A/N: Fixed some missing lines in Chapter Five. Whoops! It's nothing major but if anything seemed off it might be fixed! It's bound to happen, because when writing, I tend to bounce back and forth and add things, and sometimes it might be incomplete and I forget. Oof!

Chapter Six

Family Blood

There was an inexplicable air of greed rampant throughout Picoutatte, which almost immediately conflicted with Subaru's initial impressions based on its appearance.

The denizens of the city wore garbs that were mostly long robes of one or two colors, and many were adorned with open head-dresses. It might have made them look quite proper and regal, if it weren't for all the shouting.

"You bastard! I ordered twenty, can you not count?"

Subaru watched a burly man as they passed start to shake down a man, who seemed incredibly frightened. He whistled softly.

"This place is serious," Subaru thought aloud.

"I told you, it's all about trade here," Meili told him with a look of confidence. "I learned a lot from Big Sis' teaching."

"Sounds like the perfect place for a thief huh," Subaru fired back with a grin, making the smug girl look away and huff. He was glad her spirits had been lifted a bit, even if she often had a distant look in her eyes the closer they got to their destination.

At the center of Picoutatte, five major pathways seemed to split off into different sections of the city. From what Subaru could tell, each area of the city might serve different purposes, as one seemed to show signs of market stalls, while another had long lines of drawn carriages awaiting something.

The area of the city they travelled to seemed much more calm, and as Subaru finally stepped out onto the sand-colored stone ground, he stretched his back and threw his bound hands above his head.

"Alright! Another step in my new world," he shouted, empowered by the joy of stretching his back and legs at last.

The city shimmered from the sunlight above, the mostly white walls of buildings and bright stone pathways giving it a certain shine. The building the carriage had stopped at was two stories, and held a sign above its arched entrance that Subaru couldn't read, but since they were going to an Inn, it would only make sense that was what it might say.

Meili seemed reluctant to leave the carriage, looking around to see if anyone was looking at them. Subaru turned and gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

"Embarrassed about my enthusiasm, Li?"

"You really are a fool," Meili muttered bitterly. "And what's with the 'Li'?"

"Isn't it a cute nickname?"

"No, not rea—" Before Meili could finish, Mimi suddenly jumped on her. "Aah—-!"

Meili scowled and tried to push the small girl off of her, but Mimi hugged her tight and let out giggles of enjoyment as she flailed around, not letting go.

"Mimi knew you'd come back! T.P and Hetaro said you wouldn't!"

"I… Didn't… wanna..!"

Subaru watched the scene, unsure of what to make of it, when suddenly something blocked out the sunlight behind him. He turned, finding himself peering up at a monster.

"Yo."

The 'monster' spoke, grinning and showing his sharp fangs beneath his muzzle.

Absolutely tall and well-built, the demi-human before Subaru looked to be partially wolflike. His green eyes and face were surprisingly gentle however, with his brown mane protruding forwards in a way that reminded Subaru of a pompadour style. Still, he could tell that this guy was strong.

"So you came back little flower," the wolfkin said in a deep, rough voice, grinning as he looked over at Meili.

The girl froze up at his words, looking away. Mimi stopped her antics, looking surprised at Meili's reaction, with her cat ears twitching.

"Hi… Captain Ricardo.."

"Captain..?"

Ricardo laughed and smacked Subaru's shoulder hard. "Sucking up now huh? Because ya' got caught and dragged back here?"

Subaru internally thanked the demi-human for not smacking his injured arm, but it was still annoying, and seeing Meili's dejected appearance, Subaru took a step back and looked up at Ricardo seriously.

"Hey, she's been through a lot," Subaru spat, "You guys should give her a break, Meili is gonna make things right, so—"

Subaru stopped as Ricardo leaned down, face-to-face with him.

"Hmm…?" He seemed to examine Subaru closely, the boy glaring at him defiantly. "You don't think Meili can speak for herself, huh?"

"Eh..?" Subaru was confused by this. "The hell is that supposed to mean, of course I'll defend a friend!"

Ricardo grinned. "Oh? So you're some kinda knight huh."

Subaru gave the most confident smile he could and leaned in closer, thumbing to himself.

He had no idea what his next proclamation might have drastic consequences. There was no proper sense of knighthood or valor in his original world, so it made sense, but he would come to regret it soon.

"Maybe I am? I ain't as proper as Julius, but I'll do what I think is right," he retorted.

For a long moment, the two stared at each other. Meili and Mimi watched the encounter, til Ricardo suddenly leaned back and howled with laughter.

"Dunno who the heck you are, but you've got some fire at least," the wolfkin said. "I'm Ricardo Welkin, captain of the Iron Fangs."'

"Captain?" Subaru recalled hearing a bit about them from Julius, how the group was under the service of Anastasia Hoshin. If this guy was the Captain, that had some serious implications due to her spot in the Royal Selection.

"That's right," Ricardo said, bringing a large sack over his shoulder and hefting its weight. "And a good leader doesn't leave his troops hungry!"

"Yay!" Mimi cheered and suddenly began to drag Meili away, while Ricardo put an arm around Subaru and brought his reluctant self along inside the Inn.

"I shall return after handing off the dragons," Joshua called from the driver's seat, though nobody heeded him any mind, so he sighed and continued around towards the stables.

The inn that Annastasia and her followers were staying at was surprisingly homely, aside from the grand fountain at the center of the lobby. There were many open windows and skylights allowing trickles of fresh air and light inside.

After the past few days of being mostly confined to a carriage, anything was superior though, to be fair.

To Subaru's surprise, Ricardo had freed him from his bindings, but left Meili's on. She didn't seem to question it, but the boy couldn't help but feel like he was being looked down on.

I bet they'd respect me if they saw me fight the Guiltylowe! He thought proudly, though his own memory of the event and how it really went down were conflicting due to his intense pride.

"For the stay, the boss has rented most of this place out," Ricardo explained. "Since you're a freeloader, you'll help out with prepping a meal, wontcha?"

"From a prisoner to a food worker… I guess that's an upgrade," Subaru muttered.

Ricardo smirked at this and took the boy towards the kitchen. Before going, Subaru looked back at Meili, who was still lost seeming her thoughts, despite Mimi's pestering.

"Don't worry about her, she's a tough one," Ricardo assured him. "She wouldn'ta been accepted into the Iron Fangs otherwise."

"She… what?" This took Subaru by surprise.

"Heh, looks like she kept ya in the dark," the wolfkin said. "Heads up—"

He suddenly tossed something that resembled a potato to Subaru, who fumbled it a bit before catching it. He examined it for a moment, before having to duck as a small knife was tossed his way.

"You've got some weak reflexes!" Ricardo laughed as he began to lay out more ingredients. "That little girls got you beat!"

Subaru grabbed the knife, feeling even more emasculated, especially since he was being trusted with a blade. Even though Ricardo was quite intimidating, it became even more apparent why as he suddenly drew the huge blade from his back.

With a howl, he suddenly back to unleash a flurry of downward slashes, chopping up a variety of vegetables on the table. Subaru took a step away, and Ricardo stopped, pointing at him.

"You've peeled stuff before right?"

"Yeah, of course! I'm just uh… Surprised you can cook. It's not the musclehead way," Subaru commented.

"Tch, you've got a lot to learn about being a man," Ricardo said with a grin. "From my time as a servant, you pick up lotsa skills."

Subaru began, and promptly failed, at the task he was given. By the time he'd peeled a few of the vegetables, he had several cuts on his fingers that had to get patched up. He sighed and continued, his grip only getting shakier as he worried about stabbing himself.

"Alright! Into the pot, bro!"

Subaru jumped at Ricardo's sudden words, stabbing himself again. After suffering for a few moments, he added his meager work to the pot, watching and sucking on his bleeding finger as Ricardo stirred the food.

"The boss' gonna love it," Ricardo said with a grin. "Hey, what's your name again?"

"Subaru—"

"Subaru, that's a strange name— But hey, I figure you're alright, so I'm gonna ask ya somethin."

I'm alright? That was fast… He wondered if this whole process was just a test, though it wasn't one he'd expected from such a beast.

Ricardo seemed to grow more serious as he gazed into the steaming food below.

"You saw it, right? The White Whale."

Subaru gulped, remembering the terrifying sight. How could he forget? It had taken a while for Meili to calm down, luckily Julius didn't ask any questions

"I figure that's got the squirt shaken up," Ricardo continued, "Besides her combat talent, that Divine Protection of hers… It's tough on her."

"What's a Divine Protection, exactly? I heard a bit about it from Julius," Subaru decided to ask.

"Hm? They're like.. Gifts from birth. For some reason ya know you got it and what it's called," Ricardo answered. "Not many people get that lucky. Some gotta work extra hard to keep up— Like me!" He flexed his free arm and grinned.

Subaru chuckled. He was liking how laid back the Captain of the Iron Fangs was, but looks were deceiving. He had to ask something more pressing that was plaguing his mind— Something difficult.

"…What's gonna happen to Meili?"

Ricardo stayed silent for a moment. "Well, she betrayed Ana's trust and set her back quite a bit, so it might not be pretty."

Subaru tensed up, but before he could say anything, Ricardo waved his free hand.

"Nobody's gonna hurt her or anything, but she'll get some tough love for sure, especially from me," he said, looking sternly at the stew. "Her responsibility was put on the Iron Fangs, and we let her go."

"Why'd she come here anyways?" Subaru had a hard time piecing that part together, wondering what had led her to their fateful meeting in the Capital.

"She escaped the Assassin Organization, she said. Based on her skills, I don't doubt it. I was passin' by in Priestella after a mission, headin' back to the boss— When I found her."

Subaru noticed a look of remembrance in Ricardo's gaze, like he was reliving that moment.. But that wasn't the memory that the wolfkin was experiencing, it merely reminded him of many years ago, and meeting a certain girl with purple hair…

"Anyways… Bam!" He suddenly removed the stirring spoon and slammed it on the table, making Subaru jump. "The scene really jumped into my mind. It reminded me of somethin' important, so I helped her out and brought her with me!"

"I see… Well, Mimi seems to like her a lot," Subaru pointed out. "Even if Li hates the affection."

Ricardo laughed. "Of course! Ya know, it might not look like it, but Meili likes the attention. She's probably had a harsh life, like the rest of our family."

Family… Subaru smiled a bit. His spirits were lifting, even with the uncertainty of what was going to happen filling him.

"And Mimi, she's super strong despite how she acts. That's our battle general!"

"Eh..? That little cat girl?"

"Looks are deceiving bro, I hope yours are too," Ricardo said, grinning widely to show his sharp teeth, those words making Subaru gulp.

Not long after, Subaru and Ricardo returned to the main lobby, where Joshua was speaking to Meili, the girl reluctantly standing.

"Oh, Lil Josh!" Ricardo smirked and came closer, raising a hand as if to smack the boys shoulder, but he slinked back, glaring at him.

"I.. wish you wouldn't," Joshua said with bitter politeness.

"No comradery! That hurts, ya know," Ricardo said, putting his hand over his forehead as if stricken.

Glad that he wasn't the only person who joked and fooled around, Subaru looked to Meili, catching her gaze before she looked away.

"What's going on?" Subaru looked to Joshua.

"Ahem… I'm to bring the girl to Lady Anastasia for—"

"Meili, you mean?"

"Yes…" Joshua looked like he was barely able to contain himself at Subaru's intrusion. "So we must go at once."

"Hey hey, the meal's gonna be done soon,"

Ricardo said. "Miss Boss should just come here."

"She insisted," Joshua said, looking unsure.

"Then I'll—"

"Certainly not!" Joshua held a hand out to Subaru as the boy took a step forward. "We shall return. Please await the Lady's return."

Subaru almost said more, but Ricardo put a hand on his shoulder. Thus, he watched the dejected Meili walk out of the inn, being escorted by Joshua.

"Damned stiff," Subaru said after they'd left. Then he turned to Ricardo. "You guys don't seem bad, but… I don't want anything bad happening to her."

"Don't worry bro, I toldja it'll be fine," the wolfkin insisted. "She's tougher than you, I bet."

"You really like to put me down, huh…"

"Not at all! If you feel bad about it, then maybe it'll light a flame under your ass," Ricardo said with a laugh. "Speakin' of which, come with me— You too, Mimi!"

The girl had been peering out the window at the figures of Meili and Joshua. She perked up and ran over to them.

"Is it time? Is it time?"

"Sure is!" Ricardo grinned down at her, then they both looked towards Subaru.

"Uh… what? Is someone gonna tell me?"

"It's time you stand by your word, Mr. Knight."

That was how Subaru found himself in the back garden of the Inn, wielding a wooden sword in his hands, giving it the best practice swings he could.

Ahead of him, Ricardo stood with his arms crossed, watching with a grin.

"You aren't gonna use a weapon?" Subaru side-eyes the wolfkin, thinking he was being looked down on again.

"Nah nah, I wouldn't disrespect you like that, bro," Ricardo said. He reached towards a nearby fence post, and suddenly ripped it right out of the ground, tapping the several foot-long rounded piece of wood against his shoulder. "But I don't got a practice sword that fits in my grip very well."

"Fair, I guess…" Subaru gave his sword one last swing, then did his best stance he could muster to look confident. "I'm ready whenever!"

"Hmph… Alright bro."

By the time Ricardo's toothy smile showed itself, he had leaped forwards, bringing down his makeshift weapon upon Subaru. The boy had managed to lift his sword up to block the blow, but fell to a knee quickly under the attack's strength.

"Hey, you're not too bad, I was wonderin' if I'd knock you out quick," the beast said.

"I keep myself active," Subaru said through gritting teeth as he struggled against Ricardo's strength. Even during their trip here from the Capital, Subaru had maintained his stretching and fitness as best he could.

"That's good, but it ain't everything."

Ricardo took two steps back. Relieved, Subaru got up to his feet, quickly trying to jab upwards at his opponent. The wolfkin easily smacked the attack away with his free hand, before bringing his weapon down again. Subaru managed to jump forward to avoid it, but found himself stumbling.

"I'm not proper like Julius, because I know how real fights go," Ricardo said as he suddenly swept a leg with minimal effort, knocking Subaru over. "But that's the thing about fighting. You gotta choose your style, and stick by it!"

He kicked Subaru with surprising force, the boy tumbling away into some nearby plants. Mimi let out a noise of being impressed from a nearby window sill she sat on.

"To even imply you're a knight is a big deal, bro."

Ricardo was on Subaru by the time he'd stood again. He lifted his wooden blade to block the oncoming attack, but was surprised when Ricardo stopped the attack before their clash, and instead punched him right in the gut with his other hand.

"So I gotta ask, what are ya, Subaru?" With his fist still in Subaru's gut, he leaned down closer to him. "Can you be trusted, bro?"

He pulled his hand away and turned to walk a few paces away again. Subaru remained standing, clenching his stomach, wincing at the pain… But it hadn't been as bad as he had expected, especially not compared to the attacks from the Guiltylowe. It made him glare over at Ricardo.

"Are you… holding back?"

Ricardo laughed. "Of course! This is a spar, ya don't go beating the crap out of someone when you're trainin."

Subaru wasn't sure what to make of the situation, so he clutched his wooden sword tightly and rushed in, letting out a yell.

A horizontal slash, then a vertical, then a stab— All the attacks were easily deflected by Ricardo. Subaru, getting more frustrated, eventually feinted a strike, before kicking up dirt towards Ricardo's face.

"Fighting dirty!" Ricardo smirked at that attempt, but suddenly pushed his body forwards, his size making it easy to smack into Subaru and send him stumbling back. "I think I getcha more now!"

Subaru brought his sword up to block the oncoming strike from the side, barely able to stop it. However, Ricardo stepped in, looming over him with a wide grin.

"Subaru, I get it, you're not a knight—"

"You're like a beast."

Then, with a single downwards headbutt from Ricardo, Subaru went face-down into the dirt below, and was knocked out.

When Subaru awoke, he saw what looked like three Mimis looming over him, his vision blurry.

"Look look!

"Mimi, I do wish that you would be more respectful…"

"I-Is he.. really alright?"

Subaru blinked the haze away, his eyes looking at a red ceiling above. He now could see that he wasn't seeing triple… Rather, there were two others that looked like Mimi gazing down at him.

"Of course he is, Hetaro," T.P stated, the one who wore a monocle over one eye. "The Captain isn't a brute."

"I'm so thankful," Hetaro said with a sigh. He seemed very wary and soft in his expression, while Tivey looked stern and, of course, their sister seemed to have boundless energy.

Mimi grinned, her tail wagging behind herself as she poked Subaru's cheek. "Hey hey mister, you got totally beat!"

"Thanks for the reminder," Subaru groaned, sitting up and rubbing the top of his head. The last thing he remembered was a face full of cool dirt. Why did his head hurt so much?

Looking around, he appeared to be in a dining hall of sorts. His head had been set on a pillow, which was at least something nice, though he wondered why he'd been dragged there of all places.

"Whoa, you're awake pretty fast! Just in time for chow," came Ricardo's voice. Subaru watched as he entered with several bowls, beginning to place them at the nearby table. "Come help set up, bro."

Subaru looked down at his hands, noting some markings from where he'd clashed with Ricardo's makeshift weapon. Even holding back, it had hurt a lot, but nothing was more hurt than Subaru's pride.

Standing, he waved a hand dismissively. "I don't think I'm hungry. The dirt tasted bad enough."

"That's harsh," Ricardo said. Subaru didn't look his way defiantly, til another voice spoke up.

"I see things have gone well, Subaru."

He turned, seeing Julius entering the room with a small smile. Subaru nearly smiled at seeing him, but then he glared over at Ricardo. Julius noticed this and turned to the wolfkin, who shrugged.

"Life is tough, ey," Ricardo said simply before leaving the room.

Subaru scowled as he watched him go. Julius approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"You must not put it against him. It was somewhat of a test," the knight stated.

"Test shmest— I didn't expect to get my ass beat as soon as I got here," Subaru sneered.

"If I recall, getting into fights seems to be your thing," Julius pointed out.

Subaru gave Julius a cross look, the man looking satisfied with that as he removed his hand from his shoulder.

"I have already served Lady Anastasia her food, but she wishes for you to meet her personally now," Julius stated.

Subaru blinked at him for a moment. "M-Me? Alone?"

"Indeed. You are not fully unimplicated in the happenings of the Capital, after all."

Nodding, Subaru looked around the room. The cat triplets were discussing something, while Joshua was addressing a few people at a table across the room, who were dressed in garbs similar to the ones Subaru had seen in the city.

"Where is—"

"Ms. Portroute is being held in her room, do not worry."

Subaru couldn't help but be worried. There was something going on, he could feel it, like everyone was keeping something from him. He looked Julius in the eyes, trying to find any kind of deceit there.

…But he couldn't find any. Perhaps he was too trusting, but to him, at that moment, Julius was probably the only other person he could trust in that Inn.

"Alright… I'll go see her, then."

"Excellent, this way."

Julius led Subaru out of the dining hall. Ricardo could be heard with his loud booming voice complaining that Subaru wasn't going to eat the food they'd worked on together as they made their way upstairs.

Since they had apparently bought out the place for the moment, it was eerily empty as they walked through the halls of sandstone walls and green tapestry. Eventually, they came to a door at the end of the hall, and Julius knocked gently.

"Come in."

The girl's voice from the other side could barely be heard. Julius entered, and Subaru followed him, feeling a bit nervous to be meeting someone who sounded so important.

"Natsuki Subaru is here, as requested," Julius said, bowing towards the other side of the room.

Subaru looked to where the open arched window allowed a flowing breeze into the room. There, a petite girl with long flowing purple hair down to her waist, adorned in a white dress and white fur hat, stood facing out towards the sight of the town of Picoutatte below.

As she turned to them, her hair fluttering lightly in the breeze, Subaru was taken aback by her elegant yet soothing appearance. Her hair was adorned with a bow on one side where her bangs swept across her fair skin. The gentle look in her cyan eyes and the smile she wore seemed to drain all tension from Subaru's body.

Anastasia Hoshin nodded to Julius. "Thank you. You should really go eat and rest, Julius."

"I am still quite weary from travels, so I certainly shall," the knight stated without lifting himself up from his bow. "I will take my leave, then." He slowly rose, nodding to Subaru before turning and exiting the room.

As the door closed, Anastasia moved to sit at the large desk positioned before her. She moved her hand towards a chair opposite of herself, and Subaru hesitantly approached.

From the size of the room, Subaru figured it must be a premium suite of some kind. This room was big enough to be its own small apartment, and there seemed to be other doors leading to other rooms within it. The designs of the walls and floor held gold trims as well, which was an obvious difference from everything else within the Inn.

As Subaru sat, he felt his uneasiness return a bit as Anastasia rested her chin on her hands and gazed at him.

"Um… It's uh, nice to meet you, Lady Hoshin," Subaru said, bowing his head. He was completely unsure of how to act around somebody of this status.

"That's enough of that," the girl said. "I guess ya' know my place in the country now, so at least that can save me some time."

The very casual accent the girl held sounded similar to that of Ricardo's. It sounded like the Kansai dialect from Japan, something that Subaru didn't think about much, but merely noticed.

Subaru lifted his head. "Yeah, Julius has told me some, but… I gotta admit, I'm pretty lost in all this."

"That is to be expected," Anastasia said with a smile. "You like to stick up for the Assassin girl, I'd like to know why."

"I… Just feel responsible for what happened in the Capital," Subaru answered, rubbing the back of his neck, finding it hard to maintain his gaze with the girl before him. "It just feels right, ya know?"

Anastasia nodded softly. "I do know. But what about these— Do you know about them?" She slowly moved a hand along the desk. Subaru gazed down, surprised to see the familiar gems that Meili had stolen laid out there. He'd been so focused on Anastasia that he hadn't seen them.

"…Not really."

This line of questioning almost sounded like interrogation, but Subaru did his best not to waiver.

"Um, can I ask about Meili—"

"Soon soon," Anastasia said, holding up a hand. "I must ask, Natsuki Subaru— Why are ya' here?"

"Er, I told you, I was worried for Mei—"

"You should know if I ask a question, the answer is not the same as one ya' said before," Anastasia cut in.

Subaru watched as the girl picked up a bowl from nearby, casually lifting and blowing on it gently with her soft lips as steam slowly rose from it. The smell of the stew wafted into Subaru's nose, reminding him of his hunger as he watched Anastasia casually take a sip of it.

This is… Subaru felt a growing pang of disquiet as he watched her. Complete dominance? Like she's in control of the entire situation and has no fear. For some reason… I hate it a lot.

"Ah," Anastasia said, lowering the bowl and smiling, placing a hand on her cheek. "Ricardo hasn't lost his touch in his old age. Don't tell him I said so."

Subaru nodded. "I won't, er… I just don't know what you want from me." He shrugged. "I'm just an ordinary guy, who happened to get dragged into this.."

"It's quite simple, Natsuki Subaru," Anastasia said, "Information is important. The more that we know, the more strength we have going forward."

He couldn't deny her logic, but he still felt on-edge, wondering if it was smart to speak openly with Anastasia, as it might lead to dangerous outcomes.

"From what information I have, ya' gained the trust of two people closest to me," she continued. "That's why I wanted to see for myself."

"See.. what?"

"If ya were someone to rely on."

Surprised by this, Subaru watched the girl rise from her chair, holding her arms outstretched to either side as if enveloping the whole world, eyes staring off into the middle-distance.

"I want to believe in my knights. I want to believe in Meili Portroute," Anastasia stated. Subaru watched her gaze shift down to him. "After all, everyone deserves a chance to work for their future."

"Work?"

She nodded, a smile appearing on her fair lips again.

"Natsuki Subaru, I'll offer you two choices, if ya' want to protect that girl, who has caused much havoc for me in these past weeks."

Anastasia's hands held up one finger each, symbolizing two choices.

"Will you join the Iron Fangs as their squire?"

"Or shall you serve under me as my steward?"

Subaru looked from each hand to the other as she spoke, his future being laid out before him in simple terms. It was truly frightening— The air of confidence and strength behind Anastasia's words, which made Subaru not doubt the fact that she truly meant what she said.

There were two choices for him. Two paths he could take, to protect Meili Portroute, the girl who'd caused so much trouble for him, who'd gotten him wrapped up in a situation that got him killed—

No, that wasn't fair to her. After all, Subaru had chosen this path himself, hadn't he? He wasn't offered an easy solution in the Capital— hehad to work and fight til he made his way through…

Yet here, Anastasia Hoshin offered him a simple choice. That was something even in his previous life that he had never gotten, as he waivered in and out of his depressing existence... All of that was behind him now in this new world. There really was a chance to become who he wanted to be.

I guess I can see why Julius respects her, Subaru thought, unable to help a grin that seemed to slice through his early doubts. He slowly reached out a hand towards one of Anastasia's—

And chose.

To Be Continued

Next Chapter: The Blinding Curse

A/N: Expect the first EX chapter tomorrow, while I work on the next main chapter!