It seemed like an eternity before Benimaru and Aaron received their acceptance letters, but after that, everything seemed to move by like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, Benimaru and Aaron were on the campus tour with Benimaru’s mom. “Goodness, this place is massive,” Maki looked across the campus in awe. “Hi there,” a girl approached Aaron, “are you going to be a student here?” “Sure am,” Aaron flashed a smile. “Well, I’m a junior here. If you need any help, here’s my number,” she slipped her number and waved. “Really? Already?” Benimaru chuckled and shook his head. “The nerve!” Maki huffed. “Are you new here?” another woman asked. “Sure am!” Aaron nodded. “That’s nice. I was talking to him, though,” the woman brushed a hair behind her ear. “Who?” Benimaru looked around, confused. “You, silly!” “M-me?” Benimaru stammered. “Of course!” She flashed a smile. “Y-yes! I’m new,” Benimaru nodded. “Well,” she held his hand, “If you need any help around campus, here’s my number.” Benimaru blushed and nodded. She giggled as she walked off, “So cute.” “My man,” Aaron clapped him on the back. “She really gave me her number,” Benimaru was reeling. “So, you boys are coming back home,” Maki’s eyebrow twitched. “Mom!” “Don’t worry, Mrs. O! I’ll keep an eye on the ‘so cute’ one here,” Aaron wrapped an arm around Benimaru and smiled really wide. “I’m more worried about you than I am him,” Maki sighed, “let’s just find the meeting area.” They were following the directions to get to the tour's starting point. At first, it seemed like they were lost until they heard a commotion. Vermillion University never pulls any punches when it comes to campus tours. The marching band played pep tunes while the cheer squad and dance teams hyped up the crowd. Many parents and their students were excitedly chattering as they watched the spectacle. “Welcome freshmen to Vermillion University,” the president of the university greeted, “today will begin your journey to the rest of your life. Be sure to take in the sights and note the resources available to you. At Vermillion, we want every student to succeed; however, it is up to you to take control of what’s available to you.” After his speech, they were broken into smaller groups to check out various aspects of the campus with the guide and ask questions. Everything seemed straightforward. It would just take some getting used to moving around a massive area. They would soon discover this wasn’t the only massive area they would need to navigate. “Mom, are you sure this is the right place?” Benimaru looked up nervously. Aaron simply whistled as he and Maki also started looking up. They entered the gate to a large acreage with a massive house in the middle. It seemed odd for a place like this to exist within a mile of a school that was smack dab in the middle of an urban area, but there it stood. “This is the address Charlie gave us, son,” Maki was also vexed. “Oh, good! You found it!” Charlie came from around back in a bikini and sun hat, holding a tray of drinks. “Charlie, what is this place?” Benimaru looked at her wide-eyed. “Your new home, silly,” Charlie passed him a beverage, “Tenseiga is grilling in the back, but I figured I’d give you the tour before we hit your welcome party!” Charlie led Aaron, Benimaru, and Maki through the massive red door that led into the foyer. “Okay, so the stairs on the right lead up to the wing in which you will be staying. Underneath, there is a door that leads to the dining area. To the right of that is the living area. I’ll show you the kitchen, but unless you want to see Tensei lose it, don’t go in there. Don’t worry, though, because the lounge area has plenty of snacks and a drink station, so there won’t be too much reason to go into the kitchen itself,” Charlie explained. “Why can’t we go into the kitchen?” Aaron was confused. “So… Tetsu and I got banned from the kitchen,” Charlie explained, “Tetsu set it on fire one too many times, and I apparently don’t understand how to put everything back. Tensei might make an exception for the two of you, though.” “Tensei does seem to be pretty particular about things,” Maki nodded. Charlie rolled her eyes, “Tell me about it. Under the left stairwell is the community bath. I had your rooms renovated to include your bathrooms, but otherwise, we all share the one down here.” “I can barely manage to share a bathroom with Beni and Sam,” Maki shook her head. “Oh, I promise you, mom, there’s plenty of space.” “What about the left-wing?” Benimaru asked. “It’s off-limits,” Charlie said in an icy tone. Benimaru jumped at her sudden change in demeanor, “Got it!” “What’s up there?” Aaron asked. “All you need to know is that it is off-limits, even to Tetsu and Tensei,” Charlie insisted, “I won't kick you out because you’re family, but there are dire consequences for entering that space.” They all looked in that direction and noted that it gave off an icy aura. “No more questions about it. Just don’t go up there,” Charlie redirected their attention, “Let’s go check out your rooms!” They all followed Charlie up the stairs to the bedrooms' hallway. “Tenseiga’s room is close to the stairwell on the north wall, and Tetsuya’s is by the end of the building on the south wall. Aaron, you’ll be staying next to Tetsu in front of Tensei’s room, and Beni, you will occupy the other room,” Charlie indicated, opening the door to Aaron’s room. Aaron whistled again, “This is bigger than my apartment.” “We moved all of your things in here already. Be sure to give the key to your apartment to Tensei so he can close out with the landlord,” Charlie explained as they poked around. “No closets?” Maki asked. “Aaron doesn’t like enclosed spaces, so we eliminated the closet and expanded his bathroom,” Charlie explained. “You didn’t have to go that far,” Aaron was surprised. “It’s no big deal. We want you two to be as comfortable as possible. Let’s go check out Beni’s room.” Benimaru’s room was also spacious, but there was plenty of closet space. Even so, the bathroom was still pretty large. “The floors are heated in here!” Benimaru exclaimed. “Well, you do tend to get cold easily, so this room has its own climate controls, and the floors are heated,” Charlie nodded. “That’s pretty extreme, but I already feel comfortable here,” Benimaru nodded. “Excellent!” “Charlie?” “Yes?” “There are four rooms on this side? Where do you sleep?” Benimaru asked, “we aren’t taking your room, are we?” “No. If I am not in the left-wing, I am in Tetsu’s room,” Charlie explained. “Ah!” Benimaru blushed, “I see.” “Let’s head down to look at the other areas!” Charlie continued the charge. “This is the dining area. We have also optimized this space so you can study here if you don’t feel like doing so in your rooms,” Charlie swept her hand across a room with a wooden table that could seat roughly ten people. It seemed like an old-school table, but ports were built in to charge devices if needed. “The living area is this way,” Charlie led them through the door on the left. “That is one huge TV,” Benimaru gaped. “Too big?” Charlie asked. “Did— you get that specifically for us?” Benimaru asked. “Yes. None of us really have the time to sit and watch TV, but we wanted to make sure you all had the space to relax,” Charlie explained, “I did get a couch for each of us, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share if you want to.” They finished the tour in the community bath. “Is— that a pool?” Aaron looked confused. “No, no. It’s the bathtub. The pool is out back,” Charlie explained, “As I’ve said, we all bathe together, but we built your bathrooms as a courtesy if you want bath time to be private time.” Benimaru sighed in relief, “Thank you.” “No problem! Tensei should be about done with the food so let’s head out back!” — When they made it out back, Sam and Tenseiga were chatting by the grill, catching up. Tetsuya was nowhere to be found. “Is he on a job?” Aaron asked. “No. He’s sulking. Pops and Tenseiga like to double team him,” Charlie glared at them, which caused the two men to jump. “It’s all in good fun, Charlie!” Sam waved his hands, laughing. Charlie shook her head before yelling out, “Tetsu! Aaron is here!” Tenseiga and Sam glanced at each other, smirking. “W-wait, he’s not going to jump?” Benimaru looked on nervously. Benimaru, Aaron, and Maki jumped when Tetsuya did, in fact, jump off the roof. Sam and Tenseiga facepalmed. “Idiot,” they said simultaneously. He landed gracefully, then ran up and put his arm around Aaron. “About damn time!” Tetsuya laughed, “let’s go play ball! Hey!” Maki spun Tetsuya around to examine him, “That was reckless! What if you had broken your neck, Tetsu?” “I— come down like that all the time,” he tried to sound reassuring, “Ouch!” Maki started pulling his ear, “You aren’t going to do it anymore, right?” Tetsuya shook her off, “I’m not sure who’s worse, the idiot fox, the pompous emperor, or you.” Tetsuya stalked off, grumbling. “I was just concerned,” Maki sighed. “It’s okay, Mrs. O,” Aaron pat her on the shoulder, “I’ll go talk to him.” “Right,” she nodded. “Don’t worry about that hooligan, dear,” Sam wrapped his arms around her, glaring after Tetsuya. Maki shook him off, “I don’t like how you and Tenseiga bully him.” Sam was shocked that Maki shook him off and a Tenseiga was shocked she used his full first name. “Also, the fact that he puts you on some pedestal with an honorific makes it worse,” Maki scolded, “You really should be ashamed.” “The real shame is that my daughter is interested at all,” Sam muttered, “halfbreed…” Charlie leered, “Is that what you think of him? Really? Is that really the language you want to use, pops?” “No! I only mean—“ “Forget it,” Charlie stomped off. Tenseiga facepalmed, “Your level of hypocrisy knows no bounds, my old friend.” Sam kicked himself, realizing what he had just done. “I’ll go talk to her,” Tenseiga sighed, having pulled all the food from the fire. — “Hey, man,” Aaron caught up to Tetsuya, who was furiously dribbling and passing a basketball against the wall, “you know Mrs. O didn’t mean anything by that, right?” “I have nothing against her,” Tetsuya kept tossing the ball. “Then what was that?” Aaron stole the ball, dribbling and shooting through the hoop, “That’s one.” “Cheater,” Tetsuya picked up the ball, “I barely tolerate that stupid fo— I mean Tenseiga, and I know the prince— I mean Charlie’s father barely tolerates me. The rivalry with Tenseiga I can deal with. The intolerance from the other guy, I cannot.” Tetsuya did a fake-out and took a shot, “We’re even.” Aaron took the ball, “Not for long. I don’t understand why you took that out on Mrs. O just now, though. Hah! Two to one.” “We both suck at defense,” Tetsuya shook his head, “It’s just weird for someone other than Charlie to care.” “Shit, you’re right. We’re even again,” Aaron shook his head, “You know Beni, and I care right.” “Well, you shouldn’t,” Tetsuya dropped the ball, “I think I’m going to go back to the roof.” Aaron watched him scale the house, “Man, that guy hates talking about his feelings, but he’s damn good at parkour.” — “Charlotte, will you stop walking away from me?” Tenseiga followed Charlie to the foyer. “What excuse are you going to make for my father now, Tensei?” Charlie whipped around and crossed her arms, “I’ll be impressed if you do because regardless of whether he forgot his daughter is a halfling, it’s a pretty shit thing to say.” Tenseiga was quiet for a moment, “There is no excuse for that comment…” “If you know that, then why are you here?” Charlie glared. “To check on you. I know that was hurtful,” Tenseiga tried to console her. “Forget it,” Charlie shrugged him off and walked away. “Don’t you go up to that room before you talk to me,” Tenseiga followed her to the bottom of the stairwell. Charlie blew a raspberry at him before disappearing into the left-wing. — “You’re here early,” a figure stepped out of the darkness. “We have work to do,” Charlie pulled on her cloak. “You spent extra time making a waitlist for purgatory just so you have the week to spend with your brothers,” the figure noted. “Well, plans change. You should know that more than anyone,” Charlie rolled her eyes. “Did my brother put his foot in his mouth again?” The figure asked. Charlie grumbled as the figure laughed. “What’s so funny?” “Just remembering some stuff about him. It feels like it’s been eons since I’ve seen him last.” “I’m sorry, Uncle Mal,” Charlie conceded, “I know you’re pretty much confined to this space until it’s time to work.” “It’s no big deal, Charles,” Mal reassured her, “if I got out, all of existence would descend into utter calamity again. I should stay here.” “Right,” Charlie slumped down, resting her head in her hands. “So— what did he say?” “He made comments on how Tetsu is a halfbreed,” Charlie’s voice was muffled by her hands. “Ouch… even as chaos itself, I can feel the stench of that hypocrisy. Pretty low of him,” Mal wrapped an arm around Charlie, “I just want you to know though that in his eyes, no one is good enough for you.” “Well, he better check that attitude. I barely dragged Tetsu out of his cave in the first place,” Charlie huffed, “It had to have been lonely for him to exist in a time when killing dragons was a sport.” Mal nodded, “It is difficult being an outcast. My brother chose to descend from paradise, so he still sits in a mindset of privilege. You, me, and Tetsuya didn’t get such a luxury. Just know, your father is the better one of our siblings.” “My cousins remind me of that every time we have a stupid meeting. I don’t even need to go! I’m the most organized, and my notes are straightforward even Chad can understand them…” “I know, but the reaper has to be present,” Mal pat her head, “at least you do me proud. I would have beat all of them. A wealth of patience is my beautiful niece.” “Thanks, uncle,” Charlie smiled. “Now, take off that cloak, drag Tetsuya off of the roof, and enjoy your time in the sun with your family,” Mal stood her up. “Do I have to?” “Need I remind you how lucky you are to be able even to be outside to enjoy it?” “You’re right, uncle. I’m sorry,” Charlie hugged him, “One day, we will figure out your power so you can go outside.” “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve existed like this since my brothers created order,” Mal hugged her, “Don’t waste a second of yours trying to help me do anything more than assist in guiding souls through the void.” “Okay,” Charlie sighed. “Now scoot! Off you go,” Mal took her cloak and shoved her back through the gate of the void back into the plane behind the door. — “T-Tetsu,” Benimaru trembled as he crawled across the roof. “What are you doing up here, you fool?” Tetsuya sat up. “I just wanted to talk to you—“ Benimaru slipped. Tetsuya caught him by the nape of his hoodie, “It’s pretty foolish for someone with as short a life span who is as accident prone as you to be up here.” Benimaru clung to Tetsuya, “Well, I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” “I-I’m fine,” Tetsuya stammered, holding onto Benimaru. “Why do I feel like you’re not being completely honest?” Benimaru trembled. “What’s it to yo—“ “Tetsu?” “Why are you up here, too?” Tetsuya grabbed hold of Maki before she fell too. “I just wanted to check on you to make sure you’re okay,” Maki held onto him, “My, you’re strong.” “So the two of you decided you’re going to climb up to the roof to check on me?” Tetsuya shook his head, “Do you know how crazy that is?” “I don’t think it’s any crazier than you jumping from this height,” Maki and Benimaru looked down before burying their faces into Tetsuya. “They are just alike,” Tetsuya rolled his eyes. “Okay, if I come down to eat, will you stop bugging me?” “No! You need to talk about your feelings, young man,” Maki reprimanded as Benimaru nodded. Tetsuya’s face twitched as he thought, “I’ve got a couple of centuries on you, lady.” “Why do you care?” Tetsuya muttered. “Because I consider you part of this family, too,” Maki insisted. Tetsuya laughed, “Your husband doesn’t seem to think so.” “Well, my husband is sleeping on the couch until he apologizes,” Maki stated firmly. “Are you sure you want to do that? It’ll be a cold day in hell before he even considers it,” Tetsuya shook his head. “Oh, he will apologize,” Maki insisted, with a cold conviction in her aura. “Scary,” Tetsuya and Benimaru thought at the same time. “Tetsu, you’ve always been prickly and intimidating, at least on the surface. I think deep down you want to be friendly. You’re just shy,” Benimaru shivered. “I wouldn’t say shy, but— anyway, let’s get the two of you down. You both don’t do well with the cold,” Tetsuya tossed them both over his shoulders. “WAIT!” Maki and Benimaru shouted. “What? I was going to take the stairs this time,” Tetsuya shook his head. The two sighed in relief as Tetsuya laughed, making his way back inside the house through a window. — “Charlie!” Sam and Tenseiga exclaimed. “Save it. I came back out because Uncle Mal reminded me of how lucky I am even to be outside,” Charlie held up a hand. “How is he?” Sam asked. “Still as chipper as ever for someone who can’t leave the void,” Charlie smirked at his pep talk. “That’s my brother,” Sam gave a small smile, “Hey you! Why are you carrying my wife like that?” “Well, she decided she wanted to climb on the roof, so I had to bring her and pretty boy back down here,” Tetsuya set them down. Sam rushed over, “Honey, why would you go up there for him?” “Because he is part of this family, and you owe him an apology,” Maki crossed her arms. “I owe him no such thing!” Sam exclaimed. “Well, I hope you’ll enjoy your time on the couch,” Maki flipped her hair and walked away to engage Tenseiga. “That was a pretty shitty thing to say, pops,” Benimaru bowed to Tetsuya as a thank you before joining Aaron, who was sunning himself by the pool. “Benimaru rarely uses profanity,” Sam sighed. “I tried to tell her it would be a cold day in hell before you said a single kind thing to me,” Tetsuya shrugged and started walking away. “Wait! I can’t have been that unkind,” Sam stopped him. “The second Charlie chose me, you've been nasty. Do you not think I have considered she deserves better than me?” Tetsuya shrugged him off, “Of course she does!” Sam didn’t have anything to say. “At the very least since she seems not to want to change her mind, I’ve tried to be someone you’d even halfway consider good enough, but there’s nothing I can do that would be good enough for you,” Tetsuya crossed his arms, “this is stupid. Just lie and say you apologized, and you can go back to hating me.” “I… don’t hate you, Tetsuya,” Sam’s face was grave. “You sure have a funny way of showing it. I could care less what the idiot fox thinks, but out of respect for you as the emperor and father to— someone so important to me, I try my best,” Tetsuya shook his head, “Anyway, I’m done getting into my feelings. Let’s just keep the status quo and pretend I never spilled my guts like a weakling.” Tetsuya walked off. Sam sat by himself, “My, my. I guess I can remove myself from paradise, but I can’t remove the stench of hypocrisy.” He clenched his fist, “I had a hand in creating this world. I don’t owe anyone anything. They wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for myself and my siblings.” “Is that the attitude you should take, sire?” Tenseiga plopped down next to him, “I will always be by your side as your servant and a servant to the princess.” “Thanks, Tensei,” Sam smiled. “But as your best friend, I do have to remind you that you’re being a total douchebag,” Tenseiga sipped his daiquiri. “Ugh… okay. Okay. I hear you all,” Sam sighed, “I’ll apologize.” “As much as it pains me to see you do so to that fool, he did earn it,” Tenseiga nodded. The two men approached the group. Maki was serving up food. Sam cleared his throat and approached Tetsuya, who stood up. “Listen, Tetsuya,” Sam began. “Sir?” “I have been unkind towards you and gave the impression that I hate you. I don’t,” Sam said, “You’re dependable, and you care about my daughter.” “This isn’t necessary,” Tetsuya shifted uncomfortably. “No. It is, son,” Sam touched his shoulder, “I’m sorry.” “Now give him a hug,” Maki encouraged. “What?” They both said. “Yes, I think he does deserve a hug,” Aaron smirked into his margarita. Tetsuya’s face twitched, “We are playing football next…” Charlie gave them doe eyes, “For me?” The two men blushed, “Well, if it’s for you…” They awkwardly embraced. Charlie and Benimaru joined the group hug. Benimaru squeezed them, “See? Was that so hard?” “You’re usually pretty awkward about this,” Tetsuya pointed out, wondering if this is how Benimaru feels all the time. “Some girl gave him her number today. Just let him have this moment of confidence,” Aaron also joined the group hug. “Wait, what happened now?” Sam and Tetsuya exclaimed. “SSH…” Aaron squeezed, “this particular moment is about the two of you.” Sam whispered, “I don’t hate you, but I’ll ease up on picking on you, so we don’t end up in this situation again.” Tetsuya whispered, “I’m glad you don’t hate me, but I hate this touchy-feely crap. How long are we going to be stuck in the middle of this group hug clinging to each other?” They both looked down at everyone else and resigned that they probably had another two minutes of it before they continued the party.