in relief at hearing that at least Charanya's life wasn't in constant danger. But even so, what a fucking binturi!

"Why would you not tell me anyway? I'm your best friend! You're the godmother of my baby!" Raya asked sadly.

"You have enough on your plate. I really thought if I just told them to buzz off they'd all get the message that I'm not a snitch. I realize I went about it the wrong way, and I'm sorry, but I really just didn't want to make your life any harder than it has to be," Charanaya sighed.

Raya simply wrapped Charanya up in a hug and rested her chin on top of the shorter woman's head. Her friend immediately returned the embrace.

"Please, I already know you're a total pain. May as well tell me about it," Raya joked.

"Stop ruining our moment," Charanya giggled.

They stayed like that for a moment before deciding to turn in for the night.

"Do Ma and Grandma know about this?" Raya asked as they made their way back to Heart's palace.

"Ma does, but only because she actually caught us talking. We decided to keep it from grandma for now. You know how she is," Charanya shrugged.

Yeah. Raya knows very well how Kim is. The woman is ruthless.

"Completely understandable," Raya nodded.

The two bid each other after a couple more minutes of walking to the palace. Raya mentally groaned upon remembering she had to do more paperwork and help Namaari with hers. Why does she have to do things? Life is lame.

The Heart omega had told Namaari she could get a head start in Raya's room since she had Aulia. That baby loved her room for whatever reason.

Raya opened the door to see Aulia giggling as Namaari played peek a boo with her. Raya smirked. There's no way Namaari got any work done whatsoever.

"How've you two been?" Raya asked in pure amusement.

"We've been good. She's very entertaining," Namaari smiled.

"Yeah. And uh, what about that head start on the paperwork you were talking about?" Raya smugly asked.

Namaari looked at the stack of papers beside her, completely untouched.

"I had priorities, Raya," Namaari said, gesturing to Aulia.

There was something about Namaari calling her daughter a priority that really made Raya want to make out with her. Her stupid inner omega's prancing around at the idea. She really hates instinct.

"Well, priorities must now shift if we ever want to get this stuff done. Say bye bye to Princess Undercut, Starlight," Raya told her baby.

Namaari and Aulia had the same pout as they were separated, which was honestly kind of funny and concerning. It's not even like Aulia's going that far. She's just going from Namaari's arms to her crib a couple feet away from Raya's bed.

"Did you just refer to me as Princess Undercut to your baby?" Namaari frowned.

"It's called respect, Namaari. She had to use your official title," Raya grinned.

"As if, you have no respect for me," Namaari scoffed.

"I think I'd start getting some if you didn't get distracted by a baby when you had actual princess responsibilities," Raya smirked.

"Uh, is it my fault she's so cute?" namaari asked.

Kinda.

"You have zero self control," the Heart woman laughed.

"Just look at your stupid papers already," Namaari huffed.

Raya figured she poked enough fun at the alpha so work they did. Time flew by much faster than she had anticipated. Paperwork was such a damn chore, but doing it with Namaadri made it less so. By the time they were finished, it was beyond the middle of the night.

"Toi, I'm exhausted. I don't think I can stand up," Namaari whispered, mindful of the fact that Aulia is fast asleep.

"You can stay if you want. Bed's big enough for two," Raya blurted without thinking.

Ah yes. Invite the alpha you had a child with and that you're crushing on into your bed. That makes so much sense Raya. Look at you go with your critical thinking skills.

"If you're just being polite tell me now because I am genuinely going to take you up on that offer," Namaari mumbled while tiredly rubbing her eyes.

Is Raya truly this stupid?

"I feel like if you tried walking to your room, you'd pass out in the hallway. We can both sleep in the bed without going anywhere near each other. That thing can fit like seven people minimum," the Heart woman joked.

Yes. Raya is this stupid.

"In that case, I'm going to bed roomie," Namaari yawned.

The Fang princess tiredly shuffled to the bed and face planted on it. After a couple moments of awkward shuffling, Namaari managed to curl up under the covers.

Raya stood up and peered down at Aulia one last time to make sure she was still asleep. Seeing her out like a light, Raya crawled into bed.

"If you're a blanket hog, I'm kicking you out," Raya yawned.

"Don't even start," Namaari huffed.

"Goodnight, Namaari."

"Night, dep la."

******************************

When Aulia woke up Raya with her loud shrieks of baby rage, it was still dark outside. It felt like Raya didn't sleep a wink. Damn it.

The Heart woman started opening her eyes only to see Namaari already tending to Aulia. Namaari picked the baby up and began to softly ask what's wrong.

"She probably needs a diaper change. It's around this time," Raya yawned.

"Alright. I can do it if you want me to, I've done it before. I know some people have thing about it though so I can also slide over the table and a new diaper to you," Namaari offered.

Wow. She's willing to change the baby of her own free will. Each day that goes by, Raya feels more and more evil over keeping Aulia's parentage a secret.

But that's not a conversation for right now!

Right now, Raya would be taking what she could get.

"By all means, by my guest. Diapers are in the cabinet next to the crib," Raya mumbled.

Namaari didn't respond but Raya could hear the cabinet door open and shut. Aulia seemed much less fussy now that she was being attended to, which is always a plus.

"I hope she bites you when you change her," Raya bluntly stated.

"I am changing your baby's diaper of my own volition and this is how you talk to me? That's fucked up, Raya," Namaari huffed.

The Heart princess merely laughed. She had closed her eyes again once Namaari stated she'd deal with the diaper change so she couldn't exactly see the two of them. That's why she's unable to picture Aulia's little teeth digging into Namaari's skin as she bit her.

The Fang woman cursed at being bit. Raya knew exactly what was happening and laughed even more.

"I bet she's only doing it to follow your bad influence," Namaari huffed.

"Bring her to me. I want to encourage this behavior," Raya smiled and stretched her arms.

"You want me to give you your baby so that you two can conspire against me?"

"Yeah."

".........you're the worst."

With that, Namaari handed Aulia over to Raya. The Heart princess smiled at her happy, clean baby. She gave her daughter a small kiss on the cheek.

"So you remember how you bit Undercut when she changed you? I want you to do that all the time whenever you see her," Raya loudly whispered.

Namaari yelled out an indignant 'hey', but that was unimportant.

Aulia giggled and leaned down to nuzzle her face in Raya's neck. Ugh, she's so damn cute when she's asleep. She is one cuddly baby when she's just woken up.

"How is it even possible to be that cute?" Namaari quietly asked.

"I have no idea. She doesn't even try," Raya smiled.

The Fang woman sat next to the two Heart omegas and gently tapped Aulia's hand.

"Just putting it out there, my name is Namaari. Not Undercut. Namaari. Do you understand this Aulia?" Namaari asked.

"Your name is Undercut if I say your name is undercut," Raya scoffed.

"You're so lucky the baby's in between us or I'd put you in a headlock right now."

"As if, binturi."

"I'm no binturi, binturi."

"If someone had to draw a picture of the word binturi, they'd have to draw your stupid face."

"My face is not stupid-"

Before the two adults in the room could finish their petty argument, Aulia let out a big yawn. Then the baby gave them a little glare that they just couldn't take seriously due to how cute she is.

"Is this her way of telling us to shut the hell up?" Namaari asked.

"Looks like it," Raya mused.

"Alright, back to bed you go," Namaari sighed.

The Fang woman picked up Aulia, who's already drifting off to sleep, and placed her on her crib.

"Need anything while I'm up?" Namaari whispered.

"I'm good. Thanks though," Raya replied.

Namaari hummed in acknowledgement then got back into the bed.

"Night Undercut."

"You're so annoying."

******************************

Raya woke up to the sound of the door opening and Charanya's alarmingly loud voice for the morning.

"Wake up Sunshine, Ba wants us-" Charanya started.

At once, Charanya slammed the door shut. Raya got confused as to why she'd leave so abruptly, but then she realized the state she was in.

After fully opening her eyes, the Heart princess could see that she's practically lying on top of Namaari who just so happened to be wide awake. Raya knew exactly what this looked like.

She quickly scrambled off the other woman and began mentally cursing herself for letting the other woman sleep over. It's like she's a glutton for punishment.

"Hold on! We didn't have sex!" Raya yelled despite the fact that Charanya was likely long gone at this point.

"Not this time anyway," Namaari mumbled tiredly.

Raya's jaw dropped. Huh, so they could joke about it now. They had to be a good sign right?

.......right?

In order to address the comment, Raya grabbed the pillow behind her and smacked Namaari with it. The Fang alpha merely laughed.

"You're so stupid," Raya snorted.

"False," was all Namaari could muster out.

"I'd better go see what she wants. Mind keeping an eye on my tiny terror?" Raya asked.

"Don't talk about her that way, I think she's a delight. And yes, I can. I'll probably be down in the courtyard by the time you and your Ba are finished," Namaari said.

"Wonderful. Thanks Namaari, I'll see you then," Raya yawned.

She then looked down and noticed Namaari looked red. Like, really red.

"You're not sick are you? You're redder than a rose," Raya inquired.

"I'm fine!" Namaari said, almost too quickly.

Raya's too tired to argue. She'd take Namaari's word for it. The Heart woman grabbed some fresh clothes and quickly changed in the bathroom. Raya then rushed out the door to Charanya's room where she thankfully was located. She did not feel like chasing that girl down.

When Raya walked into the room, Charanya was glaring at her with crossed arms.

"Why do you look like I just dropped Aulia?" Raya asked.

"The hell was Namaari doing in your bed," Charanya glared.

This is so not a conversation Raya wants to have right now. Unfortunately, Charanya's not one to let things go.

"Look, we stayed up late doing paperwork so I offered to share the bed. Nothing happened," Raya insisted.

"You need to be careful," Charanya glared.

"I just told you, we didn't have sex," the taller woman groaned.

"That's not what I meant," Charanya spat.

"Why are you flipping out? It didn't mean anything," Raya sighed.

"Raya, I realize you probably didn't notice, so I'm just going to say. When I walked in that room, you were purring," her best friend said.

Raya's pretty sure she can actually feel the color drain from her face at the comment. If an omega purrs near an alpha she's not related to it's usually because she wants to court them. Raya may actually kill herself. That did explain Namaari's redness though.

"...............do you think she noticed?" the Heart princess asked quietly.

Charanya looked like she wanted to slap the hell out of Raya.

"Yes. Given the fact that Namaari was fully conscious, directly beneath you, and staring straight at you, I have this feeling that she maybe noticed the purring," Charanya fumed.

It's only just now occurring to her that being Raya's best friend is likely taking ten years off Charanya's life too.

Toi, they're perfect for each other.

"I really didn't mean to," Raya meekly admitted.

Charanya groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt again. Namaari's done enough damage," the shorter woman said.

"Maybe she has. Doesn't really change anything," Raya sighed.

"Just please, be careful," Charanya begged.

"I will. You too," Raya insisted.

"I will," the other girl agreed.

What a garbage fire this is.

"Hey, what do we need to do with Ba?" Raya asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that it concerns both of us and we need to head to his office," Charanya said, clearly grateful for the topic change.

The two made idle chit chat as they strolled to the Heart chief's office. They theorized what kind of problem would be so bad that both of them were needed.

When they entered the office, her father looked stressed. Shoulders raised, aggravated look on his face, crossed arms, the whole stressed to death package.

"Alright, glad you're both here. I really don't want to prolong this discussion so I'll just be direct. Have either of you given courting any consideration?" Benja asked.

Raya and Charanya immediately shot each other confused looks. The hell's he going with this?

"No, not really. It's not our main concern right now," Raya stated.

"I second that notion," Charanya agreed.

Her father seemed visibly relieved at the confession.

"Well, it would appear that courtship is other people's main concern. You've both gotten offers. They're on the table. Charanya, your grandmother passed them on to me," Benja explained.

Yet again, the two omegas shot each other a look. This is probably the last thing they thought this conversation would be about.

There sat two stacks of letters on the table with gifts to accompany them. Raya's stack was higher than Charanya's, but that was likely due to the whole royalty thing. Even so, it greatly surprised her. It's public knowledge Raya had a baby very young. She really can't imagine people her age would be willing to deal with that, even if she is a princess.

The Heart woman is also quite shocked over the fact that Kim passed everything on over to Benja in regards to Charanya. Courtships in Heart tended to be overseen by the head of house, usually the oldest alpha but it's not guaranteed. Given Charanya's specific circumstance, head of house would be Kim. On occasion, some families will pawn off control over courtship proposal to a family friend that's more knowledgeable. Again, this family friend is usually an alpha.

The confusing part is that Kim is an utter control freak. From what Raya remembers of Ai's stories, Kim would constantly monitor Ai's courtship requests and would thoroughly investigate those who offered. To pawn off Charanya's courtship requests is incredibly out of character for Grandma.

Raya can take a guess why.

"How'd Grandma take it?" Charanya asked, having zero desire to beat around the bush.

"She couldn't even look at them. Your mother tried to be excited, but she's terrified. I am too. It's hard enough for us parents to see our kids grow up. We never thought we'd blink and have six years fly by," her father sighed.

Yup. That would be the guess. It made sense even if it was devastating to hear. Raya and Charanya are very aware of how hard their sudden adulthood hit their parents. They can't exactly avoid it, especially with the baby on Raya's hip, but the two girls try not to bring much attention to it.

"I, uh, don't feel the need to court right now. Everything's too hectic," was all Charanya said.

"Me neither. Mainly because if someone I court tries to parent my child, I'd give them a nose bleed," Raya huffed.

"You know, you girls don't have to tell us what we want to hear. This is your life, you're both of age, we would support you if you two decided to pursue a relationship with someone," her father reminded them.

"Hard pass," Raya said.

"That's gonna be a no from me," Charanya agreed.

"Oh thank toi. Being supportive is really stressful, I don't know how people do it," Benja said as he slumped in his chair in pure relief.

"That all you needed from us Ba?" Raya laughed. She's honestly just happy to see him in a better mood.

"Yup, that's all for now. I'll go tell Ai and Kim the good news. I'll see you two later," Benja said.

Her father affectionately ruffled the tops of their head. He practically skipped away. It was silent in the room for a moment.

"We can never court anyone ever, can we?" Raya asked out loud.

"No, not ever," Charanya laughed.

"It's a good thing the people we want are unattainable," Raya snorted.

"I like you looking on the bright side! What a nice change of pace," the other woman teased.

"Okay, I know we're not actually courting anyone, but even you have to be a little bit curious over who sent us these letters," Raya grinned.

"Toi, I really am. I have to know," Charanya said as she began shuffling through her pile.

Raya did the same. As expected, she did not know who most of these people were.

"Oh, look at these earrings. I would almost court someone for these earrings alone," Charanya joked.

"They clearly know your taste," Raya noted.

The shorter Heart woman then went to find the envelope that matched the earrings. When Charanya got her hands on it, her jaw practically hit the floor.

"What, what is it?" Raya asked.

"Bestie, you're not going to believe this shit," Charanya said as she showed Raya the name of the person who gave her the earrings.

Raya could not, in fact, believe that shit. The person is Noya, aka one the binturi that enjoyed harassing Charanya every damn day she breathed. It was a bunch of petty shit and Raya got so pissed off by it that she ended up punching Noya in the face to get her to back off.

"How drugged out is she?" Raya scoffed.

"No idea. The audacity," Charanya spat.

"Tell me if she pulls anything. I've no problems breaking her nose again," Raya scowled, thankfully causing Charanya to laugh.

As Raya shuffled through her own letters, her jaw hit the floor when she saw yet another binturi name she did not want to see.

"What's up? Who's in there?" the shorter woman questioned.

"This is so insane," Raya sighed as she turned the envelope over to show her friend the name.

Charanya gasped and snatched the envelope that had the name Mali written on it. Raya may have been the one that got picked on by Mali, but Charanya's the one that absolutely despises her. Raya understands as it's the same way she felt about Noya but reversed.

Mali was a total jerk that treated Raya similarly to the way Noya treated Charanya. Pulling on her, purposefully tripping her, and various other dumb stuff. However, due to the fact that Mali started her antics up after Raya punched Noya, the Heart princess felt cornered.

Noya and Mali are both from noble families so the only reason why Raya got off scot free after the Noya altercation was because of her princess status. She knew if she tried pulling that again with Mali there would be legitimate consequences.

Thank God for Charanya. She found out that Mali had a horrible fear of bugs. That gave Charanya the bright idea to take some dead bugs from an old building and put them in Mali's sandwich. One bite in and she was a goner.

Mali had quickly learned Charanya was the culprit and never told on her. Raya's pretty sure it's because Mali's an alpha and getting duped like that by an omega would kill any street cred she had.

"I am not above putting bugs in everything she consumes," Charanya grumbled.

"Good. Hopefully neither of us have to go through with our threats. I mean, it's possible they're better people now, right?" Raya pondered.

"I'd certainly hope so. I saw both of them quite a bit when doing my deliveries. Let me tell you, they did not have the lavish life they had before the Druun. Hopefully it humbled them," Charanya sighed.

Raya could see that being a possibility. Namaari was capable of change, there's no reason why those two couldn't be. But to have the nerve to try and court them without even addressing what happened when they were kids?

Fuck. That.

"Either way, I'm not touching Mali with a ten foot pole. Matter of fact, I'm not touching any of these people with a ten foot pole," Raya huffed.

"Agreed. I say we burn them and forget this ever happened," Charanya said.

"I'm here for it," Raya sighed.

And so they did. Without even bothering to look at the letters in the envelopes, the two omegas tossed their courting letters in the fire. It was kind of a pretty sight.

The courting gifts were a bit more awkward to deal with. None of the objects given to them could easily be erased off the face of the Earth like paper can. They decided to toss everything in a bag and threw it with the rest of the garbage in the palace.

Raya guided Charanya to the courtyard Namaari claimed she would go to. Ugh, the Heart princess prayed this morning's purring incident wouldn't be brought up.

Upon arrival, Namaari inquired about the meet up with her father. At least it wasn't about the purring.

"What did your father want from you two?" Namaari simply asked.

"It took forever, must have been important," Tien agreed.

Raya and Charanya gave each other a look. Neither of them had any desire to mention courting offers in front of the alphas they had rather complicated feelings for.

"It was a family matter."

They did not elaborate. Namaari and Tien were wise enough not to press the issue.

"Oh, actually, speaking of family matters we should probably get Aulia's birth certificate started," Charanya reminded her.

"Shit, I completely forgot," Raya groaned.

It's true. Aulia, future chief of Heart, does not have a birth certificate. What was Raya supposed to do? Give birth and write down herself as the mother? In the middle of Fang? Absolutely not.

"How do you forget to make your own child's birth certificate?" Tien asked.

"Well when you give birth on the run, a few things slip your mind," the Heart princess shot back.

"We both thought it was best not to give any indication Raya was alive at the time and you know, a legal document stating Raya is a mother kinda ruins that plan," Charanya shrugged.

"Oh my god, that means I was right on the boat. Aulia is a nonexistent baby. Legally, she's not real," Namaari laughed.

"How is this still up for debate!? My baby is real, binturi!" Raya snapped.

"Not in the eyes of the law she isn't!"

"I will smack you so hard your undercut falls off-"

[chapstick18]

Chapters: 8/10 Fandom: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Namaari/Raya (Disney) Characters: Namaari (Disney), Raya (Disney), Sisu (Disney), Atitaya (Disney), Tong (Disney), Boun (Disney), Little Noi (Disney), Virana (Disney), Benja (Disney) Additional Tags: Canon Divergence, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Namaari, Omega Raya, Futanari, Girl Penis, Female Alpha, G!P Namaari, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentions of Smut, Scenting, Action/Adventure, Drama, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Road Trip, Tuktuk, Kana the Serlot, Raya cutting Namaari's hair, Taking turns protecting each other, cuddling for warmth Summary:

“They’re right behind us!” Namaari shouts out to you and to prove her point a whizzing bolt soars between you, nearly catching the alpha’s cheek. Another buzzes by your ear and has you instinctively ducking away from the noise. You need to find somewhere to lose them but all you’re seeing is the rocky barren terrain Tail is known for.

“Over there!” She suddenly exclaims and you look over to where she is nodding towards a dark hole between two massive rock walls. Every instinct is telling you not to go in there, that there are too many unknowns and risks to chance it but then another bolt flies by your face and you guide Tuktuk through the gap against your better judgment.

~ Or ~

Namaari and Raya looking for Sisu together and the events that follow with a dash of ABO thrown into the mix.

[moon-spirit-yue]

Fought for Me

Chapter 7: A Promise, a Late Night Rendezvous 

(TW WARNING! There will be intense injury in this chapter due to the fact that Sisu got shot. It won’t be too gruesome but I wanted to give everyone a heads up! Enjoy!)

Rage quickly filled Raya’s body at seeing the arrow pointed at her heart. After everything, and Raya really means everything, that’s happened between them? Namaari was seriously going to screw her over like this? Oh Raya could actually kill her right now! And she definitely would have, if Namaari was the one with the arrow.

Though it took Raya a couple of seconds to process what was happening, her brain finally caught up when Namaari moved in front of her to block the arrow. As it would turn out, the voice that claimed to be taking the gem pieces was from a man. 

Raya was rather embarrassed to find that with Namaari’s body moving right in front of her her, she couldn’t see what was happening. She decided to poke her head above Namaari’s shoulder to get a better view. Along with the man that just spoke, there were about fifteen or so Fang warriors with weapons.

Now that’s what Raya calls a problem.

“Stand down, Wahn. That is an order,” Namaari stated in an eerily calm voice.

Damn, that voice made Raya want to stand down and Namaari’s not even taking to her. 

“I am operating under direct orders from Chief Virana,” the guy who’s apparently named Wahn stated.

“It is so like my mother to try and ruin my life,” Namaari mumbled to herself.

Raya frowned, thinking that maybe Namaari might have set this up. That there was some elaborate and devious plot to dupe Raya into thinking the Fang princess is innocent before utterly destroying her.

But Namaari’s not wearing scent blockers. She smells confused, distressed, and even a little betrayed. Probably due to the fact that her own mother has very different ideas handling whatever this situation is. 

Point of the matter is that scent doesn’t lie. That means Namaari was truly only here to do what’s right. She had no intention of betraying Raya. And stupid Wahn is ruining it. Toi, what kind of name even is Wahn anyways? It’s the kind of name for losers. 

“Step aside, Princess Namaari. There’s no reason for you to injury yourself for the likes of her,” Wahn stated, gesturing to Raya in disgust.

Rude as hell.

“Speak of her in such a manner again and see what happens,” Namaari growled before Raya could even respond. 

Though she absolutely loathed to admit it, hearing the taller woman sound so protective over her made Raya a little too pleased. Her omega too. Why can’t Raya ever actually focus when she needs to?

“You know, I think we can all just, take a step back for a moment and reflect on our actions,” Sisu awkwardly interjected, likely trying to diffuse the situation.

Seeing the dragon begin to move closer, Wahn decides to aim the arrow at Sisu’s chest. 

“I swear to all that is good in this world Wahn, if you pull that trigger I will personally see to it that you never touch a mere kitchen knife again,” Namaari warned. 

“I have been given my orders and I will not go against them,” Wahn declared. “All of you either come with me willingly or we will have no choice but to take you by force.”

“I really hope you didn’t trust me enough to not bring a weapon because I do not have one,” Namaari whispered.

Suddenly Raya regrets insisting on a peaceful, no weapons meeting.

“I brought my father’s sword but I’m not too sure what that’s gonna do against a tiny army!” Raya fearfully whispered back.

“Give me the sword, I’ll do what I can to hold them off while you gather the others to safety,” Namaari mumbled while the Fang soldiers appeared to be getting more trigger happy by the second. 

“Are you kidding me? You’ll look like a pin cushion if you go through with this! Your plan is awful. Seriously, why can’t I associate with someone who doesn’t think of garbage plans?” Raya scowled. 

“Raya, for once in my life I’m actually doing the right thing, so stop-” Namaari had begun to say. 

This is where it all went wrong. Raya’s not sure who did, but someone stepped on a twig. That was enough for everything to go to hell. 

The sudden noise had to have startled the Wahn guy because even he looked surprised when he pulled the trigger. Normally, Raya had the sense to move and avoid a weapon being flung right at her, but she honestly couldn’t. Princess Raya of Heart is still as statue. 

Her lack of action ultimately didn’t matter because Namaari took the liberty of throwing Raya to the ground, effectively getting the Heart princess  out of the way of any arrows that may pierce through her. Both Namaari and Sisu were not as fortunate. 

When stupid Wahn pulled the trigger, it unleashed a wave of arrows from the rest of the Fang army. The rest of Raya’s human companions were far away enough to be out of the danger, but in Namaari’s efforts of keep the omega from the crossfire, she ended up getting pierced by an arrow in the process. 

The arrow got stuck in Namaari’s left leg, causing her to scream in pain and collapse on the ground. 

“Oh my gods!” Raya shrieked as she fell to her knees and git a closer look at the injury. 

Raya’s panic mixed with Namaari’s pain was nothing compared to what they both felt after they saw one of the many arrows stab Sisu straight through the heart. The dragon didn’t scream, it all happened much too quickly for her to react. Instead, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body gave out. Raya could do nothing but scream as Sisu fall off the side of the cliff hit the ground. 

Naturally, things went from bad to worse. Raya, still close to Namaari’s heavily injured body, leaned over the edge of the cliff to see what was at the bottom. What she saw would give her nightmares for years. 

All the water had seemingly evaporated the moment Sisu was shot. The protection that Fang once held was gone. Everyone’s protection is gone. Raya’s mind jumped to Charanya and Aulia. They had nowhere to go. Her baby would turn to stone and there’s absolutely nothing she can do about it.

Tears began streaming down her face without Raya even realizing it. At this point, she just felt defeated. Not only did she lose the only thing that could have brought her father back, but she also lost one of the best friends she’d ever had.

Namaari’s groan of snapped her out of her thoughts and she quickly wiped her eyes to try and asses the damage. 

“I’m so sorry. You’re a pin cushion because of me,” Raya sniffled, trying really hard to fight back sobs. 

“Oh please, this isn’t your fault. I totally had this coming. I’ve been known to be an undercut binturi,” Namaari weakly smiled.

Namaari’s awful joke honestly just made Raya want to cry even more. The Fang woman was shot and yet she was still trying to make Raya feel better.

“If anyone’s sorry here, it’s me. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that I was being followed. You lost your friend because of me. I really am sorry,” Namaari chocked out mournfully.

“Oh don’t be stupid, this wasn’t your fault. That guy was way too trigger happy. I’m sure he would have found a way to get to us either way,” Raya sniffled. 

Raya never thought she would be comforting Namaari. And she certainly never thought she would actually mean the words she said. It really does take one instance to change everything.

“That arrow needs to stay in until a proper healer can get their hands on,” Tong stated, causing both Raya and Namaari to jump. 

Neither girl had noticed his arrival. Nor did they notice Boun and Noi right beside them. Damn, Raya needs to put a bell on those three. 

“Let’s not worry about that now. My people, they need to get out of here,” Namaari said in a strained voice.

Raya’s honestly not too sure where they’re going to go considering the fact that with the water gone, there’s really nowhere to hide. 

But, well, it’s better than doing nothing. 

“Tong, you go ahead. We need to get everyone that’s not an adult or can’t stand on Tuk Tuk,” Raya said. 

Despite Tong’s insistence on staying, Raya reminded him that someone had to help the other Fang citizens. Though he didn’t like it, the Spine man rushed off with a gem piece to try saving as many people as possible from the Druun.

Putting Boun and Noi on Tuk Tuk was no issue. Even the ongis got on without a hitch. The real issue was trying to get Namaari on without accidentally agitating her very prominent injury.

“Seriously, just leave me so that you and your friends can get out here. My people need help much more than I do,” Namaari sighed as yet another attempt to get on Tuk Tuk’s back failed. 

Part of it was the fact that it was nearly impossible to get the alpha on the pillbug without digging the arrow deeper in her limb. The other part was the fact that Tuk Tuk is kind of a jackass and scoots away whenever Namaari comes near him. 

“Someone’s self sacrificial today. Take it from me, it’s not a good look for you,” Raya frowned.

“Liar, I always look good.”

“You got shot in the damn leg! You look the opposite of good!”

“I look fantastic.”

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REITERATE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SHOT! WITH AN ARROW! TOI HOW STUPID ARE YOU?!”

“There’s no need to yell at the injure-”

“FOCUS PEOPLE! THERE IS A CRISIS!” Boun yelled, effectively breaking up their argument. 

Raya sighed and gently guided Namaari on the floor. She knelt in front of Tuk Tuk and crossed her arms. 

“Listen, buddy, you gotta let Namaari on your back,” Raya insisted.

The pillbug did not budge. 

“Okay, it was kinda funny the first time, but now I just want to get a move on! I get the fact that you’re still upset over being kicked and all but she was literally shot in the leg! I think that’s an acceptable form of retribution! Please Tuk!” the Heart omega begged. 

Tuk Tuk, despite the grumbling, lowered himself so that Namaari had a better shot of climbing onto the shell. 

With the power of love, friendship, and a lot of painful movements from Namaari, the injured woman was finally on Tuk Tuk.

“Finally! Okay, you two find Namaari a medic and help when you can, I’m going to go straight for finding Tong. I’m sure he needs backup,” Raya told them.

Boun nodded and steered Tuk Tuk off to find people to help and medics to save Namaari. Hopefully they could find help before said medic turned to stone themselves. 

******************************

Raya didn’t even feel like she was her own person as she used her gem piece to help guide the Fang citizens back to safety. Her mind jumps from Sisu’s death to Namaari’s injury to how her baby is probably a statue right to how utterly powerless Raya felt right now. 

At some point in the fray, she accidentally dropped her gem piece while the Druun was gunning straight for Raya. She absolutely would have become stone if it weren’t for the help of...Namaari?!

There the princess was, in all her alpha Fang glory. Though now she had a thick bandage tightly wrapped around the area it was stuck in. Namaari was leaning on a wooden crutch and seemed to be in a significantly less amount of pain than before, which is great!

The fact that she walking around a battlefield totally pisses Raya off though.

“What the hell are you doing up right now? There’s no way an actual medic cleared you to start hobbling around!” the Heart woman snapped.

“Of course they didn’t,” Namaari simply replied.

“What is your problem?! You are a cripple!” Raya hissed. 

“Careful dep la, I might start thinking you care about my well being,” Namaari smirked.

A horrible realization came across Raya, because honestly, she is worried about Nmaaari’s well being. She’s gonna turn to stone before admitting that though. And hey, with the way things are going right now, the chance of that is pretty high.

“Shut up and stay close to me,” was all Raya managed to say.

To Namaari’s credit, she did just that. For someone that only had one leg that actually worked, she managed to be fast and was a great guide to safety. Her expansive knowledge of Fang certainly played a big part in that. 

Somehow, they were able to evacuate just about everyone in the town. Tong, Boun, and Noi raced up to her as Tuk Tuk was evacuating the last of the civilians.

“Alright, that looked like everyone,” Boun confirmed when he joined the group. 

“Wonderful. Now let’s-” Raya started, before the ground quite literally gave out beneath her. 

Panic engulfed her before she realized that she didn’t even hit the ground that hard. Then she discovered that she was laying on top of Namaari.

“Damn, are you okay?! I didn’t hurt your leg too badly, did I?” the Heart woman asked worriedly while scrambling to her feet.

“No, I’m alright. Toi, look out!” Namaari exclaimed as she pointed behind her. 

On instinct, Raya shoved the gem piece in the direction Namaari was pointing to. The horrible creature screeched and split off. The omega quickly helped her companion to her feet so that they could both participate in the efforts of keeping the Druun at bay. 

“This isn’t working! There’s too many of them!” Tong exclaimed.

Dread filled at the pit of Raya’s stomach. She knew he was right. They wouldn’t be able to survive much longer like this. To top it all off, the glow of the gems was getting dimmer and dimmer. 

Noi had begun whimpering and was giving her best effort to hide her face in Tong’s shoulder. Not once had she seen the baby look so terrified. It was starting to break Raya’s heart.

“What do we do? We can’t stop them anymore!” Boun yelled. 

What to do is right. Honestly, Raya had no fucking clue what she was supposed to do. This feels like her fault entirely. If she hadn’t gone searching for dragons, they wouldn’t be in this mess. Sisu wouldn’t be dead, just asleep and hope for other generations wouldn’t have been destroyed. 

As Raya was continuing her internal spiral of despair, a golden glint caught her eye. The dragon pendent. 

She can’t say for certain why she kept the thing after all this time. It would have given her a nice chunk of jade, which she desperately needed during the past six years. And with such negative memories behind how she got the pendant, its sentimental value wasn’t all that great.

But maybe this is why she needed it. To remind her of what Sisu said. 

“Everybody! Give me your gem pieces! We can still put it back together!” Raya told them. 

“Sisu’s gone! We don’t have her magic anymore!” Boun oh so kindly reminded her. 

“It’s not about the magic, it’s about the trust we have in each other!” Raya yelled, barely being able to hear herself over the Druun’s screeching.

“WHAT?!” Namaari screamed.

Raya’s not sure if Namaari was yelling like that because she genuinely couldn’t hear or because she thought Raya was insane. Either way, it’s a bit hard to give everyone a full play by play.

“I don’t have time to explain everything, people! All you guys need to know is that the reason why the gem worked the first time is because Sisu’s siblings trusted her with their lives! We need to trust each other like Sisu wanted us to, even if her plans were garbage!” Raya told them.

“How can you be sure this will work?” Tong asked while simultaneously evading another attack from the Druun.

“I don’t, but it’s the only chance we have! C’mon, circle of trust people, let’s do it!” Raya exclaimed. 

Boun, Tong and Noi were shooting glances at each other. Then they’d look at Namaari, then at Raya, then back at each other. They’re not sure what to make of Namaari, since it’s obvious she had meant to stop this madness before being followed. Even so, they’re hesitant. Since everyone layered up on scent blockers earlier that morning, she can’t exactly smell what they’re feeling, but she doesn’t need to. It’s written all over their faces. Raya knows what she has to do. 

Though Raya was shaking like a leaf, she put her gem piece in Namaari’s hand. She tried stepping back to let the Druun, uh, consume her? Is that what they do? But the Fang woman was faster, and got a vice like grip on Raya’s wrist.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Namaari hissed.

“I’m taking the first step,” Raya said as if it was obvious. 

“Look who’s trying to be the self sacrificing one now? You’re so hypocritical,” Namaari snapped.

“Maybe I just wanted to be more like you, Namaari,” Raya stated.

“I feel like you should know that self sacrifice isn’t a good look on you either,” Namaari declared. 

“I bet I wear it better than you,” Raya smirked.

“You wish, dep la,” Namaari whispered. 

Raya tried to take a step back, but the other woman’s grip around her wrist was something fierce. Okay, now Raya’s a bit annoyed. The only way for this to work is to prove that Raya trusts Namaari. How the hell is Raya supposed to prove anything if Namaari is keeping her hostage?

“Let me go, Namaari. I know what I’m doing,” Raya said softly, trying soothe her.

“I’m not sure why you’re being so risky. You have a kid, so I should be the one giving you my gem piece,” Namaari tried arguing.

Hah! If that’s the case, then Namaari shouldn’t give up her piece either. Not like Raya can make that argument, though. 

“Do you trust me?” Raya asked.

Namaari nodded. The omega woman could smell the utter terror her companion had.

“Then let me do this. It will work,” Raya insisted with all the conviction she could muster.

Reluctantly, Namaari loosened her grip on Raya’s wrist. Despite the many survival instincts screaming at her not to, Raya stepped into the fray of the Druun with no protection. All she could do was imagine her family as the life left her very being.

******************************

Raya felt a droplet of water plop on her head. Then another. Before she knew it, she could move her face. Then the hands that were originally cupping water flopped to her sides. Namaari had done it. 

She turned her head to see Namaari gasping for air. The Fang princess’s hand was already resting on Raya’s shoulder, a comforting warmth exuding from it. Namaari automatically turned to her left to see Raya looking right at her. 

Namaari smiled in utter relief and squeezed Raya’s shoulder with her hand. Choked up by the dozens of emotions the Heart woman felt, she just mustered a smile right back and brought her left hand up to squeeze Namaari’s.

Raya and Namaari were snapped out of the little trance they were in when they heard Boun yelp and face plant on the ground. Raya resisted the urge to laugh at the fall and helped him up after he finished wiggling his legs. Tong and Noi were quite literally jumping for joy after feeling the rain hit.

“Oh toi, Tuk Tuk! He must have been so scared! C’mon, let’s get up there!” Raya yelled while pointing to the exit.

“That’s your big concern right now?” Namaari asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, my father and baby are totally fine right now because Charanya’s got them. Oh toi, my father’s not stone anymore!” Raya exclaimed, barely allowing herself time to process the truth in that statement. 

“That’s right, and it’s all thanks to you, dep la,” Namaari smiled.

“Well, I suppose I can’t take all the credit. You’re no slouch yourself, binturi,” Raya giggled.

******************************

“They do know we are right here, right?” Boun asked.

“Let them have this. Something tells me this is going to get very complicated very quickly,” Tong sighed. Noi nods in agreement. 

“Let’s just get out of here.”

******************************

Raya almost ate shit like three times trying to climb out of that stupid cave like structure. It was hard enough trying to balance herself, but then she was also yanking on Namaari’s arm so that she can at least try to stay upright.

The group of five plus three ongis finally broke though to the surface. Raya began eagerly looking around for Tuk Tuk the second she was on solid ground. Only a couple second later was Raya blessed with Tuk Tuk’s adorable face barreling right to her. 

“Oh, my baby! I love you so much, bud,” the Heart woman cooed as she began affectionately scratching his perfect little head. 

“No way! Look up!” Boun yelled.

Confused, Raya did just that. Honestly, she’s never seen anything more magnificent in her entire life.

There in the sky was dragons. Hundreds of them, all varying shades of all different colors zipping through the sky. Raya laughed from pure awe at seeing these legendary creatures in the flesh. 

“I can’t even believe this,” Raya whispered.

“Me neither. The dragon nerd in me is kind of freaking out right now,” Namaari mumbled in awe. 

Raya could smell the fascination all over Namaari. Her scent had become much sweeter with a surprisingly strong hint of citrus. (Now’s really not a good time to remember the fact that Raya loves anything with citrus.) There’s nothing that can truly describe how she feels in this very moment. 

“I just wish Sisu could be here to see this. It wouldn’t be possible without her,” Raya sighed mournfully.

As if the dragons all somehow heard her, they began rapidly flying in the air. It almost looked as though they were preforming some kind of choreographed dance in the sky. A blob of water appeared in the middle of the action and it morphed into none other than Sisudatu. 

“AYE SISU! GET OVER HERE!” Raya yelled happily. 

At the speed of light, the water dragon nose dived straight to where the little group was huddled up. 

“I gotta say, saving the world has left me positively starved,” Sisu grinned.

“I’ve got some spare jackfruit jerky if you’d like,” the omega giggled.

“Raya, I love you so much, but I will never be that hungry,” Sisu bluntly stated.

The Heart woman merely laughed and lunged at Sisu to get a hug. Sisu swiftly returned it and squeezed her tightly. 

“Awww, get in here everybody! And yes, I’m talking to you too Namaari!” Sisu declared as she scooped up the five humans in a tight hug. 

“Ah, it is good to breathe in your glorious dragon stench once more,” Tong exclaimed.

“I choose to take that as a compliment!” Sisu said as she squeezed everyone tighter. 

“Okay, now it’s getting hard to breathe,” Raya wheezed out before everyone was released.

“There’s a fifty percent chance that the Shrimporium was demolished, but if it wasn’t, you guys want to hitch a ride?” Boun asked once the joyous reunion was over.

“I’d love a ride, Captain Boun. Provided that there is a boat to ride,” Raya nodded.

“I too wish to venture back home on the boat that brought us here! If it’s an option,” Tong agreed.

Noi babbled something and she was smiling, so Raya assumed that meant she was cool with tagging along.

“What about you, Princess Namaari? You gonna ride along with us?” the young boy asked.

“If you’ll have me, then of course. I do need to discuss things with my mother before going anywhere, though,” Namaari told the group.

“Good luck with that,” Raya smirked.

“Yeah, I’ll need it. Raya, before we leave, I was hoping I’d be able to talk to you,” Namaari whispered to avoid the others listening in.

That may be a problem. Raya’s not entirely sure what they’re going to talk about, but she can almost guarantee that the Heart woman is going to hate whatever topic they come across.

But hell, the dragons were back. Sisu is alive and her father is no longer stone. Charanya’s family is also no longer stone and she can’t run the risk of being stone either. Aulia never has to see the Druun for as long as she lives. Raya can deal with an uncomfortable conversation. 

“Sure, let’s talk down at the docks. We need to see if Boun’s poor boat is salvageable anyways,” the Heart princess nodded. 

Once Raya let everyone know of their plas, she marched on to their destination with Tuk Tuk in tow. Namaari had no complaints and followed after her. The Fang alpha was clearly having a difficult time keeping with Raya’s anxious speed walking pace, so she had to force herself to slow down. 

In what felt like absolutely no time and all the time in the world, they arrived at the docks. The good news is the fact that the Shrimporium is intact. Got to look on the bright side, after all.

“Why don’t we sit on the pier? I wouldn’t want to strain a cripple,” Raya smirked.

“Toi, consider this the last time I save your life. Your mockery is the only thanks I get,” Namaari scowled with no real bite in her voice.

The Fang woman eased herself on a bench and Raya sat right beside her. Raya almost instantly regretted that decision as the smell of soil and citrus surrounded her, making it hard for Raya to focus. Namaari really needs to get a move on with this chat. 

“So, what’s up?” Raya questioned. Namaari took in a long, shaky breath before speaking. 

“I just wanted to apologize. For everything, really. I never should have betrayed you back when we were kids. Even then, I knew it was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it. And I realize that what happened on the hill wasn’t entirely on me, but I still should have done something to stop it. I am so sorry, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. I wanted to let you know I’m sincerely remorseful for everything I’ve done and I have every intention of making it up to you, however I can. If you let me, of course,” Namaari finished off very bashfully.

“I forgive you,” Raya simply said. And she meant it.

“Wait what?” Namaari asked, clearly dumfounded.

“I said I forgive you. I forgave you the moment you decided to do the right thing to save everyone. Granted, everything isn’t perfect. It’s going to take some time before we can really trust each other again but I’d like to try if you would,” Raya explained with a rapidly beating heart.

“I’d like that,” Namaari said with an ear splitting grin.

That smile alone could have brought Raya back from stone over how magical it is. Who knew the Fang princess had such a wonderful smile?

“I’m glad,” was the best Raya could come up with.

“Good. Also, about the time where we, uh, spent your heat together-” Namaari began as her face turned bright red. 

Ah, see, now it feels like someone dumped a bucket of cold water over her. Raya’s not ready for this. Her mind has been very positive, and she really can not handle hearing how Namaari thought the whole thing was this huge mistake that should have never happened. It didn’t mean anything, so Raya shouldn’t be as scared of this topic as she was. May as well end the conversation before it even starts. 

“Yeah, don’t even worry about that!” Raya nearly screamed, effectively cutting Namaari off. “I get it, instincts were crazy, life happens, no worries!”

“No.....worries?” Namaari asked, clearly very puzzled.

“Yeah, no worries! I mean, it’s not like you forced me into doing anything I didn’t feel comfortable with! No harm, no foul,” Raya said while waving her off. 

“Right,” Namaari mumbled.

Yikes. Not the reaction Raya was hoping for. Honestly, she’s not even sure what reaction she wanted from Namaari. But now the Fang alpha just sounds weirdly dejected. Then a horrible thought overtook Raya’s mind. 

“Shit, I didn’t force you into anything, did I? The memories are kind of hazy,” the Heart woman frantically asked.

To Raya’s relief and annoyance, the other woman laughed.

“Please! You’ve seen your muscles compared to mine, right? There’s no way you were forcing me into anything I wasn’t okay with,” Namaari snorted.

“I’ll have you know, binturi, that I’m crazy strong,” Raya grinned while nudging her.

“Oh yeah? Prove it,” Namaari said in a provoking manner.

Just when Raya was totally going to prove it, the rest of their companions caught up to them. 

“CANNONBALL!” the water dragon yelled as she proceeded to throw herself into the large body of water. 

On instinct, Raya jumped up from her seat and hid behind Namaari. Boun and Noi had the same idea with Tong. In a couple seconds both alphas were drenched with water as the other three remained fairly dry. 

“Did you actually just use me, the cripple that saved your life, as a human shield from water?” Namaari spat at the Heart princess.

“Maybe,” Raya admitted guiltily. 

“When I’m fully healed, you’re going to have to watch your back,” Namaari glared.

“Fair enough,” Raya shrugged.

“How cruel it is to learn that my own companions have betrayed me so,” Tong scowled while looking down at Boun and Noi.

“Sorry,” Boun laughed awkwardly. 

Noi, on the other hand, didn’t even look a little sorry.  

“Okay, why don’t we talk about things that make us smile, mainly because I’m scared Namaari is going to try stabbing my eye out with her crutch. I know I’m super excited to my family again! Especially my daughter. She’s super cute, and young, Namaari please stop trying to kill me with your eyes,” Raya whispered in fear. 

“By the dragons, I nearly forgot due to all the commotion! Tell me, how old is your precious child?” Tong asked happily.

Out of the corner of Raya’s eye, she could see the Fang princess stiffen. Shit. Namaari may be a major binturi, but she’s not an idiot. Basic math would totally give away Aulia’s parentage. 

That is, if Raya was honest about her child’s age. 

“She’s about a year old now,” Raya lied. 

Though she still refuses to look directly at Namaari, Raya can see the other woman’s body visibly relax. Raya tried to ignore the hurt she felt over the obvious relief Namaari experienced when thinking Aulia isn’t hers. Of course the Fang woman doesn’t want a kid, she’s eighteen for heaven’s sake. 

This is so coming back to bite Raya. She knows it. But that day did not have to be today.

“Ah, what a wonderful age!” Tong beamed, oblivious to Raya’s inner turmoil.

“Aww, she sounds so cute! Hey, who’s her other parent? I don’t think you ever told us,” Boun asked out of pure childlike curiosity.

Wow, so apparently everyone just loves talking about the subjects Raya is desperately trying to avoid. It honestly feels a little bit targeted. She officially regrets bringing up her child. 

The Heart woman began laughing rather nervously when she noticed that Namaari had, once again, seemed very intent on hearing Raya’s answer to these questions about Aulia.

“Haha! Boy oh boy, that is definitely a question! Thanks for that! I’m just so thrilled that the youth today have such inquiring minds! On that note, I’m just going to go make sure Sisu’s not drowning!” Raya exclaimed, avoiding the question like an absolute pro. 

And on that note, Raya dived right into the water, despite the confusion from her dearest friends. 

Looks like hiding behind Namaari to stay dry was a futile attempt. The cold water was honestly a relief against Raya’s warm skin. It felt like she was on fire up there. 

Sisu then noticed Raya swimming around and waved excitedly at her. Raya smiled and waved right back at her. It’s a nice time to be swimming. 

The Heart woman then remembered the fact that she is not a water dragon and can not hold her breath for that long. Her lungs began to burn and she had no choice but to resurface. 

Raya popped her head out of the water and was greeted with four utterly confused faces. Eight if you count Tuk Tuk and the ongis.

She might as well give them an update on the water dragon’s condition.

“Don’t worry! Sisu’s all good!” Raya smiled.

Silence.

“BINTURI WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU-”

[moon-spirit-yue]

Fought for Me

Chapter 8: The Best of Romances Deserve Second Chances

(Hey hey! Okay so I gotta be honest, this fic will not focus a whole lot on the reunification of Kumandra. I'm probably gonna make another fic on it, but this is not the one. This fic is purely for drama purposes. Omegaverse definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea so I'm just not focusing on the logistics. This fic (and all others) can be found on ao3! I'll also just post the ao3 link right after this for those who prefer it. The link to previous chapters will be on the ao3 link as well. Anywho, please enjoy!)

Raya began pacing the boat for what was probably the fiftieth time since everyone officially hopped on board. Boun had already dropped himself, Noi, and Tong off to their families. Namaari and Sisu decided to stay with Raya and go the full journey with her back to Heart. Her dragon friend is currently fast asleep without a care in the world.

"You're going to put a hole in that wood if you keep this up," Namaari reminded her.

"I'll put a hole through you, binturi," Raya quickly responded without any of the venom she usually possessed.

"I already got that covered," Namaari said while pointing to the, well, hole in her leg.

"You're right, I'm sorry, I'm very mean when I'm nervous," Raya sighed.

"Look, I get why you're nervous. You haven't seen your father in years, that'd be terrifying for anyone. But he loves you. The whole reason why he wanted to reunite us all was for you," Namaari reminded her.

"Well yeah, but the last time he saw me I was twelve. Now, I have a kid at age eighteen with a very nonexistent partner," Raya groaned.

Okay, technically the partner does exist. However, the partner is still unaware they're the partner so it doesn't really count.

"I'm sure that none of that is going to matter to him once he knows you're okay," Namaari assured her with a light squeeze on her should.

Raya was ashamed to admit to herslef that she missed the warmth of Namaari's hand once she let go. Maybe she'll just chalk it up to the fact that Raya is till soaking wet from her dive with Sisu and any warmth is greatly appreciated.

"You're probably right. I need to calm down," the heart woman sighed while anxiously fiddling with her wet hair.

"Of course I'm right. It happens much more often thank you think," Namaari told her with a grin.

"Don't get cocky, Undercut. You've only just started getting back in my good graces," Raya playfully warned.

"So I already landed a spot huh? And all I had to do was get shot. A small price to pay," Namaari laughed.

Raya resisted the blush crawling onto her face as much as possible and laughed along with the other woman.

"Just at a curiosity, who's with your alleged daughter since you're obviously not?" Namaari asked.

"The hell are you talking about 'alleged'? My daughter is completely real," Raya huffed.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Namaari smugly told her.

"Seriously? Of all the things I'd lie about, that's the one you're going for?" Raya scoffed.

"Hey, until I see the baby, she doesn't exist," Namaari said as if that makes perfect sense. "So who on Earth is with nonexistent baby?"

"Charanya is with very real baby," Raya said with the roll of her eyes.

"Wait, Charanya? Heart girl with long black hair always in a braid, permanent frown, hangs around Tien and is obviously into her?" Namaari asked.

"Huh. So you two have met. Yeah, that's her. We grew up together and we've been sticking by each other all throughout the Druun," Raya explained.

"Huh. Well, the two of us haven't really met. At least not formally. I just see her with Tien quite a bit but she's pretty antisocial. Given the fact that she's from Heart I never really questioned why. Wow. Who knew that the one person that may have actually helped me find you, a thief, was cozying up to my best friend," Namaari said.

"Well if it's any consolation, Charanya hardly knew exactly where I was. The best she'd be able to give you is which land I was in," Raya shrugged.

"That still would have been more information than anyone else could gather. You were very good at covering your tracks," Namaari told her.

At this, Raya smiled.

"So what I'm hearing is, I'm better than you in every way?" Raya asked, absolutely beaming.

"Okay, how is what I said even alluding to the message you got?" Namaari asked with a raised eyebrow.

God, it's so easy to mess with her. Charanya's going to have a field day once she figures that out.

"Well clearly you saying that I'm good at hiding means that you suck at searching. And if you suck at something as simple as searching then you probably suck at everything else," Raya said to elaborate on her personal thought process.

"You certainly jumped to a lot of conclusions there, Raya," Namaari drawled.

"I did jump off a cliff, it's part of who I am," the Heart woman responded easily.

"In heat, too. Seriously, how did you think that was a good idea?" Namaari asked with a frown.

"How did you think it was a good idea to fight me one on one when I was completely surrounded?" Raya shot back.

"I see you won't be letting that go any time soon."

"No, I don't think I will. And be warned, I tell Charanya everything. Prepare yourself because she's not going to let anything go either," Raya laughed.

"Just out of, you know, morbid curiosity, is Charanya your daughter's, um, other parent?" Namaari asked rather awkwardly.

The question made Raya laugh. As if! Even if it weren't genetically impossible, the concept of Raya having a romantic relationship with Charanya is utterly insane.

"Absolutely not. Besides, she-" Raya was cut off by the boat lurching. And boy, did it lurch hard.

Raya's body fell on the steering wheel, Namaari was thrown completely on her side, and Sisu woke up incredibly frazzled due to the movement.

"I SWEAR IT WASN'T MY FAULT-" Sisu yelled in a frenzy before realizing she was just dreaming.

"Huh. She wakes up guilty. That explains so much," Raya grumbled.

"Whuz happnin?" Sisu hastily rushed out.

"A nasty wave hit us. The boat's fine, but I personally would love to be sitting on a chair again," Namaari sighed.

Raya took that as her cue to help a pal out. She picked her own body off from the floor and went to Namaari's aid. The omega tried very hard to ignore the intoxicating scent of the alpha woman but in this proximity it was rather difficult.

Don't breathe her scent in like a creep don't breathe her scent in like a creep don-

"Thanks, Raya," Namaari said once she was upright on her chair once more.

"No problem," Raya smiled.

Oh there's a problem alright. The problem is that now that Namaari isn't an awful binturi it's so much easier to see all her good qualities. This included both mental and physical qualities. Why did the stupid alpha have to be stupidly attractive in her stupid white outfit? Life is so unfair.

Just steer the boat Raya. Steer until you get home with your father- oh damn the panic is back.

"Everything is going to be fine, Raya," Namaari calmly told her.

Great, now she can sense Raya's mood shifts. She's not too sure how she feels about this newfound Namaari ability.

"Aww, are you nervous about seeing your old man again?" Sisu asked.

"With good reason, yes," the Heart woman frowned.

"Oh c'mon, you know he loves you! He sacrificed his life for you!" Sisu reminded her.

"At least someone's sensible on this boat," Namaari drawled.

Sisu is many things, but sensible is simply not on the list. When Raya decides to speak again, she pointedly ignores Namaari's remark.

"I haven't exactly been an angel these past few years," was all Raya said.

Even if she was going to exclude the whole being a teen mother with no alpha in sight, she was still sorta kinda a bad person through the whole six years with the Druun. She's lied, stolen, and gotten in some pretty nasty fights. She's really not sure what her father was capable of forgiving.

"I think you're worrying too much. He'll just be happy to see you," Sisu said with a dismissive flick of her claws.

"That's what I said!" Namaari exclaimed.

"Oooo, same brain! Finally, someone to agree with me when Raya's being crazy!" Sisu squealed excitedly.

"I don't appreciate this sudden uprising against me. Charanya would never treat me this way," Raya huffed.

"Who's Charanya? Oh, is she Aulia's elusive mystery parent?" Sisu asked curiously.

"I asked that too! It's like you're in my head," Namaari gasped excitedly.

Oh god, Namaari is geeking out over Sisu. This is annoyingly endearing. All Raya knows is that she must prevent those two from teaming up at all costs.

"No, Sisu. It's as I told Namaari, Charanya is not Aulia's parent. Aulia's other parent is not in the picture," Raya explained somberly.

Hopefully sounding that sad and pathetic would make them both drop the subject.

"If that's the case then I'm certain you're better off," Namaari assured her.

Poor, oblivious Namaari. She was likely under the impression that the mystery person just abandoned them.

Wow, she now feels incredibly guilty hiding the fact that Namaari's a mother. Granted, she should feel guilty about it, but it was a lot easier when Namaari was nothing more than a thorn in her side.

"Maybe. Oh, Namaari, while we're on the topic of Charanya, I just feel like I should warn you. When I say I tell her everything, I mean everything. Including you," Raya stated.

"Oh my god, she hates me," Namaari accurately concluded with a loud groan.

"Only a lot," Raya nodded.

"Since we're in the spirit of warning each other, Tien is not your biggest fan," Namaari told her.

"Yeah, I could guess that," Raya sighed.

Raya took a certain petty joy in pissing off the great land of Fang. Given the fact that Tien's part of Fang's army and is on track to being on of the land's generals, she doesn't really love how Raya has behaved these past few years.

Understandable, of course. Raya loved making the Fang warrior's lives just a little bit harder. Plus, she knows that the army has wasted time and resources trying to track her down. It makes complete sense that Tien probably wants to punch Raya in the face.

Plus, from what Raya's gathered, Tien is Namaari's closest friend. Naturally, Tien would be against anything that caused Namaari so much agitation.

"Okay, what exactly have you guys been saying about each other?" Sisu asked.

"The truth," Raya and Namaari said in unison.

The two women looked at each other before laughing. It would appear they had more in common than they originally thought.

"People humor is so weird," Sisu frowned.

Light conversation circled around the three of them until they got to Heart's dock. Raya has the sudden urge to vomit. She really hopes Ba still loves her after all this.

"Breathe, it's going to be fine," Namaari firmly told her.

"Right. Fine. Totally okay," Raya plainly stated.

"Yeah, so I can hear you saying it, but I'm not entirely convinced you mean it," Namaari told her.

"Sass me again and I'm stealing your crutch. Try walking after that," Raya scowled.

"Okay, don't do that," Sisu began. "Namaari, you can't reason with crazy. She's just going to have to head down and see for herself that her father actually loves her."

"Seriously Sisu? I bring you back to life and this is the thanks I get? You know what? I'm getting off the boat now. I'm sure you guys can strategize how to gang up against me more effectively once I'm out of earshot," Raya huffed as she determinedly marched off the boat.

"Yikes. Someone's paranoid," Sisu said once Raya was a good distance away.

"And mean. Wait, she didn't actually take my crutch right?" Namaari asked when she came to the realization that she could no longer see it.

"Oh nah, you're good," Sisu said. The crutch was, thankfully, hidden behind a barrel. Crisis averted.

Raya was in absolute awe of all the people roaming the land of Heart. On one hand, it kind of freaks her out being surrounded by so many people. On the other hand, it amazes her that so many of these people wear blue. Heart's color. Her people have returned.

The very proud Princess of Heart kept on walking until she reached the very bridge she was thrown off all those years ago. On this bridge she saw him exactly as he was back then. Outside the crutch and bandage around his leg, of course.

It was her father. Chief Benja of Heart is finally in the flesh. It felt like she couldn't move. She was in awe over seeing him walking, breathing like a human being. All he was doing was picking up a discarded flag the best he could with an injured leg. Yet this simple action left Raya in awe.

Benja caught onto her stares and looked up from the ground and made eye contact with her. He let out an audible gasp and dropped the flag he was holding.

"Dewdrop?" he whispered, tears already in his eyes.

Raya let the tears she didn't even realize she was forming fall across her cheeks and ran over to him. To his credit, Benja did immediately rush to his daughter, but Raya covered ground much quicker with two unharmed legs.

When they finally met in the most memorable hug of Raya's entire life, she actually started to sob because of how warm her father is.

She would touch her father's statue several times these past six years. It was never for long due to how cold it was. The chill gave her no comfort so she had resorted to speaking to it only.

The fact that she can hug him and be enveloped in warmth means everything to Raya.

"Oh, my baby, I love you so much. I just can't believe it's been six years," Her father sobbed as he held her tighter.

"I love you too Ba. I can't believe it either. I missed you while you were gone," Raya choked out.

"I'm sorry I left," he responded.

"The very good news is that Kumandra isn't as crazy as we all thought it was," Raya smiled.

She shifted so that she was hanging off his left arm and pointed to the mass waves of people entering the land.

"How the hell are we supposed to feed them? My cooks have been stone for six years!" Benja hissed in her ear causing Raya to laugh.

Always the most perfect host, even in dire situations.

"Don't worry about it," Raya smiled.

Through the waves of people she saw Boun, Noi, and Tong were all with their own families. They waved as they walked by. Namaari walked by with her mother and gave Raya an encouraging thumbs up. However, Raya feels very thumbs down right now.

Ah well, now's as good of a time as ever.

"Ba, I have something really important to tell. I haven't been the best person around these past six years. I've stolen, like, a lot of things. I've been in my fair share of fights-" Raya rambled.

"Raya, I can confidently say that I could not care less. I'm just happy you're alive. Whatever bad things you did, you did to survive. I would want you to do it all over again if it meant you would be okay. There’s nothing you can say or do that will make me love you any less. It doesn't matter at all to me," her father assured her.

Okay, well she started off easy. Raya is pretty relieved to know that those not so minor offenses don't bother him.

"I promise that what I'm about to say next will matter quite a bit to you," Raya sighed, feeling incredibly nervous. Might as well just say it to get it over with. "Ba, I ended up pregnant and having a child. At eighteen. Out of wedlock. And super single. Like, no alpha in sight. Okay I know it sounds bad but I swear I didn't plan it I was very vulnerable and-"

Her father's jaw dropped as she rambled. Raya was scared to give him a chance to speak, worried he would take everything back.

"I'm a grandfather?" Benjas asked, tears welling in his eyes once more.

"Yeah," was all Raya could say.

Her father wrapped her up in a tight hug once more and now Raya finally felt air in her lungs. He was actually okay with the fact that she has a child. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulder.

"Well where is she? Or he? I have to meet my grandchild!" Benja exclaimed.

"She is with Charanya. Her name's Aulia. So you're really not upset at me for having her under these less than ideal circumstances?" Raya asked hopefully.

“Of course not! When I said it’s impossible to make me love you less, I meant it. I just wish I could have been there to support you,” her father sighed while squeezing her shoulders.

“That would have been nice,” Raya agreed while sniffling.

"Oh, Charanya! I've been trying to find her too, but I haven't had much luck. She must have grown so much," Benja sighed.

"Not really, that's the reason why you're having so much trouble finding her," Raya smirked.

Her father laughed at that and allowed Raya to guide him into the swarm of people entering Heart. It was one hell of sight seeing people from every nation mingling with each other after so many years.

Raya didn't really focus too much on those around her as she was trying to find Charanya and her kid. That did remind her that Charanya's mother and grandmother should have returned from stone so it's very likely they already reunited with her.

"Just look for Kim. She's the tall one. Hopefully they're all in one group," Raya told him.

Everywhere she turned, somebody was sobbing tears of joy after seeing their loved one alive once more. It was very heartwarming, but it was also very hard to find her own loved ones.

Then, she saw them all. Kim and Ai, Charanya's beloved grandmother and mother, were alive and well. And the girl that was practically leaning all her weight onto Ai was Charanya. And in Charanya's arms was Aulia. Her baby.

Raya tugged on her father's arm and pointed to the four standing right in front of them.

Kim was the first to notice them. A face of utter relief quickly came over Kim, likely very thankful that Raya and Benja were okay. Kim said something Raya was too far away to hear and pointed in their direction. Ai and Charanya both turned to make eye contact and before anyone knew it, the five adults of the group clamored together a giant hug.

"Oh, Raya, look at you! You look so much like your mother!" Ai smiled with tears in her eyes.

"I can't even believe how you've grown," Kim whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Charanya, words can not describe how happy I am to see you," Benja grinned as he was crying along with everyone else in the group.

The five of them probably would have stayed in their little circle forever until Aulia squealed upon making eye contact with Raya. To her immense relief, Aulia reached out her cute little baby hands for Raya.

The Heart woman smiled as she held her baby in her arms, wiping away the tears so that her daughter wouldn't see. Raya had been so scared that her child would forget all about her in the months she was gone. Aulia smiled and rested her head on Raya's shoulder, letting her know her fears were completely unwarranted.

"So this is her? This is my granddaughter?" Benja asked in awe.

Charanya gave Raya a look, not entirely sure how much Raya's told him yet. Raya merely smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Here she is. Hey Aulia, say hi to grandpa. Can you wave? Are we at that stage?" Raya asked giggling.

"No, she hasn't-" Charanya began.

She was cut off by Raya's genius baby waving at Benja. Charanya then gasped exicitedly.

"THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE'S EVER WAVED!" Charanayed yelled hgappily.

"Don't even mess with me right now. Did I just witness a baby milestone?" Raya grinned.

"We all did," Ai laughed.

"Can I hold her?" Benja asked hopefully.

"I suppose I can let you two hang out," Raya agreed as she handed over her daughter to her father.

Admittedly, Raya didn't love the idea of letting go of her baby when she literally just got to see her again after what feels like eons, but she relented. Mainly because she desperately wanted Aulia and Benja to bond as soon as possible.

"Oh, hello young lady. It's me, your grandpa. Oh, you're so perfect. Yes you are. Just like your Ma," Benja cooed.

Aulia looked at Benja's facial hair in utter fascination and began rubbing her hands all over his face. Benja simply laughed and allowed the baby onslaught to continue.

Raya was thrilled the two were getting along so well. Then she felt Charanya tugging on her shirt.

"What's up?" Raya mumbled, realizing she would likely want discretion.

"We need to get changed. Now," Charanya bluntly stated.

Raya merely nodded. The shorter omega had that serious tone in her voice that meant something more was going on.

"Ba, Ma, Grandma, we need to change. Right now. I can't stand these clothes any longer," Raya said loudly to attract her family's attention.

"Me neither. I'm going to head up too," Charanya agreed.

Raya hadn't even noticed with all the happy feelings, but Charanya is also soaking wet. What, did she take a dip in the lake?

"Really? Do you need us to come with?" Ai asked worrieldy.

Raya and Charanya were adults. A fact Ai obviously knew. However, Raya did undertsand that she didn't want to be separated from them so soon.

"We'll be fine Ma. We're just going to the palace to take a quick bath. We'll be back so soon you won't even know we were gone," Charanya assured her.

"Alright. You girls be careful now. Don't lose each other," Ai reminded them.

"We're always careful, Ma," Charanya smiled as she kissed Ai's cheek.

The rather exhausted duo walked quietly through the sea of reuniting people. Once they were far enough away from their family, Charanya began to speak.

"There is a reason why I dragged you out outside of our wet clothes, obviously, but we need to wait for that until we're in private," Charanya explained.

"Well even I could have guessed that much," Raya huffed as she dragged Charanya along.

Raya and Charanya were both stopped on several occasions, greeting those who had been some of the first people to turn to stone. The palace was incredibly lively and they were already working on repairs to the castle.

Despite how nice it was connecting with her people again, Raya is itching to get out of these clothes and figure out what the hell Charanya wants to tell her.

"Wait, pause, where do you think we're getting spare clothes? All my things are still on Boun's boat," Raya inquired.

"Seriously? You came home and forgot to grab your shit?" Charnaya asked in a very judgmental manner.

"I'm sorry that the thought of my father disowning me when he found out I had a child out of wedlock distracted me from grabbing my belongings," Raya drawled.

"I suppose I can forgive you this time. And, well, one of the things I wanted to tell you is the fact that the boat we've been living is sorta kinda demolished," Charanya sighed.

There wasn't anyone around in the specific part of the castle, so they can express themselves more freely. Expressing herself to Raya meant a jaw dropped open,

"What, seriously?" Raya gasped, stopping her tracks.

This prompted Charanya to stop as well and confirm it. The place Raya experienced her teenage years in, where her daughter had been living, is gone. Rendered to pieces of wood on the bottom of the lake.

It was just a boat. It's not like either of them even had any claim to it. Even so, it was kind of heartbreaking that the place that held so many memories was now destroyed.

"Yeah. I'm honestly not sure what happened today, but Aulia was crying her damn eyes out for hours. She finally wore herself out when the sun rose so I took a nap as soon as she was down. I woke up because it felt like the boat was going through rocky waters, you know like waves you'd deal with at sea. Obviously, I knew something was wrong since, hello, we were in the middle of the lake. When I woke up, it was like bunch of water was being refilled in the lake so the movement made the boat start to capsize. I had to grab Aulia and abandon ship before we went down with it," Charanya explained.

"Okay, first things first, you're both okay right? Like, no water in the lungs or physical injuries? Was Aulia okay? She wasn't freaked out or upset, was she?" Raya frowned worriedly.

"We're both fine. I made sure her face never went under water or anything. Besides, you've met your daughter right? The little psycho loves water. The only time she started feeling upset was when we left the lake," Charanya said while rolling her eyes.

The eye roll didn't fool Raya, Charanya loves that kid more than she loves herself.

"That sounds like her. She's so fearless. She'll make an excellent chief one day," Raya smugly told her.

Oh shit. Aulia's going to be a chief one day. There's an actual land for her to run now. Raya has to raise a freaking chief. Suddenly, she's feeling a tad nauseous. Boy, is it getting hot in here?

"Sunshine? You okay?" Charanya asked with furrowed brows.

"Just the reality of everything starting to hit me. It never even crossed my mind that she'd have people to lead one day. Not realistically, at least," Raya sighed.

Charanya put both hands on Raya's shoulders and squeezed tightly. The shorter woman opened her mouth, probably to try and comfort Raya, but instead she just let out a big yawn. The duo stared at each other for a moment before breaking out into quiet giggles.

"Alright, let's go bathe before you fall asleep standing up. I think some of Ba's clothes are untouched, we can just take his," Raya informed her.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that! There's just something extra cozy about taking other people's clothing," Charanya nodded.

"I know right? Now let me tell you exactly why our boat capsized," Raya began.

She divulged into the full story of her adventures from getting the scroll to finding Sisu and managing to acquire all the gem pieces. Charanya interrupted her with questions dozens of times before they made it to Ba's room.

It looked exactly how Raya remembered it. Neither girl wanted to come back here when the Druun were roaming the Earth. The obvious reason was the fact that they had very little desire to get turned to stone. The other reason was that they couldn't stand to see the statues that were once people. Heart's palace with being utterly deserted was too much for them to bare.

Both girls rummaged through the closet to pick out their favorite Ba sized clothes. Once they grabbed what they liked, they rushed to the nearest bathroom and prayed everything would still work despite the fact that it's been years since it was used.

This specific bathroom had two tubs that were parallel of each other. To Raya and Charanya's relief, both bath tubs immediately started to run the second they turned the faucets on. With their backs turned, both women began to take off the very wet clothes they wore.

"You good over there?" Raya asked since she was fully submerged in the tub. The only thing Charanya would be able to see would be her head.

"Yeah, all set," the other omega confirmed.

Raya turned around to face Charanya. Her head was poking out above the water and she had already began to wash her hair.

"Okay, you and I need to get our stories straight," Charanya told her once she finished scrubbing her head.

"Kindly elaborate," Raya said.

Raya began to follow in Charanya's footsteps and began to wash her hair. It's been too long since she's been able to properly clean like this. Because no, spontaneous dives in random bodies of water do not count.

"What are we lying to our parents about? What are telling them? What half truths are we putting out? Especially when it comes to our girl that's slowly gaining adoring fans," Charanya explained.

She made a good point. Some things really shouldn't be said.

"We'll start with you since you have way less to hide," Raya nodded.

"Kay. Uh, I did already tell ma and grandma about the whole 'hiding out in the brothel' thing. They didn't care. The fact that I wasn't actually a sex worker probably helped. I don't care if you tell Ba about that, either. I haven't mentioned either of my heat partners, but honestly I think it's fine if that's brought up too. No one's exactly in a place to judge there," Charanya snorted.

Raya supposed it’d have to come out at some point. Charanya's heats were too painful and Raya's were long enough to the point where she legitimately exhausted. In the event they can't get their hands on the drugs that suppress the symptoms, they have no choice but to spend it with someone else.

Neither girls particularly enjoy talking about the heat partners they had for obvious reasons. Granted, it’s not necessarily something to be ashamed of as plenty of omegas and alphas have a difficult time going through a heat or rut solo at this age. Still, who the hell wants to announce this kind of stuff.

"Right. It was that one girl from Talon and the Fang girl when Aulia was born, right?" Raya asked. God, the days blurred together.

"Oh fun fact, I didn't actually sleep with the Fang girl, I just dreamt I did. It was super realistic. She just used her scent to soothe me to sleep, which does explain why I don't remember any pain. It's just the Talon girl. Your only other heat partner besides you know who was the girl from Spine, right?" Charanya questioned. Apparently her days blurred together too.

"Correct. Anything else you want to cover up?" Raya asked.

"Please, do not tell them about my whole thing with Tien. They're going to be nosy and I'm going to have a psychotic break. Also," Charanya hesitated a bit before continuing. "Don't mention my uh, heat before the last."

Raya sighed and pursed her lips. That particular heat was the exact reason why partners or drugs were necessary.

"Fine, but I really think you should tell them eventually," Raya conceded.

"I will. But just, later on once we're all more adjusted. That's about all I could need to cover up. Your turn," Charanya agreed.

"Okay. No need to mention the heat I spent with, uh, that girl. I'll probably mention the Spine girl later though. Obviously, Aulia's parentage is off the table. Ba knows I've done bad stuff, but he doesn't have specifics. As long as you're not recounting specific stories, it should be fine. I'm pretty sure that's it," Raya concluded.

"Good," Charanya yawned.

Raya was about to relax but immediately jolted forwards. There was one minor detail that Charanya really needs to know.

"Wait, I lied. Okay, so I told everyone that Aulia's a year old so that it doesn't align when that specific woman and I were together. There’s no way a one year old could be hers,” Raya explained like the genius she is.

“Strategic. I like it,” Charanya stated with a nod of approval.

Then a thought popped up in Raya's head. It was an insane thought, but who better to hear an insane thought than Charanya, who could easily be the chief of insane?

"Do you think I should tell Aulia's other mother about her?" Raya asked.

Charanya, who previously looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep, was now wide awake. She then gave Raya a look as if she grew at least seven new heads.

"That's a terrible idea!" Charanya hissed.

Wow. Okay. The Heart princess was not expecting such a severely negative reaction.

Charanya groaned and put pressure on her temples. A very tell tale sign that she's trying not to freak out.

"I'm sorry, that was extreme, but I stand by the general message. I mean, Kumandra is just starting. I hate thinking about Aulia as some political tool, but we can't ignore the fact that she's your daughter. Heir to the Heart throne,” Charanya huffed. “My point is, she’s also that girl’s daughter. Another heir to another throne. This needs to be handled delicately."

"Fuck me, I didn't think about the politics involved. This completely sucks," Raya groaned.

Maybe she should just drown herself in the tub and get it over with.

“And I’m sorry, I get that she’s supposedly reformed and all, but you really don't know her that well. What if she gets all pissed and tries taking Aulia away from us? She is an alpha, Raya. Many would say the she'd have every right to. Plus, even if you trust mother number two enough, what about Aulia's grandmother? What do you think she will do to retaliate?" Charanya reminded her.

Yeah, so Raya didn't think about that either. She is so screwed. She is so very screwed. Maybe Namaari doesn't have to know she has a kid! Maybe Raya can pretend like she magically came to be with child! Like one day it just happened! No sex necessary! That can be possible, right?

"Is it too late to change our names and run away? There's a cozy little village in Talon that'd suit us and our parents very well," Raya winced.

"I am not opposed," Charanya sighed. After a couple minutes of silence, she spoke up again. "You really think Namaari can be trusted?"

Raya paused for a moment so that she could think about she was going to say.

"Yeah, I do. She changed, from when we were kids. I told you, she saved my life more than once. The reason why she's hobbling around on crutches was from saving me. We established a peaceful meeting and she held up her end of the bargain, some Fang warriors followed. It wasn't her fault and she did do the right thing," Raya decided. "So I think she can be trusted."

Charanya gave her a very long stare before nodding and going back to scrubbing her hair.

"Alright. I'll accept that answer for now. I still don't like her," Charanya stated childishly.

Raya scoffed and rolled her eyes. Heaven forbid Charanya actually cooperate.

"Fine. That means I don't have to like Tien," Raya shot back.

Honestly, Raya really doesn't like her. The more she thinks about the whole situation between the two, the more irritated Raya gets. The woman's been stringing her childhood friend around for a solid two years. Maybe she's just overprotective, but Tien needs to grow a damn spine and be more direct or just back off so that Charanya can move on. The weird back and forth thing is only going to hurt her friend the longer it goes on.

"Deal," Charanya sighed. "And I hope you know I'm not saying you should hide the truth forever about Aulia's parentage. They both have a right to know. Hell, they might figure it out anyway if Aulia ends up looking too much like her. But I really don't think now's the time."

"You're totally right. Besides, I really don't know how much more I can take today," Raya sighed as she finished getting all of the grime out of her hair.

"You're telling me," Charanya snorted.

At that point there wasn't much washing left to do, so they emerged from the tubs and began to dress in clothes much too big for either of them.

"Braid my hair for me would ya?" Charanya asked now that they were both fully clothed.

Raya nodded and obliged. She was an excellent braider. If braiding was a profession and Raya wasn't set to be Chief of Heart, she could easily have gotten that job.

"Now that the serious stuff is sorted out, let's go!" Charanya grinned as she eagerly tugged Raya's arm.

"Slow down tiger, where's this energy coming from?" Raya laughed.

"Isn't it obvious? I have a ma again," Charanya beamed.

That was all the explanation Raya needed. The two took off and weaved through the crowd of people in order to find their family.

Boy did they find their family alright.

Conversing with Namaari and Tien's family. Sweet hell neither of them got a break. The two gave each other a look before putting on their brave faces and entering the chaos.

For the love of everything, please let this be a normal interaction.

"Oh good, you girls are-" Benja paused and gave them a full once over. "Are you two wearing my clothes?"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Raya and Charanya asked at the same time, really dragging out the the 'a' sound.

"We would never do such a thing," Charanya lied.

"How dare you accuse us, Father. I gave you a grandchild. Be more grateful please," Raya huffed.

Benja rolled his eyes but didn't press the issue because he genuinely didn't care. Both girls stole his clothes all the time growing up. Plus, Raya could see the small smile on his face when he noticed. He looked at Aulia cozying up to him in his arms and smiled brightly.

"Are you going to steal my clothes when you get older too? Are you going to be a thief like your Ma?" her ba cooed at Aulia.

"I resent that statement," Raya frowned.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Charanya and Tien begin their own conversation on the side with their families. Raya hadn't even realized Virana and Namaari had been speaking until her father nudged her.

"Huh?" Raya asked dumbly.

"I asked if you were okay. You zoned out for a moment," Namaari informed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's been a long day," Raya admitted sheepishly.

"Indeed it has been," Viranan agreed.

Now Raya ahd to be honest with herself, she wasn't ecstatic about being so close to Virana after the previous events. So, Raya merely nodded and moved on.

"Hey Ba, I can hold her now so," Raya started, only for her father to pout.

So that's where Raya gets it from. Of course.

"Do I have to? Can't I have five more minutes?" her father asked.

"You realize she's not a toy, right?" Raya snorted.

"I know, but she's been around for a whole year and I haven't been able to hang out with her until now! Bonding is important," Benja firmly stated.

"Sure Ba, you can keep on holding her," Raya laughed.

The conversation had quickly become all about the baby. Benja and Virana ended up getting wrapped up in sharing their own experiences with raising their children.

"I say we spare both of ourselves the embarrassment and walk away now," Raya told Namaari.

"I literally could not agree more," Namaari nodded.

The two sped walk to a distance where they couldn't hear their parents, but they were still in their line of sight.

"I can not believe you actually thought your father would be upset. It's been what, twenty minutes since they met? She's got him wrapped around her finger," Namaari laughed.

"Admittedly, my fears were unwarranted," Raya shrugged.

This means Namaari was right. Ugh. Now that was a hard pill to swallow.

"You can admit you were totally wrong whenever you're ready, Raya. I'll be here for awhile," Namaari smirked.

What a fucking binturi.

"Bite me," Raya drawled.

Namaari opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted with Charanya dragging Tien over.

"Oh Tien, you know that friend I'm always telling you about? Well this is she! Meet Raya," Charanya said with a bright smile.

Raya waved. She opened her mouth to make some form of an introduction, but Tien beat her to it.

"Okay, pause. The friend you've been talking about all this time is Raya? Princess Raya of Heart? As in, the girl I have been trying to hunt down for months? That same Raya?" Tien asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're a quick study," Charanya confirmed.

"And you didn't think this is something I should know about?" Tien asked with irritation in her voice.

"Well I'm not a snitch, Tien," Charanya said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Raya had to physically bite her own lip to keep herself from smiling. At least Charanya would always have her back.

"We will be circling back to this later. It's nice to meet you under better circumstances, Princess Raya," Tien said as she bowed and made the gem symbol.

"There's no need for the formalities. Raya is perfectly fine," the omega smile politely.

Ugh, she can't believe she has to act polite now. Civilization sucks.

"Sure, Raya," Tien nodded politely.

At least it was obvious Tien didn't like being polite either. Raya wasn't expecting her to, if she was going to be honest. Alas, both Charanya and Namaari were important people in Raya and Tien's life, so coexisting would just have to do. And given the looks Charanya and Namaari were giving each other, they felt the same way.

"Well, in the spirit of introductions, Charanya, meet Namaari. Namaari, this is Charanya," Raya smiled.

Hopefully this would distract her from the annoyance Tien's presence gives her.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you. You don't have to use my official title, it's odd hearing from peers," Namaari said while forming the gem symbol.

"Got it. Nice to meet you as well," Charanya said as she too formed the gem symbol.

However, Charanya was eyeing Namaari up and down in the most judgmental way possible. While it was hilarious, Raya didn't want to mediate. Time to say something that can make even the most vicious warriors calm down.

"So. I say we all grab a bite to eat. Who's with me?" Raya asked.

The other three were very quick to agree. The chefs had been hopping onto the cooking since the early morning so there was plenty of delicious food for them to eat.

In no time at all, the four of them were eating on a little blanket while their parents sat at table a few feet away from them. Raya finally got the chance to get her baby back from her father so now Aulia is sitting on Raya's lap as she eats.

However, Aulia got bored and crawled out of her mother's lap and gravitated to Namaari. Immediately, the alpha's face beamed when she noticed Aulia was moving to greet her.

"Oh hello, sweetheart. Look at you, moving so fast. You must get that from your Ma," Namaari cooed.

Deciding that she quite enjoyed the compliments she was receiving, Aulia crawled right onto Namaari's lap. Namaari didn't mind at all but seemed a tad unsure of what to do.

"You can hold her, you know. She doesn't- wait, no. She does bite. She is a biter," Raya told her.

Namaari clearly didn't mind the biting warning and scooped Aulia up to hold her in her arms. Raya was very amused to see Namaari respond to Aulia's mindless babbles as if it was an intelligent conversation.

Kind makes Raya wonder what life would have been like if-

Nope. Not going there.

"Hey, she's a year old right?" Namaari asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, her first birthday passed a few days ago," Charanya falsely confirmed.

"Huh," Namaari hummed.

"Well what's that supposed to mean?" Charanya asked with agitation in her voice.

And now Ranya's starting shit. That is so typical of her. Raya wondered if Tien was going to step in, but she was like Raya. Very amused and wants to see how this plays out.

"I didn't mean anything by it. It's just she's a tad small for a one year old," Namaari easily replied.

"Well I've been the only one feeding her. Are you trying to suggest I've been malnourishing my god daughter?" Charanya frowned with narrowed eyes.

Raya mentally willed Namaari to look at her so that she could shake her head. Charanya is completely, without a doubt, baiting Namaari. If Charanya finds out just how easy it is to mess with Namaari, the Fang alpha will never know peace.

Unfortunately, true to her character, Namaari took the rather obvious bait.

"No, of course not! What I mean to say is-" Namaari rambled out before getting cut off by Charanya's laughter.

"Relax, I was messing with you! Who would have guessed the Princess of Fang would be so easy?" Charanya giggled.

"I tried warning you," Raya shrugged when Namaari gave her a hopeless look.

"In what way? Inquiring minds want to know," Namaari scoffed.

"In my mind, duh," Raya stated.

"I see why you two have remained friends for so long," Tien said while looking between Raya and Charanya.

"Don't be crabby just because you don't understand how cool we are," Charanya smirked.

"Don't even start-"

******************************

The four girls had a surprisingly pleasant evening despite the obvious animosities certain people held for other certain people. Even if the evening was pleasant, Raya was still beyond relieved to get to bed.

Charanya and her family were staying in one of the guest rooms of the Heart palace due to the fact that their original home was destroyed by the Druun years ago. Charanya attempted to protest but all Raya had to say was that Aulia would miss her and suddenly she had no arguments.

Raya's got a long life of using her daughter to get her way. It sounds awful, but it's for the good of the world.

Besides, Raya knew for a fact Charanya was comfortable. She walked by the room they were all staying in and Charanya was curled up against her mother. She was dead asleep and purring her little heart out. Raya can not remember the last time she heard Charanya purr before this. It was too long given how a purring omega is a happy one. Raya made sure to close the door before she wondered to her own room.

Well, her father's room. As of right now, same difference.

Raya had Aulia's crib set up in her father's room where she would also be sleeping. Though neither Raya nor her father really discussed it out loud, being too far away from each other right now was simply not an option.

Aulia passed out almost immediately when she got into her crib, which is a blessing in it's own right. She must have been exhausted from the very exciting day she had.

Raya hopped into bed and saw her father walk in only a few moments later.

"Damn, I thought beat you here," Benja huffed.

"I'm too fast for you old man, admit it," Raya giggled.

"Whatever. Scoot over," he huffed.

Once Benja was settled, Raya rested her head on his should and closed her eyes. She made sure to be cautious of his bad leg when adjusting herself to be more comfortable.

"Hey Dewdrop?" her father whispered.

"Wassup?" Raya mumbled, already feeling sleep tug at her.

"I realize that the situation with Aulia's other parent is delicate and you don't want to talk about so I'm only going to ask one question and I will drop it forever until you're ready to tell me. Is the parent still alive?" Benja asked.

"Yeah. Still alive," Raya tiredly confirmed.

She can't see the harm in answering that question.

"Why do you ask Ba?" Raya yawned.

"Because I wanted to know if there was hope for the chance to beat their ass for hurting my little girl," Benja stated.

Ah. She should have known.

"Seriously? For the record, I could totally beat them up myself."

She'd know. She's done it many tines before.

"Well obviously, but it's my right as an alpha father to beat everyone up that makes you upset."

"Would you like a list?"

"Yes."

"I was kidding, Ba."

"I wasn't."

"Goodnight, Ba."

"Goodnight, Raya."

[moon-spirit-yue]

In light of my most recent omegaverse chapter:

Charanya: I really don't understand why you guys thought I was an alpha. If that were really the case, Raya wouldn't have even looked in your direction

Namaari:.........so first of all, fuck you-