Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The first time Chuuya met Agatha Heterodyne, it was aboard Baron Wulfenbach's floating castle. It was brief, quite literally bumping into each other in the hallway on his way to report in. She had introduced herself as Agatha Clay then and he as Master Baki, the alias he was using under the Baron's service, but he knew exactly who and what she was. The Jägerdraught in his veins sang in her presence like it hadn't in so long, the Heterodyne scent flooding his nose. It'd been hard to leave her behind, but when he saw the three Jägers trailing on her heels… he knew she would be okay. It was safer if he stayed where he was until she was settled or needed him. Right then, it was safer for them to stay where they were. 

The second time he saw her, she was being invested as The Heterodyne, recognized by the Castle and everything. Like every good Jäger, he was in the crowd and the urge to go out and break heads in her honor was strong as (somewhat) playful fights broke out. He controlled it, though, as he'd finally learned to do the past twenty years or so. Most Jägers didn't learn that bit of self-control and he’d always had a short fuse to his temper, but after getting chewed out yet again for getting into yet another fight and ruining his clothes, he'd finally mastered it. It'd been one reason of a few that had been piling up, that and Kouyou would have had his head if he hadn't. Chuuya had a feeling he'd have more than enough opportunity to practice it in the future. After all, things were always so interesting when there was a Heterodyne in Mechanicsburg, and this one had already set the world on its collective ear.

The third time.. well. It was hard to forget the wedding that united the three most powerful people in Europe. Especially when the negotiation agreed that any children would inherit everything, regardless of who sired them. The festivities had gone on for weeks, most of which he'd spent hanging out at Mamma Gkika's because a lot of Jägers in one place just spelled trouble, except at Mamma's, not when she didn't want it anyway. He wasn't about to leave, not when this was the first time in so long he'd gotten the chance to speak with her again (and let his native accent slip in the process- it’d been forever since he’d been able to use it in public). He could do that now, and it felt both odd and amazing after not having been back in nearly a century.

That's where he ran into Higgs. The man seemed unassuming at first, but they'd known each other a long time, even before the Jagertroth, and Chuuya could read behind the other's seeming indifference. The first time they came face to face after far too long (at least, for longer than a mutual wave in passing) was a thing of joy, marked by laughter, a few punches (only some of which were aimed at each other), and enough alcohol to kill a normal person.

Two days later, they walked out of Mamma's with lighter wallets and an even tighter bond than before. 

Little did he know his life was about to take a sharp left turn.

Again.

Chapter Text

Agatha Heterodyne-Sturmovorous-Wulfenbach sat in her office, curious eyes scanning the petite man in front of her. Higgs stood next to him, grinning, as her eyebrow quirked. “You’re a Jäger?” she asked, her tone mildly skeptical. “When Higgs described you to me, I was expecting someone…”

"With a little more teeth?" Chuuya asked, a shadow of a grin on his face. He was actually meeting the Heterodyne - Agatha - in person, instead of bumping into her or watching from a distance.  "I assure you, I have partaken of the Jägerdraught, many, many years ago."

“I was going to say larger, but yes,” she replied, head cocked. “Haven’t we met before? I seem to recall running into you on the Baron’s airship. Did you work for him?”

It was rather impressive that she remembered that single encounter, as distracted as she'd been.

"I did, ma'am, but as a hunter, not a Jäger. I was on my way to report when we met. Given my appearance, it was easy for me to pass as human." Chuuya nodded as he sat back, watching her reaction. He still didn't know exactly why he'd been called here, but it wouldn't be without a reason.

Of course, there were reasons, and then there were reasons. And given whom he was speaking to, Chuuya was betting on it being the latter. Not that it really mattered in the long run.

“I see.” Agatha sat back with a small groan, and thought for a second. “Higgs told me you were a teacher, once upon a time. How do you feel about becoming one again?”

"A teacher of what, exactly, ma'am?" Chuuya’s curiosity was piqued now, but he was also wary. How much exactly did she know about him- how much had Higgs told her?

She grinned. “Children, Chuuya. Two likely very exceptional children, at least for now, although there may be more in the future. And, along the way, you can fulfill your purpose as a Jäger, ja?”

Agatha stood, revealing her heavily pregnant form. “They’re due in about a month, so you’ll have time to wrap up any affairs. But you’re both a spark and a Jäger, and, honestly, I can’t think of a better combination to protect and teach the Heterodyne heirs.”

She did know; had Higgs told her?

It wasn't as though he would turn down the opportunity to serve the Heterodyne, even if it meant he had to deal with screaming children. He hadn't had a proper mission in too long, not from the family. 

"Und vat exactly vill I be teachink dem?" Chuuya asked, slipping into the Jäger drawl just to see how she would respond.

The grin widened as he spoke. There was a tone to an old Mechanicsburg accent, one only the eldest of the Jägers still had, and it was almost impossible to fake convincingly. It was odd to hear, especially since he’d had a decidedly Parisian one before, but still… “Mostly the usual- history, mathematics, science, that sort of thing. If there’s a subject you’d rather not handle, we can arrange separate tutors. The main part of your job, however, isn’t really the teaching.”

Her gaze hardened slightly, years of assassination attempts and adventures and the knowledge that any child of hers was automatically a target in those eyes. “Your job, above and beyond all else, is to protect them. And to teach them to protect themselves. There are still factions that want to overthrow me and Gil and Tarvek, and we’ve had more than a few advances from the North. I don’t see those going away anytime soon. Are hyu op for dot, Jäger?”

"Ja, Frau Heterodyne." Chuuya nodded decisively.  The job sounded more like a bodyguard-tutor combination than strictly teaching, but that wasn't really a problem and his Heterodyne was trusting him with it.

He would not let her down.

"You said I have a month to settle my affairs?  That will be more than sufficient. Will I be getting a room to store materials, that sort of thing?"

“Of course. You’ll have a classroom, of course, and a suite next to the nursery. If you need more space Castle will arrange it for you.” She grimaced as one of the babies kicked, hard, and her hand went to her stomach to rub the spot. “I think they like you already. They’ve been more active than usual ever since you started talking.”

Agatha eased back into her chair. It was hard to stand for long these days. “For tonight, you can stay in one of the guest rooms. Higgs will show you the way. If you need anything, just ask. I’ve already instructed Castle to listen to you. Right?” she asked, looking at the ceiling.

A mechanical sigh. “Yes, my lady.” the Castle’s voice said. There was a slight pause. “Welcome home, Chuuya. I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s been, what, a century?”

"Zumtink like dot." Chuuya nearly grinned again as he looked up to the ceiling. his expression smoothing out when he looked back to Agatha. 

"Thank you, ma'am. Please let me know if anything changes."

“I will. If possible, I’d like you back here in three weeks. The timing on these things is never exact, especially with twins, and that would give you time to get settled in, but if you need the extra week that’s fine. Just let Higgs or one of the generals know.” She reached out a hand.

“Welcome back to the family, Chuuya.”

"It's good to be back, Frau." Chuuya was smiling now as he reached out to shake her hand. She hadn't made a big deal out of his being a spark - hadn't even asked if he had anything in the works, and she was trusting him with a lot.

Higgs motioned to him. “Come along, I’ll show you to your room. It’s nearly dinner, if you want to join us. I’m sure the others will be glad to see you, and the food here is amazing.”

"That sounds good. I don't think I've met Tarvek at all, but I've seen Gilgamesh in passing before. A chance to meet them before I start is something I'd appreciate." Chuuya stood, nodding to Agatha before he took his leave, following Higgs.

Agatha watched the two go, then sighed as the door closed. “You can come out now,” she said, looking to the side, and Gil and Tarvek slid out of their hiding spot, mild chagrin on their faces. “Honestly, nothing was going to happen. Higgs wouldn’t let it.”

“We know. Doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to worry,” Gil said, coming over for a kiss. “I know what kind of work Chuuya did for my father, after all, but even he didn’t realize he was a Jäger. Of course, Father didn’t know about Higgs, either.”

“I’m glad he turned out to be one of the loyal ones,” Tarvek added. “From what Higgs told us, he’s a powerful spark. If he’d turned it would have been problematic.”

“We’re used to problematic.” Agatha rose, gingerly, and gave a slight grin as neither of her husbands rushed to help her. She’d cured them of that, at least. “Come on. I’m starving.”

“Yes dear,” the two said in unison, and the three left the office, chatting about nursery colors and names as they headed for the dining room.

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

"Axel, you told her about me?" Chuuya asked the other Jäger with a raised brow. "Did you even have any idea of what I'd been up to?"

The blond Jäger smiled faintly. “I am milady’s spymaster, Chuuya. And I spent a great deal of time as part of the Baron’s forces. Of course I knew where you were. The only reason I never sought you out, cousin, is establishing any sort of link between us would’ve been foolhardy. You know how the Baron loved to hold family and friends hostage. I didn’t want to risk that for either of us.”

"Of course you were. Sneaky stuff was always your thing more than mine." Chuuya muttered. It made sense, even if technically they both had been doing spy work. "I heard you were doing well for yourself at least, under both rulers."

He paused then, as a thought came to him.

"I do believe we'll be seeing a bit more of each other now, cousin. Is the Frau aware…?"

“That we’re cousins? I haven’t told her, but Castle might,” Higgs answered. “Of course, even I’m never entirely sure what she knows. She’s very much like her grandmother in that regard. It’s almost eerie.”

The smile widened. “And I’m not the only one who’d done well, Master Arah. Never would’ve pegged you for a fashion icon.”

"Spymaster. Should have known you would figure it out." Chuuya groaned. "I had to do something besides work for Wulfenbach or I would have gone mad under his scrutiny and paranoia."

His smile shifted to something a bit more mischievous as he continued. 

"Would you believe they're not just sewing patterns? Not all of them, anyway."

“I believe it. You were never one to give up on your craft. Did you ever manage to get that one project of yours to stop exploding?” They turned a corner, and Higgs stopped in front of a door. “Your room, cousin, at least for tonight. Your permanent one will be in the family’s wing, of course, next to your charges'. Dinner’s in the lower mess, if you’re joining us. I expect you still know where it is?”

"At some point I will have to show you just what that project became." Chuuya stopped as well, going through his mental map of the Castle. It did change sometimes, but judging by Higg's question, it hadn't changed overly much. "I should be able to find it easily enough, thank you. How long until the meal?"

“Thirty minutes.” Higgs opened the door, waving the other inside. “I’ll see you then, Chuuya.”

He paused as the other moved into the room. “Dis vill be fon. Like old timez, ja?”

"Ja, cousin. Et vill be much fon." Chuuya grinned, watching a similar expression cross his cousin's face, a rare sight. "Ve vill haf to be catchink op zoon."

“Ve vill. Go now, hy vill zee hyu in a leedle bit.” Higgs shooed Chuuya into the room, giving him a chuckle even rarer than his grin, and closed the door. 

I can’t wait to introduce him to Zeetha.

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

Chuuya frowned as he looked into the dining room. It was dark and quiet - an odd combination for the Castle. He'd gone to the right room, he was fairly certain, but maybe he'd made a wrong turn or the Castle had changed things.

Regardless, he walked in, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness for a few seconds before the lights turned on, slowly lighting up the room so he didn't blind himself.

“SURPRIZE!!” Several dozen Jägers popped up from behind chairs, doors, and tables. In the front of the group was Higgs, flanked by Dimo, two of the other Generals, and a few others he’d seen in passing but didn’t really know. General Zog stepped forward, a smile on his face. 

“Velcome home, leedle one. Ve haff missed hyu.”

"Hy haff missed hyu too," Chuuya grinned, surprised and pleased. He hadn't expected a party - it wasn't something that would happen for most Jägers returning, but maybe he was special somehow. "Et haz been too long."

“Et haz.” Zog and Dimo grabbed Chuuya’s hands, pulling him into the room and toward the back, where a long table was set up. In the center of it was a massive cake, white frosted with strawberries. Above hung an equally large banner, the words ‘Velcome home Chuuya’ painted on it. Another long table, filled to the brim with food, was along the side of the room, plates and cups stacked at one end.

"Fancy schtuff," Chuuya said, looking around. He knew most of the Jägers in the room by sight, even if he hadn't seen them in ages. "Und all fur me?"

"Ja." Higgs' grin was back. "Hyu are one of de oldest uf us. Dere are not many uf us original onez left, so haffing hyu back in de Kestle iz a beeg deal.”

The blond stopped, clearing his throat, then shook his head a bit ruefully. “Gods, it’s been forever since I’ve talked like that for this long. Wasn’t entirely sure I remembered how. Anyway, we started planning this the instant the Lady told me she was calling you in for the job. I had a feeling you’d take it; you’ve always been incredibly loyal to the family, after all. "

"Hyu tought hyu might haff lost de touch?" Chuuya teased, even as his grin softened. "But it's good that so many of us survived everything. I wasn't sure who was being Hunted."

“All of us, at one point or another,” Higgs replied quietly. “Part of what I’ve been doing for the last few centuries is derailing those hunts. But enough of that for now. It’s morbid, this is a party, and there’s someone I’d like you to meet when she gets here.”

Good mood dampened by the heavy topic, Chuuya still smiled at his cousin teasingly. 

"Dear cousin, have you finally found someone who can keep up with you?"

Higgs blushed. “Yes. She’s like us, Chuuya, and not entirely by choice. Mamma gave her the Jägerdraught to save her life, a few years ago, and Agatha finished the ritual later. But I fell for her before that. She’s an amazing woman.”

"She has to be if you fell for her." The redhead shook his head. "I'm glad you found somebody that makes you happy - you deserve someone who can."

Chuuya himself wasn't worried about finding anyone - was he lonely sometimes? Sure, but that happened, and now he had people he had missed back in his life. Axel deserved to have someone he loved and could trust. Living a life like his made that sort of thing difficult and it wasn't hard to start feeling isolated. If he'd managed to avoid that, or at least find a way out of it...

“Thanks. Now come on. Oggie made his schnitzel surprise, and it’s best when it’s still hot,” Higgs said, pulling Chuuya over toward the food table. He shoved a plate into Chuuya’s hands. “Eat up. You’re still skinnier than you should be.”

"Bossy." Chuuya went along with it though, piling a little bit of everything on his plate just to try it. "You know how it is when things get busy. Fashion is demanding, plus the Baron's work. At least it's rewarding."

Higgs followed suit, directing Chuuya to the head table once they were done. “I do know. You’re going to have to find someone else to deliver your designs, you know. Once the heirs are born, you’re not going to be able to take off for Paris whenever you feel like it.”

The generals and a few of the others followed them, and Dimo plonked down two mugs of ale. “Mamma’s besht,” he said with a grin. “She sendz all de love, und sayz sorry for not beink able to come.”

"Don't remind me. Will I even have time to work?" Chuuya rolled his eyes as they took their seats, grinning at the Jägers who followed them. "Work's work. I'll just have to go visit her later and tell her thanks."

Mamma's best was rare - she really must have missed him. He continued with a sip of the brew. "Thanks, Dimo. How've you and the boys been doing?"

“Ve iz goot. De Lady und de Masters keepz us busy und ve schpend time vit Oggie’s family. Dey iz fon.” The Jäger’s grin was wide. “Mebbe hyu should ask hyim for help vit de leedle vuns. Oggie iz goot vit de babies.”

"Maybe I will, once we've met more than in passing. I know he's probably fine, being one of the Boyz and all but…" Chuuya shrugged. He knew that Jägers were a very excitable bunch and children were very impressionable. If Dimo was encouraging it though, it was a suggestion he'd take seriously. 

“Oh dat’s un eazy vun,” Dimo said. He gave a loud whistle, and Oggie and Maxim materialized at his side. “Chuuya, dis iz Oggie, und dis iz Maxim. Boyz, dis iz Chuuya. He iz vun uf de old vuns.”

The two studied Chuuya, heads cocked. “Dis iz de vun dat’s going to be vatching de Lady’z leedle vuns?” Oggie asked, and Dimo nodded. “Ah. Vill be fon, ja?”

"Fon? Ja. Annoyink? Also ja. Hy tink et vill be challengink." Chuuya slipped into his Jägerspeak mindset easily, relishing in the chance to do so. He'd been passing as a full-blooded human for so long he hadn't gotten the chance to use it in decades. Come to think of it, that might have been why he preserved the older dialect instead of slipping into the newer.

Higgs had been watching the conversation, something of a smirk on his face. It really did feel like old times; dinner with all Jäger foods, here in the Castle, amazing beer, and Chuuya by his side, which hadn’t really been the case in far too many centuries. His cousin had changed almost noticeably. The younger Chuuya had been as hot-tempered as his red hair might suggest- it had often taken no more than a look out of place for him to start throwing punches, even before the Jägerdraught. Being startled like he was earlier with the surprise might have led to a brawl, which, while fun, wouldn’t have exactly ended well, more than likely.

Now, though…

The redhead had barely blinked, taking everything in stride, with a calmness most Jägers weren’t quite capable of. It had been a test, of sorts. He’d seen the reports of Chuuya’s missions for the Baron, and they’d almost never come down to a fight. The ones that had had ended quickly and efficiently, which meant he’d learned how to control the bloodlust.

Which meant…

“Excuse me for a second, cousin,” he murmured, breaking in on Chuuya’s conversation with Da Boyz. “I need to go talk to Zog about something.”

If he was right, well... 

Chuuya had spent the last six centuries in Higgs' shadow, going back to their childhood together. It was about time he got put in the spotlight for a change.

Chapter Text

Chuuya sat back as the party wound down, stuffed and content. The food had all been very good, recipes he'd missed for a long time, good ale to wash it down, and company to chat with. He hadn't seen some of the Jägers in so long and missed so much he'd spent most of the time just catching up.

Higgs had come back with a smile on his face that told Chuuya that the Jäger was up to something, but he'd refused to give it up, saying that he'd 'see soon enough.'

There was a bit of a commotion at the door just then, and the pair turned to see a green-haired woman strut through it, a pair of swords strapped to her waist, a travel cloak still across her shoulders. A wide grin stretched across Higgs’ face. “Over here, Z,” he called, and the woman turned, a matching smile flashing across her lips.

"Oho, is this your mystery girl?" Chuuya leaned over to ask Higgs quietly, his grin wide. She looked like a feisty one, confident and self-assured, and if what his cousin had said earlier was true, she could keep up with him or at least was spontaneous enough to keep him guessing.

“Aye, that’s my Zeetha,” he murmured back. He shifted his stance, visibly bracing himself, as the girl launched herself into the air, landing in Higgs’ arms. “Hello, Z. Wasn’t sure you’d make it back in time.”

“Like I’d miss this. It’s been a while since we’ve had a decent party, and I wasn’t about to miss meeting your cousin. I would’ve been here sooner, but some idiot decided to let a giant honey badger loose near the gates, and I stopped to help the guards. It was a good fight.” Zeetha grinned at her boyfriend, then turned to Chuuya. 

“So you’re the one Axel’s been going on about for the last month, huh? Nice to finally meet you. I’m Zeetha, daughter of Chump, Princess of Skifander.”

"Chuuya, son of nobody fancy." Chuuya stuck his hand out for a handshake, still grinning. "Giant honey badger, huh? Those things are nasty sometimes. Attacks like that still common?" 

“Sometimes,” Higgs said, wrapping one arm around Zeetha’s waist. She bent forward, taking Chuuya’s hand and giving it a hearty shake, then released it and straightened. “There are still those who oppose the Lady, and those who oppose her choice to marry both Wulfenbach and Sturmovorous. Especially since there's no way of knowing who the children’s father actually is, so the purists are up in arms.”

"When aren't they about something?" Chuuya leaned back again, his grin unwavering. "So, when's the wedding?"

“I-” Higgs blushed furiously again, and Zeetha laughed.

“He keeps hinting, but I haven’t asked him. Yet,” she said. “Skifandrian society is matriarchal, and we don’t always marry. This one’s growing on me, though. I may decide to keep him after all.”

“I should hope so,” Higgs said mildly sarcastically, pulling her close. "It’s been the better part of a decade now, and I’ve already had to… discourage a number of others.”

Chuuya raised a brow, looking at his cousin. Axel had always been a bit… distant to most people, especially as time had wound on but here it was obvious that he'd changed.  

Working for the Heterodyne had done him good.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, cousin,” Higgs said. “I didn’t kill them. Well, most of them. There was this one fellow that simply could not take no for an answer. Although, he might have survived. People have survived midair falls before, haven’t they?”

"If they get lucky." Chuuya rolled his eyes, standing. "Just let me know when it happens, I want to be there."

Zeetha grinned. “Of course. You’re family.”

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

It was about a week later when the trio arrived in Paris. Chuuya had tried to go alone, but Higgs had claimed to have business there anyway. Zeetha just plain insisted on coming, and as Chuuya was quickly learning, she was more stubborn than the both of them combined. Somehow that was fitting, he thought. Axel needed someone that wouldn’t fold on him, but also someone with enough sense to know when to back down.

The city was as lively as ever, but he avoided the glitz of downtown, instead heading for the craftsmen’s quarter on the far edge. He had a small house there where he kept most of his drawings and tools. It was nothing glamorous, and he had the money for better, but it was good enough when he was only in the city once or twice a season. Anything more expensive and he would just draw attention to himself and ruin all of his work to keep himself anonymous. He couldn’t really do the work the Baron required of him with eyes scrutinizing his every move after all.

Letting the three of them into the house, Chuuya hung his 'public' hat up and slung his coat on the rack. They'd be there for a little while at least. 

"Go ahead and make yourselves at home. There won't be much in the kitchen at the moment, but there should at least be some drinks. "

“Right.” Zeetha headed for the kitchen. It had been a long train trip, and drinks sounded good right now.

Higgs stayed, though, examining the shelves and worktable in the main room. “So this is your place, huh? Small, lowkey, yet well-kept and somehow elegant.” He grinned. “Reminds me of home.”

Chuuya shrugged as he scanned the bookcases lining the wall, debating if he should open up his workshop quite yet. "Certainly not the worst place I've ever stayed, and the neighbors don't complain about any noise I happen to make when I'm here."

The blond snorted at that. “Oh no, definitely not the worst place. Remember that inn outside of Zoggletonk? The one with the zombie mold infestation? That was up there on the list.”

"Where the villagers nearly wanted to keep the mold because they thought it 'tasted good'?'" Chuuya groaned at the memory. "They were driving me crazy with that. It was zombie mold."

 “Wasn’t any worse than Aunt Mikka’s cooking,” Higgs replied with a grin. “I still don’t know how that one pot roast of hers came to life. The thing wiped out half the kitchen before we could put it down.”

"Then we had to try and cook it again because we didn't have anything else and she was throwing a fit about it. Why did we let her cook again?" The redhead shook his head at the memory. 

“It wasn’t so much ‘letting’ as ‘not stopping her in time’,” the blond said. “She vos a schneaky vun, Aunt Mikka.”

He joined his cousin at the bookshelves. “So where is it?”

"She vos." Leaning against the shelves and looking at his cousin, Chuuya smiled. "Where's what, cousin?"

He gave the redhead a long-suffering look. “Your lab. I know this little bit isn’t everything. Even if no one knew this was your place, you wouldn’t leave your work out in the open. I taught you too well for that. So? You did say you were going to show me that project of yours.”

"You can see it if you can find it," Chuuya teased, pushing off the shelves and heading for the phone. "I however am going to see about making a call."

“You do that,” Higgs said, already scanning the bookshelves. “Give me ninety minutes. If I haven’t found it, dinner’s on me.”

"Sounds good to me." Chuuya grinned as he dialed the phone, holding the receiver to his ear. "I know just where to go."

“Uf course hyu do,” the blond muttered, and went back to his search.

"Hello, is this Moonlight Phantasm Attire?" Chuuya asked as the phone was picked up on the other end. 

“Yes, it is. How may I help you this afternoon?” The voice on the other end was familiar, although Chuuya couldn’t remember her name right off the bat.

"I was hoping to speak with Kouyou Ozaki directly, if you would. Do you happen to know if she will be staying late in the office tonight?" 

“One moment sir.” There was a shuffling of papers, then “Yes. She should be here for another four hours, at least. May I ask who is inquiring so that I may inform her of your arrival?”

"Chuuya, ma'am.  I'll be by within the next four hours then. Thank you." Hanging up the phone, Chuuya regarded his cousin, who was still looking over the bookshelves. "I'll leave you to it and go pack up some of my other things then."

Chuuya wasn't planning to bring everything of course, but there were some things that he would rather take to the Castle than leave behind.

Zeetha joined him a moment later, carrying two glasses of a dark red liquid. “You have one heck of a wine cellar,” she said appreciatively, handing him a glass. “I think a few of the vintages are Skifandrian. How did you get them?”

"I have many resources and I've had a lot of time. Thank you." Chuuya took a glass, sipping at it appreciatively. "I'll admit it's somewhat of a… hobby of mine, collecting rare vintages."

“Not a bad hobby. Will you be sending them back to the Castle? I know there’s plenty of space in the cellars, I’m sure it’ll loan you some.” Zeetha drained her glass, then stretched. “Gods that train was cramped. I’m going to go for a walk, see what’s changed since I came through here with Agatha. It’s been a while.”

"All right. If you get into any fights don't drag them back here, I don't want the attention." Chuuya waved her off. "We'll be going out to dinner in a bit, and there'll be a stop on the way there."

“Got it. See you in an hour or so.” Zeetha gave him a jaunty salute, then headed toward the front door. Chuuya could hear her saying something to Higgs in the front room, then the sound of the door closing behind her.

It was ninety minutes on the dot when Higgs admitted defeat. “Alright, Chuuya,” he said as the redhead entered the room. “Where the bloody hell is it?”

"I finally outsmarted you?" Chuuya was surprised but pleased, waving Higgs to the bookshelf. He didn't reach for anything, but instead kicked a sequence of five seemingly random books on the bottom shelf. There was a pause, then the hissing of pneumatics as a section of the floor dropped down and to the side. "After you."

Higgs grumbled as he descended the stairs. “Should’ve known it was on the bottom shelf,” he said grumpily. “You always were fond of using your feet in a fight.”

"If I messed up my hands, how would I build anything?" Chuuya shrugged as he followed Axel. "To be fair though, I don't know how many people remember that tidbit."

A huff. “Not many. You haven’t had a truly public fight since Agatha’s great-grandfather’s time, have you? I’m fairly certain even the other generals have forgotten that.”

The spymaster paused, considering for a moment, then turned to his cousin. “Speaking of generals, there’s something we need to discuss. I would have brought it up sooner, but we haven’t had a lot of privacy.”

"I think if I had started a bunch of fights the Baron would have taken me for study." Chuuya grimaced at the thought. Jägers who were studied… he shook that thought from his mind and focused on what else the blond was saying.

"Is everything all right with them? I haven't heard of any trouble brewing." Not that he'd been back for long or anything, but word got around.

“No, things have been relatively quiet. But there may be a new one joining the ranks.” He fixed the redhead with a speculative gaze. “Tell me, cousin… when’s the last time you really gave into the battlelust?”

"Ah…" Chuuya scratched the back of his neck as he thought back. "A little while. My outfits were all getting ruined and my agent threatened to take all of my plans and make them herself if I didn't stop ruining all of her work. So… I learned to control myself and let things pass. Or get back at them another way."

Higgs looked at him incredulously for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You quit fighting because it was ruining your clothes?” he gasped out, in between fits of wheezing. “That’s a new one, especially for us.”

"You'll understand when you meet my agent. She might not be a Jäger but nine hells does she have a glare. And they were usually one of a kind outfits I hadn't gotten around to making full patterns for, so it was always more work to do." Chuuya shook his head.  "Well, it was that and the fact that I was kind of starting to get a rep for bar brawling. When someone doesn't go down…"

“That would do it, yes,” Higgs said as the laughter mostly stopped. “The point is, you did learn to control it. Probably much earlier than you realized, if you think about it. The fact that you managed to stay hidden as long as you did speaks to that. The others recognize it as well. You’ve changed quite a bit since they knew you last, and they agree with me.”

"Agree with you on what…?" Chuuya asked slowly, his steps halting as they descended the stairs.  "What are you planning, Axel?"

“Oh, nothing much. It won’t be official until the next meeting, which will be in about two weeks, but Zog and the others agreed I can tell you ahead of time.” A smirk appeared on Higgs’ face, one that was all too familiar to Chuuya. “On behalf of all of us, welcome to the club, cousin. Or should I say, General Chuuya. ”

"Wait, me?" The redhead's jaw dropped and he scrambled behind his cousin. "You're saying you want me as a general."

Honestly, Chuuya never thought he'd become one. His temper had always been something easily tried and he'd never hesitated to join a fight back in the old days. It was true that he'd learn to start avoiding them, and he hadn't actually been in a fight except for the Heterodyne in… years now actually.

Huh.

The older Jäger shook his head. “It’s not so much a matter of want, although we’re glad to have you. It’s not a position we can really offer to just anyone, although Dimo kind of fell into it. For us, it’s more that you’ve reached a new level of maturity. It’s something you grow into. It just took you longer than the rest of us.”

He grinned. “Probably because you were such a hothead to begin with. I always found it rather appropriate the Jägerdraught made you a redhead. It fits your personality so much better than blond.”

"It's also a good bit more memorable than blond," Chuuya muttered, his thoughts reeling. "You seriously think I've reached that point though? I've barely been back."

“Yeah, I do.” Higgs paused as he reached the bottom of the stairs, then turned and pulled Chuuya into a bone crushing hug, something he hadn’t done since the early days. “Spymaster, remember? I’ve been watching over you for centuries. Trust me, okay?”

"...Hokay." Chuuya relaxed into the hug, pulling up his own arms to wrap around his cousin. "Hy trust hyu."

“Goot.” The grin widened a bit. “Now show me that gravity machine of yours. As long as it isn’t going to suck everything around us into a black hole this time.”

"Do you think I'd keep it in my basement if that was still happening?" Chuuya grinned as he was dropped from the hug, slipping around Higgs to the rest of the room. It was spacious, with a large work table in the middle and various organizers and shelves lining the room. There were bits scattered everywhere, half finished projects temporarily abandoned with their blueprints, but very little was actually cluttered. One corner was empty of everything but a single dummy, battered from its service. The spark-turned-Jäger led the way around the table to a shelf lined with finished projects. 

"Here we are. I've tweaked it a bit."

He pulled two fairly small but definitely weighty guns off the shelves, handing one to Higgs.

The spymaster took the gun gingerly, looking it over carefully. There was a trigger, of course, but there was also a small button next to an indicator light of some sort on the side. “You finally got it working, huh? What kind of range does it have? And what’s the button for?”

"I haven't actually found a max range for anything except the indicators. Too far apart and they can't talk to each other anymore. The button's to close it down so everything doesn't end up either permanent or slicing someone in half." Chuuya’s grin was wide and he shooed Axel off to the other side of the table. "Of course, without a partner or assistant, I could only test so much."

“...Fair point,” Higgs agreed. He could already see so many uses for this concept. “Wonder how it would work on a moving vehicle. Does it attach to a point in space or an object?”

"A point in space, like coordinates. If it were an object it would suck it through and that would be a pain." Chuuya answered - he'd thought about that already. "It could still be useful on a train if you're trying to move a bunch of people somewhere."

“Hmmm. I have more questions, but they can wait. Zeetha should be back soon, and we should all change if we’re going somewhere fancy for dinner.”

“Fancy dinner? Oo, I didn’t bring anything to wear to one of those- all my fancy outfits keep getting shredded for some reason.” The voice came from the top of the stairs, and the cousins turned to see Zeetha standing there. “Sorry I’m late, I ran into Colette and we got to talking. Remind me to tell Agatha she says hello when we get back.”

"I believe the fancy dress problem we can solve without too much of an issue. But you're right, cousin, we should." Chuuya took his guns back, only mildly disappointed he wouldn't get to show them off tonight. "Back upstairs then, and we can get started."

Higgs grinned as the disappointment flashed across Chuuya’s face. “Don’t worry. We have a few days. There will be plenty of time to show us your toys.”

His gaze turned thoughtful as he headed up the stairs. “You know, if they really are unlimited range, that could make moving your stuff incredibly easy, depending on the size of the opening…”

"To try it, we'd have to get one side to the castle first though." Chuuya pointed out, following behind. "So unless one of us heads back first, it’s a moot point. For now. I could theoretically set up a static exit point and a secondary fire…."

He trailed off as he continued to think.

“Or I could go back early,” Zeetha said as they joined her at the top. “I don’t really like leaving Agatha for long right now anyway. Gil and Tarvek are decent fighters, but they’re too busy to guard her 24/7, and most of the Jägers are busy with other missions.”

"I'd hate to ask it of you, Zeetha, but if you're offering…" Chuuya shrugged. Giving one of his projects to someone he didn't know very well, even if she was practically family, was a difficult idea after spending so long hiding everything. There was also the possibility that something would go wrong and if anything happened to Zeetha…

“I am. But we can talk about that later. Go get dressed. I want to walk the streets of Paris with two of the most gorgeous men I know on my arms,” Zeetha said with a wink, and shooed them upstairs as both their faces flushed scarlet.

"Is she always like this?" Chuuya muttered as he led the way to the bedrooms. There was a master and a spare, but all of their luggage was still downstairs - save for an outfit already laid out. "She really did make herself at home, huh?"

“Pritty moch, ja,” Higgs replied, a small, fond smile on his lips. “She iz vun uf a keend. Vich iz vun uf de reasons Hy love her zo moch. Vell, dat, und she doz leedle tings like diz.”

"Hy don' haff enyting dat vould fit hyu enyvay." Chuuya shrugged. He was happy that the two of them worked so well together. "Hy em glad dat hyu haz each odder dho."

“Me too.” With that, and a rather enigmatic grin, he walked into the guest bedroom and closed the door. Chuuya followed suit, walking into his own room and the rather large walk-in closet inside.

Below them, hiding on the stairs, Zeetha smiled softly. One hand strayed into her pocket, fingering a small box that was the real reason for her earlier stroll.

Love you too, Axel.

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

Kouyou looked up from her work as a knock sounded at her door. There were patterns scattered across the desk in front of her, a sewing mannequin with half a dress laid out on it, and she was, of course, in the middle of a seam.

Figures he’d show up today.

“Come in!” she called, and her assistant popped her head in.

“Sorry to bother you, madame, but your visitors are here.”

Visitors? Plural? That’s new.

“Send them in.” Kouyou went back to her seam. It was almost finished.

“Yes madam.”

A few seconds later, three people walked through her door. One was Chuuya, who was wearing a very nice suit she remembered from last season. The design had been- still was, actually- incredibly popular. The other two were a blond man, also in a suit that looked English in origin, and a green-haired woman in a blue, barely-closed vest and matching tight trousers. She raised an eyebrow at the latter. 

“You’re early, Chuuya,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting you for another month.”

'You know how it goes, Kouyou. Sometimes things don't go to plan." He shrugged as he stepped over to her rack of completed work.

"I got asked to do something by the daughter of an old friend, something I can't really ignore, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to make some adjustments to how we work. First though, we need to work on adjusting this piece. Would you grab her measurements please?" Chuuya pulled a gown from the rack, draping it double over his arm. "If we have time, I'd like to do something with her hair as well."

Kouyou stared at him for a second, then nodded and grabbed a tape measure. “Come with me, mademoiselle…?”

“Zeetha. Oh this should be fun. I haven’t really gotten a chance to dress up since England,” Zeetha said, and winked at Higgs. “Think we’ll get a chance to dance together again, Axel?”

"You maul that dress, cousin, and it'll be coming out of your hide." Chuuya hunted through the racks, looking for other pieces and accessories. 

“You’re no fun. But understood,” Higgs replied with a grin, watching as Zeetha and Kouyou disappeared into one of the fitting rooms. “Are all these your designs?”

"Mostly. Some of it's Kouyou's but I don't usually have the time or materials wherever I am to put them together, so she does most of the physical work for me and gives me feedback." The redhead explained, locating the shoes he was looking for with a triumphant grin. "Shoe size, Kouyou?"

“Eight and a half,” Kouyou called from the other room. She emerged a few seconds later, paper and tape measure in hand. “We shouldn’t have to do too many adjustments on that dress- just let out the waist a bit, since she isn’t wearing a corset. And I’ll put in a loop so she can hold up the train.”

"She's taller than Elaine as well, so the train will be a bit shorter from that, for the better since we don't want someone tripping over it at dinner." Those shoes would work - did Zeetha know how to wear heels? "She's also more muscular, so check the tension in the shoulders. I don't want her tearing it by accident."

“Got it.” Kouyou took the dress from Chuuya, flipping it inside out and draping it over a mannequin. “It’s a good thing we still have some of the fabric left. Let me grab a few of the girls to get started on her hair, and then I’ll get started on this. Unless you want to?”

The Jäger debated for a moment, but his hands flexed. It’d been a long while since he'd gotten the chance to work on one of his pieces, and this was for the lady his cousin loved. 

"I'll get started, if you want to pass on the accessories? I'm not sure what she's okay with wearing yet - i hadn't discussed this with her.”

"I can do that. The remnants are in the second drawer.” Kouyou left the room, and the pair could hear her calling a few names from down the hall. 

Higgs walked over to where Chuuya stood with a seamripper and the paper. “Dank hyu, cousin,” he murmured, placing a hand on Chuuya’s shoulder and squeezing gently. “Hy appreciate hyu doink diz.”

"Iz no problem." Chuuya murmured back. "Ef diz vas not original, hy vould let hyu keep."

“Heh. Iz probably a goot ting. Z iz...enthusiashtic, und you valls are din,” the blond said, grinning. “Hy vill buy her zumting to take home later.”

Whatever Chuuya had been about to say was cut off as Kouyou returned with three of her assistants in tow. One of the girls retrieved Zeetha, who was now wearing a long silk robe, and brought her to one of the side tables. The top was littered with hair products, makeup, brushes, and a pile of combs and other accessories, and one started heating a set of curlers while the others went to work on brushing her hair and filing her nails.

Kouyou, on the other hand, grabbed trays of rings, necklaces, and earrings, and brought them over. A rather lively discussion ensued, and Higgs watched as Chuuya went back to work on the dress.

"Here you are," Chuuya said a while later, once the bustle had died down and he'd finished working. The redhead carefully draped the dress over his arm again before he made his way over to the girls. "I might have some last minute adjustments to make, just to be sure it'll sit right on you, but it's pretty much done."

Kouyou looked up from the comb she was pinning in place. “Alright. Give us two minutes, and I’ll have this done. It took a while to get the curls to set.”

“Not my fault I have thick hair,” Zeetha mumbled. She’d been oddly quiet through most of the ordeal. Higgs had wandered outside, mostly because the combination of scents from the various products had made him start sneezing. “Chuuya, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?”

The redhead looked at her for a moment, searching her expression before he nodded slowly. 

"Ladies, if you would, please?"

Kouyou finished the last pin, then nodded and shooed the girls out. Zeetha was mostly done. The rest could wait until the dress was finished. 

"Thanks," she said, looking nervous for the first time since Chuuya had met her. She took a deep breath. "Chuuya, do you remember the discussion we had last week, right after we met?"

"The one where I asked about the wedding?" Chuuya began putting the pieces together - privacy,  nervousness, the discussion, timing… his eyebrows rose. "Is this going where I believe it's going?"

“Yeah. I’m going to ask him tonight,” she said, color rising in her cheeks. “And since you’re family, I thought I’d ask for your blessing first.”

"Well…" Chuuya leaned back against the table, looking at her. "I'll be honest. I don't know you very well, not personally, but you've always been an ally to Frau Heterodyne from what I understand. You've put yourself at risk for your friends, nearly at mortal cost, you've taught the Lady much to protect herself, fought at Axel's side. As far as I'm concerned…You make him happy. You obviously love him, as much as he loves you.

You have my blessing.

But you have my promise that if you hurt him, on purpose, you will regret it, warrior princess or not." Chuuya's voice was deadly serious- he was a Jäger who'd been fighting for centuries. Skifanderian or not, he would deliver on that promise.

“I don’t doubt that,” Zeetha said with a shaky laugh. “I do love him. More than I ever thought possible. It’s just…”

There was a long sigh. “I think I’ve given up on going home. I’m a princess, and I know my first loyalty should be to my country, but… I don’t think, even if I could find Skifander, that I’d fit in there anymore. I’m Jägerkin now. That alone would knock me out of the succession. But I’d have to leave Axel behind, and I can’t do that. Not after everything we’ve been through together. Coming to terms with that took a while. That’s why I’ve waited so long to ask him.”

Chuuya pulled out a seat and sat next to her, sighing.

"Leaving behind everything you ever knew, everything you spent so long wanting… it's not an easy thing to do. But does this mean that you can never return, if just to visit? To see your family again? Would going to Skifander mean that you wouldn't be allowed to come back to Axel?"

“...It’s complicated.” Zeetha fiddled with one of the necklaces on the table and sighed again.  “Traveling to Skifander isn’t easy in the first place. Everything I’ve found says it’s nearly impossible to get there by conventional means, which means if I do go, I might be stuck there without a way to return. I can’t risk that.”

A pause. “If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell Axel?”

"I promise not to tell anyone unless you say it's alright to." It wouldn't be the first time he'd kept a secret, and this one looked serious.  Axel would understand if it ever came to light.

“Nobody knows this, not even Agatha. Axel definitely doesn’t. But… after the Baron died, he took up residence in Gil’s head, much like Lucrezia did in Agatha’s for a while. Some of his memories stayed even after they got him out. One of those was the identity of Gil’s mother.”

"...so who is she, Zeetha?" Chuuya asked softly when it took a moment for her to continue. 

“Queen Zantabraxus. My mother,” she answered just as softly. “Klaus Wulfenbach was known as ‘Chump’ during his stay in Skifander. None of us knew his real identity.”

She put the necklace down and looked up. “Gilgamesh Wulfenbach is my twin brother. Which makes Agatha my sister-in-law. There is no way in hell I’m leaving them. I can’t.”

"If you did, they would understand. You've been looking for this longer than you've known either of them. Wherever you go from here, Zeetha, we're behind you. You've made a family, whether it's by blood or found. I don't know what you left behind or what exactly it means for you, but I know there's a lot here for you. I'd like the chance to get to know the woman my cousin is marrying, for one. Related to the Wulfenbachs or no, you're still Zeetha. It doesn't change anything about you or what people would expect." He shrugged again. "Or at least that's my take on it. Axel would understand, but I get why you wouldn't want to tell him."

“Yeah.” Zeetha grinned. “Besides, Agatha and I are Kolee-dok-Zumil, and she’s never really finished her training.”

Something occurred to her then, and she snorted. “Come to think of it, marrying Gil makes her and their children Skifanderian royalty- or would, if it weren’t for some of our more... barbaric practices. Now I’m glad I chose her as my student. It would hardly do to have a princess that didn’t know how to fight.”

She stood. “Come on. Let’s get this dress done. We have a proposal dinner to get to.”

"That we do." Chuuya grinned as well, standing back up. As he continued he started toward the door to call in Kouyou and the others. "I see that I can expect your assistance as to training the kids correctly then?"

“Of course.” The grin turned a bit wicked, and she rose, all nervousness banished for the moment. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she studied the gown. “If that dress looks half as good as I think it’s going to, we may have to get a room somewhere for the night. You’ve been an excellent host, and it’d be rude to break your furniture.”

"Why don't you go try that on before Axel gets back while I set up reservations? It's only polite as your host to arrange such accommodations." Chuuya's smile was just a touch exasperated but in a fond way. No reason not to let them have their fun.

“Oh, I like you,” Zeetha said, taking the dress from his arms. It was cream-colored silk, soft and luxurious, trimmed in gold, and probably worth a fortune. She slipped into the fitting room, shedding the robe quickly and slipping it on. The buttons in the back were something of a bother, but one of the girls followed her in and did them up expertly.

“Oh my,” she sighed, glad she’d opted for the lace undergarments that day. “This is amazing, Chuuya. It’s perfect. ”

It was, too. The gown was sheath-style, hugging her form like a glove. Sleeveless and low-cut, it showed off her muscles while accentuating her curves, and the fit was absolute perfection. There was a mirror in the room, and she studied herself. With the hair and makeup, she looked less the warrior and more the princess.

Axel was going to lose his mind.

"How's the fit, Zeetha? Any more adjustments we need to do?" Chuuya called from the other room once he'd finished his call, rifling through the patterns left on Kouyou's table. She'd forgive him, especially since a good bit were his work anyway.

“Well, I doubt I can fight in this without ruining the skirt, but…” Zeetha walked back into the main room, only slightly unsteady in the heels. “If I’m having to join in the fight with the two of you around I think it’s not going to matter in the long run.”

"Well you're not wrong. I like to think that Axel and I can hold our own in a fight, especially if I have some of my toys along." The redhead's grin shifted as the thought of using his pistols in a fight occurred to him. It could have… interesting results.

“Chuuya, my dear, dear, cousin, I honestly think you’re trying to kill me.” The voice came from the doorway, where Higgs stood, one hand gripping the doorframe as if to keep his balance. His eyes were fixed on Zeetha, and the grip tightened as she sauntered toward him.

“Z, beloved, you are gorgeous. ”

“Such a flatterer.” Gloved fingers caressed Higgs’ cheek, and he swallowed. “Your cousin is such a sweetheart, love. He’s even arranging a room for us for the night. Isn’t he a dear?”

“Quite.” He closed his eyes, visibly composing himself, and cleared his throat. “I must commend your associates, cousin. They have done your designs proud.”

"That they have. Kouyou has been a great help in making my brand what it is today. If she were to outlive me, I would pass it on to her and see what she could do with it. It is what it is though, and she knew early on that things would work out this way." He waved a hand. "Enough of that for the moment. I must talk to Kouyou about how our work relationship will continue from here. Axel, dear cousin. Would you tear your gaze away from your lovely lady and send in Kouyou?"

“Reluctantly, I shall,” Higgs said, smiling slightly. “My love, know that even should I lose my sight, in this moment I would not mourn it, for your beauty is forever etched upon my mind. Even in darkness it would sustain me always.”

“I…” It was Zeetha’s turn to blush furiously, and Higgs smiled, then pushed away from the doorframe. He retreated down the hallway, to the next room, where Kouyou waited.

“Madame,” he said, “Chuuya requests your presence. And… thank you. For helping him. He’s always been at his best with someone at his back, and I am glad he’s had you.”

“...You’re welcome.” The elegant redhead stood and joined him in the hallway. “Both for that, and for your girlfriend. I heard what you said. I never would have thought a Jäger could be a poet.”

“Vell, ve are all chust full uv surprizez,” Higgs replied with a grin. 

“Indeed.”

"Kouyou, I believe we can discuss moving on from here as we work? " Chuuya proposed as the lady entered the room. "I would like to talk about how things will be changing moving forward."

“Right. I was thinking…”

Zeetha and Higgs stood to one side, arms around each others’ waists, and watched the two work. 

Et iz goot to see hyu heppy, Cousin. Very goot.

Chapter Text

"So, he's told me everything so far, right? Being chased by geese, nearly knocking her into the pig pen, rescuing her from the runaway clank, everything. Then he pulls me aside and tells me that he's 'got it this time, for sure'. He writes her a letter telling her to meet him outside at midnight by this large tree and drops it inside the mail slot." Chuuya was having fun with this, his glass of wine in one hand as he leaned back in his chair, a wicked smirk on his face.  Zeetha had asked for stories, after all.

“Gods no,” Higgs groaned, dropping his head onto the table. “Did you really have to pick this one, cousin?”

“Oh, now I have to hear the rest of it,” Zeetha said with a matching smirk. “Go on.”

"He forgot one crucial thing." Chuuya shook his head. "So he's waiting there, in the middle of the night, and somebody comes up behind him. It's not her - it's her dad. This lumbering giant of a man who did not take to his daughter being asked out very well."

"Oh no," Zeetha said, cackling, and Higgs tried to bury his head in his arms. "What happened?"

"I think it was daylight before Axel managed to lose him, and he ended up spending the day hiding. She never did figure out why he started avoiding her after that." 

"You ran?" Zeetha asked incredulously, and Higgs groaned again.

"Hey, I was 14, and he was huge. And a trained fighter, which I wasn't yet. It was a tactical decision. Besides, I had pretty much already lost at that point. She wasn't the sort of girl who'd appreciate me beating up her dad, even if that had been an option." 

He sat up, his eyes dark. "It worked out. She ended up with some shopkeeper, I think. It didn’t matter. A few years later, war broke out again, and all the boys who were old enough got ‘recruited’. Chuuya actually wasn’t quite old enough, but he lied so he could come along, and he was so small nobody could tell the difference. Ten years later, those of us who were still alive ended up part of Vlad Heterodyne’s experiments.”

He shook his head at the look in her eyes. “Different times. The family- and Mechanicsburg- had only been around for a couple of centuries at that point. The Castle, at least the version we know, was brand new.”

Higgs locked gazes with Chuuya for a moment, then snorted. “Hell, we helped build the bloody thing. And it wasn’t alive then. That didn’t happen until almost four centuries later. Almost all of us remember that day.”

"Crazy Heterodynes and their making everything have a mind of its own." Chuuya rolled his eyes and sipped his wine, thinking back to the first day of the new Kestle. It had been a hell of a new day, and watching it put up its first defenses by itself had been… interesting. "I think Michael got a concussion from a bit of stone that went flying, yeah?"

“Not that you could tell. He was always a bit off anyway,” Higgs said with a grin. “The Lady’s as much a madgirl as the rest of them, but at least she’s a good one. Somehow, she and Gil and Tarvek all are, despite their families.”

"They could have all come out a lot worse, with their lineage," The redhead nodded in agreement. "Of course, if everything hadn't worked out either we'd all either be dead or wishing we were most likely."

“If Agatha had been like that, she never would have made it that far,” Zeetha said quietly. She cleared her throat, pausing as the desserts were brought out, and turned to Axel.

“Darling, I... “ She stopped, nervous, then pulled a small box out of the bag Chuuya had lent her. “We’ve been through a lot together, the last few years. I never thought I’d have this sort of connection with anyone, and I’m sorry it took me this long to get past my own doubts and hangups.”

She opened the box, revealing a silver band set with tiny diamonds. “I love you so, so much, Axel Higgs. Will you... Will you marry me?”

Higgs smiled, softer than Chuuya had ever seen him, and one hand rose to cup Zeetha’s cheek. “Silly girl. Of course I will.”

Zeetha smiled, tears in her eyes, and their lips met. A round of applause, restrained but genuine, rose around them, and they pulled back, cheeks red.

"Congratulations, both of you," Chuuya told them with a small smile. He had known he would say yes - it was unthinkable that Axel might have done otherwise. 

“Thank you,” Higgs said. He pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto his finger. It fit perfectly, of course, and his smile grew as he turned to Chuuya.

“Of course, you know what this means, right Cousin?”

"I know it means that you two aren't coming home with me for one," the redhead shrugged. 

Zeetha grinned. “We knew that,” she said. “It also means you have a dress to design. I want a proper gown, a Master Arah original, with all the trimmings.”

“And, I was hoping you’d be my best man,” Higgs added. “It’ll be the first Jäger wedding in what, 400 years or so?”

Chuuya set down his wineglass. 

"You want me as your best man? Not one of the Masters?" He was hopeful that Higgs was being serious here - they hadn't exactly been close the last few decades.

Huh. It really hadn't been that long, had it? Maybe Chuuya had fallen too much into a routine as of late, too much time amongst the humans...

“Of course I do. You’re family, Chuuya. And we spent how many centuries fighting together? Almost half a millennia of partnership doesn’t go away just because you decided to go your own way for a while.” Higgs’ smile and voice had turned fondly exasperated. “They’ll understand why. And if either of them grumbles about it, the Lady will sort them out.”

"Alright then." Chuuya smiled. "I'd be proud to be your best man, cousin."

The trio continued talking for a few moments, discussing plans and design ideas, paying their bill and walking outside. 

"I believe it's time we called it a night. Zeetha, Kouyou went ahead and had your things delivered to your hotel room for the night."

“Oh. Thank you.” She grinned. “I’ll drop the dress back tomorrow, then.”

"Please do, either at my place or at Kouyou's workshop." Chuuya smiled at her before turning to his cousin. "Axel, remember none of de maulin' uf de drez, ja?"

“Ja, ja, hy remember,” the blond said, shaking his head. “Hyu vill get et beck in vun pieze.”

Chuuya just grinned fondly as he turned and walked the other direction.  It wasn't that long a walk home and he wasn't in a rush.

"Und haff fon mit de canoodling, hyu two!"

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

As it turned out, Agatha was right about the three weeks.

Chuuya had been in the Castle barely a day, not even long enough to finish unpacking his luggage, much less even start on the boxes, when a rather heavy knock sounded on his suite's door. He was in the bedroom, arms full of clothing, and it took a minute for him to put them down and answer it. By then they’d knocked twice more, the last time almost hard enough to rattle the very solid door off its hinges, and he snatched it open to find Dimo, off all people, looking uncharacteristically anxious.

“Dimo? It iz time?” Chuuya had expected to be summoned soon, but Dimo looked way too anxious for it to be anything other than the Lady. 

“Ja. Dey iz in de main medical lab,” Dimo said, nodding. He backed away from the door enough to let Chuuya exit and close it, then started moving. “De Lady iz beink very insistent dat hyu be dere, but dey iz comink fast. Iz dere alvays dis much screamink?”

"Hy dun know. Hy is no doktor." Chuuya locked the door behind him and followed Dimo down the hall, moving quickly. "Vy dey not haff de Kestle call?"

Dimo turned a small grin his way. “De Kestle iz busy. Part iz helpink de Masters vit de Lady, und de rest…” A small explosion sounded outside. “De rest iz settink op de party und de ritualz. Dat iz vy she vants hyu dere. As de leedle vuns’ guardian, hyu iz part ov dem dis time.”

"Ho. Iz true, Hy deedn’t tink ov dot. De odders iz haffing fon out dere." Chuuya glanced out as they passed another window. The party was already gearing up, both Jägers and the humans of Mechanicsburg excited and maybe stirring into a frenzy. 

“Heh. Hyu vos usually out ov town ven de heirs vere born,” Dimo said, slowing as they reached the last hallway. “Hyu vill haff time to go und see de party. It usually lashts about a veek.”

They reached the door to the lab, and Agatha’s voice could be heard from inside. “Oh goot. Ve are in time.”

“Just barely.” The voice came from above them. “The first one is nearly out. You’d better get inside, Chuuya.”

Chuuya ducked inside with a nod to Dimo - they'd talk more later. Inside the room, the Lady was much louder, and he winced minutely. Some women really could break glass with the right volume. 

Tarvek sighed in relief when Chuuya arrived. He was standing at the side of the bed, holding Agatha’s hand and coaching her, while Gil was at the foot. As Chuuya watched, Agatha pushed, and a small form slid into Gil’s waiting hands. An assistant stood by with a blanket, and wrapped it around the baby as Gil looked over with a distracted grin. 

“You made it. Good. Come hold him while I cut the cord.”

“Him?” Agatha said, gasping now that some of the pain had stopped. “It’s a boy?”

“Yes darling. A fine, healthy one from the look of him,” Gil answered, and she laid back. The contractions hadn’t stopped, just lowered in intensity for a moment, but any reprieve was welcome.

Chuuya nodded and moved forward, stripping off his gloves and stuffing them into a pocket.  He didn't need them here - it was just habit to hide his hands among the human populace. After all, most humans didn't have claws, even if they were smaller than the average Jäger’s. He took the tiny boy and held him gently, as Gil went back to work. The child was crying, but it was surprisingly quiet. Chuuya had heard crying children before and they were usually much louder. 

The cries tapered off, and huge grey eyes that would later turn amber stared up at him. Tufts of chocolate brown hair peeked out from the blanket, and a tiny hand reached up toward him.

“He likes you,” Tarvek said softly, then turned back as Agatha’s contractions started up again. 

Chuuya smiled softly, his attention split between the Lady and the newborn. He hadn't been this close to a child this young in a long time, and maybe it was the fact that he was a Heterodyne, but he was a cute baby. 

He stepped back out of the way as the Lady got louder, not quite paying attention to the soft words Gil was speaking as the baby cooed quietly.

“One more push, Agatha. You’ve got this.” Gil’s words were terse yet gentle, watching as their second child emerged, and...there. “Good. Sweetheart, you’ve done so well…”

His words were cut off as the baby squalled, and Tarvek chuckled. “Well, one of them had to be loud. Boy or girl, Gil?”

“Girl.” He smiled, cutting the cord and handing the blanket-wrapped infant to Tarvek to hold for a moment. The process wasn’t quite done yet. 

Tarvek took the baby, rather gingerly. She was dark-haired and blue-eyed, and her little face was scrunched up as she cried. “She’s beautiful,” he said, looking over at Agatha, then turned to Chuuya. “Come meet your other charge.”

The redhead, for a rare moment, quiet, followed the other redhead’s lead. He looked between the two infants - they were both beautiful, but the girl was louder, demanding attention, while the boy seemed more content to watch or sleep. 

He had a feeling they would be handfuls in their own ways.

“They’re adorable, and probably going to be such troublemakers.”

Tarvek and Gil snorted almost simultaneously. “Of course they are,” Tarvek said. “They’re our kids.”

"Und der Heterodynes. If dey iz not sparky Hy vill et a hat," Chuuya said with a decisive nod. Right now, in the castle and in the company again of those who knew him as a Jäger, he was wearing his proper hat, instead of the more reserved one that drew less attention in public. He'd learned from his mistake the first time he'd nearly been beheaded by an angry mob.

The Heterodyne at the time had not been pleased with him, so he also habitually wore a choker to hide the results of that particular debacle. 

Chuuya looked down as the child made a particularly loud gurgle, a sad smile on his face as the baby cooed happily again.  Something about the child - maybe the hair color, maybe the eyes - reminded Chuuya of someone he'd known long, long ago.

“Chuuya? What’s wrong?” Agatha asked, her voice tired and strained, mostly from the yelling. She was a spark, used to staying up for days on end, but it was still a lot.  

Chuuya shook his head and put it out of his mind for now, looking at the Lady instead.

"Nuffink, my Lady. He just reminded me of someone I used to know is all. How are you doing?"

“Tired, but alright.” She glanced at her husbands, a question in her eyes. The two of them studied her for a second, then looked at each other and nodded, and she smiled. “Come here. Please.”

Three strides and he was at her side, the bundle in his arms yawning tiredly.

"Would you like to hold your son, my Lady?"

“Yes, but that’s not why I called you over,” she said, reaching up for the baby. Chuuya helped her get him settled in one arm, and Tarvek joined them, settling the little girl on her other side. Both quieted, the boy blinking tiredly and almost falling asleep, and all four of them smiled.

“We’ve been thinking,” Agatha said quietly. “You’ve put your whole life on hold at the drop of a hat. Higgs and I talked about you a bit before I called you in, you know. I know why you left my family’s service, and, to be honest, I can’t really blame you. So, for you to come back so willingly and on such short notice, well… it means a lot. Especially for something like this.”

She closed her eyes in exhaustion, and Gil picked up the thought. “You’re going to be a rather intimate part of our children’s lives. So, we wanted to show how much we appreciate you doing this. I know, Agatha’s the Heterodyne, but the family treated you horribly. We wouldn’t have been at all surprised if you’d said no.”

"Thank you, my Lady and Masters," Chuuya said, not quite sure where this was going. It was true that one of Agatha’s great-great-grandfathers had ordered him out of the castle until he was ordered to return, for no fault of his own.  Some had always considered him too human looking for a Jäger, or at least 'human enough'. He hadn’t actually changed much from his human self- the claws and his hair had been pretty much the extent of it, and the claws were small enough to hide with gloves. That had led to a few... incidents, mostly with infatuated noble daughters. "May I ask what the relevance is here?" 

Tarvek smiled at him. “To make a long diatribe short, we know you had family before you became a Jäger. And, we were wondering, since you never had a chance to have children of your own, if there were any names you wanted to pass down. If it’s too painful, we understand.”

"It's not too painful, Master Tarvek." The redhead shook his head again, expression shifting to something a little more resigned, yet pleased as he answered immediately. "If I were to pass on names for these two… they would most likely be Osamu for the boy and Kyouka for the girl. Kyouka was my little sister, before. She didn't get to see me after I took the Jägerdraught. And Osamu… was my best friend. I lost him in the war," the redhead said, a slight blush on his face. He hadn't talked about that part of his history in… a very long time.

“Osamu and Kyouka. I like those names. They’re exotic, like yours,” Agatha murmured. 

“Then that’s what they’ll be,” Gil said, and Tarvek nodded agreement. “Castle?”

“Noted. I’ll have it added to the announcements. When did you want to do the presentation?”

“Hmmm. This afternoon, I think. That’ll give us a chance to get them cleaned up and whatnot.” Gil grinned. “We’ll do Chuuya’s ceremony at the same time. Or, at least, the public part of it.The private part, we can do right now. Are you ready?”

"Yes, Master Gilgamesh." Chuuya nodded, drawing himself up to his (still fairly short) full height. 

“Good. Hold out your hands, please, palms up.” Chuuya did so, and Gil picked up a blade from a side table. It was old, probably ceremonial, and looked vaguely familiar, even if Chuuya couldn’t place it just then.

Gil took Chuuya’s right hand, and a deft stroke sliced across the palm, just deep enough to draw blood, but not enough to cause damage. He turned, gently taking Osamu’s right hand, and did the same. The baby cried out once, then quieted, almost as if he could sense the solemnity, as Gil pressed the gashes together. “Chuuya Nakahara, do you swear to protect this child, Osamu William Adam Klaus Heterodyne-Sturmovorous-Wulfenbach? To guide him, teach him, and if necessary, give your life for his?” 

“I swear upon my honor and my Jägertroth that no harm will come to this child and that I will teach and guide him to the best of my ability so long as I still draw breath.” Chuuya nodded solemnly. It was still surprising that it was him the Heterodyne had chosen, but he’d be damned before he let her down. 

Gil nodded, just as solemnly, and the two moved to the other side of the bed. This time it was their left hands, and Kyouka Lilith Zeetha was just as stoic as her brother as they repeated the oath. This time, when they finished, the Castle spoke.

“Welcome, Guardian. It has been far too long since the heirs have had a proper one.”

"I can only hope that I live up to the title," Chuuya responded, looking over his charges before his gaze landed back on Gil. "Thank you for this opportunity. I swear I'll do my best for your children."

“I’m sure you will,” Tarvek murmured, caressing Agatha’s cheek. She’d fallen asleep almost the instant the ceremony finished. “We should go and let her rest.”

“Right.” Gil motioned to two of his assistants, who gently took the babies. “We’ll get them checked out and cleaned up. Chuuya, meet us on the presentation balcony two hours after noon. The Castle can direct you if you don’t remember the way.”

"I will be there. Until then, I believe I will return to my room and continue unpacking. Please let me know if anything changes or if I am required." Chuuya nodded to the two men, glanced at his charges, and left the room. Maybe it was a bit abrupt, but they were leaving anyway and there was another ceremony to get through. 

“Right,” Tarvek said with a small smile. He shook his head, watching his wife sleep for a moment, then went to help their husband with their children.

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

The presentation ceremony wasn’t actually all that long. And, for most of the people of Mechanicsburg, it was the first time they’d seen it. Agatha hadn’t had one (nor had her brother, for reasons that had become apparent later on), and Bill’s had been long enough ago that only the eldest remembered it.

Gil and Tarvek stood on the balcony, each holding one blanket-wrapped infant, and Chuuya stood beside them. The crowd was quiet, anticipatory, and the Masters stepped forward. 

Gil, holding Osamu, spoke first. “People of Mechanicsburg,” he said, pitching his voice to be heard across the square, “we present the Heterodyne heirs. Our son, Osamu.”

He raised the infant, and Tarvek joined him. “And our daughter, Kyouka.” 

A cheer went up from the crowd, loud enough to startle the infants, but neither cried. When the volume had gone down a bit, Gil spoke again. “As the Castle has informed you, a Guardian has been chosen, oath-sworn into our service, and confirmed by Castle Heterodyne. Ladies and gentleman, we present to you Chuuya Nakahara.”

The redhead stepped forward as his name was called, looking over the crowd. It looked as lively as ever, although barely any scuffles had broken out so far. He was proud of this opportunity, and his grin was wide across his face. There was a bit of faint confusion in the crowd, probably over his name - it was definitely Japanese. He had never given it up, even if he had stopped giving it out. Not even most Jägers were aware of it.

Another cheer went up regardless of the confusion. Agatha was well-loved by her people, Gil and Tarvek had earned the trust of Mechanicsburg, and the birth of their children had been anticipated by one and all. Knowing they had a proper Guardian, one approved by the Castle, was reassuring. 

“Right then,” Tarvek murmured a moment later. “It’s cold out here. We should get the kids inside.”

He spoke up. “Good people. Your week of celebration begins now.”

The cheers redoubled, and the three men retreated inside- where Higgs, Zeetha, and a dozen or so Jägers, including three of the Generals, waited. Zeetha grinned at them and came over to look at the babies. 

“Congratulations, all of you,” she said. “They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you, Z,” Gil said. “We should be getting back to Agatha. She’s probably awake by now, and the kids will need to be fed.”

“Right. We’re going to borrow Chuuya for a bit, then,” Higgs said. 

"Borrow me? What for?" Chuuya asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't as if he had actually planned to do something, but it'd been a while since he'd been this busy.  He turned back to Gil and Tarvek, nodding at them in farewell. They'd have plenty of time to talk later.

“You’ll see,” Zeetha said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. The other Jägers followed (albeit slowly, as they all took turns seeing ‘de leedle vuns’ before they left), and thirty minutes later they were on the streets.

"Zo moch for unpackink." Chuuya said, just a touch sarcastically as his cousin-to-be pulled him along. "Vat vas dis important?"

Dimo grinned at him. “Dis iz a party, Chuuya,” he said. “Dere iz a beeg one at Mamma Gkika’s, und de peeple vants to meet de new Guardian uv de heirs. Hyu vill haf time to unpack later.”

"Hyu iz right." Chuuya shook his head slightly with a small grin. "Hy should haf known."

Higgs chuckled. “Yes, you should have. It’s alright. The babies are going to be staying with Agatha for at least the next few weeks. You’re not going to have them full time for a while, so you have some time to get settled. Now come on. I hear the girls are putting on a special show tonight, and you’re the guest of honor, so it wouldn’t do to be late.”

Chapter Text

“Uncle Chuuya, tell us a story?”

“What kind of story would you like to hear today? Dashing heroes, flashy fights, devilishly clever villains?” Chuuya smiled softly as he tucked Kyouka into bed, her blue eyes wide and curious as her brother asked for their bedtime story. 

“Um.” The little boy thought for a moment, then grinned. “Aunt Zeetha and Uncle Axel’s wedding! Was it really almost all Jägers?”

Kyouka piped up. “Did you really make Aunt Zeetha’s dress? Mama said it was really pretty.”

“It wasn’t all Jägers, but there were quite a lot there, and yes, little one, I did make her dress. It took me a while to make sure I did it right. She was very happy with it, which made it all worth it.” Chuuya sat at the end of Kyouka’s bed, looking between the two children. 

“What did it look like? Was it one of the long and flowy ones, or poofy like Mama’s?” Kyouka’s question was followed quickly by “Why? I thought Jägers didn’t get married?” from Osamu, and the redhead shook his head.

"Anybody can get married if they want to, Osamu. Most Jägers aren't interested in it because their lifespans are longer than humans, but both Zeetha and Axel are Jägers, so they don't have to worry about that." Chuuya's smile softened even further at the thought of the wedding. "Her dress was beautiful, a coppery brown that complimented her skin tone, a corset bodice that hugged her curves, a gathered bell… I'll see if she can show it to you at some point, okay?"

“‘Kay.” Kyouka snuggled farther into her sheets, ready for the story. Osamu followed her lead, turning on his side. Both children were incredibly articulate for their age, not really surprising given who their parents were, but they were still only five, and Chuuya had a knack for making even mundane stories interesting. 

Seeing that his audience was ready, he launched into the tale.

Two and a half years prior:

“You know, I don’t know much about weddings, but isn’t it unusual for the best man to be helping the bride get ready?” Zeetha said, only partly jokingly, as Chuuya pinned another curl into place. 

"Would you rather it be the Lady helping you?" Chuuya raised a brow as he replied. He'd seen her fashion sense, and so had Zeetha. "I can call her in and go help Axel if you'd rather."

Zeetha snorted. “Gods no. I love Agatha, but she’s hopeless when it comes to hair. Of course, knowing her, she’d probably spend half the night improvising some clank to do it.”

She sobered a bit then, the nerves peeking through. “Chuuya… I wanted to thank you for all this. I don’t know where you found time to work on the dress, which is gorgeous by the way, and you’ve spent two hours on my hair… I just wanted you to know I really appreciate it.”

 "I'm simply glad I was able to make something to your satisfaction. Wedding dresses are not my forté, so I hope I was up to the task." Chuuya shook his head. "Tomorrow is a special day, and I'm more than happy to help you prepare. You make Axel very happy, and I'll be proud to call you my cousin-in-law."

“I…” Zeetha blushed, fidgeting as Chuuya prepped the last few curls. “That means a lot, coming from you. Thanks.”

She sat back as Chuuya finished the last curl and tied a scarf around her head to keep the pins from catching. “Don’t stay out too late drinking tonight. You and Axel may be able to hold your beer, but Gil and Tarvek are mere mortals, and I’d rather not have them hungover tomorrow.”

"We'll do our best to keep the Lords in line." Chuuya smirked. "But it is a party after all. Or at least a tradition. We'll try to make sure they don't drink too much."

“You do that.” Zeetha stood and gave Chuuya a hug, careful not to mess up her hair. “I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

Chuuya hugged the woman back, smiling gently. "Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Try and sleep well. Tomorrow is going to go well, if not perfectly."

“Thank you, cousin. Goodnight,” she said with a smile, walking Chuuya out and closing the door. Zeetha let out a small sigh. “I hope to Ashtara you’re right.”

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

The next morning saw Agatha, Zeetha, and Chuuya in one of the antechambers of Mechanicsburg’s cathedral. The nave had been decorated the night before; indeed, there’d almost been a fight between four of the largest florists in the city over who got the privilege of serving the Heterodyne’s best friend. In the end, they’d all split the work, and the entire church was a riot of copper and green. 

The trio made small talk as Chuuya unpinned Zeetha’s hair. As planned, it became a mass of curls. Chuuya brushed it out, loosening the curls slightly, then gathered the sides and pulled them back into a small ponytail.

"There you are. This is as much as you wanted, right? No up-dos or anything?" Chuuya checked as he put away the pins. 

“No, this is perfect,” Zeetha breathed. Her makeup was already done, just a hint of rouge and lipstick that matched her dress, with coppery eyeshadow dusted on her lids. All that was left was her top hat, copper to match the dress, and Agatha picked it up from the dressing table, settling it on her head and adjusting the veil so that it flowed down her back. 

“There,” Agatha said, sounding just a little choked up. “You look amazing, Z. Higgs is a lucky man. I hope he knows that.”

"Oh, he knows it." Chuuya snorted at the thought of their discussion last night. "Trust me."

---XXX---

“Oh come on .” An exasperated voice popped up in the middle of Chuuya’s story, and the redhead turned to its owner. Osamu was sitting up in his bed, a disgusted look on his small face. “It’s been ten whole minutes and all you’ve talked about is Aunt Z’s hair. What about the Jägers? And the party?”

He flopped back on the pillows, a dramatic flair in every movement. “Is this going to be one of those sappy romantic stories?”

"Hey, you two asked for a story about their wedding. You were both there you know; you were just much younger." Chuuya smiled, shaking his head. He should have known Osamu would want more action. "We're getting to the Jägers, I promise."

“I like the romantic parts,” Kyouka said. Her brother just sank further into the pillows, a muffled “Ugh” rising from the pile as one hand waved imperiously for Chuuya to go on.

"You'll get your turn, little one." With that, Chuuya continued his tale.

---XXX---

"You should have heard him last night." The redhead shook his head with a faint grin. "You do look amazing. Not many people can pull off this color combo, but you did it."

Zeetha blushed, then grinned. “You’ll have to tell me what he said later.”

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation, and Agatha rose to open it. Gil stood there, Osamu in his arms. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but this one,” he said, hoisting the toddler a little higher, “was throwing an absolute fit. He wouldn’t calm down until Oggie told him he could come see Chuuya.”

“Want my Chuu,” the little brunette agreed emphatically, and Gil sighed.

“I know we only have about ten minutes, but…”

"I won't be long." Chuuya promised, already heading to the door to take his charge from the other man. "Higgs all ready?"

“Yes. He and Tarvek are waiting in the vestibule. Kyouka’s ready too; she and Violetta will meet you by the sanctuary doors.” Gil handed Osamu over to Chuuya, then walked over to Zeetha and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re stunning, Zee. Higgs isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“Thanks, Gil.” The blushing bride rose and hugged her brother. “You should probably get going. I’ll meet you at the entrance.”

“I know. They’re waiting for you, Chuuya.” Gil kissed his wife briefly, poked Osamu, making the toddler giggle and squirm, then went to make his last-minute checks.

"I'll take care of Osamu and see you both in a bit." The Jäger smiled at Zeetha and Agatha as the boy fussed in his arms. As the two of them left, Osamu's squirming lessened and he lay against Chuuya for a moment as they walked toward where Kyouka was waiting. The two toddlers were to be flower girl and the ringbearer after all.

"Thanks for watching them, Oggie," he greeted the Jäger, swinging Osamu to the floor. The little boy pouted and clung to his leg.

“It vas no problem. It iz a big day; ve are all happy to help out,” Oggie said, then crouched by Osamu. “Hyu gots to see him, leedle vun. Hyu hef to let him go now. He has to go help hyu papa und Mishter Higgs, und hyu hef a big job to do too. Hyu vill gets to shtund vit him for de vhole ceremony.”

Osamu clung tighter for a moment, then reluctantly nodded and let go. “‘Kay,” he said, then startled as Violetta appeared next to them. 

“Sorry about that,” the ex-Smoke Knight said, and handed him a small silk pillow with two rings on it. “Be very careful with that, okay Osamu? And here are your flowers, Kyouka.”

Osamu nodded, and Kyouka accepted the flower basket gravely. She’d been practicing, which had led to some dismay among the gardeners as petals started mysteriously disappearing from flowers while the children were playing in the gardens.

"It won't be long, Osamu. Then you'll get to stay with me the rest of the ceremony, okay?" The redhead knelt down next to the brunette, fixing his hair and smiling gently. 

Osamu nodded again, mollified by the attention. “‘Kay, Chuu.”

“He vill be fine,” Oggie said. “Hyu needs to run, mishter besht man. De ceremony vill be shtarting soon.”

"I know, I know. Thanks again Oggie, Violetta. I'm glad you two could help out. Gil should be here in a minute." Chuuya stood and grinned at the two before he headed off. "Now then, we have a wedding to get to."

---XXX---

The ceremony itself was fairly typical, all things considered. Chuuya made it to where Higgs and Tarvek were already waiting with a few moments to spare, and the three watched expectantly as the processional music started. 

The twins walked side-by-side, Osamu carefully holding his pillow while his sister diligently tossed a handful of rose petals every few feet. It was adorable, and even the most battle-hardened Jäger in the pews melted a little at the sight.

Violetta followed them, and she took Kyouka’s hand as they reached the front, pulling her to one side as Osamu happily went stand next to Chuuya.

Mamma Gkika was next, a huge grin on her face, and Agatha followed her, also smiling if a bit more demurely. All three were resplendent in green gowns, also Chuuya’s design, although Kouyou’s crew had done the actual work on them.

And then the music changed, and the crowd turned as Zeetha appeared in the doorway. Gil stood next to her, her arm in his, and the siblings paused for a moment as a cleverly placed light shone on the pair. The coppery tones of Zeetha’s dress and hat caught the light and reflected it, but her eyes shone even more, and Higgs found himself blinking back tears at the sight.

“Cousin,” he murmured to Chuuya as his bride and her escort started down the aisle, “you outdid yourself. She’s quite literally breathtaking."

“Every bride deserves something astounding for their big day. It was the least I could do,” Chuuya murmured back, completely ignoring the days of work he had put into producing it. Everything was worth it for today. He wasn’t completely unaffected either - Zeetha was stunning, wearing the dress just as he had intended it to be worn. 

Higgs nodded, almost imperceptibly, but any further conversation was cut off as the pair reached them. That was alright; the blond wasn’t sure he could have spoken without breaking, and that wouldn’t do at all. Gil placed her hand in his, smiling widely, then took his place between Chuuya and Tarvek.

The ceremony was relatively short, all things considered. A good portion of the attendees were Jägers, and having that many in one place was disconcerting enough for the priest that he kept his speeches and anecdotes short and to the point, not rambling on like he normally did. Still, it was beautiful, and-

---XXX---

Chuuya looked down at his charges and smiled softly as light snores rose from both beds. The children were fast asleep, and he leaned over and kissed Kyouka gently on the forehead. Then he rose and crossed to Osamu’s bed, kissing the brunette’s forehead as well and pulling the blankets up to tuck them around the boy’s shoulders.

“Sleep vell, leedle vuns,” he said quietly, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Osamu’s eyes. The child stirred, not waking, but snuggling deeper into his pillow at the touch, and Chuuya grinned. “Gootnight. Hy vill tell hyu de resht ven hyu're older.”

With that, he left the room, closing the door gently behind him. 

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

“What are you doing, Chuuya?” The voice came from the doorway, and Chuuya looked up from the drawing in front of him.

“Working on a project,” he answered the question, setting his tools down as his visitor approached. “What are you doing here, Osamu? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

The boy shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. My brain won’t shut up, and I didn’t want to wake up Kyouka. Castle said you were still up, so…”

“Fair enough, I suppose. What are you thinking about?” The redhead chuckled, putting his drawing to the side and gesturing toward his spare chair. Ever since Higgs had started to pop by the lab to see his work, Chuuya had made sure to provide an extra seat.

Osamu sat, propping his elbows on the table. The seven-year-old picked up a screwdriver and started fiddling with it. “I’m not entirely sure, actually. I keep seeing bits and pieces of things, but not quite how they go together. And there’s this weird song in my head. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, but it won’t stop.”

“Weird song, huh?” Chuuya shook his head in surprise. Given the kid’s parents, he supposed he really shouldn't be all that surprised that Osamu was apparently starting to break through already. He had been warned that Agatha had broken through very young, and very strongly. “Think you can sketch it out or start explaining it?”

“Sketch it maybe,” Osamu said doubtfully. Drawing had never been his strong suit, but he really didn’t have the words for what he saw. 

“Okay then. Sketches don’t have to be good, just enough to get your point down.” Chuuya smiled encouragingly as he dug around his piles of papers on his table. He really should organize it a bit, but he’d gotten a tad carried away earlier. A few seconds later, he’d found a pencil and a spare sheet of paper, laying it down in front of his charge. 

The boy took the paper, somewhat uncertainly, placing it in front of him. He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly gathering his thoughts. Perhaps unconsciously, he started humming, opened his eyes, and started to draw.

Chuuya rested his chin on one upraised hand, elbow on the table, as the boy went to work. He truly was the Lady’s child. The song the boy hummed, different in pitch though it was, was familiar. He’d heard that song many times over his life, hummed and sung by many varied voices, always from the Masters’ line. Osamu would be a strong spark indeed.

It took him almost an hour, and four more sheets of paper, but at last Osamu put down the pencil, the song dying in his throat. He flexed his hand, fingers cramped from holding the pencil for so long. “That’s it,” he said, voice slightly hoarse. “Or the start of it at least. There’s something missing, I think, but I don’t know what.”

“Let’s see here…” Chuuya had begun studying the sheets as the boy had finished with them. The drawing was rudimentary, but comprehensible enough. From a seven-year-old, it was a bit surprising, but then again, his heritage… The simplistic blueprints were jumbled, odd in places, and it took the older spark a moment to piece together what Osamu might have been getting at. Of course there were still a lot of pieces missing, things that even a Spark Osamu’s age wouldn’t know, but that would come with time and knowledge. It looked like he would have to start reworking his lesson plans if the children were breaking through. Kyouka hadn’t yet, not as far as Chuuya knew, but that could change at any time. 

“Am I right in assuming this is some sort of clank-doll, Osamu? You seem to have given it some motor skills, and its shape is humanoid.”

The brunette nodded and yawned, tired now that he’d gotten the ideas out of his head and at least mostly onto paper. “Something like that. I can see moving and talking, even kind of see its personality. Kind of like one of Papa’s family’s Muses. I just don’t know how to actually do that, not yet.”

“I’ll go ahead and save these then. We can come back to them when you know more.” Chuuya smiled and ruffled Osamu’s hair. “You look like you’re ready to go back to sleep.”

“Uh huh,” Osamu agreed, yawning wider. “Come with me?”

“Alright, I’ll walk you back.” Chuuya took the pencil and wrote down a few of his own notes in the margin of the project, just a quick summary of what the boy had told him so far it was to become. “Let’s go, little one.”

Osamu nodded. He rose from the chair and shuffled to the door. It was late, especially for a kid, and he was drained.

Smiling, Chuuya shook his head as he rose from his own chair, following the boy for a moment. Once the kid began yawning again, the redhead reached down and picked Osamu up. It wasn’t like he was that heavy, especially for Chuuya, and it let the boy begin to doze as they went to bed.

By the time they returned to the room he shared with Kyouka, Osamu was almost completely asleep. He stirred only briefly as Chuuya laid him in his bed, rolling over and curling up as Chuuya fixed his blankets and tucked him in. “Night, Chuu,” he mumbled.

“Good night, little vun,” Chuuya replied, letting his dialect slip just the littlest bit at the end there. It wasn't the first time, but it was always when the kids were asleep. Neither of them knew he was a Jäger, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could get away with, mostly to keep things simple for the moment. Besides, Osamu was already a little overly attached to him. 

It was time for bed for him as well now - he would get no more work done tonight. Softly closing the door behind him, the redhead made for his own quarters. 

Tomorrow, he would have to have an interesting conversation with the Lady. Osamu was definitely starting to break through, and that was always a dangerous time, especially for one so young. At least his first device didn’t seem to be dangerous. 

Silently, the Castle chuckled to itself. Oh, this is going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Agatha looked up curiously as someone knocked on her office door. It was midmorning, but she wasn’t expecting anyone today. “Come in!”

“My Lady,” Chuuya greeted her as he opened the door, closing it behind him as he entered the room. “If you have a moment, may I discuss something with you?”

“Of course, Chuuya,” she said, putting aside the report she’d been studying. “Frankly, I could use a break, so you’ve come at a good time. Is everything alright with the children?”

“Yes, they’re fine. However there’s a matter I wished to bring to your attention.” The redhead took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, his tone light. “I believe Osamu is breaking through already. He says there’s a weird song in his head and that he keeps seeing bits and pieces of projects he wants to build, although he hasn’t yet the knowledge or experience to make them work.”

“I see.” Agatha drummed her fingers on the desk. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Has he started working on anything yet?”

Has he entered the madness place? 

“He has a project, but I don’t believe he’s gone any further than phase one. Given that he is your child, however, I feel it may be necessary to put safeguards in place should he begin breaking through completely and pose a hazard to himself and others.” Chuuya leaned on one raised fist, his elbow on the arm of the chair, as he spoke. “You know as well as anyone how much of a danger they could be to themselves and others, and unfortunately we have no timeline for such a thing.”

She sighed. “You’re probably right. Castle, could you ask Gil and Tarvek to join us, please?”

“Of course.” 

It took a little while- the castle was massive, and Agatha and Chuuya chatted about his latest project as they waited. Eventually the door opened.

“Is everything alright?” Tarvek asked as he entered, followed by a slightly disgruntled Gil. “We were elbow-deep in that mechanical boar the Jägers brought back last week.”

“Pardon the interruption,” Chuuya began, his tone becoming a touch serious. “To get to the point, I believe your son will be breaking through relatively soon, so I would like to put in place precautions to prevent harm to himself or others.”

“Oh.”

“OH.” The two men looked at each other, and Gil spoke. “Yes. That would be an excellent idea, I think. I expect you’ve witnessed this firsthand? Which of us is he taking after, in your opinion?”

“If I may be honest, I believe that he is a mix of all of your disciplines. It has elements of biomechanical engineering, and one day may rival the personality and intelligence of even the Muses.” Chuuya’s lips twitched into a grin at the thought. “Of course it’s still rudimentary and lacks enough detail to know for sure, but he is young and it is his first project. I will also be keeping a closer eye on Kyouka, in case she begins to exhibit signs as well.”

Three sets of eyebrows rose. “That’s… a very ambitious project, especially for one so young,” Tarvek said. Of all of them, he’d studied the Muses the most, and knew exactly how complex they were. “If he’s seeing something like that now… ”

Gil nodded. “He’s going to be an incredibly strong Spark. Alright. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary. And I think it would be wise if we started getting involved with his training. The first few times are almost always blackouts, as you well know, but if we’re around we can help direct it, at least.”

“I would like to temporarily move his lessons to the laboratories and shift his lesson plan to begin teaching him the basics of mechanics. We’ve already begun covering various sciences, including biology, but if he can learn the basics before he breaks through he has less of a chance of making a minor- or major- mistake when it happens. May I ask, sir, for you to be present, or even his teacher during those lessons?” The redhead bowed his head toward Gilgamesh. The brunette’s breakthrough had been surprisingly non-violent, Chuuya knew, and he was hoping that if Osamu learned from him, he might follow in those footsteps. “I think he would appreciate getting to learn from one of his fathers.”

“Of course. If he is trying to build something like one of the Muses, I have a feeling we’ll all be involved eventually. But I would be happy to start him on the road. Would tomorrow be soon enough? We’ll have to reconfigure a lab and set up a safe space for him.”

“Tomorrow would be fine. I will accompany him the rest of the day and let him know that there will be a change to his lessons for the foreseeable future. Would you like me to tell him who will be his teacher or would you rather it be a surprise?” Chuuya’s attention flitted between the three sparks, taking in their body language. “I will also spend tonight reconfiguring his other lesson plans and schedule, and will have a report for you on where he currently stands by midnight, so you can most efficiently plan your own lessons, if you wish.”

The three looked at each other, grinning slightly. “You might want to tell him,” Agatha said dryly. “He’s not quite as bad as he was a few years ago, but he’s still incredibly attached to you. I doubt he’d take the thought of being foisted off on a stranger very well.”

“It might be for the better that he gets the chance to work with his father, then.” Chuuya shrugged one shoulder. He truly did have the most to do with the children, but that didn’t mean they should forget their parents.

Gil nodded. “It’s not like we mind, Chuuya,” he said. “We anticipated something like that when we decided to give them a full-time guardian. And you’re a much better one than Von Pinn.”

Agatha let out something between a groan and a laugh at that. “Yes. I only had to endure her for a week. I don’t know how you all managed to grow up with her.”

“I do try my best to keep from traumatizing my charges. They still haven’t found out I’m a Jäger after all.” Chuuya’s grin widened a bit as he stood, bowing to everyone. “That was my concern for today. If there’s nothing else, I believe it’s for the best if I return to my post and begin my work.”

“Probably,” Gil agreed. “We should go as well. We have a lab to change out and a boar to finish taking apart.” 

He and Tarvek crossed to Agatha, kissing her on the cheek, then grinned at Chuuya and left. The pair were already discussing the changes, and the Heterodyne smiled as she watched them go. 

“Chuuya,” she asked, once the others were out of earshot, “if I may ask, why haven’t you told them? It’s not like they’d think any differently of you.”

“I like to think of it as an exercise in observation.” The Jäger shrugged. “At some point they’ll realize that something about me is off and confront me about it. That or something will happen that will force me to reveal myself. It’s not out of any hostility or desire to cause problems, nor out of a belief that being a Jäger will change what they think about me.”

“I see.” She did, really, and was actually somewhat looking forward to the day Osamu figured it out. He’d always been just a bit obsessed with the Jägers. “Very well. We’ll see you and the children at dinner, then.”

“Indeed, my Lady.” Chuuya bowed again before leaving the office and making his way to the classroom that he had left the children to do their daily work in. 

Agatha watched him go, her head leaning on one hand. “Castle… did he-”

“Yes, my Lady. He is truly a Heterodyne. Chuuya recognized it too- not that I’m surprised. He’s always been close to your family’s Sparks.”

“I see,” she repeated, then stood and stretched. “I think I’m going to take a break and go work in my lab for a bit. Their birthday is close, and I’d like to finish their presents by the weekend. No interruptions until lunch unless it’s important.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

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

As it turned out, Chuuya’s precautions were well timed.

It was barely a week later when the Castle woke him from a sound sleep. “You may want to get to lab four,” it said, the mechanical voice a mixture of amusement and caution. “Osamu’s sleepwalking in that direction.”

Chuuya was awake within seconds, when the meaning of the Castle's words occurred to him. Osamu had never walked in his sleep before, and it was a common occurrence when a particularly strong Spark was breaking through. "How far is he, Castle?"

“About halfway. He’s not moving terribly quickly, and I wasn’t sure where he was headed at first. There’s a lot down in that section, including the kitchens, but he started humming a moment ago. That’s when I decided to wake you.”

"You just didn't want us to have to fix you again if he decided to work on you, huh?" Chuuya teased, throwing on a clean shirt and quickly striding through the halls as he buttoned it up. "Does anyone else know yet?"

The castle’s voice was slightly huffy as it replied. “No. The Lady is currently visiting Zeetha and her son; I’ve just sent Maxim with a message. Master Tarvek left for Paris several hours ago to attend a family function. I am attempting to wake Master Gil as we speak, and… Ah, there he is. I will have him meet you.”

"Oh good, at least one of his fathers will be there," Chuuya muttered to himself as he thought. To be honest, there wasn't a lot anyone could do when a spark broke out. They would just have to be there and try to make sure whatever he built didn't blow up in his face or something similar. The redhead cut down side passages he'd nearly forgotten about; the faster someone was at the child's side, the less chance of something dire happening. Too many sparks got in over their heads during Breakthroughs. "What time is it, Castle?"

“Just after third bell. He is currently two turns away; you’re almost to the lab.”

'How awake is he?" Chuuya, dropping out of a chute and landing just down the hall from the lab, asked. "Master Gil I mean. Osamu probably won't wake up until he's done building whatever it is he's going to."

“In my experience, you’re not wrong. Master Gil woke completely once I explained what was happening. He’ll be joining you shortly.” The castle chuckled slightly. “Most people don’t know about that chute. I think you and Master Higgs may be the only ones I’ve ever seen use it. Is there a reason for that?”

"I guess nobody else bothers to explore whatever you decide to add," Chuuya shrugged; it wasn't one they installed, but maybe they were the only ones who used it. "Besides, I think anybody who did find it thought that Horrible might have trapped it. He didn't really like anyone. Why did he design part of you again?" The redhead squinted toward the ceiling as he spoke, more than a little curious. 

If the castle could have shrugged, it would have. “I wouldn’t know,” it said dryly. “I’ve wondered similar things on more than one occasion. My design works, I suppose, but it’s terribly inefficient.”

The voice paused. “He’s just entered the lab. Per your earlier instructions, I’ve locked down the most dangerous protocols.”

"Good. Thank you, Castle." Chuuya's gaze drifted down the hall at the sound of hurried footsteps -most likely Master Gil. 

Gil rounded the last corner and caught a flash of red hair at the far end of the hall.  Chuuya. Good. He slowed a moment, tired fingers twitching slightly as he buttoned the last of his shirt. He’d gotten to bed only a few hours before and was rather exhausted. Still…

The redhead had paused and looked in his direction, and Gil shook his head. “I really envy you guys’ stamina some days,” he called. “Go ahead. I’ll be in in a minute.”

Chuuya nodded his assent and opened up one of the back passageways, one that led to a backdoor into the lab. In the old days these had been used by servants and assistants to bring materials in unobtrusively, so that they didn’t clog the halls or get waylaid by others. The Jäger used it now to slip into the lab quietly, so he didn’t interrupt whatever Osamu was planning. 

Gil followed him a few minutes later, and the pair found seats in a corner and just... watched.

The first thing Gil noticed was the humming. It took him a moment, and his eyes widened as he recognized the same song he’d often heard from Agatha’s throat when she was in the madness place. He turned to Chuuya. “Is that...?” he whispered.

“The same song? Yes, I noticed early on, when he first hummed it. It was the day that I brought it to the Lady’s attention.” Chuuya nodded, unsurprised that he had noticed. “I believe it is a product of bloodline; they are not the first I have heard it from.”

“Really. That’s rather fascinating actually. One of these days we really should sit down and record some of the stories in your head; you’ve probably seen some amazing things,” Gil said as he turned back to watch his son. The boy was standing by a worktable, eyes open and slightly manic, although he seemed completely unaware of the others’ presence. He was sorting through a pile of tools, tossing a few onto the bench as he found them, then grinned as small hands clasped around a pair of rather peculiar looking pliers. 

“Finally.” Osamu muttered, breaking the song only for a second, then turned and started going through bins of parts and wires, tossing things over his shoulder, occasionally onto the bench, a few things completely across the room…

“Oh this should be interesting,” Chuuya said under his breath, leaning back in his chair. “And he is absolutely going to be cleaning this lab later.”

Gil chuckled. “My father made me clean the lab I wrecked my first time,” he said lightly. “The second time I built a clank to help me do it. I had that thing until Castle Wulfenbach crashed.”

“I’d say he should learn better, but honestly… Does a Spark ever learn to keep their lab clean?” Chuuya joked quietly.

“Nope. It just ends up getting trashed again anyway,” Gil responded, sitting back and getting comfortable. They were likely going to be here for a while.

He wasn’t wrong.

Osamu woke up some six hours later. He found himself curled up on top of a worktable, and next to him… The brunette sat up and stared at the clank-doll standing on the floor in front of the table. It wasn’t as big as the one he’d envisioned, nor nearly as complex, but still. 

“Where am I?” he asked with a yawn, then startled as a laugh came from the corner.

“Oh, he awakens.” Chuuya chuckled and stretched, rising to his feet. “Have a nice nap?”

“Chuuya? Dad? Why are we here? Where did this come from? What-?” Osamu interrupted himself with a yawn. “What happened?”

Gil rose and walked over to examine the doll. “All of those questions have more or less the same answer, Osamu,” he said gently. “You broke through for the first time last night. The Castle alerted us, and we came just to make sure you didn’t injure yourself or anyone else.”

He pressed a switch on the back of the clank, and it stood up straight, then walked around in a circle before taking a seat on an overturned box, hands folded neatly in its lap. “Is this what you’ve been seeing?”

The boy shrugged. “Sort of? It’s a lot smaller and I don’t think it talks. It’s missing a lot of functionality, actually. But that’s about what it’s supposed to look like.”

“Interesting.” Gil poked the clank, trying to get a better look at one of its limbs, and the doll picked up a nearby screwdriver and whacked his fingers with it. The spark pulled his hand back and shook it ruefully. “Good defensive instincts. It’s a very good first attempt, Osamu. Especially for being a breakthrough creation. I’m impressed.”

He looked over at his son, and smiled as the boy sagged with fatigue. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you back to bed. I think we’ll sleep in today. How’s that sound?”

Osamu nodded, and Gil picked him up and headed for the lab door. The doll stood and followed them. “Chuuya, since Kyouka’s with Agatha for the next few days, why don’t you go ahead and take a day off? It’s been a while since you’ve had one. I’ll stay with Osamu today.”

"Thank you for the opportunity, sir." Chuuya bowed slightly as the two (three? That doll was awfully sentient so far) left. Its tiny legs wouldn't keep up with them, though. "Would you like the doll to be dropped off in your room, Osamu?"

“Yes please,” the boy mumbled, already half asleep on his father’s shoulder. “Go with Chuuya, okay?”

The doll stopped and turned to the redhead, lifting its arms up as if asking to be carried. 

Yup. Weirdly sentient for a kid as young as Osamu to make as a breakthrough. Given his parentage however…

The redhead nodded and reached down to the doll, lifting it into his arms. It wasn't overly tall, under 2', but its mechanical nature made it very dense, not that Chuuya had a problem with that. "Sleep well, Osamu. I will see you tomorrow."

Gil watched for a moment, then shrugged Osamu a little higher on his shoulder and started walking again. “You weren’t kidding,” he said quietly. “If he was able to make that with a bunch of spare parts in a breakthrough fugue… the final one might even outshine the Muses.”

"Hopefully we can keep him from going mad when he does." Chuuya answered quietly, the doll clinging to his shirt as they followed. The rooms were in the same wing, close enough that in an emergency they wouldn't be hard to get to, so the redhead could drop the doll off and go back to his own room and get ready for the day. He wasn't about to waste a rare day off.

Gil said nothing, just nodded. He’d seen far too many promising sparks give in to the madness, himself included for a time. Osamu and Kyouka had the potential to be some of the strongest sparks to ever walk the face of the planet, and if they succumbed… It was a thought that plagued him at times, a quietly terrifying possibility that lived in the back of his mind. Still- they had him, and Tarvek, and Agatha, and Chuuya, and each other. And Kyouka hadn’t even shown signs of breaking through yet. They had time.

They reached the children’s rooms and Gil turned. “Thank you, Chuuya,” he said. “We’ll be fine from here. Go have fun.”

“You know how to find me if you have need,” Chuuya bowed his head before he ducked into Osamu’s room, leaving the doll on the boy’s nightstand. Maybe the Boyz would be around today; he hadn’t much gotten the chance to speak with them the last few, well, years. 

Gil smiled at the redhead’s retreating back. He’d been leery of hiring him at first, but he trusted Higgs, and it had worked out. Chuuya was amazing with the kids, and his years of experience had come in useful in other ways. If nothing else, he was a goldmine of information on the past, and unlike Higgs he was usually willing to talk about it. 

He was drawn out of his thoughts as Osamu mumbled something in his sleep. Turning toward his own quarters, his mind turned to sleep and plans for later that day. It’d been a while since both Agatha and Tarvek were gone; maybe he and Osamu would take the day off too. He’d heard rumors of a new ice cream parlor in town…

---xxx---

Chuuya strolled out of the castle, his hands in his pockets. He nodded to those he passed, a calm smile on his face, taking his time as he looked over the town. It was bustling, like it normally was, but nobody pulled the redhead aside or stopped him. Had they been told it was his day off? Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to complain about it. A short while later, he was at the entrance to Mamma Gkika’s, taking a seat at the bar and looking around. 

One of the waitresses stopped by and gave the redhead a huge smile. “Hello Chuuya. It haz been too long. How haz hyu been?”

“Hy haz been goot. Hyu?” Chuuya smiled at her; she looked familiar but he couldn’t place her. Maybe he’d seen her last time he’d come in? It had been some time - at least a year. Osamu’s education had kept him busy; he had to continually revise his plan because the boy learned quickly.

“Hy iz goot. Vat can hy get hyu?” she asked. 

“Hm,” Chuuya thought for a moment, looking around at all the pints other Jägers held. Things seemed to be going well today, so...“Surprize me.”

The smile widened. “Hyu gots it. Hoh, de Boys iz here. Dey iz in de back room, if hyu wants to join dem.”

“Dank you, Hy vill.” He would, in a few minutes. Right now he would take a few minutes to himself. 

“Hokay.” She moved off then, shouting something at the bartender. It wasn’t long before she returned holding a mug. “Here. Von special, on de house for de Guardian.”

Chuuya smiled at her, taking the mug and sipping from it. It was beer, but one that he was fairly certain Gkika’s hadn’t had before. This one was good, although he couldn’t name it exactly - he’d had a lot of alcohol over his many years, after all. Whatever it was exactly, he found himself enjoying it immensely. 

“It's goot, yah? Mamma gots it all de vay from Englund.” The waitress winked at him, then moved on as a table yelled for refills. “Hold you horses, Hy’m comink.”

“Dank hyu.” Chuuya let her be pulled away, returning his attention to the room at large. It was nice to have a few moments with the sound of other Jägers around him, content and having fun, a few moments where nobody needed him or was trying to get his attention for something. It wasn’t that he disliked his job, not at all, but it was busy, all-consuming, and most of all… Important. 

As it happened, Chuuya had a solid hour or so before that changed. There were more than a few who recognized him, of course, but most just gave him a wave or shouted “Hullo!” before moving on. He was on his third truly excellent beer when Oggie made his way up the bar and noticed him sitting there. 

“Hoy, Chuuya!” he said with a huge grin. “Ve vas wonderink if ve’d gets to see hyu. Maxim told us about Osamu. Iz he hokay?”

“Surprizingly. He took a tumble at one point, but he bounced back up.” Chuuya grinned back at the blond.

“Goot. Come drink vit us. Ve are celebratink my new grunddaughter. She iz two days old now und beaotiful,” the Jäger said, clapping Chuuya on the shoulder. “All de Boyz iz here.”

“Hyu iz in de back?” The redhead downed the last of his beer and stood, nodding to the barkeep. 

Oggie nodded. “Ve haz food too.” The Jäger picked up a tray of drinks and led the way toward the back. He kicked the door open. 

“Hoy! Look vho Hy found!”

Dimo and Maxim’s heads turned, wide grins breaking out on their faces. “Hoy! Chuuya!”

“Hoy, Boyz.” Chuuya’s grin widened and he followed Oggie in, taking a seat at their table. “How haz hyu been?”

“Ve iz goot! It haz been slow. Hy told de Lady about Osamu, by de vay,” Maxim said. “She vas worried but de Kestle said he vould be fine vit hyu und Master Gil.”

“Dey vent beck to schleep, aftervard.” Chuuya told him, letting him know that everything really had gone okay. “He haz a lot to learn shtill.”

“Eh, he iz jusht a baby Spark,” Dimo said. He waved at the plates of food. “Eat op. Ve are gon to visit de leedle vun in a bit.”

“Iz true,” Chuuya conceded the point as he started grabbing food. Osamu was young yet, and had tons of resources at his fingertips. He would learn. “Oh? Haf fun. Hy tink hy vill valk de town.” 

“Iz a goot day for it,” Maxim replied, grabbing another sandwich off one of the plates. “Iz nize und sunny und varm.” 

The conversation devolved into small talk after that, mostly stories about Chuuya’s charges and Oggie’s family. Mamma Gkika popped in briefly to say hello, as did a few of the other waitresses (Maxim was a favorite, even though he had a girlfriend now). It was with no small amount of reluctance that the group broke up some two hours later- it had been a while since they’d all gotten to just hang out. Oggie promised to pass Chuuya’s congratulations on to his family.

“Hyu should brink de keeds to see dem in a few veeks,” he said as they left the building. “It vould be goot for dem to get out uf dot schtuffy Kestle once in a vile.”

“Hy don’ know ef de Lady haz told hyu, but hy haz not told de keeds dat Hy em a Jäger - iz practice for dem,” the redhead remembered as the group was breaking apart. “Hy vant to see how long it takes before dey know, ja?”

“Hyu iz beink schneaky,” Dimo said with another grin. “Hy gets it. Ve vill not let de cat out uf de bag. But hyu should shtill brink dem. Dey need to be vit udder keeds.”

“Hy vill talk to de Lady.” Chuuya promised - the kids had little enough chance to be with other people, let alone kids around their age. It would be good for them. “Dank you, Dimo.”

“Ja, ja. Enjoy hyur valk,” the Jäger said with a wave. He and the others turned onto a side street, headed for Oggie’s grandson’s house. Oggie had actually lost track of just what generation his family was on, and all the great-greats just made him feel old anyway. Still, he was one of the few who had an extended family, and it wasn’t uncommon to find several of his fellows at family events. No one really minded.

In fact…

Oggie waved to one of his great-something grandsons as he, Dimo, and Maxim walked in the door. “Ho, lad!”

“Hi Grandpa,” the boy said. “Hi Dimo, Maxim.”

The other two Jägers returned the greeting, and Oggie grinned. “Hy hef a task for hyu und you cousins und sishter.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Well, hyu see, Hy ran into de Guardian today…”

Chapter Text

The next morning, as Chuuya dropped Osamu off, he brought up the idea.

“Master Gil, may I talk to you for a moment, outside?” the redhead asked, shooing his young charge into the lab with one hand. It would only be for a moment, so Osamu shouldn’t have too much time to get into anything.

“Sure,” Gil answered. He directed Osamu to one of the work tables, where a half-completed clank sat, then joined Chuuya in the hall. “What’s up?”

“As you know, the twins’ birthday is coming up. I was hoping that they might be able to attend a party of sorts, with other children of their age. I believe it would be good for them, given their lack of contact. Socially, it would benefit them significantly.” Chuuya presented his idea, fairly certain that the man would see his logic.

Gil thought about that for a moment. “You’re not wrong,” he said. “Agatha does have a few cousins their age, and so does Tarvek. I’m not sure how many of them we’d be able to get here in a week, though. Did you have anyone specific in mind?”

“I do, actually. Some of the Jägers have family in the area, some of which happen to be about the twins' age.” Chuuya smiled a bit, somewhat amused at the thought of Oggie’s grandchildren. “I believe they would be more than happy to play with Osamu and Kyouka, given the chance.”

“I’m sure they would be. We shouldn’t go too overboard, though. A small group would be best, I think. Let’s not overwhelm them…” Gil listened as a crash sounded from the lab and shook his head with a sigh. “Set it up, if you would. Say, ten or fifteen kids? I’ll get with Agatha and make sure our schedules are clear, and Tarvek will hopefully be back by then.”

“I’ll get you the details as soon as I have them, Master Gil, and I’ll leave you to it,” Chuuya’s smile had widened just a tad as he bowed his head and turned to leave. “I will be in my office for a while if you have need of me.”

“I’ll let you know,” Gil replied, his hand on the door handle. “Oh, and Chuuya?”

“Yes sir?” The redhead looked back to the royal.

“You know you don’t have to be so formal, right? I know some of the Family may have required it of you, but we don’t. You pretty much are family now, aren’t you, cousin?”

“I know, but…” Chuuya shrugged, at a loss for words for a moment. “You are a Master, maybe not a Heterodyne, but the Lady has chosen you. Most everything I’ve done has been in service to the Family, and I still owe them much.”

“Perhaps,” the brunette said quietly, so that the sound wouldn’t carry, “the Family owes you just as much, General Nakahara. You were a general long before the Jägers named you one. Word gets around, you know. I know some of what you did in the war. And what you lost.”

“Sir,” Chuuya said after a long moment, just as quietly. “War is a harsh thing, no matter when or where it happens. I may have lost much, but others have too. To give, to live or die in service to the Family is what we sign up for when we drink the Jägerdraught. We have all lost people to one thing or another, Jäger or not.”

“That we have.” Gil turned back to the door. “Thank you anyway, Chuuya. You told us, when you named the children, that it wasn’t painful. But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? It can’t be easy, saying your lover’s name so often after all these years.”

“Easy or not, even now, they’re so alike…” The Jäger drifted off for a moment, his smile gone, before he shook his head. “I gave it to him because I believe Osamu, this young boy, will be able to do so much one day, if he’s given the chance.”

“He will. And a large part of that will be because of you,” Gil said, turning the knob. “It’s a good way to honor his memory.”

Another crash sounded. “I should get in there. We’ll see you at lunch.”

“Yes sir. Until lunch,” Chuuya bowed his head again and took his leave before the man could stop him once more. It wasn’t as though he had intended to be so formal with the family, but they’d all gained his respect, and they were Heterodynes to boot.

Dazai, I wish you could be here to see your namesake. I think you'd like him.

Gil smiled after the retreating form for a second, then opened the door. “Osamu,” he said, “it’s been less than five minutes. How have you made this much of a mess?”

“Sorry Dad,” the boy said, although there was a hint of a grin on his face. “I was trying to tighten the bolts down and the wrench slipped and went flying.”

“Twice?”

“Well… the wrench ended up on the top shelf, and I tried to climb up to get it.”

“Uh huh.” Gil sighed. “Never mind that. We have a new lesson today.”

“Oh?” Osamu’s eyes gleamed. “What is it?”

“Etiquette,” Gil said, and grinned slightly as his son’s face fell. “You and Kyouka will be having a birthday party next week, and I will not have you embarrassing yourself.”

Osamu sighed, slumping. “Will it be like the last few? Boring and a bunch of stuffy old people?”

Gil’s grin widened. “No. Chuuya has a surprise for you this time. I think you’ll like it.”

The boy brightened at the Guardian's name. “Okay. Chuuya’s surprises are usually cool.”

“That they are. Come on. You have studying to do.”

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

“You called, my Lady?” Chuuya poked his head into the office, waiting until she waved him in to close the door behind him. “I was hoping to get the chance to speak to you soon.”

“I did. Gil told me about your party idea for the children, by the way. I think it’s a wonderful one; I’ve met Oggie’s family, they’re good people,” Agatha said. “It’s something we probably should have done years ago. What made you think of it?”

“Honestly, it was da Boyz,” the Guardian admitted. “We may not get a lot of time to chat, but on the rare occasion we do, his family comes up occasionally. They mentioned having a birthday party and since their and the twins’ ages coincided fairly well, it made sense.”

Agatha shook her head with a smile. “I should have known. Those three do like their parties. Anyway, I was hoping you’d give me a progress report on the childrens’ studies. I know Osamu’s labwork and Kyouka’s sword lessons are going well, but how is everything else?”

“They’re progressing well,” Chuuya smiled, pleased to be reporting something good. “Osamu has a tendency to get distracted, but I believe it’s at least partially due to the fact that he absorbs information incredibly quickly. I find myself having to revise his lesson plan often to keep him from being bored. He’s an excellent student, at least for one his age.”

“That sounds familiar,” Agatha said with a wry grin. “I was something of a nightmare for my teachers in school. And so were my husbands, from all reports. I don’t know where Kyouka’s quiet nature came from. It certainly wasn’t my family.”

“She’s quiet, yes, but I believe she’s incredibly stubborn,” Chuuya shook his head, still smiling. “She picks things up quickly and she’s progressing throughout her lessons steadily, even if it’s not quite as fast as Osamu is. Kyouka is doing especially well in her etiquette lessons, although she is a tad disruptive. It seems her favorite word is ‘why’, at times.”

“So, she’s a normal almost-eight-year-old. At least from what I’ve heard. I haven’t really known a lot of children,” the Lady said, the grin turning to a smile. “Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Pretty much,” the redhead agreed, before his expression grew a bit more serious. “My lady, do you know of the Mori family?”

Green eyes narrowed in thought. “I’ve heard the name,” she said eventually. “It’s been in some of Higgs’ reports on the political situation in the East. I think Gil’s father had some dealings with the clan, but we never have. Why do you ask?”

“Have you heard about somewhat recent events among the Family? Their Sparks are strong, although not as much as yours.” Chuuya tapped his fingers as he thought - he hadn’t entirely planned out this conversation, but something told him he should at least bring it up.

“Are you referring to the child’s death? Tarvek’s been keeping track of it; he said the head of the family- Ougai?- was trying to rebuild her, the same way he did for Anevka. They don’t have one of the Muses to work off of, though.” Agatha’s eyes narrowed further. “I think I know what you’re getting at. If word gets out that Osamu’s trying to build a Muse…”

“Not even if it gets that far. If the strength of his Spark gets out, combined with what seems to be his discipline… I fear that the bloodline of that family, for all of their supposed rationality, rarely does the most rational thing.”

“Indeed.” She regarded the guardian for a moment. “Do you… know the family, Chuuya?”

“I’ve known them in passing - we have met on occasion, but…” The redhead shook his head. “I’ve long tried to keep an eye on the most powerful Spark families, just in case they decided to try something. The Mori clan has always been high on that list.”

“Noted. I’ll inform Gil and Tarvek of your concerns, and ask Higgs to increase his surveillance of the family,” Agatha replied. “Perhaps we should speak with Osamu and Kyouka as well. I know it’s the nature of Sparks to want to talk about their work, but in this case discretion would probably be best.”

“I will do my best to instill in him the importance of keeping this under wraps for now. Speaking of it generally inside the household may make it difficult for them to remember to hold their tongues; may I ask such discussion to be restricted to certain areas such as their rooms or the labs? It can act as an exercise in restraint, if anyone asks.” The spark hoped his desires made sense to the Lady - they did to him.

Agatha debated that for a moment. “Your and Osamu’s labs and rooms,” she decided finally. “Castle, increase security in those rooms and surrounding corridors. No one but family, Jaegers, and essential staff without prior authorization. Understood?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I believe that is all of my concerns for the moment then, my Lady.” Chuuya bowed his head in thanks to her for taking his opinion seriously. “Is there anything else you wish to speak with me about?”

“No, I think that’s everything for now,” she replied. “Let us know when you’ve finalized the plans for the party so we can make sure our schedules are clear.”

“Yes, my lady. I will leave you to your work then.” Chuuya stood, smiling, and left her office, already planning on when to talk to the children. It was something best done sooner rather than later, especially since it was their safety at stake.

Agatha gazed up at the ceiling in thought. It wasn’t like Chuuya to be so vague about his past unless it was personal. She wondered, idly, what that connection was; not that it mattered. “What do you think of all this?” she asked the air.

“I think Chuuya’s paranoia is a useful thing at times,” the castle answered. “It’s a good quality in a Guardian, at least in moderation. But if I’ve observed one thing about your family in the last two hundred years, it’s that none of you are very good at following the rules.”

“You’re not wrong,” the Lady said with a wry grin. “Alright. Send a message to Higgs, if you would. Let him know I’d like to speak with him as soon as possible.”

“Already done, my Lady.”

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

This is going to be awesome. The thought crossed Junichiro’s mind as he, his sister, and three of their cousins were escorted into Castle Heterodyne. He’d never been here before- few had, even with the Heterodyne in residence- but he’d heard many of the stories from his grandfather.

Not that they did the Castle justice. It was huge. And amazing. And slightly terrifying.

Also, did he mention it was enormous?

“Where are we going, Grandpa?” he asked finally.

“Hoh, now hyu ask,” Oggie replied with a grin. “Ve are goink to the center of de Kestle. Dere iz a party room dere, und dat iz vere hyu vill meet de Heirs und some of de Family.”

Oh, that wasn’t intimidating at all.

“Will the Lady and Masters be there?” Naomi asked and Oggie nodded.

“Dey vill. Dis iz a beeg day. So be goot, ja?”

“We will.”

“Osamu. Kyouka. You both remember the rules for today?” Chuuya, making one final adjustment to his charges’ outfits.

“Be friendly and polite, not aloof,” Kyouka said.

“And no talking about being a spark or my project,” Osamu added.

“Good. And the other rule?” The redhead straightened, putting his hands on each of their heads as they looked up at him.

“Have fun!” the pair chorused, grinning up at him.

“Right. Now let's go see the others.” He grinned back at them before he started toward the door, leading his charges off to the play room of choice today.

The room was fully decorated for a party- balloons and banners were everywhere, a line of tables fully laden with food and drinks lined one of the walls, and a pile of presents was next to another table at the far side. People stood grouped in various places- their parents, ten children, and, to Osamu’s delight, three Jägers. One of them they recognized, and he waved at Dimo as Kyouka looked around, taking in the decorations.

“Hoy! Dimo!” the boy called, and the Jager general waved back as he and the others joined them.

“Hoy! Velcome, liddle vuns. Dis is Oggie und Maxim,” he said, introducing the others, and Osamu grinned wider.

“Oh, so you’re Da Boyz. I’ve heard stories,” he said, and Oggie raised an eyebrow.

“Hoh? Goot vuns, Hy hope.”

“Mostly.” Osamu turned to Chuuya. “You never did finish telling us about Aunt Zeetha’s wedding.”

Dimo and Maxim cracked up as Chuuya turned ever so slightly pink, but the guardian was saved from having to answer as Oggie’s grandchildren joined them. “Hyung mashter, mishtress, dese are some uf my grundchildren. Dis iz Junichiro, Naomi, Isaak, Felix, und Edda,” Oggie explained, pointing to each of the kids.

Junichiro grinned up at Oggie. “Stick about twelve or thirteen ‘greats-’ in front of grandchildren, and you’d be closer,” he teased, not at all fazed by Oggie’s glare and "Hoy! It iz only six!" as he bowed to the twins. “Anyway, it’s nice to finally meet you. We’ve all been kind of curious as to what you’re like.”

Osamu raised an eyebrow. “I suppose that’s fair,” he said. “We’ve never really met any other kids before, so I guess you could say we’re curious about you too.”

“Well, come on then,” Junichiro said, taking Osamu’s hand, as Naomi captured one of Kyouka’s. They led them over to the other group of children, their cousins following along behind. “We’ll introduce you to the rest. Now, the tall black-haired one is Alexander von Mekkhan. He and his sister Emmi are your seneschal’s kids, but she’s not here ‘cause she’s only three…”

“Well that seems to be going fairly well,” Tarvek stated, watching the children as he, Gil, and Agatha joined the Jägers. “Your grandson is quite charismatic, Oggie. I’ve never heard the name Junichiro before, though.”

“Hy iz not surprized,” Oggie said, glancing at Chuuya. “Deir father iz from de Easht. My grunddaughter met him on a merchant caravan.”

“It’s a more popular name over there,” the redhead explained easily, a small smile on his face. “The country’s only started to open up in the last few decades after their isolation, but you might want to get used to hearing those sorts of names.”

“I see.” Tarvek turned, a fond smile on his face as Osamu laughed at something. “What do you think? Shall we give them a few minutes, then start on the presents?”

Gil nodded. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

It was a very happy, but very exhausted, pair that left the party room in Chuuya’s company some four hours later. “That was fun,” Osamu said, half-leaning against the guardian as they walked, and his sister nodded.

“Naomi was really nice. She invited me to a sleepover for her birthday next month. Can I go?” Kyouka added, looking up at the redhead.

Chuuya’s brow furrowed for just a second as he flicked through the schedule in his head, trying to remember when that was and if there was anything planned around it.

“Let me discuss it with your mother and I will let you know, alright?” he compromised for the moment.

“Alright,” she said, then yawned. “That was a nice surprise, though. Thank you, Chuuya.”

“Yeah! Thank you Chuuya! That was an awesome party,” Osamu echoed.

“You’re both welcome. Now let's go get you ready for bed.” The Guardian shuffled his charges down the hall towards their room, smiling gently.

“Okay.”

An hour and a half or so later, after baths and a change of clothes and a story from Chuuya during which Osamu only pretended to fall asleep, the boy lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as odd bits and pieces flitted around in his brain. Every so often, one landed, but the picture they formed was incomplete at best.

Chuuya is a master tailor. And a Spark. And a teacher who’s been our Guardian for eight years, which means he can fight as well.

What am I missing here?

---xxx---

As it turned out, both the children were invited to Naomi’s sleepover. It was only fair, after all, and Junichiro was excited to have someone to hang out with besides a houseful of girls. Security precautions were taken, of course, in the form of a number of Jägers stationed near the house, but the kids didn’t really have to know that. Still, it was with both a modicum of relief and a largish dose of trepidation that Chuuya handed his charges off to Oggie for the party. As rare as it was for him to have a day off, it was infinitely more rare for him to have a night free, and he had plans. And if he was right, Higgs should already be in place…

To say that he hurried back to his lab in the Castle might have been something of an exaggeration, but it wasn’t terribly inaccurate, either. He may have taken advantage of the fact that he knew parts of the city few others did (including the current seneschal and about half the younger Jägers) and used just a touch more of his speed than he usually did, but this wasn’t hurrying. It was just… expediting his return before something happened to get in the way.

He dodged a few people as he turned another corner, ducking into the lab he had claimed and closing the door behind him. To say he was excited would be an understatement, but he knew better than to push his luck. The spark picked up the invention he had set onto his table earlier, giving it one last go over, just in case, although he knew that nobody else had come in here.

“All right,” Chuuya said to himself, looking over to the clock. “It is currently 0925, and I hold one part of an invention. The other has been sent off with Higgs, and it nears the agreed upon time for the test.”

The next five minutes were excruciating.

Chuuya held his breath as the clock ticked down toward 0930, then exhaled, aimed at a corner of the lab he’d deliberately kept empty, and squeezed the trigger.

In the basement lab of Chuuya’s Paris house, the indicator light on the second portal gun lit, and Higgs grinned. “0931. Rather impressive cousin, having your clocks only a minute apart.”

He raised his gun, pointing it at the corner next to the dummy, and-

Wide grins split two faces as a shimmery portal appeared.

“Holy fuck,” Chuuya breathed, eyes wide and grin nearly ear to ear. “It worked.”

He put the gun down- carefully, so he didn’t hit the shutoff button accidentally- then picked up a piece of scrap metal he had set aside for this exact purpose.

“Onto the next phase?” he asked his cousin.

Higgs’ voice came through the portal. “Sure, why not? Ready when you are, cousin.”

Taking a deep breath, because ‘nine hells it worked’ and he was now standing a dozen feet away from somebody who was geographically much, much further. Chuuya threw the cube through the portal, whooping in delight when it clattered to the floor without a scratch. It was more of a tunnel than a window; the rock would have flown further than Higg's side if it hadn't been. 

Higgs grinned wider as Chuuya celebrated. It was rare for his cousin to be this outwardly excited, although this certainly deserved it. He’d been working on this particular invention for the better part of two centuries, after all. “Well done. Phase two?”

The redhead quickly examined the gun he held and the portal. Both seemed to be holding up fine, so Chuuya nodded and set the portal generator into the dock he had created for it. He took a moment to set a timer that would reactivate the portal in several hours.

“Okay, it’s set for 1900, but somebody can manually reactivate it if we need to come back earlier.” He looked back to Higgs, still grinning. “Let’s give this a shot.”

“Right,” Higgs agreed, and stuck a hand into the portal. “Hmm. Seems to still be attached. Feels a bit weird, but that’s not surprising.” He pulled the hand back, flexing the fingers then curling it into a fist.

“Still works fine. I think we’re good. I wouldn’t wait too long, though. Don’t want to be caught halfway through if it closes unexpectedly.”

“I’m pretty sure the Lady wouldn’t be happy with having to fix us if that happened.” Chuuya agreed, stepping up to the portal. “You realize that we will be the first people to ever do this successfully if this works, right? Since whoever built the queens' mirrors, anyway.”

“I am aware, yes,” Higgs murmured dryly. “Phase three then?”

“Let me have my moment,” Chuuya mockingly complained, and stepped through the portal.

Higgs chuckled. It sounded a bit odd, the gravity of the portal compressed the soundwaves, but that was to be expected. “Apologies, Chuuya.”

The redhead waved a hand, dismissing the apology, and instead focused on the wormhole. It was a few yards long, a tenuous looking film the only barrier between him and paradox space. The film felt surprisingly strong under his feet, only moving slightly as he walked.

“I should write this down, for future reference,” he murmured, one hand to the wall as he kept moving. It wasn’t until it was about halfway through that he noticed a change in the stability of the tunnel.

“Chuuya, you might want to hurry.” Higgs’ voice was even more distorted. “The tunnel’s starting to fade.”

The redhead sprinted for the exit, making it out just a moment before the portal closed behind him. He slowed to a stop by a table filled with parts, grinning at his cousin.

“Well. It worked.”

“Yes. For,” Higgs looked at the clock, “precisely four minutes and forty-five seconds. I’m not sure if it’s an inherent instability or simply the power drain.”

“I’m not sure either, but I won’t be certain until I can inspect the machine on that side. It does raise a potential problem, however.” Chuuya shrugged, looking thoughtful.

“Quite. Your return trip may be delayed. Luckily, I have ways of getting a message to the Lady in a hurry if necessary. We have time.” The spymaster stretched and smiled faintly. “I’ll leave you to it. I have a meeting in an hour or so at the University- shall I see you for lunch?”

“Do you have a place in mind?” The redhead bent and picked up the gun now that the adrenaline rush was fading.

Higgs nodded. “Downtown, half a block from that hat shop. New place, opened up about six months ago. Japanese cuisine. I haven’t been there, but my sources tell me it’s quite good.”

“Authentic?” Chuuya looked the gun over and shrugged, putting it into its dock to charge while they were busy. “I’ll be meeting with Kouyou today, most likely. She has been asking me to come by for a bit now.”

“So I’m told.” The blond headed for the stairs, hitting the switch to open the trapdoor. “I’ll be there by one.”

“See you there, cousin.” Chuuya replied, waving a hand. He’d leave soon for Kouyou's shop, but he wanted to check a few things first.

Higgs waved, then disappeared up the stairs. He took a moment, shaking his head at the insanity of what they’d just pulled off, then left the house and headed for the University. He had contacts to meet.

Chapter Text

“This is really good,” Osamu said, digging into the meal in front of him. He was seated at the Tanizaki’s family table; the girls were having a picnic outside, but the volume of squealing had driven Osamu and Junichiro indoors. “What is it?”

“Crab tempura,” the redhead answered. “Glad you like it; it's kind of like my dad's signature dish.”

“This is crab? Oh my god. What have I been doing with my life?” Osamu took another bite and closed his eyes. “We have got to give our chef your dad’s recipe. Seriously.”

Junichiro laughed. “It’s from Japan. You’re lucky, Dad says good rice is really hard to come by here, so he only makes it for special stuff. Maybe if Chuuya-san stays next time Dad will make sushi. That's really rare.”

Osamu nodded absently as he chewed. Something else had caught his attention. “Why did you call him Chuuya-san?”

“Hmm? Oh. San is an honorific in Japanese culture. Dad taught us all about them when we visited his family last year,” Junichiro replied. “It’s basically the equivalent of mister or missus, but used for just about anyone. Actually, leaving honorifics off is a big no-no, unless you’re really close to the person.”

“Oh? Should I be calling you Junichiro-san then?” Osamu asked, interested, and the redhead shook his head.

“Not here, it’s weird. Although if we were in school together in Japan you’d be calling me senpai, since I’m older than you. And I’d call you Osamu-kun- it’s a term for someone younger or lower ranked, usually boys. Your sister would be Kyouka-chan, that's what they use for girls and cute things. Oh, and it would be Tanizaki-senpai unless we were good friends. First names are only for family or friends.”

“Huh.” Osamu sat back and thought about that for a moment. “Any others?”

It was Junichiro’s turn to think. “Well, there’s sensei, which is used for teachers and doctors, things like that. That can be an honorific or just a title- like you could say ‘Dr. Heterodyne’ or just ‘Doctor’, you know? And there’s sama, which is a higher level of respect. The Lady would be “Heterodyne-sama’.”

“So Chuuya would be ‘Chuuya-sensei’ since he’s our teacher,” Osamu mused out loud, and the other boy nodded.

“There are a few others, but you’re probably not going to run into them; they’re very specific. For the most part you can’t really go wrong with san unless you know they’re of a certain status. Or that’s what Dad told us, anyway. Not sure when that would come in handy for you, though; I doubt you’re ever going to visit the East. The Heir is way too important.”

The brunette smiled. “I don’t know. Mom’s made noises about diplomatic training when I get older, so it might pop up. Normally it’d be Kyouka’s job, but she’s not really great with people.”

Junichiro snorted. “Never would’ve guessed, considering I’ve heard maybe ten words from her today.”

“It’s almost like being brought up in a sprawling castle, isolated from contact with anyone but family, has stunted our social growth or something,” Osamu said sarcastically, and both the boys laughed.

The two finished their meal, chatting about different things, and Junichiro gave the other a grin as he got up to clear their plates. “You know,” he said thoughtfully, “you’re different than I imagined.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Not sure. I guess I thought you’d be more, I don’t know, standoffish. I mean, you’re the Heir. That’s a pretty big deal,” Junichiro said, and Osamu shook his head.

“I’m also eight. And you’re the first person I’ve ever hung out with that’s even close to my own age, other than Kyouka. I can be formal when I want to be, but why would I? This is fun.”

He smiled wryly. It looked odd and just a bit heartbreaking on his young face. “I love my parents, but they’re really busy most of the time. And Chuuya’s great, but lately he’s been more focused on my studies than anything, you know? I may be a genius but I’m still just a kid.”

The redhead grinned. “In that case, let’s go up to my room. I’ll see if some of the others can come over and we can show you what normal eight-year-olds do in Mechanicsburg. Sounds good?”

“Sounds amazing,” Osamu said with a grin of his own, and followed his host upstairs.

-----------------

It was a somewhat bemused Tarvek that picked the twins up the next afternoon. Chuuya was supposed to do it, but the Castle had informed them that the Jäger was currently deep in the madness place. Probably something to do with that experiment he and Higgs had run the day before, he mused, making his way through the city.

Mechanicsburg had both changed and not since his first tumultuous visit here. The people were still wholly dedicated to the Family, which had its own pitfalls, but the three of them had learned to navigate those years ago out of necessity. And the citizens- all the citizens (with only a few notable exceptions that had been dealt with either by their neighbors or the Jägers, usually before Agatha even knew they existed)- absolutely loved Agatha. She’d somehow managed to find a middle ground between her ancestors’ bloodthirst and her father and uncle’s absolute altruism. And having himself and Gil, both trained to rule since childhood, at her side didn’t hurt either.

He reached the Tanizaki household eventually and nodded to his escort. Da Boyz had insisted on accompanying him on his trip; Oggie mostly because he rarely passed up an opportunity to visit his family, Dimo and Maxim because they were incredibly protective of the kids, not that Tarvek minded in the least. Oggie knocked on the door, smiling widely as Tanizaki opened it. “Grandson!”

“Hello Oggie,” the man said, bowing. “Dimo, Maxim, Lord Tarvek. Please, come in.”

The three Jägers grinned at him and went inside. Tarvek followed them and paused as Tanizaki closed the door. “So how did things go?” he asked. “It’s the first time they’ve been away from all of us.”

His host smiled. “Quite well, actually. Naomi and Kyouka seem to have become fast friends, and Junichiro brought several of his friends over while the girls were having their party. They spent the evening playing games- which, I believe, ended with Osamu using their marbles to explain basic physics. He is rather extraordinarily intelligent, isn’t he?”

Tarvek snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. It’s a challenge keeping him engaged, some days.”

“If I might offer a suggestion,” Tanizaki said, and Tarvek nodded. “Slow down a bit. At least as far as the schooling goes. He’s a genius, but he’s also the Heir, which means Mechanicsburg and all that goes with it will one day be his. He needs to learn to rule, but the people of this city are unlike any I’ve ever seen, and I have been to many, many places.”

“You’re not wrong,” Tarvek said thoughtfully. “We kept the kids confined to the castle because they’re easy targets for our enemies, although those are fewer than they used to be. But you can’t learn to govern people without knowing them, not really. That’s one of the reasons Agatha’s so good at it. She grew up normal, at least compared to the rest of us.”

Tanizaki nodded. “Beetleburg, wasn’t it? I’ve been through there a few times.” He smiled at Tarvek’s questioning look. “My wife and I are traveling merchants. We hear pretty much everything eventually.”

“I see. Well. I hate to cut this short, but we have a state dinner in a few hours and the children and I are expected to attend, so we need to get going.” Tarvek looked over at the Jägers. “Dimo?”

“Hokay.” The general turned and bellowed up the stairs. “Hoy! Osamu! Kyouka! Time to go, leedle vuns!”

Osamu looked up as Dimo’s voice echoed through the upstairs. “Sorry, Junichiro,” he said, putting down the cards he’d been holding, “looks like I have to go. This was fun, though. Maybe next time I can have you come up to visit. There are some really cool rooms in the Castle I think you’d like.”

“Sure! I’d like that,” the redhead said, and stood to see his guest out. “And I had fun too. You’re pretty cool for an isolated rich kid.”

“Thanks,” Osamu said dryly, and they both chuckled. He hefted his bag and left the room as Kyouka exited Naomi’s, and the pair made their way downstairs together. “We’re coming, Dimo. Hold your- wait, Papa?”

“Quite,” Tarvek said. “Chuuya’s been involved in an experiment since last night. We thought it best to leave him to it.”

Osamu cocked his head as he considered that for a second, then nodded. “Thank you for having us, Tanizaki-san,” he said, and grinned at their host’s surprised look. “We had a good time. And your tempura is excellent.”

“You’re quite welcome, Osamu-kun, Kyouka-chan,” Tanizaki replied with a bow. “I’ll have Grandfather give your cooks my recipe.”

The brunette nodded again. Tarvek shook his head with a smile, then led his children outside with a goodbye of his own.

Tarvek spent the walk home listening to his children regale him with stories of their night and contemplating their host’s words. He wasn’t wrong, per se. Even Gil’s father had realized the need for socialization, even if his methods for going about it were a bit odd. And Kyouka, especially, was doing well with her lessons; the girl had a talent for swordplay potentially rivaling Zeetha’s, which pleased the Skifandrian to no end. At this point, she showed no signs of being a spark, but that was okay. She was young yet, and, as the redhead thought wryly, it might be nice to have one member of the family that turned out relatively normal.

Well, he thought, gazing at the city that had become his home, normal for Mechanicsburg, anyway. Which is to say not exactly ‘normal’ at all. She’s being raised by a Jäger and three sparks, and her brother is probably going to be one of the strongest sparks on the planet. Not much chance of actual normality there.

He shook his head, banishing the thoughts. Spark or not, normal or not, she was still his daughter, and he suddenly felt guilty for not spending more time with her. “Kyouka,” he said, and she looked up at him questioningly. “I’m going to Paris next month for Grandmother’s birthday party. She and some of my cousins have been asking after you; would you like to come along and meet them?”

Blue eyes sparkled suddenly as she nodded. “Yes Papa. I’d like that very much.”

“Alright. I’ll let them know you’re coming, then.” Tarvek smiled down at her. “We’ll have to get Chuuya to make you a dress for the party. Grandmother’s parties are always very high fashion, and a Master Arah original would make you the belle of the ball, I think.”

Kyouka beamed at that thought. “I’d like that.”

—----------

It wasn’t until after the dinner and the kids were getting ready for bed that Chuuya reappeared, looking slightly more disheveled than either of the kids had ever seen him. “You okay?” Osamu asked. “You look kind of exhausted.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Chuuya replied with a faint grin, fixing the mirror on Kyouka’s vanity that had tilted, then looked thoughtful for just a second before he continued. “I was a tad involved - my apologies that I wasn’t there to escort you back to the Castle, Osamu, Kyouka.”

“It’s okay. Papa told us you were working on something,” Kyouka said. “What was it? Can we see?”

“Maybe one day,” the redhead hedged, walking over to her bed and sitting on the end of it. “It is a mite dangerous yet and I would prefer to show it once it’s been completed.”

“That makes sense, Nakahara-sensei,” Osamu said, and Chuuya’s hand froze for a moment from where it had gone to fix Kyouka’s blankets, the grin wiped from his face.

“Don’t call me that,” Chuuya said, his voice flat before he recovered, shaking his head as he finished fixing the blankets.

The boy looked confused. “Why not? Junichiro said sensei was the word for teacher, and that’s what you are, right?”

“I am your teacher, yes, but please refrain from calling me by that title.” The Jäger's voice wasn’t completely back to normal yet, and he shook his head again. “I have my reasons. Please do not pry into them.”

Osamu and Kyouka looked at each other, then nodded almost simultaneously. It was rare to find something Chuuya wouldn’t talk about, but the look in his eyes was one of almost overwhelming pain and sadness. “Okay, Chuuya,” Osamu said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Do not apologize when you have done nothing wrong; how were you to know that I would have that reaction?” Chuuya sighed before he smiled just a bit again, changing the subject. “Are there any stories you two would like to hear tonight?”

The twins thought for a moment, then Kyouka smiled and looked up at him. “Papa said he’s taking me to Paris next month for Great-Grandmother’s birthday party. Did you ever meet her?”

“I did, but she didn’t know me as you two do. You see, I couldn’t give her my real name; it was a secret. She’s just as scary in person as the stories make her out to be, by the way,” Chuuya began, relaxing into the story of when the matriarch of Tarvek’s family had come to him to order clothing. That had been… an experience, to say the least. It didn’t take long for the two children, exhausted by their long and fun day, to fall asleep, and Chuuya smiled at them both before he blew out all but one of the candles and left. His own bed beckoned after two days of no sleep, and, from the sound of it, he had a party dress to design.

Chapter Text

There were any number of things Osamu didn’t know. Eight years was hardly enough time to learn even a fraction of the sum of human knowledge, even with Chuuya’s and his fathers’ tutelage. Still, he was a genius, and very good at figuring things out, especially when he had a sentient Castle with a very odd sense of humor and a penchant for following his family’s orders while humoring a pair of curious twins. And, at times, a willingness to not exactly disobey, but find loopholes in its orders.

One of those orders, apparently, was that the Castle wasn’t to answer any questions about their guardian.

That was an incredibly frustrating discovery for any number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the more Osamu considered what he knew about the man who’d raised them, the more questions he had. For starters, Chuuya looked to be maybe thirty. And, true, it was possible that was deceptive, but as far as he could tell Chuuya hadn’t aged a day in the six or so years he could remember. Not that that proved anything. Memory was a tricky thing, after all.

Still, even if Chuuya was older than he looked, it’d been eight years. Which meant he’d been in his early-to-mid twenties when they were put into his care, which seemed odder the more Osamu thought about it.

More telling was the fact that “Master Arah” had been a major part of the Paris fashion industry for something close to four decades now. Again, not conclusive in and of itself; he may have inherited the title from a mentor. Rare, but not unheard of.

There were other tidbits as well. More than once Osamu had caught him cursing in what sounded very much like a Jäger accent. He wasn’t sure if Chuuya knew about those times; they’d always been on nights he couldn’t sleep and had gone to Chuuya’s lab looking for him. Of course, Chuuya was good friends with any number of Jagers, which might explain it, but it somehow it sounded right, much more so than the formal tone he adopted with them.

And, perhaps, most telling of all, was the occasional pain in his teacher’s eyes when he looked at him, Both of them, really, but mostly Osamu. It had taken him some time to figure out what that emotion was; it wasn’t something he’d seen often, but Chuuya’s reaction at being called sensei had cemented it. It wasn’t something born of hatred or even dislike; rather, it was… sorrow. Loss. Something he’d been mourning for so long it had become a part of him.

Something. Or, perhaps, someone.

“Castle.”

“Yes, young master?”

“Who are Kyouka and I named after?” It seemed a fair question; Junichiro had confirmed that his and Kyouka’s names were Japanese, which meant Chuuya had probably suggested them.

“I was wondering when you would get around to asking that,” the Castle said amusedly. “Yes, Chuuya suggested your names. Kyouka was the name of Chuuya’s younger sister. And you were named after his best friend. Both were lost to him some years ago.”

“I see.” That would explain it, if those names meant something to Chuuya. There was a peculiar hesitation in the way he said Osamu at times, as if he wanted to say something else. “What was Osamu’s last name?”

“That I don’t know,” Castle replied. “I never met him. I only know the references because he told your parents.” That wasn’t really a lie. Chuuya had been a Jager for centuries before the Castle had become sentient.

Osamu thought about that, adding it to all the other things he was thinking about, then thought some more. Eventually he formed a theory, one which made a great deal of sense but he couldn’t really prove. Could he?

“Castle, where is Chuuya right now?”

There was a note of amused pride in the Castle’s voice as it answered. “I believe he is in the sparring room. Shall I tell him you’re coming?”

“No. Please don’t.” Osamu rose from the chair he’d been occupying, then turned to Kyouka. “I have a theory to prove, Kyou. Wanna come?”

She shrugged, putting down the book she was reading. “Sure. This is boring. What’s your theory, Samu?”

“I think,” he said, leading the way out of their room and toward the section of the castle that was set aside for sparring and training, “that Chuuya is much, much older than he appears. He has to be. There’s no way he’d be able to do everything he’s accomplished otherwise.”

Kyouka looked thoughtful at that. “You’re probably not wrong,” she said eventually. “But how do you plan to prove it? Other than asking him straight out, I mean. Do you think he’d answer if you did?”

“I don’t know.” They were approaching the sparring room, and thumps and yells and several familiar voices could be heard up ahead, and Osamu grinned. “But I think we might not have to. Come on!”

Kyouka nodded, and the two started running toward the room. The voices got clearer as they went, and that was definitely Chuuya’s voice and a Jäger accent, and Osamu’s grin went wider as they rounded the corner and the sparring room came into view. “Hah! I knew it!”

“Hah! Hyu tink hyu could beat me?” Chuuya grunted as he heaved, lifting Oggie over his head and tossing him across the room. He knew Dimo was behind him, watching carefully, but he only grinned as Maxim yelled, charging him. “Hy hef been busy but Hy hef not schtopped fightink!”

“Hy never said hyu deed. Hy jusht said it has been too many years since Hy gots to fight hyu,” Dimo corrected. “These two hef never seen hyu really fight. Not like de old days.”

Oggie picked himself up off the floor, seemingly ready to charge in again, then pulled up short with a chuckle. “Look, ve hef visitors. Hoy, kiddos.”

“Hoy, Oggie, Dimo, Maxim,” Osamu said, and Kyouka waved.

“Hoi, te vager?” Chuuya asked before he shook himself and fixed his shirt, which had gotten a bit ruffled to say the least. “Children, aren’t you supposed to be in bed?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Osamu said, and walked into the room. He stopped in front of Chuuya and looked up at his teacher. “You’re a Jäger as well as a spark, aren’t you? That’s why Mom and Dad and Papa picked you to be our guardian. But you’re like Uncle Axel and Aunt Zeetha. You didn’t change like the others, so you could pass as human. When were you going to tell us?”

“Ah, leedle vun. Who said Hy vould hef? Hyu both iz very schmot und it vas a tesht. Vot do hyu tink?” Chuuya knelt down to look between the kids, switching back to Jägerspeak. He was mostly curious - it would have happened at one point or another, so he had just been waiting for the day.

“I think,” Osamu started, and glanced at Kyouka. The raven nodded, and he continued. “We think we have a lot of questions. And we think we have a lot more stories we want to hear.”

He grinned again, and Kyouka spoke up. “And we think we’ve never gotten to see you fight either, so we’re going to move out of your way so you can keep going.”

Dimo laughed. “Looks like ve hef a vager to finish, Chuuya.”

“Den come at me,” Chuuya growled, grinning and throwing his arms wide as he stood again, sidestepping Oggie as he tried to grab the redhead.

The general laughed again and launched himself off of the wall. “Hokay. Hyu asked for it.”

“That was awesome!” Osamu enthused about an hour later, his words punctuated by a yawn. It was on the late side, but he didn’t really care. “You took down all three of them! And Dimo’s a General!”

“Maxim never even got a hand on you,” Kyouka added.

“He did come close though, that one time,” Chuuya reminded her, ruffling her hair with one hand. “If he hadn’t tripped on Oggie he would have gotten me.”

“True,” she acknowledged, grinning up at him. “It’s a good thing you didn’t have your daggers, though. I think Mom would be unhappy if she had to spend tomorrow patching them up.”

“I don’t know about that,” Osamu said, shaking his head. “She keeps saying she’s going to teach me how the Jägers are made and fixed up. I’d probably end up helping her.”

“Oh, trust me. You won’t be lacking for test subjects once she deems you ready, leedle von,” Chuuya muttered under his breath before agreeing with Kyouka. “The Lady would also probably make me repair their clothes. I’m not much use at patching someone up.”

“Speaking of which, we still need to work on my dress for Great-Grandmother’s party,” Kyouka reminded him. “Oh! Can we make something Japanese? Maybe red? Naomi had this really pretty red kimono she let me try on. She said she got it when they went to visit her dad’s parents in Yokohama.”

“A special request? All right, I will see what I can do, little rabbit,” Chuuya grinned widely, always happy when the kids decided they wanted something in particular. Much too often they went with whatever was offered. “Is there anything you would like, Osamu?”

The brunette cocked his head and thought for a moment. “I think I’d like that too,” he said finally. “Something Japanese and formal. But I want mine in blue.”

“Something formal, eh kid? Okay, I think I can manage that,” The redhead opened a door and waved the kids through, gesturing toward their beds. “I think for now though, it’s time for little ones to get their rest.”

Osamu’s “Okay~” was split by a massive yawn. The pair hugged Chuuya, then climbed into their beds. Kyouka was asleep in a few moments, but Osamu waited until just before Chuuya turned down the lamp to speak. “Hey Chuuya?”

“Yes, Osamu?” The Jäger turned to his charge, curious but also apprehensive. Osamu and Kyouka had both always had a lot of questions, but sometimes they were a bit… off the wall and hard to predict. After today, Chuuya could only guess at the questions the brunette would come up with.

“Can you teach me how to fight like that someday? Not the throwing people around, but the other part. There were some really cool moves in there. Like that one kick where you flipped over backwards,” Osamu replied. “Was that something you learned when you were a kid?”

“Maybe one day, if it’s something the Lady or Lords deem necessary,” Chuuya began- he and Agatha had already discussed the subject, but they hadn’t yet decided who should teach the children, or what exactly. They had decided to see where their strengths lay first and go from there. His smile turned a bit crooked as he continued. “As for if I learned it as a kid…I wouldn’t say as a kid, really, but I did start learning that sort of fighting when I was relatively young. Would you believe I used to fight like Oggie does?”

“Really?” Osamu’s tone was a bit skeptical. “But he’s all brute force and charging in. You’re strategic. And your reflexes are really fast.”

“See, strategy can be taught. You can learn how to anticipate a feint or where somebody’s going to go, how they might attack or try to corner you. Sometimes it’s something taught by experience- you can’t just have somebody explain it to you- but other things, how to throw a punch without breaking your wrist, how to center yourself, those you can learn.” Chuuya’s hand dropped from where it had been about to turn off the light and he regarded Osamu for a moment. “I used to fight like Oggie, but then I met someone who taught me that it’s not always about throwing the hardest punch.”

There was something to unpack in that look, but Osamu was a little too tired to figure it out just then. “What is it about, then? And…” Osamu’s voice dropped into something quiet. He suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted to ask the next part. “Who was it that told you that?”

“We’ll go over that if you learn how to fight, little one, okay?” Chuuya reached over and laid a hand on the boy’s head, his smile a bit sad. “As for who told me… Somebody very important to me, a long time ago.”

Was it him? The one you named me after? Osamu wanted to ask, but he didn’t really think he had to. “You loved him, didn’t you?”

“Yes, very much,” Chuuya replied before he shook his head, ruffling Osamu’s hair gently before pulling it back. “All right, time for bed, Osamu. We can talk more about this later; I know for a fact your father has a plan for your lessons that you should be on time for.”

“Okay. Goodnight Chuuya.” The boy smiled sleepily. “We love you too. Just so you know.”

“I know,” Chuuya replied, and he turned out the light, leaving both of them with the soft glow of a single candle. His next words were soft, his native tongue feeling almost foreign in the dark room. “Daisuki, kodomotachi.”

Osamu snuggled down under his blankets, falling asleep between one breath and the next. He wasn’t sure what the words meant, but he could guess, and that was enough.

—-xxxx—-

Chuuya knocked on the door to the Lady’s office, light spilling beneath the door despite the late hour. If she didn’t answer, he would come back later; she might have fallen asleep again. “My Lady?”

Agatha looked up from her interminable paperwork, surprised. “Chuuya? Come in.”

The Jäger let himself in, taking a seat in front of the desk. “Do you happen to have a bit of time, my Lady? I was hoping to update you on a few things.”

"Yes. Have a seat," she replied, shoving a stack of papers to one side. "What's up?"

“The children’s studies are going well; they recently showed interest in combat, but I’ve not yet determined if it’s passing or not. Regardless, to augment their studies we may consider adding tactics and similar fields of study. Otherwise, they have finally realized something that I’ve been waiting for.”

“Ah?” The Lady looked confused for a second, then it clicked. “They figured out your little secret, I take it? How?”

“The two of them decided that a midnight jaunt was in order and the castle didn’t warn me before they came across my sparring session with the Boyz,” Chuuya answered, a smile growing on his face.

Agatha laughed. “I see. How much did he figure out before?” she asked, glancing upward.

“Enough to suspect, at least. He’s been asking questions for some time now. I believe it was mostly your apparent youth that tipped him off, Chuuya.”

“That would make sense,” the redhead mused, leaning back slightly in his chair. “I believe something may have come up around the Tanazaki’s party - they seemed to start paying a bit more attention around then, if I remember correctly.”

“That’s likely. Regardless, they know now. I expect it’ll be something of a relief, not having to hide,” Agatha said. “As far as the rest goes, you’re probably right. At the very least, it can’t hurt to teach them self-defense. I know Kyouka’s talented with a sword, but she’s not always going to have one handy. Get with Axel, figure out a schedule.”

“Yes, my Lady,” Chuuya said seriously, already planning ahead to try and figure out when he could pull his cousin aside. “I have little doubt that very few things will change, save that the children ask for more stories. I do have one more question for you, however, Lady. If you’ll humor me, of course.”

“Oh? What is it, Chuuya?” Agatha asked.

“I was hoping that I might ask you your concerns about the Spark families in power at the moment,” the redhead began. “As of late I have been a bit busy and have not been able to delve into politics like I used to. With the children growing older and given that they will be more active in that scene, knowing who the major players are seems more important than ever.”

The Lady nodded. “You’re not wrong. Right now we’re still keeping an eye on the Mori family. I believe Higgs has several agents in place there. There’s a new Duke in the North that might become troublesome, but he seems to be more concerned with dealing with insurrectionists and the like than causing problems for us, at least for now. Gil’s been working with the Families; several of the children he grew up with have taken over their respective houses. Things are quiet there, for the most part. And Tarvek’s keeping an eye on Paris and England. Speaking of which, I’d like you to go along when he takes the kids to visit his family. The Library is holding some things for me, and they’re too volatile to trust to a courier.”

“Of course, my Lady. I will ensure that they are returned to the Castle safely. One way or another.” Chuuya's smile turned a bit mischievous. His portals hadn’t yet been completely stabilized, but he’d made progress in the science. He wasn’t entirely certain how much the Castle had told the Lady, but she likely knew of his projects at least in theory. “Thank you for accommodating me, my Lady. I will meet with Axel within the next few days and keep you updated as to the children's progress.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling. “And thank you. I don’t think anyone could’ve done a better job with my children.”

“I am simply doing my best, my Lady,” Chuuya smiled back before he leaned forward. “Is there anything else you wish to tell me before I take my leave, Lady? My concerns have been addressed and I do not wish to keep you too late.”

“Still so formal, Chuuya,” Agatha murmured, then shook her head. “No, I think we’re set for the moment. You should get some rest too. I know you guys have stamina for days, but we worry about you too, you know.”

“How kind of you, Lady,” Chuuya responded quietly before he stood and gave a quick bow. “Updates will be provided to you once Axel and I have settled the matter of the childrens’ studies.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

—xxx—

“Cousin, may I have a word?” Chuuya knocked on the door to Axel’s office, papers in one hand. He knew the blond was in today; the castle had told him so when he’d asked before leaving his own office.

Higgs grinned. “Come in, Chuuya. A little bird told me you had an interesting night.”

“That’s one word for it, Axel. How was your excursion? I heard that you almost escaped a fight this time,” Chuuya grinned back, tossing the papers on the desk and taking a seat.

“Almost, yes. Not that it was much of a fight; the Earl’s machines looked impressive enough, but were sadly lacking in any sort of real capability.” The spymaster almost looked offended at that. “If they’re going to try and stand against the Lady they’re really going to have to do better than that. You’d think they’d have learned by now.”

“Aesthetics,” Chuuya rolled his eyes, leaning back. “If you’re going to make it look the part, it better be able to do the part. Balance of functionality and aesthetics, people.”

The blond snorted. “Yeah. Unfortunately, most of them don’t have centuries to perfect their crafts. It’s probably a good thing there aren’t more of us, cousin, or we might actually have problems. Anyway, what did you want to see me about?”

“At least we would have some fun sometimes,” the Jäger sighed before shaking his head and looking at Higgs. “I have a request from the Lady - she asks that we begin forming a plan to introduce the children to combat, both physical and tactics.”

He frowned as he realized that his speech had gone formal again, shaking his head again. Maybe the Lady had been right in saying that he should get some rest.

“I wondered when we’d get to that,” Higgs murmured. “Kyouka has some of the basics down, but Osamu does need to learn to defend himself. And if he takes after his parents at all, he’s going to be scary on a battlefield.”

“All the more reason to train him early, one would think,” Chuuya replied. “Nobody’s entirely sure what challenges he will face, but I worry some of the Families will make a move sooner or later. If he can protect himself without relying on his Spark, he’ll be all the safer for it.”

“True.” The blond thought for a moment. “Alright. Your fighting style would probably suit him better than mine. If you take care of the physical side, I’ll work with him on strategy, tactics, and information gathering. Actually, the timing on that idea is rather excellent.”

“My style? Cousin, both of our styles tend toward brawling,” Chuuya pointed out. “I believe something a little less focused on constitution would be better.”

“That’s what I meant,” Higgs said, leveling a flat stare at his cousin. “Your real style, not this hybrid you’ve come up with. I know you haven’t used it in probably, well, three quarters of a century, but I honestly doubt you’ve forgotten.”

Oh. Chuuya hadn't expected that, honestly. It'd been so long that he hadn't even thought about using the style again, let alone teaching it.

"I haven't even thought about that style," the Jäger admitted. "It may be a bit more suited to him…"

“A bit,” the blond drawled, but the stare softened around the edges, eventually crumbling into a sigh. “I know why you left it behind. But, I think, if you’re ever going to pass it down to anyone, now’s the time. I can’t really think of anyone more appropriate, can you?”

“I don’t even know what else I would teach him, but the fact that’s already so much like his namesake… Tell me honestly, Axel,” Chuuya began, meeting his cousin’s gaze. “Do I honor him, doing this, or does it seem as though I am attempting to replace him?”

Axel sat back, mulling that question over in several directions before shaking his head. “You couldn’t have known he and Kyouka would be so like their namesakes,” he said finally, his words slow and thoughtful. “Honestly, if I didn’t know better I’d say they were reincarnated somehow. And I don’t think you could replicate what you had with Dazai even if you tried; there are some wounds too deep to ever heal properly, and losing him is one of them.”

He smiled faintly. “That’s why you’ve been so formal with them, isn’t it? You’re afraid of getting too close again. I don’t blame you, really. The Family has a way of sucking people into its orbit, much like the gravity machines you build. But no, I don’t think you’re trying to replace Dazai. Or Kyouka. You love the kids, yes. And they love you just as much. But you’re their mentor, their sensei, their trusted companion and bodyguard and, until recently, the only friend they had. Of course you’re going to be close. But it’s never going to be the same type of relationship the two of you had. Honestly, I don’t think anything could ever be. You lost a part of yourself when he died.”

Chuuya sat back and thought about what Axel had said. It set a part of him at ease that he hadn’t even truly noticed had been restless and he was grateful. Axel wouldn’t lie just to make him feel better; he could trust the blond’s words.

“Maybe a bit, but it is out of respect as well. For all the Family’s done me wrong, it’s done me right still more,” the Jäger eventually said. “But you’re right. Losing them… It was hard. So hard. I still miss them, and the fact that the children are turning out so much like their namesakes… We never could have expected that.”

“I know, cousin,” Axel replied quietly. He’d been there during the battle that had claimed Dazai’s life. They’d won, and the war had ended, but Chuuya had been nearly catatonic with grief and guilt for months after. Even now he could see the pain in his cousin’s eyes at the reminder. And Kyouka… the spymaster suspected Chuuya’s decision to let her think he’d died after taking the Jägerdraught had been prompted by guilt and fear as much as anything. “I know. And there are times I wish I’d never recommended you for the job. I would have spared you that pain.”

“Things would have been a lot different, but I don’t blame you for it,” Chuuya shook his head. “As much pain as I’ve gone through, I don’t think any Jäger’s been free of that. We all lose people.”

“We do. We do and we carry on, just like any other soldier, but for us there’s no retirement, no acknowledgement, just people terrified or fascinated with us,” Axel said, leaning back and closing his eyes. “Oh, sometimes we get lucky. I have Z and our kids, and Oggie has his family, and most of us just don’t care outside serving the family, but you… you lost everything in a war you weren’t even supposed to be fighting in. The Family exiled you because of a jealous suitor. And now…”

He broke off and sighed. “You should tell them. Tell them about Izumi Kyouka and Dazai Osamu. About the children you had to leave behind when Japan closed its borders. Tell them who Nakahara Chuuya really is. After all, so much of your history is theirs, too. No one’s been closer to the family over the years than you were.”

Chuuya was silent, thinking about that. All of it was true, he knew that. He knew that, but at the same time… how could he tell anyone? He tried not to let himself think of his Osamu, but it was difficult when the brunette did or said something that reminded him of his charge's namesake. It was true that he had been dragged into wars he had no stake in, leaving his family at home with no word, but he'd believed in the Family and, eventually, the Jägerdraught. One bad Master wasn't going to change that. Kyouka would have understood- she'd always known what he was thinking before he'd said a word, and he liked to think that she lived her life without having spent it worrying about him.

Lived it well, despite how it had ended.

He really had left so much behind though. The children he had been teaching, his family, his friends, any career he might have made for himself in Japan.

"I'll think about it," the redhead said eventually, his voice subdued. "I've never really thought about telling anyone."

Axel nodded. That was about what he'd expected to hear. "I know. It took me forever to open up to Zee, and there are things I'll probably never tell her," he admitted. "And I'm not saying it has to be all at once. But you know they're going to ask eventually anyway, so thinking about it now is just getting a headstart on deciding just how much you're willing to say.”

Chuuya nodded back and stood. He had a lot to consider now and much to do. “I’ll evaluate the children’s schedules and figure out where we can work these new classes in. Until later, cousin.”

“Later, Chuuya.”

Chapter Text

“Higgs?”

The tentative voice drew Axel out of his contemplation, and he realized with a start it had been almost two hours since Chuuya had left his office. His gaze moved from the desk to meet that of the pair standing in front of him, and he smiled faintly.

“Ah. Hello Atsushi, Kenji. Thanks for coming by so late.”

“It’s not a problem,” Kenji said immediately, his smile as blinding as ever. The younger Jägerwas somehow always in a good mood, no matter what the situation. There were times Higgs envied him. “What did you need us for?”

The spymaster regarded the two thoughtfully. “I have a mission for you two,” he said eventually. “You’re two of the youngest Jäger we have, and, thanks to Bill and Barry, you’re essentially unknown. And being Japanese, you’re uniquely suited for this particular operation.”

The pair looked at each other. It was true that they’d never been presented to the Lady; they were the results of Agatha’s grandmother tinkering with the Jägerritual. She’d wanted Jäger that, like Higgs and Chuuya, could pass for human, without the battlelust and blind loyalty to The Heterodyne. She’d sort of succeeded; Atsushi and Kenji were the only survivors of the group.

And then Bill and Barry had rejected the Jägerkin entirely. And Higgs, seeing the opportunity, had snapped them up for his own ends. This was the first time in nearly thirty-five years either had been back in Mechanicsburg.

“What’s the job?” Atsushi asked.

“Surveillance,” Higgs replied. “There’s a clan in Yokohama that might prove troublesome in the future. I want you two to work your way into a position where you can keep an eye on them.”

Kenji nodded. “The Mori clan, right?”

“Right. His vassal, Lord Fukuzawa, has agreed to take you in as members of his guard. Make enough of a name for yourselves that you get noticed, but don’t overdo it.” The blond smiled faintly. “Shouldn’t be too hard. They’ve been having some border skirmishes with the Shibusawa clan. Good place to get your feet wet.”

Higgs leaned forward and handed Atsushi an envelope. “You’ll be traveling with a local merchant named Tanizaki as hired bodyguards. His caravan will be at the East Gate at 8 AM the day after tomorrow. He doesn’t know who you are, just that you’re expats headed home. Keep him safe. His kids are friends with the Heirs.”

Atsushi raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. “Will do. Is there anything else?”

“Nah. Go relax for a bit. Mamma’s should be quiet tonight, if you want a drink.”

“Right. Good night, Higgs.”

“Goodnight, you two. And good luck.”

---xxx---

Chuuya laughed as the children excitedly filed into the room he’d temporarily designated as a classroom. The usual one was still under repair from the latest Spark malfunction and would be for a few days yet.

“Sensei!” one of the boys called, waving one hand. “Can you settle this debate for us?”

“Only if you promise to settle down afterward.” Chuuya wandered over to the boys who were clustered in one corner. “What’s the question?”

“Why didn’t you save us?” one boy asked as he looked up, his face suddenly streaked with blood.

“Why weren’t you there?” another asked, his skull partially caved in.

Suddenly, Chuuya wasn’t standing in the makeshift classroom anymore, but in the wreckage of the village he had lived in. The fires had long gone out, leaving behind burned shells of buildings he had known. Bodies lay in the street in various states. Some were burned, some marked by the appetite of local wildlife, others missing limbs. He could recognize some of them, but others were unrecognizable because of the damage.

The scene shifted again, in a way similar to the one he had just left yet so very different. A few fires still burned and bodies still lined the streets. He was crouched against a wall, a body in his arms, bloody and still.

“Wake up,” the redhead begged quietly, the words barely audible even to himself. He felt frozen, fear turning his insides to ice. “Please, Dazai wake up.”

The body didn’t move, and Chuuya clutched him closer, pressing his face to the still chest, heedless of the tears on his face. “Please. I need you, Osamu.”

“…this.” Chuuya heard ever so slightly, and he pulled back in shock, a thread of hope winding through him. “Osamu?”

“You …this. You did this.”

“O…samu?” the redhead asked, dread overtaking him. Osamu blamed him?

“You did this.” Osamu’s head lolled, dead eyes looking right at Chuuya. “I died because of you. We all did.”

Everything shifted again and suddenly the redhead’s body was on fire, burning with the fire of the sun. His body felt like it was being stretched, his jaw shifting and teeth moving, hands cramping. Even his eyes felt like they were changing, and he had to squeeze his eyelids shut as the world wavered before him, distorting and rapidly becoming blinding.

As the pain grew into agony, he screamed.

Agatha hesitated outside Chuuya’s door. It wasn’t often she came here, instead of having Chuuya come to her office, but he, Tarvek, and the kids were leaving for Paris the next morning.

Her hand was raised, ready to knock… and her hesitation vanished as she heard the first scream.

Within seconds she was in the room and by Chuuya’s side. The Jäger was sobbing now, one phrase, almost indiscernible through the tears, repeating over and over…

“Dazai, I’m sorry.”

“Chuuya. Chuuya, wake up.” Agatha reached out and shook Chuuya’s shoulder, dodging as one hand flew out. “Wake up.”

The redhead started, sitting up quickly and moving away from Agatha, absently going to rub his arms as he slowly started to recognize where he’d woken up. It had seemed so real; his skin crawled like it was still shifting and pulling and he shuddered a bit. After a moment he looked up, realizing who had woken him. “My lady?”

Agatha nodded. “I’m sorry. You were screaming and calling out for someone, and I couldn’t leave you like that.”

She sat on the edge of the bed, then patted the spot next to her. “Come here and talk to me. Please?”

Chuuya hesitated a moment, but he couldn’t really deny her. She was the Lady after all. Ignoring the crawling of his skin, he moved closer, crossing his legs and watching her. Her concern for even him was admirable.

“Chuuya. It’s okay,” she said gently. “I know it isn’t easy to talk about your past. And if you don’t want to, that’s fine. But you’ve done so much for us. Please, let me help.”

The Jäger searched her eyes for a minute before he looked down to his hands. Her concern was real and he appreciated her offer to talk, but he’d never opened up to anyone before. Then again… Maybe that was part of the problem. He thought for a moment of the conversation he and Axel had shared, and how Axel had encouraged him to share.

“You… know I’m one of the old Jägers. That I served the Family for… pretty much the entire time I’ve been a Jäger. What you don’t know is who I left behind to do that.” Chuuya sat up straight, looking back up to the blonde. “I grew up as a big brother, you could say. The women in the Japanese village where we lived moved out mostly for one reason or another, or were too young, so I ended up being the one to teach the kids most of what they knew. My father was from Mechanicsburg, my mother was Japanese, and I’d go between them, but when I stayed with my mother’s family sometimes, I made sure the younger ones were taken care of, that everyone had what they needed, and we made it work. Then I left it behind to join the service of the family against their wishes, because you were legends. I wanted to be part of that, to be more than some half-breed kid, and I made sure the young ones were taken care of. I joined and was one of the first to take the Jägerdraught, but then… I tried to go home once. The village had been raided by bandits and I never found out if anyone survived, but there was nothing left there. The buildings were burned down, my friends, my family, the kids...Kyouka, left to die in the streets while I was off gallivanting with the Family. There was nothing for me left there, so I came back and continued doing what I do best. I served the Family and fought. I was good at that and had a snap temper. I spent five centuries doing that, not caring who we killed or where because I’d lost the capacity to feel anything but anger.”

He clenched his hands, fighting to control his voice. “Then I was exiled because of Family matters, and joined in some of the fights in my home country. That’s where I met him… Osamu Dazai. Bastard son of the head of the Mori clan, genius strategist, and probably one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen. He was my best friend at first and the only reason I think I made it as far back to normal as I did. He drew me out of the shell I had drawn into and we fought together. Battle after battle, for ten years, we spent all of our time together. At first he was a friend, then a brother, and then… he was everything to me.” Chuuya’s voice broke here and he finally looked away, into the darkness of the rest of his room. “He was everything, and I was too late to be there when he died. I had been in a different part of the fight when he went down and by the time I made it over there, he was gone. After that I couldn’t stay in Japan anymore. I went back to Europe and I traveled wherever the Family did because what else could I do? I threw myself into every fight I could until I thought that finally I might die, then I woke up in Gkikka’s. So I gave up on that plan and just started doing what I could to serve. Your family both cursed me and saved me. If I hadn’t taken the draught, I wouldn’t have lived to meet Osamu, but now I’ll outlive him with the knowledge that if I’d stayed by his side, I might have been able to save him.”

“Chuuya.” There were tears in Agatha’s voice. She reached for him, almost instinctively. “Oh Chuuya. I never… I can’t imagine what you’ve seen. You’ve lost everything, and yet you keep giving. And we keep asking so much of you…”

Chuuya let her reach for him, although he didn’t look at her just yet. “I… don’t know what else I would be doing right now, honestly. I don’t think I could do fashion full time, and I do have my projects, but… It’s not the same as working for the Family. I became what I am because I believed in you and your family, and despite everything, that hasn’t changed. Sure, some of it may have been messed up, but… I couldn’t imagine any other way.”

Agatha’s arms went around Chuuya and she pulled him close. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for teaching and protecting my children. For coming when I needed you.”

Her voice went soft, gentle, and one hand carded through his hair. “Thank you for loving my children. For giving them pieces of you, even though it hurts.”

He shook his head as best he could, although it took him a moment to get the words past the lump in his throat. “Thank you for letting me. You didn’t have to, but you did anyway.”

“You’re welcome.”

They sat there, the silence comfortable, until Agatha felt the tension drain from Chuuya’s body. “Think you can sleep now?” she asked.

“I think so,” Chuuya yawned and pulled away, looking at the Heterodyne. “Also… Would you mind not telling anyone about this?” If Axel heard about it he might not hear the end of it.

“Of course not.” Agatha smiled a little crookedly. “Get some sleep. You have an early day tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Chuuya waited until she had gotten up to move. “You should get some sleep yourself, my Lady.”

“Agatha,” she corrected gently, but insistently. Agatha bent and kissed Chuuya’s forehead. “I will. Goodnight, Chuuya.”

“Very well, Agatha,” he said a tad hesitantly. “Goodnight.”

---xxx---

Osamu stared as the train approached, chocolate eyes bright. “That’s a train?” he breathed, excited. “It’s amazing!”

“It is. And no, you can’t take it apart. The monks are very protective of their trains. Although,” Tarvek answered with a grin, “you could ask your mother how they work. If I remember correctly she did help rebuild one some years back.”

“Really? I’ll have to do that when we get home.”

“Don’t forget, if you ask your Father, he might be able to add it to your lessons, young one,” Chuuya told him, smiling at the child’s excitement.

“That would be awesome.” The brunette slung his bag over his shoulder, then grabbed Kyouka’s hand. “Come on, sis. Let’s go talk to the monks. Maybe they’ll let us look at the engine before we go.”

Kyouka nodded and smiled, and the pair set off. Tarvek and Chuuya followed close behind; luckily the platform wasn’t crowded and they were able to keep up with the children even as Chuuya scanned the crowd for threats.

“They certainly seem to be enthused,” Tarvek chuckled.

“Oh yes, but given their parentage and tendencies, I expected nothing else, my lord,” Chuuya replied, a slight grin on his face.

“Oh neither did I. Reminds me of me and Anevka the first time we traveled.” Tarvek sighed. “Good times.”

“My lord?” Chuuya asked, one eyebrow raised as he glanced at the man.

“Oh. I forgot you never met her. Anevka was my little sister. She’s the reason I started studying the Muses. She was dying and I transferred her consciousness to a clank, but…” He shrugged. “It was only a temporary solution. Eventually her organic self died and the clank’s personality took over. No one even noticed but me.”

“So she’s your sister, but at the same time, she isn’t?” Chuuya asked curiously. That sounded… interesting. Consciousness transference? That was something he hadn’t been aware had been actually done, but it made sense, in a way, especially if Tarvek was involved.

"Was, yeah. Sort of. Her body is gone. The rest of her… if it's still intact, is on a shelf back in our family's estate. It's complicated. I miss my sister, but not what she became." He shrugged. "Playing god has its risks. Given what I know now, and the problems we've had with Lucrezia, I think it's one of those things that would've been better left unexplored. I don't know."

“Now that it’s been done, what do you plan to do about it?”

“About transferring people into clanks?” Tarvek asked. “Not much that can be done, really. The cat’s long out of the bag on that one. I’m sure we didn’t have the only copy of Lucrezia; that woman was both paranoid as hell and massively egotistical. The only good thing she ever put on this world was Agatha.”

Chuuya nodded, since he didn’t have much else to say on the matter, save one thing that came to mind. “My Lord, I have another question, and I mean nothing by it, only idle curiosity, given your experiences. When a body is altered by circumstances to be, for all intents and purposes, undying, how does the mind adjust?”

Tarvek eyed him thoughtfully. “You’re talking about yourself and the other Jägers, aren’t you?” he asked. “Anevka was unique. The body she inhabited already had a personality. It was, effectively, a repurposed Muse.”

He sighed. “Mortal minds aren’t meant to live forever. We’re not meant to experience that much. Eventually, the mind starts shutting parts down. Mostly memory, emotions… it works for most of the Jägerkin because the transformation did that preemptively. It even happened to you, for a while. There aren’t really a lot of studies on the phenomenon, mostly because outside of the Jägers and the Queens, no one’s managed it. And the Queens have their own ways of dealing with the problem.”

“Even to me,” Chuuya repeated quietly, considering. How would one know that one’s memories were tampered with? “How did that go, for me? I can’t say I recall it, for certain.”

“Think about the last few centuries. How much emotional range did you have? I’ve read the records of your battles. You were a berserker, Chuuya. Most of you are, but you came out of it, somehow. You and Higgs are anomalies in all sorts of ways.” Tarvek smiled. “I’m glad of that. For the kids’ sake if nothing else.”

Chuuya thought back to his discussion with Agatha just the night before; he’d admitted to her that for a few centuries, the Jäger had lost nearly all capacity for anything other than things such as anger. It had been rough, but as time passed, the inferno had cooled and he’d found himself a much calmer person. Why had he done that? He almost stopped walking as the thought occurred to him. Chuuya had been so angry when he’d gotten back home, and then he’d met Dazai Osamu. He’d been so angry, but Osamu… He’d helped Chuuya direct it, bleeding off the anger in missions until the redhead had finally been at least mostly reasonable. They’d gotten to know each other in secret, and he’d fallen hard. The brunette had been amazing. Smart, capable, and startlingly kind under the facade he had worn for the world. Chuuya shook his mind free from the thoughts as Osamu excitedly pointed something else out, berating himself for losing focus at a time like this. “Thank you for indulging me, my Lord.”

“Of course.” Tarvek smiled again, then turned to the kids. “Alright. Time to get on board, children. The train’s leaving soon.”

“Alright Papa,” the twins said. They moved closer; Osamu took Chuuya’s hand while Kyouka grabbed Tarvek’s. “Can we get hot chocolate?”

“Yes,” Tarvek laughed. “As soon as the dining car opens.”

“Yay!”

Chapter Text

Paris was… busy, Osamu thought, as they walked through the arch into the city proper. Billboards and lights were everywhere, shops lined the streets, there were more people than he’d ever seen in one place… He felt Kyouka stop next to him and stopped as well, following her gaze up to one of the billboards. “Papa,” he asked, drawing Tarvek’s attention, “why is Mother on that billboard?”

“Oh. That.” Tarvek chuckled. “The first time we came here it was a huge deal. There hadn’t been a Heterodyne in Paris in ages. So, of course, everyone capitalized on it. There were Heterodyne-themed products everywhere, everything from clothing lines to perfume to, well…” He shrugged. “Some of them were popular enough to stick around. I don’t even notice them anymore.”

“The Heterodyne line has always been important to people, and having one live, in the flesh, well…” Chuuya gestured toward the billboard. “It meant a lot that your mother came personally.”

Osamu looked up at him, a curious look on his face. “Did you do a Heterodyne product? If so can we see it?”

The redhead blinked. “Do you mean a product inspired by your lineage, or one that used your family as an advertisement?”

“Either? Both?” The boy shrugged. “I mean, you were trying to blend in, right? Master Arah would’ve done something to capitalize on the moment. Or your company would’ve, if you weren’t here just then. It would’ve seemed odd otherwise.”

“You’re right, we would have stood out at the time,” Chuuya admitted, glancing at the boy. “We did do something, but I believe it went into a raffle for charity, so it is no longer in Master Arah’s collection.”

“Any idea who bought it?” Osamu asked.

Tarvek coughed before Chuuya could answer. Amber and two sets of blue eyes turned to him. “Actually, I know exactly who has it,” he admitted. He shrugged as three eyebrows rose simultaneously. “What? It was a gorgeous piece and fit your mother perfectly. I bought it for her; she hasn’t worn it in forever, though. Maybe I should have her dig it out again.”

“Well then,” Chuuya shook his head, surprised he hadn’t remembered that, but maybe his assistant at the time had taken care of it. “The children are curious, perhaps you can show it to them when you do.”

“Oh I will.” Tarvek grinned. “She doesn’t know it’s your work. I gave it to her after we all got back from England.”

A messenger clank appeared just then and stopped in front of Chuuya. “Master Arah,” it said, and produced a scroll from a compartment in its torso, “The Master requests your presence at your earliest convenience. She would like to commission attire from you for the upcoming festivities.”

Chuuya turned to the machine, pausing his scanning for just a moment, although he glanced at Tarvek. “I will be present at the Master’s domicile once the Heterodyne family is escorted to the Sturmovoraus estate and the children attended to, if permissible.”

A speaker panel slid open and a woman’s voice came through it. “I thought you’d say that. Hello, Tarvek. Tell Agatha I said hello, would you? Osamu, Kyouka, my name is Collette. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the party. I won’t keep your guardian long.”

The kids blinked at the clank. “So do we,” Kyouka said eventually, curtsying. “Thank you.”

The clank nodded, the speaker slid closed, and it moved away through the crowd. Tarvek laughed. “Well, she hasn’t changed much. Shall we continue?”

“Of course, Master Tarvek,” Chuuya nodded, and gestured for the kids to begin walking again. “Changed, she most definitely has not.”

“Still, Grandmother will be thrilled to hear she’s actually attending this year. It’s rare for her to appear in public.”

“Why is that, Papa?” Kyouka asked.

Tarvek looked down and smiled at her as they walked. “Well, to a large degree, the Master is Paris,” he replied. “She’s connected to Paris much the way the Castle is to Mechanicsburg. For her to leave, well. It’d be like the heart of the Castle disconnecting itself and taking a walk. Usually when she makes an ‘appearance’ at an event it’s via a remote-controlled, very human-looking clank.”

“Huh.” Osamu’s brows furrowed in thought. “That sounds very lonely. And kinda cool. That’s a lot of power in one place. What happens if she dies?”

“In a way, you can compare that to the Castle as well, young one,” Chuuya replied. “If she’s the heart of Paris the same way the Castle is to our home, what do you think would happen if the Castle were to fall, as implausible as that may seem?”

The boy's nose scrunched up as he thought. "Didn't that happen? Before Mother came back to Mechanicsburg? Everything just stopped working, right?"

Kyouka broke in. "Aunt Zee told me about it once. What it was like when Mother and Father and Papa first got there. The Castle was broken and crazy and they all spent a bunch of time fixing it."

“I remember hearing about that,” Chuuya mused. “Back then, going to Mechanicsburg was out of the question for me, but your parents did an impeccable job getting the Castle back to the state it was before.”

“Thank you,” Tarvek said modestly. “It wasn’t easy. We all almost died multiple times, the city got attacked, Agatha perfected coffee… at least, until they managed to break the machine. She still hasn’t gotten a chance to go back and fix it.”

He shook his head with a fond smile. “Alright. We should hurry then. Grandmother and the Master are not ones to be kept waiting.”

“I’m sure she’s devastated that the machine is still awaiting her return,” Chuuya said dryly, even as he directed the children down an alleyway. “This street should take us down a shortcut and take a few minutes off of our route, if traffic still runs the same way.”

Tarvek grinned and bowed his head. “Lead on, Master Arah.”

In hindsight, Chuuya should’ve known this would happen eventually. Osamu was far, far too much like his namesake for his own good.

Not that that helped his blood pressure just then.

Not when the Heterodyne heir was missing.

Usually, things were fine. He had an idea of where the young master might be at any particular moment, but then again, usually they were at the Kestle. Not Paris. How the hell was he supposed to find him when he could theoretically be anywhere in the city?

The redhead stopped and drew in a breath. Osamu couldn’t get into too much trouble unnoticed. Collette was probably keeping an eye on him if nothing else. Assuming he wasn’t in trouble, where would he go?

The answer hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course. He wanted to learn everything, and where better than the Library? The Monks had mentioned it and the kid had expressed a desire to go.

Okay. That was the first place to check out.

He had to go there anyway, so hey, two birds, one stone.

“Hey Poe, have you seen the- oh, hello. Who are you and how did you get in here?” Ranpo Edogawa gazed down at the small child that had somehow made his way into the Library’s stacks.

The kid looked up from the book he was reading. “Hi. I’m Osamu Heterodyne. What’s your name?”

“Ranpo. Wait. Heterodyne? Like Mechanicsburg Heterodyne?” The raven blinked as the kid nodded. Well. Fuck. “Chuuya’s going to be pissed.”

“You know Chuuya?” Osamu perked up, then cocked his head. “Yeah. Probably. But I was bored and Great-grandmother was busy fussing over Kyouka, and Papa was talking to somebody for hours, so I thought I’d come here and keep myself busy. There’s so much.”

“Well, yes, that’s the point. I know of Chuuya; we've corresponded, but we've never met in person. And you still haven’t told me how you got in here. Wait.” The Librarian held a hand up, studied him for a moment, then sighed. “Dammit. I thought we fixed that. Poe, dearest, would you be so kind as to tell the custodians the side door to the Rue de Voltaire is broken again?”

The taller Librarian- Poe- nodded, still clutching the few books he held to his chest ever so carefully. He didn’t quite bow to Osamu, but he knew who the kid was. Anybody with any sort of knowledge about politics did, and he’d heard enough of Ranpo’s ranting to have a vague idea. Poe looked back and forth for a moment before he nodded to himself and slipped off with a small wave to both of them.

Ranpo watched him leave, a fond look in his eyes. “Now. What shall we do with you?”

“Let me stay and read until Chuuya gets here?” The brunette smiled charmingly and Ranpo sighed.

“I have a better idea. You’re a spark, right?” Ranpo grinned as Osamu’s expression became guarded. “You don’t have to hide here. What happens in the Library stays in the Library. Now. Your mom left us a couple of clanks last time she was here and we can’t figure out why one of them isn’t working properly. Wanna see what you can do to fix it?”

Osamu’s eyes lit up. “Sure!”

“Alright. This way.”

The redhead stalked through the rooms of the library, following his nose. He didn’t often need to do that, but it was the easiest way to locate him now. There wasn’t much to go off of, but it was enough. He followed the scent until a tall man with- was that a raccoon?- on his shoulder came tapping down the hall, muttering to himself quietly, and he smelled of Osamu.

“Hello,” the redhead greeted, polite despite the urgency he felt. “Have you perhaps seen a young boy around, dark hair and eyes, 8 years old?”

“O-oh, h-hello. Yes. You must be Chuuya. Ranpo told me you’d be coming. This way,” Poe said, blinking. He turned on his heel and started down a side corridor.

“Oh good. Thank you,” Chuuya muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and following.

“You’re welcome.” Poe pulled out a ring of keys and fumbled with it for a second, eventually pulling out a distinctively odd-shaped one and inserting it into a door. A series of clicks sounded as he turned it. “I must say, your young charge picked a good day to drop by.”

“Oh?” Chuuya asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms although he kept his temper in check. “What makes today special?”

“Lady Heterodyne gifted us a clank some time ago,” Poe explained, opening the door. “It’s meant to help order the stacks and keep track of inventory. Unfortunately, it broke down a while ago, none of us are talented enough to fix it, and tomorrow we have a major delegation coming from the University to negotiate the Research Protocols and start this year’s projects. So without it…” He shrugged.

“How did a clank from the Heterodyne break down?” Chuuya asked, more than a bit skeptical. He’d seen her skill after all.

“Um. Last week Ranpo may have tried to reprogram it to spell out “Happy Birthday Edgar” in piles of books. It worked, sort of, but we couldn’t figure out how to switch it back.”

“...Alright then.” The redhead just shook his head, not even feeling terribly surprised. That would be something he would do.

"Yes. It was very sweet." Poe blushed a little. "Anyway, they're in the Wulfenbach lab. It belonged to Lord Gilgamesh back in his student days. It's right down the hall, first red door on the left."

“Okay,” Chuuya replied, thanking him. He continued down the hall to the door Poe had described, knocking on it and waiting for the door to open. This wasn’t the Kestle, he couldn’t just order it to open, and it was a bit rude to barge right in, concern for the young Heterodyne or no.

A crash came from inside, and then the door opened.

“Oh, you’re here,” Ranpo said, wiping a smudge of oil from his cheek. “I expected you an hour ago. No matter. Come on in, we’re almost done. I think.”

“Everybody wants to know about the Heterodynes.” The redhead rolled his eyes and followed the raven into the room. His gaze finally landed on Osamu, unharmed, if a bit dirty, and he relaxed a bit. “Osamu, what were you thinking? Do you know what your father was thinking, when you disappeared without a word in a city that’s not Mechanicsburg? What I was thinking, when my charge was suddenly just gone?” His tone was not harsh, but stern.

The boy looked down at that. It wasn’t so much the tone, which was bad enough. It was the anger and worry in Chuuya’s eyes, and he felt ashamed for causing it. “I’m sorry, Chuuya. I got bored, and I knew about the Library, and I thought maybe I could keep myself busy here while you were busy, and then I kinda got caught up in the idea and forgot to tell anyone.”

“So what have you learned, Osamu?” Chuuya asked, a little calmer now.

“Not to leave without telling anyone?” Osamu said, his voice small.

“Don’t worry those who love you,” Chuuya said softly. “Even if you had told someone and still left, what if something had happened to you? Your Papa was beside himself, hoping you were safe. Not everybody is your friend, Osamu, remember?”

Osamu ran over and threw his arms around Chuuya, burying his face in the Jäger’s side. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you worry,” he cried, tears running down his cheeks. “I won’t do it again. Promise.”

“Alright, alright,” Chuuya murmured, holding the child to him. “It’s okay. I know you were bored, but now you know better and you’ll be smarter about it. You’re young and you didn’t know better. You do now.”

Sniffles accompanied Osamu’s frantic nod. It took him a few minutes to calm down; he clung tight the entire time, unwilling to let Chuuya go. Finally he did and looked up. “Is Papa mad at me?”

“Of course not, little one,” the redhead answered him, his voice gentle. “He was worried, but he’ll never be mad at you. I promise you, Osamu.”

“Okay.” He sniffled a few more times, then asked shyly, “Wanna see what we were working on? It’s really cool.”

“Of course. Why don’t you tell me about it, Osamu?” Chuuya patted him on the head and gently directed him toward the rest of the room. He glanced at the Librarian quickly, silently apologizing for the scene.

Ranpo just grinned and shook his head. “We skipped lunch and I’m hungry, so I’m going to get something to eat. Just hit the green button on the wall when you’re ready to leave, someone will come see you out. Oh, and the Lady’s package is on the table over there. Tell her I said thank you for the treatise on the Castle.”

The redhead nodded, his face serious. “Thank you for watching him until I could get here, as well. Enjoy your lunch, Monsieur Ranpo…?”

“Just Ranpo is fine, Chuuya. I don’t really hold with all that formality nonsense.” The grin softened a bit as he opened the door. “You’re welcome here whenever, both of you. It’s not often I find someone that can keep up with me. I am the smartest person in Paris, after all.”

“Perhaps Master Tarvek will permit us a stop before we depart,” Chuuya allowed with a twitch of his lips. “Thank you for the invitation, Ranpo.”

“Yeah, thank you Ranpo!” Osamu chimed in, waving. “I had fun working with you! And tell Poe I want to bring Kyouka and let her meet Karl next time, I think she’d love him.”

Ranpo nodded. “I’ll do that. I had fun too.” And with that, he closed the door.

“Oh thank god you found him.” Tarvek knelt as Chuuya and Osamu entered the hall and wrapped his arms around his son. “Please don’t ever run off like that again, Osamu. You scared the hell out of us.”

“Sorry Papa,” Osamu said, hugging his dad. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I think he’s learned his lesson, Sir,” Chuuya added, “He may have already been lectured about things.” The redhead hesitated for just a second before he dropped into a quick bow before the Heterodyne. The man knew his history, he would understand at least the basics of the gesture. “I also apologize, Sir, for my lapse in attention and the risk that posed to the young heir.”

Tarvek nodded with a rueful grin. “Forgiven. He’s our kid. I expected this would happen at least once. We were all very good at evading our watchers. Where did he end up?”

“The Library, Sir,” Chuuya straightened, both surprised yet grateful for the man’s easy-going reply. “A set of Librarians named Ranpo and Edgar Poe were watching over him, I believe. Given they were working in the Wulfenbach lab, you may have met them before?”

“Oh, those two.” Tarvek laughed. “Yes. They’re characters of the best sort. Eccentric but brilliant; Poe’s a minor spark, Ranpo’s not, but he acts like one. If he was going to run into anyone I’m glad it was them. They’re old friends of Agatha’s- I think she had classes with Poe back at University.” He turned to Osamu. “What were you working on?”

The boy looked up. “The book sorter Mother gave them. Ranpo broke it trying to do something nice for Poe’s birthday and they couldn’t get the programming back where it was supposed to be. I think I fixed it, but we didn’t have time to really test it before Chuuya found me.”

“Ah. I thought that might happen. He does like to tinker.” Tarvek ruffled Osamu’s hair. “Good job fixing it. Now, run inside. Grandmother’s about to have tea and you and your sister are invited.”

“Okay.” Osamu bounced once, then ran down the hall.

“No running!” Tarvek called, then turned to Chuuya. “Well done, finding him that quickly.”

“My apologies it took so long; I hadn’t intended to let him out of my sight, but you know how people can be when they think someone might be a little loose-lipped and word of our arrival had spread,” the redhead smiled back just enough for niceties. He really didn’t think he’d found the Heir that quickly, especially in a city so far from home, but the Heterodyne was willing to forgive his lapse. “If I may sir, may I confirm my services are no longer needed for today, or have plans changed?”

“No, I think we should be okay for the moment. Grandmother will keep the kids occupied for quite some time- you know how she can be. She adores Kyouka, by the way. I have a feeling there will be more visits in the future.” Tarvek grinned at him and waved a hand. “I know you have your own business to attend to. Tell Kouyou I said hello.”

“I do believe most people happen to be fond of the Children, sir,” Chuuya replied with a fond expression. “I will be sure to pass on the message. Do let me know if anything changes.”

“I will.”

Chapter Text

The evening of Grandmother’s party came altogether too quickly, if Kyouka had anything to say about it. The days leading up to it had been a whirlwind; between Osamu disappearing, meeting the rest of the Family (and Kyouka could see why Papa and Mother didn’t like Cousin Martellus), tea with Grandmother and Cousin Seffie and a few others, a sparring session with one of the Smoke Knights… she’d never been busier in her life, but oh, was it fun.

Also, to her delight, the theme of this year’s party was World Cultures, so her and Osamu’s kimono fit in well. Osamu thought that it was deliberate, and maybe it was. After all, Papa told her that Grandmother once made her party a masquerade at the last minute just so she could sneak him in and Martellus in.

Kyouka fidgeted with her obi as she waited in front of the double doors. Osamu glanced at her and gave her a sympathetic grin. “Is yours as hot as mine?” he asked.

She nodded. “I didn’t know there were this many layers. And the shoes feel weird,” she added, looking down at the zori on her feet. A thought crossed her mind and she frowned. “Did Chuuya look sad to you? He was smiling when he helped me dress and did my hair, but his eyes were dark. It almost felt like he was remembering something really bad.”

“Mmm.” Osamu stared at the floor for a moment in thought. “We were named after people he cared about, right? Maybe seeing us in these outfits brought back memories. Junichiro told me his dad said Chuuya was really specific when he ordered the material.”

“Maybe,” Kyouka agreed. She opened her mouth to say something else, then paused, and whipped around as a familiar voice caught her ear. “Mother?”

“Hello Kyouka. Hi Osamu,” Agatha said, then let out an oof as Kyouka jumped into her arms. “Did you miss me?”

“Uh huh. We’ve had all sorts of fun, though. I sparred with Violetta and had tea and Osamu snuck out to the Library and met a funny man with a raccoon…”

“I heard about that.” Agatha laughed and hoisted her a little higher. “I’m glad to hear Karl’s still around. He was just a tiny thing when I knew him.”

“You knew Karl?” Kyouka asked.

“Yep. Poe and I were friends in university. Neither of us really fit in very well, so we studied together a lot. He found Karl in a park in the middle of winter my last semester there and took him in. I swear that raccoon was smarter than either of us some days,” her mother said with a rueful grin.

Osamu laughed. “I bet.” The boy paused, his head cocked as he noticed a small detail about his mother’s attire. “Mother?”

“Yes?”

“Why on earth is there candy in your hair?”

A laugh sounded from down the hall. “You’re going to give Seffie a headache, I think,” Tarvek said as he joined them and leaned in for a kiss. “She never likes to be reminded of her social faux pas.”

“I don’t know, it worked out pretty well,” Agatha replied with a grin. “Besides, I never paid her back for her antics at our engagement party.”

“Ah, yes.” Tarvek smiled at the kids’ confusion. “Cousin Seffie had her eyes on Gil. She wanted to be the wife of the next Baron Wulfenbach. To make a long story short, she followed us to England, had something of a mishap with a tray of sweets, and appeared before Queen Albia with a head full of candy. Seffie passed it off as a Parisian fashion trend and at that night’s ball all the ladies wore it. She’s never lived it down.”

Kyouka giggled at that. Osamu’s nose scrunched up. “Why would she do that rather than tell the truth? It seems silly.”

“Because, Osamu,” Tarvek said, crouching down to look his son in the eyes, “there are some people in this world that would rather look ridiculous than admit that they’re infallible. Xersephenia has matured quite a bit, but she’s still one of them. And I believe,” he said, turning to his wife, who shot him an innocent look, “your mother still harbors a little bit of a grudge for all the trouble she and Martellus caused us back then. Although I will admit his bungling did come in useful.”

“Mm. I still haven’t entirely forgiven him,” Agatha said, “but that’s neither here nor there. There are no- obvious- politics at Grandmother’s parties.”

Tarvek snorted at that. “We can discuss my family’s complicated history another time. For now, I think they’re about to announce us.”

Kyouka nodded as Agatha put her down and helped her straighten her outfit. “Now, remember your manners, say happy birthday to Grandmother, and if Martellus tries to pull you through a mirror, bite him.”

A burst of laughter came from their papa. “Agatha!”

She grinned back. “Also, remember Chuuya is here as Master Arah, not your Guardian. You may say hello, but use that name. Okay?”

“Okay!” the twins chorused.

“By the way, Agatha?” Tarvek said as he took his wife’s arm, “I was right.”

“About what?”

“Chuuya’s dress looks stunning on you.”

The doors opened just then, and a harried-looking servant ushered them inside. “Hello, Master Tarvek. You know the drill.”

“I do.” The four moved to the top of the stairs. Kyouka gasped at the sight below: dozens, maybe a hundred people, all looking up at her expectantly. Osamu nudged her and pointed. She looked, and smiled as Chuuya grinned at them from a corner of the room.

Another servant, this one with a long sheet of paper in his hand, moved next to them. “The Lady Agatha Heterodyne,” he announced in a very loud voice, “Tarvek Sturmvoraus, and their children, Osamu and Kyouka Heterodyne-Sturmvoraus-Wulfenbach, the Heterodyne Heirs!”

“Wow, that was a mouthful,” Osamu said under his breath, then oofed as Kyouka elbowed him. “What? It was.”

“Mother said to be on our best behavior.”

“It’s our name, sister dear. I’m allowed to make fun of it.”

Kyouka glared at him. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted.

“See?”

The younger twin sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Come on, nii-san,” she said, smoothing a fold of her kimono. “Let’s go say hi to Grandmother.”

“And Chuuya?”

“And Chuuya.”

“Okay.”

“Nakajima-san, Miyazawa-san, welcome to Yokohama.” The silver-haired samurai beckoned the pair to join him at a low table. “How was your journey?”

“Arigato, Fukuzawa-sama. The trip was good,” Atsushi said as he and Kenji sat. “We only ran into one group of bandits on the mainland. They won’t be troubling any more travelers.”

“That’s good to hear,” Fukuzawa said. He gestured to a servant, who bowed and slipped out of the room. “What news from the West?”

“Our mutual friend sends his regards. And a full report,” Atsushi said. Kenji nodded and pulled an envelope out of his pack. He handed it to Fukuzawa.

“You know,” the younger Jäger said, “I don’t think I’ve used my last name in a couple of decades. It sounds weird, doesn’t it?”

Atsushi laughed. “It does. I think some of the older ones have completely forgotten theirs.”

“Older ones?” Fukuzawa asked curiously.

“Oh. Jägers,” Kenji said. “Some of the old ones have been around for a couple of centuries. There aren’t really that many of us, so we’re pretty much all on a first-name basis. Come to think of it, other than Miss Zeetha I think we’re the youngest of the lot. The Lady’s father and uncle didn’t like us much, and she hasn’t really needed to make any more.”

“If I may ask, how old are the two of you?”

“Um.” Atsushi sat back and thought for a moment. “Let’s see. I was turned at 20, and that was…what year is it?” He counted on his fingers for a moment. “Pretty sure we hit the century mark, because that was right around the time they banished Chuuya. So 120? Give or take a few years. Kenji’s a little younger than I am.”

“Chuuya? As in Nakahara Chuuya? The Guardian to the Heterodyne heirs?” Fukuzawa asked.

Kenji nodded. “We don’t know the entire story. By the time we joined the ranks he was gone, and the Family never really answers questions. Or, they didn’t. The Lady’s a bit different from the rest of them, from what I understand. And we’ve never met either of them- our tasks have kept us out of Mechanicsburg for the last few decades.”

“I heard it was because their daughters kept falling in love with him,” Atsushi said with a shrug. “Finally one of them- I think it was Saturnus’ father- banished him. Said he couldn’t come back until the Heterodyne called for him.”

“I see.” Fukuzawa frowned, then shook his head. “Alright. Tonight you are my guests. Tomorrow you’ll join the troops. Mori-dono reevaluates his personal guard once a year- you have six months to prove yourself if you want a chance at joining it. Be careful, though. If you stand out too much he might decide you’re worth… studying.”

“Heh. He sounds like the old Masters,” Atsushi said with a shrug. “Alright. We’ll be careful. Arigato, Fukuzawa-sama.”

“You’re welcome, Nakajima-kun. Sorry. Nakajima-san.”

Atsushi grinned. “Just Atsushi and Kenji, please.”

“Atsushi-san, then.”

“Close enough.” The Jäger stretched. “If it’s not too much trouble, Fukuzawa-sama, we’d like to tour the area a bit. It’s been a while since we’ve been in Japan, even longer since we’ve been to Yokohama, and it’s changed a lot.”

“Of course. I would be honored if you would join Tanizaki-san and I for dinner. And after, we can discuss the latest news of the Mori clan’s dealings.” Fukuzawa stood and moved to the door, then spoke to someone outside. A tall man joined them and bowed. “This is Kunikida. He is my chief advisor, not unlike your Lady’s seneschal. You will report to him.”

Atsushi and Kenji returned the bow. “Kunikida-san.”

“Atsushi-san. Kenji-san.” Kunikida straightened. “Your beds are ready. You’ll be housed in the barracks. Your commanding officer knows of your… peculiarities, but no one else. If you have any problems please report them to him. Or to me, if he isn’t available.”

“Yes, Kunikida-san.” Atsushi inclined his head. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Fukuzawa-sama.”

“You as well. Until dinner.”

“Until dinner.”

Chuuya, as Master Arah, mingled with society once again. He didn’t usually make a habit of spending a lot of time in high society, but this was for the kids, and he had to prove he was still alive. Or at least that this incarnation of Master Arah was. He shook his head, dislodging that train of thought, and scanned the crowd again, looking for the kids just to keep an eye on them. Technically that wasn’t supposed to be his job tonight, but he took it very seriously. They were slowly making their way over to him, stopped every few feet by people who wanted to greet them for the first time. Eventually they made it over to him and he smiled at them, bowing in greeting.

“Welcome, young Master Osamu and Miss Kyouka. I hope you are finding tonight’s festivities enjoyable.”

“Master Arah,” Osamu replied, his brown eyes dancing even as he spoke formally. “It's good to finally meet you in person. My sister and I wanted to compliment you on your excellent craftsmanship.”

Kyouka nodded in agreement. “This kimono is extremely comfortable. And yes, we are, although being in this crowd is a little… overwhelming. We're not used to this many people.”

“Understandable,” Chuuya assured her, smiling warmly. “I’m sure the partygoers would understand if you wished to take a breather, although perhaps let your parents know first.”

“Oh, of course.” Osamu studied their friend. He looked… different, somehow, in a way the boy couldn't quite place. It was a good difference, though, so he pushed his curiosity aside for now. “I must say, Paris has been an eye-opener. I never knew there were this many fashion lines in existence.”

“It really is a lot to take in, is it not?” the redhead agreed, thinking back on all of the different styles he’d seen today. “Did you see anything in particular that you liked?”

Kyouka nodded. “Grandmother and Aunt Seffie took me shopping yesterday,” she said enthusiastically. “There was a really pretty gown in one of the shops- it was blue with a full skirt and lots of lace, but they didn’t have it in my size.”

“Hmm. If one of you remembers the name of the shop, I might be able to pull a few strings.” Chuuya winked at her with a smile. “Maybe I’ll just see about making you one for your birthday, how about that?”

“Hai, onegaishimasu. Arigato, Arah-san,” Kyouka said with a formal Japanese bow she'd learned from Naomi. The surprised look in Chuuya’s eyes was worth the effort of learning the phrases, and she resolved to continue her lessons next time they hung out. “I will ask Grandmother the name of it later.”

“You have been busy, petite,” the Jäger told her softly. “I was not aware you had started to learn Japanese.”

“Naomi’s been teaching me,” she said, just as quietly. “I'm not very good at reading it yet. It’s a lot to learn.”

“You'll get there,” he promised her with a smile. “It might be a bit confusing, but you're smart. You'll get the hang of it.”

Kyouka smiled back and bowed her head in thanks. Osamu smiled at her and gave a bow of his own. “I look forward to patronizing your establishment, Master Arah,” he said, laughter in his eyes. “Father says we might visit in the next day or two, if schedules permit.”

“Well then, I usually do not spend much time personally at my boutique, but I will make a concentrated effort to be present,” the bodyguard-turned-teacher promised them with another smile. “Do let me know if there is anything in particular you wish to see.”

“Of course.”

Osamu took Kyouka’s hand and led her away from the party. Somehow the twins managed to keep their expressions neutral- that is, until Osamu tugged them into an empty sitting room.

A single glance, and the two collapsed into maniacal giggles. “Oh gods,” Osamu said, when he finally managed to catch a breath, “that was fun.”

“Yes it was. It was nice to make Chuuya smile,” Kyouka agreed. “He hasn’t really been happy since before we left home.”

“I suppose we should do something about that. Maybe we can ask Uncle Axel? He knows Chuuya better than anyone,” Osamu mused. “Mother would help. She loves Chuuya almost as much as we do.”

“So do Father and Papa. I will talk to Auntie Zee at our next training session. She’ll get Uncle involved whether he wants to be or not,” Kyouka said with a grin. “We should get back out there. If we’re gone too long Papa’s liable to think you snuck out again.”

“Nah, it’s too well guarded.” Kyouka gave her brother a flat look. “What? Chuuya said I need to learn strategy, and that includes escape routes. It was an academic exercise.”

“Of course it was. Come on, General. Let’s go.”