Brothers Reunited

Saito Ami smiled at the chubby boy who was clearly using swordsmanship she had seen demonstrated by the sword instructor at the Academy de L'échec, she brought her new friend Ito Yuuki over and speaking in her natural language asked, "Your sword style, that's only taught at the Academy de L'échec, right?"

The chubby boy gave a debonair smile that looked completely out of place, he gave a gentlemanly bow and answered in the same language, "Claude de Rouvroy, Swordmaster of the Academy of Swords and Magic at your service."

"Lord Rouvroy! Is it really you? You might not remember me, but I ate lunch with you a few times when I accompanied Lord Girard. Lady Renée Baux." She gave him a proper lady's curtsy.

Yura Gorou looked stunned and said, "Lady Baux, I would be an unforgivable lout if I had forgotten you, Mage Leon would skin me alive were I to forget you." He took her hand and gave it a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

Ito Yuuki spoke up and said, "Hi, did you guys forget that I don't speak your language? I'm Ito Yuuki, Ami's friend."

Gorou tilted his head and asked in Japanese, "Do you know a man named Ito Aoi?"

Yuuki nodded looking sad, "That was my late brother, how did you know his name?"

Gorou dropped down to his knees and looked into the sky, "It can't be a coincidence. Fate brought me here to you, to tell you this. Ito Aoi lives, he has become Guy de Montfort, quite possibly the finest man I have ever met."

Ami gasped, "I know Guy de Montfort, he was Yuuki's brother? Yuuki, your brother is amazing!"

Yuuki started to cry, "I knew it, in my heart I knew it!"

Ami said, "Lord Rouvroy, oh, right, My name is Saito Ami. We should knock that off or people will start to think we are Chuuni."

Gorou shrugged and said, "They already said I am Chuuni. My name here is Yura Gorou."

Ami asked, "Can you come with us for a moment, you need to meet someone. It's important."

Ami and Yuuki brought Gorou over to meet Abe Touma who was sweeping up in front of the building where his new parents lived. When Gorou saw Touma his body tensed he knew this man, not from his own memories, but from the memories he inherited. Abe Touma, his body's childhood bully. Prior to Claude taking over, Gorou had met Touma on his way to work and only escaped with his life by bashing the other man in the head with a brick.

Touma dropped the broom he was holding and pointed at Gorou and said, "You!" at exactly the same time that Gorou did.

Ami laughed and said, "Touma, you'll never guess who this is..."

Touma said in his natural language, "Sir Charles de Évreux, baron of Évreux, whom may I have the honor of addressing?"

Gorou looked at Ami, and said in Japanese, "It's really him?" Ami smiled and nodded. Gorou walked up to Touma and grabbed him into a hug and slapped his back, he laughed and choked up speaking in his natural language, "My brother Charles, it's been too long, thank goodness you are here so that I am not at the bottom."

"Claude?" Touma guessed, "Claude de Rouvroy?"

"It is, it is, Charles, when you died, they bullied me terribly, I was the only one who couldn't use magic." He hugged Touma fiercely, "I really missed you, my friend. It broke my heart that I couldn't lend you my sword when you needed it the most."

Touma choked up himself asking, "My lands, my men?"

Gorou nodded his head and smiled, "We beat those bastards, Charles. They all paid a terrible price for foolishly attacking us. They erected a statue of you in front of the King's palace. You were made a hero of stories, just like you always wanted."

Touma fell to the ground weeping, "I can live here freely now knowing that. You have made my day old friend."

Gorou smiled and said, "I have some other news you'll want to hear."

Touma tilted his head listening. Gorou explained, "Guy de Montfort was like us, someone who traveled to another world. He was Yuuki's brother, Aoi." Touma turned and looked at Yuuki with an open mouth.

Touma stood and bowed to Yuuki, "Your brother was the finest man, I have ever had the pleasure to meet. When I thought I was at the top of the world, he gave me a new horizon to reach for, I dare say that the man I am today is entirely because I had the pleasure and the honor to meet him."

Gorou started laughing uproariously, "Ami, you better translate that for her, my good brother isn't the smartest man."

Ami giggled and said in Japanese, "Touma forgot you can't speak our language. He said, 'Your brother was the finest man, he had ever had the pleasure to meet. When he thought that he was at the top of the world, your brother gave him a new horizon to reach for, he said that the man he is today is because he had the pleasure and the honor to meet him.'"

Yuuki blushed and said, "Thank you, Touma, I appreciate the sentiment. I am just so happy to hear that he is alive and well. I miss him, but I know now that he is happy and that's enough."

*****

Doreen found herself where she always did when she was having an existential crisis. Sitting in front of Renée's grave looking up into the sky she said out loud, "I really messed up this time, Renée. I don't think they will ever truly trust me again and quite frankly, I don't deserve their trust as things stand. I lost myself in a bad relationship, not because I truly loved the woman, but because I was excited that she made it seem like I was important at first. I had never really been given that before. I sound so pathetic, I know."

"No, not pathetic," The voice of Countess Baux came from behind her. As she turned to look, the Countess walked over, "I am sorry to disturb you, Mage Leon, I was coming here for much the same reason. To talk to her, complain." she chuckled. "I have a moment, would you care to hear the wisdom of experience?"

Doreen nodded, "Thank you, please?"

The Countess sat down on the grass with Doreen and looking at her daughter's grave said, "When I was young, I fell in love with the son of a baron. My father had already arranged a marriage with a suitable house, but I thought I knew what was best for myself. What I didn't know, was that the Baron only wanted to make a tie to my father because of a cattle contract negotiation and the son of the baron already had a woman he was interested in. I was just being used by the scum."

Doreen asked, "How was it resolved?"

"I caught the two of them together one night." She smiled sadly, "But here I am, and none the worse for it. I was taught a painful lesson that's all. Time heals all wounds, some take longer than others. If they were truly your friends yesterday, they will truly be your friends today and tomorrow."

Doreen smiled and then asked, "But what if I am the Baron's son?"

The Countess looked surprised, "Then I misjudged you, young lady." She chuckled, "Did they kick you in the balls and break your nose?" Doreen shook her head no. "Then you weren't the Baron's son."