Chapter 18

Hey all! Last chapter was pretty short, sorry. This one will be longer!

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Alfred lounged on the red couch in his living room- he and his brother live in a place between dimensions in a pocket universe, like most familiars when they want to go undetected. Alfred and Matthew were young; the council required them to go to school and to put finding their master second so this was the easiest way for the to get to school on time.

Hah! As if Alfred would just let Arthur get away when he finally found him! It took forever to track him down! If Alana hadn't summoned him along with the others- he wouldn't have met Arthur for a long time…

It was fate, he was sure of it! Arthur's destiny was to bond with them and become the strongest witch in history!

Alfred giggled gleefully behind his comic and Matthew threw a fluffy pillow at Alfred's head from his seat in his favourite armchair.

"Shut up! I'm studying here!"

"Sorry Mattie, just thinking about Arthur."

"Oh? Good things I hope, you really were reluctant about trying to search for him-"

"That was then, this is now! There's no way I'd ever reject someone as awesome as Arthur! It's totally destiny Mattie!"

"Um.. Whatever you say Alfred" Matthew shook his head, returning to his magic book and smiling softly at the fact that Alfred had immediately accepted Arthur.

Maybe his brother was right for once.

But he couldn't say that- Alfred already had a big enough head. No need to stroke his ego any further.

Besides, he had to think about their next move...

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Kiku watched wistfully as Arthur walked down the hallway. Kiku couldn't see his face but his petite figure and blonde hair coupled with the emerald Kirkland robes gave him away. Kiku could never mistake him for another.

Arthur reminded Kiku of sunlight- ironic, he knew. Arthur was studying dark magic after all, but he couldn't help but make the comparison. He was so blindingly bright and Kiku wanted to be a part of that. Kiku was helpless at home. He had always been horrified at his mothers actions, forcing a child like Leon into adult situations because she was bored. He understood why Alana stood up to his mother.

Arthur had always helped him, even if he hadn't realised it. It wasn't intentional, Kiku could still remember when Leon first met Arthur. It was way back when they were children, Arthur was slightly older than them but that hadn't stopped Leon following him determinedly. Francis had once called him Arthur's shadow... It was also around then that Kikus father decided he couldn't stand his wife any longer. He moved out and sent Yao away to the academy.

Their mother started to drink, at first she seemed to take him leaving her very well but then, one night she snapped when Leon accidentally knocked over her glass of wine at dinner when they were twelve.

She beat him black and blue.

Leon fled to Arthur's house, he returned a few days later and their mother had apologised profusely with tears in her eyes and a honeyed voice. She said she was drunk and she hadn't meant it. He believed her and agreed to stay.

She only got worse. It happened again and again, each time worse than the last. Then she started trying to force Leon to accompany her when her friends came around... He was about fifteen then and Kiku didn't even want to know what he went through during those few hours. He never saw him for weeks after those incidents.

Arthur was always the one to patch up Leon's injuries, he was Leon's safe haven for years. At the time he was living without his parents and his sister was only home very rarely. He often had his few friends around to stay. From what Leon had told him Joao practically lived with him at the time but he was one of the maybe five or six people Arthur would even talk to. Leon always talked able it Arthur with such a fervour. As if there was no one better in the world than him. Leon thought that Arthur was too good for the people around him.

Then Arthur got kidnapped.

Kiku didn't know the details but he did know that that incident initiated Leon's rebellious streak. Yao returned home to find Leon was a completely different person. He had no idea about what their mother had done to him, probably still doesn't. Leon hated Yao for abandoning them like their father had. He hated their mother for her cruelty but he never once turned his hatred towards Kiku.

He should have, Kiku didn't do a thing to help. The reality was that Kiku was helpless but Leon and Arthur weren't. Arthur was smart and Leon had the strength to face everyone even after everything he had been through... The abuse, the anger the fear- Kiku would have shattered. Leon was strong. He wanted to be like that too...

Just maybe then, he could stand up to his mother too.

/ / / /

"Arthur Arthur Arthur Arthur!" Professor Alana Kirkland squealed as she came barrelling down the hall.
She was breathless and wore a ridiculous grin. Arthur gave her a wary look but caught her by the arm as she skidded past. She was a teacher- she shouldn't be acting like this, it completely opposed the public face the 'princess' of the Kirkland clan projected.

"Oh? What's got you in such a tizz? You're acting like a teenage girl!" He whispered harshly and frowned, scrunching his eyebrows together. He really couldn't fathom why she would be rushing around like this.

Kiku was really curious now. Alana-Sensei was talking to Arthur in an excited and animated manner. Kiku wanted to know what was going on. His eldest brother had been really secretive about something lately and the two elder siblings had been sneaking off together. Maybe that's what this was about?
No, Yao had seemed worried about whatever that was but here Alana was really excited. He was relieved by this distraction. The thoughts he had to not moments ago were enough to make him sick.

"Oh nothing... Just that a charming young man came and introduced himself to me... As your familiar."
Alana said it in a silky voice, slinging her arm around his shoulder and walking with him.
"He didn't..." Said Arthur, his eyes widening and he could feel his cheeks blazing. He couldn't believe they wanted him badly enough to proclaim it to his sister. He was embarrassed but...

He was really happy. N-not that he'd ever show it! Hmph!

"Hehehhe he did, he did!" She giggled.
"Well what did he say!?" Arthur demanded.
"Just that he had every intention of becoming yours and he called you his precious master~ wait until Dylan hears about this!"
"You wouldn't!" He hissed, Dylan would be furious, swooping in to "save" Arthur at the last moment. He couldn't risk his familiars being hurt.
"Haha of course I wouldn't. Well, I'd better go or I'll be late."
She skipped off in the opposite direction and Arthur returned to class as normal.

"Hah, just when did I start regarding them as mine?" He mused, wandering off deep in thought.

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