Authors' Note: Bit of a time-jump here -- Luke is thirteen, and Guy is seventeen, and Van is twenty-three. Speaking of Van, you get a nice change of pace by having the first part of this chapter be from his perspective. I tried to write it from Guy's and then from Luke's, but it just seemed to fit the best coming from Van's. Hope you don't mind. :)
Bonds of Brotherhood
Seven: One Who Would Seize Glory
There wasn't very much that surprised Commandant Vandesdelca Grants anymore. After the destruction of Hod, he'd sworn to never again fall victim to surprise -- to never again let himself be at fate's mercy. But even so, sometimes there were things that even he could predict, things that caught him off-guard and unsure of what to do next. Sometimes, there were things that could make his perfectly controlled expression falter for just a half-second, just enough time to let everyone around him know that he wasn't expecting the sight before his eyes.
Gailardia Galan Gardios and the replica Luke fon Fabre were in the garden, unaware of his presence. Luke, it seemed, was trying to reach something up in a tree -- a kite, it seemed -- and as a result Gailardia was balancing Luke on his shoulders, letting Luke ride on top of him. Luke was laughing, seeming to enjoy the ride more than the attempt to get the kite, and Gailardia was smiling as well, though his smile looked a bit sheepish and exasperated.
"Luke, c'mon. Just grab the kite, it's right there!"
"I'm trying, Guy, but you're not moving close enough! Move closer!"
"I'm right up against the tree! Why don't you just climb up and get it your--"
"No, I've almost got it! Jeez, Guy, if you'd just spend less time complaining and more time moving closer--"
"I'm close enough! It's right there!"
"Maybe if I stand up--"
"On my shoulders? Are you cra--hey, Luke!"
"Hang on, I've almost got it!"
As Luke tried to stand on Guy's shoulders, wobbling unsteadily as he tried to kneel first, Van stepped out into the garden, deciding to make his presence known at last.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but would you happen to be Young Master Luke fon Fabre?"
Guy and Luke turned at the same time, Luke placing both hands on top of Guy's head to keep from falling, both eyes going wide, though in different ways; Luke merely looked curious, whereas Guy's blue eyes widened in shock before his expression shifted into mere recognition. Van nodded once in his direction, the coldness he felt toward Luke tempered by the warmth he felt for Guy. Guy had certainly grown in the years they'd been apart, changed dramatically from the trembling five-year-old who'd been afraid of everything to the seventeen-year-old that Van saw before him. Van regretted not being able to see that change for himself.
"Yeah? And who are you?" Luke's tone was almost rude, and if Van had cared more, he might have felt offended.
"That's the Commandant, Luke," Guy said, and his voice sounded strangely choked, his eyes not leaving Van's face. "The Commandant of the Order of Lorelei."
"Commandant of the Order of Lorelei?" Luke leaned down, craning his neck to get a good look at Guy's face, though Guy still didn't look away from Van. "What's that?"
"You know what the Order of Lorelei is, Luke. I told you. They're stationed in Daath and they protect Yulia's Score." Luke's expression showed that he very clearly didn't understand, but he said nothing. "The Commandant is the leader of the Oracle Knights, the soldiers that serve the Order of Lorelei."
"You're quite knowledgeable," Van remarked, but Guy still seemed to be too shell-shocked to feel anything else, for his expression didn't change.
"I need to be."
"Everything that he has said is correct, Luke," Van said, shifting his gaze to the redhead sitting on Guy's shoulders. Luke looked up, leaning forward on Guy's head once more, watching Van curiously. "I am Commandant Van Grants of the Order of Lorelei. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"What are you doing here?" Luke asked, not returning the courtesy. Van's forced cordial smile turned into something of a smirk. Luke had none of the manners that Asch had. If Van didn't know better, he'd say that the replica hadn't grown up as a replacement noble after all. "I mean, why'd you come looking for me?"
Van put one hand on his sword hilt, something that seemed to draw Luke's eyes like a magnet, before speaking ahead. "At the request of Duke Fabre, I'm going to begin giving you lessons in sword training, Luke. According to your parents, it's something you're very excited to learn. Were they--"
"You are?!" Luke interrupted, a broad grin breaking across his face. He'd sat up straighter, knocking his feet against Guy's chest and his hands against Guy's head, which caused Guy to wince and seemed to break him free of the shock-induced stupor he'd been in before. "Awesome! When do we start? Can we start soon? Can we start now?"
Van laughed -- he couldn't help it. Despite the fact that Luke was only a replica -- just a pawn set to die in Asch's place in the next four years -- his enthusiasm was amusing. Then again, the very fact that he thought that he was the actual Luke fon Fabre was amusing. "That was the plan," he said. "That is, if Guy would care to put you down."
"Yeah, Guy, put me down." Luke tapped Guy's head impatiently. Guy rolled his eyes, crouching down so that Luke could hop off his shoulders.
"Take it easy, Luke. Van's not going anywhere." Guy's eyes flashed back up to Van's face, and despite the fact that he'd grown accustomed to reading people's moods based off their expressions, Van couldn't place the emotion in Guy's suddenly dark blue eyes. "Are you?"
"Not for a little while," Van answered, locking gazes with Guy. "I do need to give Luke his first lesson, after all." Van looked down at Luke, who was practically bouncing on the spot, looking ready to explode with excitement. "Luke, why don't you go grab your sword? We will meet in the courtyard to begin your first lesson."
"Yes, sir!" Luke turned to run off, yet then stopped, spinning on the spot. "Or, should I call you master? You're going to give me more than just this lesson, aren't you?"
"Unless Duke Fabre changes your mind about your sword training, then yes, I am."
"He better not. I'd be so mad if he did! But all right! I'll get my sword and be in the courtyard in a flash, Master Van!" Turning again, Luke bolted toward the manor, throwing open the closest door and sprinting inside without even bothering to shut the door again. Without a word Guy walked after, shutting the door behind Luke with a shake of his head.
"He gets so excited that he doesn't even think . . ."
"So he's always this energetic, Gailardia Galan?" Van spoke as he turned to walk toward the courtyard, but he saw Guy stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and could see the troubled expression on Guy's face as the blond swordsman turned back toward Van.
"Luke's temperamental. He can be bored and lethargic one second and thrilled and energetic the next." Guy jogged until he could match stride with Van, and Van glanced over to see that Guy's eyes were once again focused intently on his own face. "How did this happen?"
"How did what happen?"
"How did you end up here, teaching Luke? I knew that Duke Fabre was going to hire someone to teach Luke the ways of the sword, but I didn't know it would be you."
"Why wouldn't it? Though he may not remember, this is not the first time he's met me." It wasn't a lie. Van had, after all, been there when the replica was created. Had heard every one of Asch's screams as the data was extracted from him to create the replica, had seen the replica when it was unconscious but breathing after first being created, each breath coming out ragged and shallow. He hadn't spent much time with the replica -- couldn't let the replica remember having seen him at Choral Castle -- but he'd been there when Sync had brought the clothes for the replica to be clothed in and when Dist had deposited him in an empty, cobwebbed room. "I'm familiar with the Duke and Duchess as well. It's only natural they would appoint me as his teacher."
"True. Come to think of it, I remember hearing something about you visiting the manor a long time ago. . . ." Guy looked away, down at the grass, before speaking up again. "Why didn't you come see me during those times? It wasn't as if you were forbidden. I've been Luke's babysitter since I got here."
"What reason would I have had to seek out a random servant? In the interest of keeping your true identity a secret, I had to pretend as if I didn't know you." Van reached out, putting a hand on Guy's shoulder. "Believe me, Gailardia, when I say I wish I could have sought you out."
"Yeah," Guy muttered, glancing up as they neared the courtyard. "Me too."
"Speaking of your position, however, it seems as if you are more than just his babysitter." Luke wasn't in the courtyard yet, leaving it empty, and open for conversation. As they moved to stand near the middle of it Van turned, facing Guy completely. "From what I saw before I interrupted, you two seem to be friends."
"Well, yeah. I mean, after we found him at Choral Castle, he had amnesia. He didn't remember anything, and because of that I ended up raising him . . ." Guy rubbed at the back of his head, looking distinctly troubled as he picked a random point beyond Van to focus on. "I guess that made us closer."
Amnesia. Van supposed that was what a replica's blank slate would look like to people who didn't know the difference. It was almost funny, in a way, how no one had noticed -- not Guy, who'd been Luke's appointed babysitter since he was a year old, nor his parents, who were responsible for his birth. None of them had realized that the replica deposited in their laps was just that -- a replica, while the real Luke fon Fabre was still missing. Van wondered how Asch would react if he heard Guy say that he was close to the replica, given that Asch himself had told Van that he and Guy never really had a close friendship. Van knew that Asch was already bitter about the replica taking his place in Baticul; he wondered how Asch would feel if that fact was flaunted in front of his face -- if he returned to the manor to see just how perfectly the replica seemed to fit in.
In a way, Van felt sorry for Asch. But a larger part of him didn't. Asch's life would be saved, after all, when he didn't get sent to Akzeriuth, but the replica did instead. The Score be damned, Van had done Asch a favor.
"It's funny how these things work out, isn't it?" Van asked, bringing Guy's attention back to him. "With how close you are to Luke now, it's almost as if you've forgotten about Hod."
"I haven't forgotten Hod, Vandesdelca." Guy's voice was as hard as his eyes, and Van's lips curled upward. Good. Hod was still a nerve to be struck. "But Luke had nothing to do with that -- Duke Fabre did."
"Isn't Luke part of your plan to get revenge on the Duke?"
"He --"
"Master Van, I'm ready!" Luke's voice rang out in the courtyard at the same time that a door was thrown open with enough force to crack back against the wall, and both Van and Guy turned in time to see Luke sprinting across the courtyard again, his red hair fanning out behind him. The tips of his hair were lighter than Asch's, Van noticed. Asch's hair was of a darker shade, whereas Luke's was more vibrant. It fits, he thought, closing his eyes briefly. The light of the sacred flame would have lighter hair than the charred remains of the sacred flame. As Luke came nearer to them he slowed down, looking over at Guy in confusion. "Guy? What are you doing here?"
Guy raised an eyebrow. "Do you not want me here, Luke?"
"Well, I'm the one getting trained, right? Right?" Luke looked back and forth between Van and Guy, frowning. "Master Van, you're not training Guy too, are you? He's already had a sword for a long time now! If he sucks, then it's too late to fix it, right?"
Van laughed, though the laughter wasn't as natural this time. All that Luke said sounded like nothing more than irrational babble. "Calm yourself, Luke. I'm only going to teach you."
"Yeah, I have a feeling Van's style wouldn't be right for me, anyway. Not that I suck," Guy stressed, reaching over to tap his knuckles lightly against the top of Luke's head, "but just because we have slightly different styles."
"How do you know?" Luke asked, still frowning in Guy's direction. Guy shrugged.
"We talked about it before you got here. Speaking of which, you sure took your sweet time. What was the hold up?"
"Mother wanted to give me a safety lecture." Luke rolled his eyes. "Like there's going to be any danger with Master Van!"
"Are you always so quick to trust, Luke?" Van asked, and Luke shook his head, his annoyed expression shifting into a smile as bright as the sun. Guy was right, he is temperamental.
"No, but you're here to teach me the sword, right? So there's no way you're a bad guy, especially since you're the Commandant of the Order of Lorelei. Nothing could go wrong!"
Van was entirely certain of one fact at that point: there was no way that Luke would get out of dying at Akzeriuth. He was far too naïve, far too trusting, far too stupid to get out of it. Van had barely known the replica for ten minutes, and yet the replica already trusted him completely. Van could only imagine how the replica would trust him in the coming years, especially in the time leading up to Akzeriuth's destruction. When the time came for Akzeriuth to meet the same fate as Hod, Van had no doubt that Luke would be the one to instigate it. No doubt whatsoever.
"I'm sure Van has plenty to teach you, Luke. I'll just watch from over there. I'm curious to see how this will go." Guy reached out, ruffling Luke's red hair, not even batting an eye as Luke reached up to swipe his hand away.
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up so Master Van and I can start, Guy!" Luke's head whipped back around to Van, all annoyance gone in favor of that newfound adoration. "We can start right away, right? I've got my sword and everything!" Luke held it up as evidence, his hand clasped tightly around the sheathed blade. Van nodded.
"Yes, we can start immediately, but first you'll need to equip that sword. Tell me, Luke, are you right or left handed?"
"Left," Luke answered immediately. The answer caused Van's brow to furrow. Asch was right handed, and as a perfect replica, Van would have expected the same to hold true for Luke. Then again, Luke was showing more personality than most replicas, even if he had been alive for three years. . . . Well, it didn't matter.
"Then you'll want to equip your sword in a way that will make it easily accessible to your left hand," Van said, walking forward to take the sword from Luke's hands. "Judging from its length it wouldn't do for it to be strapped to your back, and I'm not able to picture you carrying yours as I carry mine--"
"Why not? Yours looks so cool the way you carry it, Master Van," Luke interrupted, his green eyes flashing briefly down to the sword Van carried on his hip. Van smiled thinly.
"It wouldn't suit you, Luke. However . . ." Van reached down, hooking the sword to the back of Luke's belt so that it was strapped behind him, the hilt sticking out to the left. "If you equip it this way, then--"
"Agh!"
"Luke!"
Without warning Luke cried out, his face contorting in pain and his hands going to his head as he fell to his knees. Guy was across the courtyard and by his side in a flash, one hand on Luke's shoulder, his full attention on the replica. Van watched the scene through narrowed eyes, recognizing the energy pulsing off Luke. It's similar to hyperresonance, he thought. But why would it be active now . . . ?
"Luke, are you okay?" Guy asked, and his voice brought Van back to the present as Luke lowered his hands, his expression relaxing. Luke nodded.
"Y - Yeah . . . It's going away now. It's gone."
"Are you sure? Maybe you should go inside and get some rest. It's been a little while since you've had one of those headaches, and--"
"I said I'm fine! Jeez, Guy, you're starting to sound like Mother." Luke stood up, Guy standing with him, and Guy folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm just looking out for you, Luke. Your headache might be gone, but you still look pale."
"But I feel fine. Besides, it's not like going inside'll do me any good. I'll just be bored, and the doctors don't know what causes these headaches, anyway. It's just been happening ever since the incident with Malkuth."
"Incident with Malkuth?" Van asked. Both Luke and Guy looked over at him, their expressions suggesting that they almost forgot his presence. Luke nodded, reaching up to absently rub at his temple again. Van saw Guy's eyes dart to Luke, and noticed how Guy seemed to frown at the action.
"Yeah. Three years ago I was kidnapped by the Malkuth empire. Ever since then I've had amnesia and I get these stupid headaches."
"I see." Van rested one hand upon his sword hilt, scrutinizing Luke. Asch didn't receive any similar headaches, and Van had to wonder if it was because of the replication process that Luke did. Then again, why would the replication process activate mild hyperresonance randomly? Luke was comprised entirely out of seventh fonons, true, and he had the power of hyperresonance just as Asch did, but to receive spontaneous headaches . . . it didn't make sense.
"In any case, Luke, Van said that he'd be here for a little while. So you really should get some rest. I'm sure he'll be willing to train with you later."
"No, Guy, I want to train now! My headache's gone, so why don't you just let me train and be done with it? Master Van? Can we start training now?" Luke looked back to Van, his expression screaming impatience, and Van looked over at Guy, who was visibly bothered. Van smiled.
"I don't see the harm in it, so long as you're feeling all right." Luke let out a wordless cheer, punching the air with his fist, and Guy looked even more disgruntled than before. "Guy, why don't you stay and watch? That way, if Luke does face any sort of difficulties, you can take him back into the manor."
"Yeah, I'll do that." Guy took a deep breath and let it out, seeming to relax at that, and then walked back over to sit on the bench he'd been occupying previously. Luke sent Guy an annoyed look before turning his full attention back to Van, looking as energetic and eager as a young puppy.
"Ready when you are, Master Van!"
"Good, Luke. Good. The first thing we'll need to work on is your stance . . ."
Van's training had only lasted for an hour and a half before he called it quits, using dinner as the main reason. To Luke's delight, Van had stayed to have dinner in the manor, and all throughout dinner Luke pestered Van with questions, his attention held fast by the Commandant. As a servant, Guy wasn't allowed to eat dinner with the rest of them, but against his better judgment he'd listened by the door. If he said he wasn't a little jealous he'd be lying, but truth be told, Guy wasn't sure if he was more jealous of Luke for getting to have such an extended conversation with Van, or if he was more jealous of Van for getting such adoration from Luke -- adoration that Luke had previously only shown to him.
Van had left the manor after dinner -- citing going back to his room at the Baticul inn as his reason -- but even after he left he was all Luke could talk about, telling anyone who would listen about how cool Master Van was and how excited he was for future lessons, and how much he'd learned already. In truth, all he'd learned was a proper stance and the proper way to draw his sword, but if you asked Luke, he was already well on his way to become a practiced swordsman.
"I just already feel so strong!" Luke gushed, closing his journal and turning to face Guy. From his vantage point on Luke's windowsill, Guy had seen Luke write a full three pages about the day's events. Normally it was a struggle to get him to even write one. "Master Van is seriously the coolest person alive, hands down."
"Even cooler than me?" Guy asked, his tone teasing and light. Luke rolled his eyes.
"No contest. Seriously, Guy, how could you even hope to compare?" Luke got out of his chair and ran over to jump on his bed, crawling across it until he was sitting up against his pillows, closer to Guy. Guy frowned.
"Gee, thanks, Luke."
"I'd say sorry, but I was only speaking the truth. Not my fault if the truth hurts."
Now it was Guy's turn to roll his eyes, though he let the subject drop. He couldn't really blame Luke for being so enamored with Van; after all, Van was an amazing person. He'd been somewhat of a mentor to Guy before the destruction of Hod, before the slaughter of his family. Van exuded an air of superiority that didn't feel condescending or insulting, and so it was only natural for Luke to feel so attached to Van, especially with the promise of swordplay.
But that didn't really help to take the sting off.
"How often do you think Master Van'll come around?" Luke asked, breaking Guy free of his thoughts. Guy sighed.
"I don't know, Luke. As Commandant of the Oracle Knights, he's a pretty busy guy. Maybe once a month, if you're lucky."
"Once a month?! That's too long of a wait! Once a week sounds better. Or maybe twice a week. Or maybe every day." Luke grinned so broadly Guy was surprised it didn't hurt his cheeks. "Wouldn't it be awesome if he could come every day?"
"Yeah. Really awesome."
"You don't sound too excited," Luke noted, and then laughed. "But I guess that's because you don't get to be trained by him. Jealous, Guy?"
"Laugh it up, Luke. Laugh it up. He'll be knocking you flat in no time. Van's not the Commandant for nothing, after all; once you start sparring with him, I'm sure you'll have your fair share of having your face meet the ground."
"Yeah, right! I'll be a master swordsman in no time flat! You just watch and see!"
Guy chuckled. "Well, if you wanna be a master swordsman, you're going to need to get your sleep. And for that, I'll need to leave so that you can get it."
"You always leave so early nowadays," Luke complained, his bright smile gone in favor of a pout. "What's the rush?"
"No rush. I just think you need some sleep. Besides, you hang out with me all day. No need for me to keep you awake all night talking, too." Guy saluted with two fingers, swinging his legs over to hop out of Luke's window. "G'night, Luke."
Luke heaved an exaggerated sigh, but Guy could see the smile in his eyes. "'Night, Guy."
Guy hopped down from Luke's window, starting across the yard to go to his own room. Halfway across, though, he stopped, one hand going down to his sheath, the other to the hilt of his sword. The outer edge of the manor was surrounded by trees, and he was almost positive that he detected movement from behind one of them. There were guards on duty around the clock to guard against intruders getting into the manor -- even three years after the kidnapping the Duchess was not about to ease up on the protection -- but guards weren't always foolproof. If they were, then Luke wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place.
A flash of movement to his right caught Guy's eye and Guy spun, unsheathing his sword just in time to have it met by another blade. The sound of steel against steel rang out in the silent grass, but Guy didn't stop there, bringing his sheath up in a swing toward the intruder's head. The intruder parried Guy's initial swing, twisting his arm to knock Guy's sheath to the side. Guy jumped back to put a bit of distance between himself and the intruder before swinging his sword in a low arc, the shockwave from a Demon Fang cutting across the grass.
The intruder sidestepped the attack, following through to close the distance between them once again. Quicker than Guy could dodge the intruder kicked him, knocking Guy back onto the ground and simultaneously knocking the air from Guy's lungs. Guy moved to sit up, but the point of the intruder's sword was beneath his chin before he could, causing him to be as still as he could manage under the circumstances.
"You fight well, Gailardia Galan." The deep rumble was instantly familiar and Guy's eyes widened as he got his first good look at the intruder. Van chuckled, pulling his sword away and sheathing it before extending a hand to Guy. "However, you'll want to work on not leaving yourself so open. I shouldn't have been able to get the edge on you so easily."
"Yeah, well, you're the Commandant of the Order of Lorelei. I'm Luke's babysitter. Obviously you're going to get more practice than I am, aren't you?" Guy reached up and took Van's hand, allowing Van to pull him to his feet before he put his own sword away. "Jeez, but did you have to just attack me like that? What are you doing back here, anyway? You left hours ago, and I'm sure the guards were more than a bit surprised to see you back."
Van smiled, and Guy got the feeling that he was missing something. "The guards don't even know I'm here."
"What? How'd you manage that one?"
"I have my ways."
Guy frowned, but Van seemed inclined to not say more on the subject. Instead, he started walking off, and motioned for Guy to follow him. Any fatigue that Guy might have felt from being up all day was gone in the face of seeing Van again, and he followed without a single word of protest.
"It has been a long time since I last saw you," Van began. "A long time before today, I mean. You've grown quite a bit, Gailardia."
"You've changed a lot yourself, Van. It's been twelve years, after all." Guy put his hands in his pockets, taking in a deep breath and letting it out again. Van chuckled.
"Yes . . . I suppose I have, but not as much as you. What is that you're wearing around your neck?" At Van's words, Guy's hand moved up to touch the medallion that rested against the base of his neck. "It looks like a dog collar."
"It's a choker," Guy answered, and he couldn't help the fact that his correction sounded a little defensive. "Luke gave it to me two years ago. I guess you could call it a symbol of our friendship."
"Your friendship? Hmm."
"What?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just that you really are close to him, aren't you?"
"It's been three years since I found him at Choral Castle, and a lot has happened since then." Guy looked up, his eyes tracing over the fon belt that streaked through the starry sky. "Nothing really traumatic or anything -- not in the grand scheme of things, anyway -- but . . . well, a lot of days have passed, and I've spent every one of them with Luke, for the most part. When we first found him, he couldn't even remember how to walk. I had to teach him that. I had to teach him everything. So of course I grew close to him, Van. How could I not?"
"Hm." Van grunted a short laugh, and Guy looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "The way you talk, it seems as if you treat him more like a brother than a master or friend."
Guy stopped, turning to face Van fully, and Van mimicked the action. "Yeah, but I'm not the first servant to treat his young master like that, am I?" Guy asked quietly. "I learned from the best, Vandesdelca Fende."
Van was silent, and Guy almost felt as if Van was searching him for something, as if Van's gaze could pierce deeper than a normal person's. Seconds later, though, and Van smiled, reaching out to put a hand on Guy's shoulder.
"I suppose you did, Master Gailardia." Van removed his hand, looking back toward the manor, his voice returning to its normal volume. "I doubt that I have to say this, given what you've already told me, but do your best to keep him safe, Gailardia. Keep him out of trouble for me."
"For you?" Guy furrowed his brow. Van nodded.
"Yes. I still plan to resurrect Mary -- and the rest of Hod -- and I feel that Luke will prove instrumental in making that dream a realization." Van glanced over at Guy. "From everything you've told me so far, I trust that you still wish for that to happen?"
Guy felt a lump the size of a cinderblock slide into his throat, cutting off his words. How was Luke instrumental to resurrecting Hod? Then again, Guy didn't see how it would be possible to bring his sister or Hod back to begin with, but if Van had his ways . . . did he really want it to happen?
"Gailardia?"
"Yeah." Guy nodded, making his decision before he could over-think it, swallowing the cinderblock so that it landed in his stomach instead. "I do."
"Then keep Luke safe. I promise that there will be a time for both your revenge against the Duke and King and the resurrection of Hod later, but you must keep Luke safe for now." Guy smiled wryly, canting his weight to one side.
"Like you said before, you really don't need to tell me to do that."
There was something in Van's answering smile that Guy couldn't place -- couldn't even tell if he liked it or not. "Good." Van glanced at something over Guy's shoulder, then, and before Guy could turn to see what it was placed one hand upon Guy's head. "I must be going now. I really only came to speak to you, since Luke didn't give us very much time earlier." Guy could hear the amusement in Van's voice, and he chuckled a bit in response. "Until next time, Gailardia Galan."
"See you, Van." Van was turning away before Guy finished his sentence, and despite his size seemed to disappear quickly into the trees. It wasn't until he was gone that Guy sensed the presence behind him, and he turned to find one of the manor guards striding up to him, a frown on the guard's face.
"Guy? What are you doing out here so late? I thought you were an intruder."
"Just thought I'd take a walk. No need to worry, Liam." Guy shrugged, making his grin a bit larger and more easygoing. Liam smiled in response, the exact reaction Guy was looking for.
"Bit weird to take a walk this late at night, but if you say so . . ."
"I do, but now I think I'm gonna get some sleep. Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow, and no doubt Master Luke will run me ragged."
"Yeah, no kidding. I swear, if he tries to leave the manor grounds one more time . . ." Liam made strangling motions in the air and Guy laughed, reaching out to clap Liam on the shoulder once as he walked past.
"Don't worry, I'll keep him out of trouble. Breathe easy, Liam." After all, I promised both Luke and Van. Can't let them down, can I? What kind of brother would I be?
"I'll try, Guy, I'll try. Get some sleep, yeah?"
Guy turned to look back at Liam, but instead looked past him, almost able to see the ghost of Van where he'd stood. "Yeah," he responded, tearing his eyes away, his casual demeanor a bit more forced than it had been. "I'll try."
Authors' Note: I can't remember if Guy knew that Van was trying to raise Hod and then just changed his mind and was against it later, or if he never knew in the first place (though I know that he never knew that Van was the one to kidnap Luke and that the Luke he raised was a replica until later). I think he did, though -- he just didn't realize that Van would be using fomicry to do it, because Van likes to keep secrets.
Van's dog collar comment was half because I thought it was a Van thing to say, and half because it's true, as Fuuga pointed out. :) So that one's for you, Fuuga. I hope I kept Van well enough in character; it's my first time ever writing him, and he's not as easy for me to pin down as, say, Mithos from Symphonia.
One last thing: the entire brotherly relationship between Van and Guy is based off a skit that shows up in Eldrant -- for me, it showed up right after fighting Legretta. Guy's depressed about having to fight Van, and Tear goes to talk to him about it. During their conversation, Guy says that Van always treated him like a big brother. So, that got me thinking that Guy probably based a lot of how he treated Luke off how Van had treated him, and just went from there. In a way, it kind of goes Van to Guy to Luke. Except Guy doesn't end up trying to kill Luke. Uh . . . at least, not on purpose. :)
Okay, that's all I've got. Please review!
