The long, winding main road gradually transitioned from well-traveled dirt to intricate cobblestone as the group arrived at the village. Vai's comments from earlier, while out of line, couldn't be disputed. The homes were built of old stone and wood, weaving around each other as though each new addition was built out of need rather than leisured planning. It had a unique atmosphere as homes were divided by roads that led to the village center square. A large water fountain was situated in the open space.

Paris pointed out specific buildings as they walked down the main road. "These are our merchants stands," he explained. "The people that live here do business for trade among themselves, but on occasion we'll have travelers come through and pay in coin. Our family usually does both. It's a matter of what a household needs at the time."

"You make it sound as though this village is a utopia," Kai commented. "I assume that every man, woman, and child is content with their place in life?"

Joshua didn't like how Paris turned and looked at Kai. It was as if he were sizing her up. Or looking her over. 'My brother is faithful to Serena, but he's one of the worst to flirt. I can only hope that Kai doesn't buy into it if he tries.'

"For the most part," Paris replied. "I can't deny that there's not someone on any given day who wishes their harvest were more plentiful, or that more people outside the walls would come along and purchase their wares. Even I've found myself wanting for more. It's in our nature as humans, and there's nothing wrong with that. We don't have a utopia here. We still deal with failures and deaths, but we function as a unit. When there's a family that has fallen ill or needs help, we make sure they're taken care of."

Kai hummed, seeming satisfied with that answer, but Paris wasn't done.

"You…you're Kai Harn, aren't you?"

She blinked, looking up at him in confusion. Joshua felt a cold wave of dread begin to take over when she asked how Paris knew her name. "Is it because I'm one of the Sorcerer Generals?"

Paris' smile grew. "Actually…I've heard all about you from Joshua! You see, he's written home to his family since he's been so busy leading samurai all over the countryside. There hasn't been much time to visit, naturally. But your name has made quite a few appearances in his letters. You mean you had no idea?"

"No…I haven't…"

Great, now Kai was giving him a look. 'Why couldn't you look at me any other way? Why do you look at me like you're going to beat me to the ground?' Joshua knew why, obviously. His brother made it sound like he'd gossiped about her character – which was not true –

"Little brother, how could you not?" Paris sounded aghast, dramatically placing a palm over his chest while the other held the reins. Jorg walked next to Joshua, laughing the whole time, but Kai continued to stare Joshua down. "I assure you Kai, my brother may be a bonehead, but he only spoke highly of you –"

"I bet you did," Jorg muttered under his breath to Joshua.

"If you weren't my best friend," Joshua hissed. He couldn't chop Jorg up into pieces; he'd already experienced that level of hell, but he was going to get him back somehow. Kai really didn't need to hear Jorg's comments either.

"–and yes, we're aware of your history. You're quite the warrior, my lady."

The compliment seemed to distract Kai from her suspicious stare-down. If anything, it looked as though Paris' words made her day. She looked back to Paris in surprise. There was a hint of pink in her cheeks, and overall she looked like she were glowing from the compliment.

Joshua didn't like it. 'How come Kai never reacted like this when I've complimented her skills? Paris says the bare minimum and she's practically floating along – and she doesn't know him!'

He wasn't going to admit that he was jealous, but…he was jealous.

He loved his siblings deeply, he really did. But there were times, such as right then, where he wished that he'd inherited even an ounce of the talent that they brandished with ease. Maybe if he had been as blessed as they were, then he wouldn't struggle to –

"Up ahead!" Paris called out. "My friends, old and new, welcome to the Belaira villa."

There were various exclamations of "they're here!" around the foyer, making Joshua inwardly flinch. 'I thought I would have more time before everyone descended on us.' He already knew that his group was gaping at the interior without having to look behind him. 'Mother and Father don't realize that their choices for the villa aren't making the comments about it look like a castle any less true…'

The space was open, with a split wooden staircase on either side that curved inwards as it reached the second floor. From what Joshua could see, not much had changed since his last visit. Every piece of furniture was the same, sitting in the same place. There were a few new paintings, it appeared; either one of his siblings had taken up the craft or his mother had commissioned them from one of the villagers. There was no given theme looking upon them.

It didn't help that the entire family wasn't around long enough to have a family portrait done. Joshua had bitten down on the inside of his cheek as the new wave of guilt hit him. It wasn't his fault alone for being absent; many of his siblings were known to travel.

"Whoa look at that!"

"That looks expensive!"

Joshua flinched again. The comments behind him were not only everything he expected, but obnoxiously loud. The ladies with them complimented its appearance, with Yoko fawning over the assorted flora that was growing. Kai admired the craftsmanship in the foyer, and there was a part of Joshua that was pleased she approved. Dark Schneider then claimed that he'd seen better, and when he took over as the leader of the universe, he'd have better. Vai proceeded to declare again that the villa was a castle – of which neither Jorg nor Paris denied. He wished they wouldn't encourage Vai, especially not in front of his family…

"My sweet baby!"

Behind him, Jorg buried his laughter with a cough. Joshua was going to get him back as soon as he got the chance, but at the moment, his mother was running directly at him. Paris didn't try to pretend he wasn't laughing as he moved out of the way. The older woman had her arms outstretched, never pausing as she reached up to cradle Joshua's face as she came to a stop. "It's good to see you, Mother."

Her dark hair was pulled back in a high tail, though a few silver strands had come loose. He hadn't noticed them as prominently the last time he came home. Joshua had to assume from her dirt-stained pants and tunic, that she had been outside in the gardens. "You've gotten more handsome since the last time I've seen you, sweetheart – four years ago."

"Mother…" He may have been the samurai leader, but he was willing to beg for forgiveness the moment her eyes narrowed at him.

"Oh no, I've been waiting for four years to see my last child again! You're going to let me get this out –"

Off to the side, Paris turned his attention to the rest of the group. "I'd say we should continue on to the sitting room, but uh…Mother will notice, so it's best to wait," he whispered. "Jorg knows what I'm talking about."

Jorg had a pained expression at the memory. "Yes, and the last time she did this it had only been eight months…"

"I may be old now but I still have two perfectly good ears, and unless you two want a sore set I suggest you mind your manners!"

Both Paris and Jorg started. Clearly the matriarch of the family had a way of commanding a room. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

The older woman turned her attention back to the samurai leader. "Now as I was saying, Joshua… Four years! Yes you've sent letters but I thought for certain that after the Kingdom of Metalicana disappeared, you'd have made time to show yourself! Then I hear that you've been running missions all over the country and that you've run into Sorcerer Shoguns multiple times! And then the castle was destroyed?! And all your poor mother gets is a letter telling her that 'everything is fine'?! You've been leading a rebellion against the dark forces but you can't find a way to lead a troop here just long enough to show me that you're in one piece –"

Joshua visibly deflated from guilt. That was a heavy subject and she was clearly still sore about that particular letter. "I'm very sorry, Mother. I tried to be thorough with my letters because we haven't had enough men in arms to safely break off for a short visit without compromising the people we're supposed to protect."

His mother studied him, pressing her lips in a thin line. When she finally spoke again, her tone was much softer. "I know, Joshua. I know. You're doing your best, and that's what matters. You know your father and I are so proud of you, but we worry." She patted his cheeks gently before pulling him close for a hug. "You know you have two nephews that you haven't met officially?"

"I'm…I'm aware…"

"All the same, you and your friends will get to meet them shortly." She stepped back from Joshua and turned her focus to the rest of the group. "It's lovely to meet you all. I'm Marlon Belaira, Joshua and Paris' mother."

The others awkwardly nodded or bowed, not expecting how quickly Marlon's body language shifted from admonishing mother to cordial host. As they were led through the foyer and to the sitting room, Vai whispered to Schen about how he thought he had a turbulent mother.

"You can't blame her," Kai pointed out, coming to the woman's defense. "She cares about her son. It's understandable that she sounded angry when really she was worried."

"Jorg will probably get an earful later," Paris added. "Joshua's letter about the attack on the residence and the fall of the castle didn't leave out details –"

"Big whoop!" Dark Schneider cut in, not caring about keeping the conversation in low murmurs. "I fixed it with the worms! Do we really have to dig that up again?!"

At the head of the pack, Marlon stopped. Joshua nearly crashed into his mother, having turned to glare at the wizard for even mentioning that particular event.

The matriarch didn't turn around as she spoke, but her words were carefully picked. "For what it's worth, the details of that letter go no further than this point. As Joshua's mother, I ask that it never be spoken about in the company of my grandchildren. It was enough of a personal hell for his family to read once. But…I do thank you for giving Joshua and Jorg back to us. I'll never be able to repay you for that kindness."

Kai couldn't remember ever feeling put on the spot before she walked into the sitting room of the villa. Large swaths of people gathered normally didn't phase her, but knowing that all of these people were a family was…unsettling somehow. The samurai treated each other like brothers, some more so than others, but this was a legitimate family. Joshua's family, whom he hardly spoke about to anyone but Jorg. With how Marlon Belaira spoke of Jorg, she considered him another son by association.

She couldn't deny that although she held a high position among the samurai, not knowing much about Joshua's history like the others did stung deeply. 'Is it because of my own history? Am I really not to be trusted?' Kai stood next to Yoko and Dark Schneider, dressed in her armor with her sword hanging from her shoulder. As she looked at Vai and Schen, they appeared as though they knew what to expect. 'Maybe I'm the only one that really doesn't know anything.'

Marlon led the introductions of the Belaira family, starting with her husband, Francis. Then she made a point of addressing each sibling with their significant other from oldest to youngest. Gideon took after his father with the lighter blond hair, while his wife Marielle's was dark. They had two girls with big blond curls; Sofia and Kiera.

Joshua's oldest sister Mia and her husband Victor both had dark hair that was kept short at the shoulders. They were childless, but his other sister Pauline more than made up for that with her husband Geof. They had three boys, a set of twins that were named Beau and Remy, and Pauline held the newest addition in her arms, Adrien.

The second oldest brother had long, light blond hair as well. Where Sydell appeared like he was daylight personified, his wife Lynn resembled the night. Paris had broken off to join his wife, Serena. Like he'd told them earlier, she was a redhead, but with a slightly darker tone than Yoko's. Serena looked to be taller than Yoko, closer to Kai's height.

Finally, the fourth brother was introduced. Aramis had dark curly hair that he kept short, similar to Jorg. His wife, Constance, looked like a living doll – to Kai, anyway. She had beautiful dark brown hair that hung in waves down to her waist. She must have kept up with trimming it regularly for it to look so thick.

Kai couldn't recall when she'd last taken more care than a quick wash or brush through her own hair. It wasn't something she'd really concerned herself with in the past. A beauty regime wasn't conducive to a battle strategy. Enemies wouldn't fall to their knees and surrender at the sight of well-kept hair. 'But…I imagine they would for Constance…' Looking at Constance's perfect appearance suddenly made Kai more aware of each speck of dirt on her skin.

Then Joshua was going down the line and introducing each of them to his family. Kai visibly started when he stopped before her, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her. What was Joshua going to tell them about her? She hadn't been listening to what he'd said about the others, but now all eyes in the room were directed at her and –

"This is Kai Harn, a Sorcerer General of Empress Nei's, as well as a leader and ally of the Samurai. She's incredibly skilled with the sword and high ancient magic –"

Marlon's eyes seemed to light up. "So you are Kai Harn!" she exclaimed, looking pleased. "Joshua's mentioned you quite often in his letters –"

Kai saw Joshua's eyes widen at his mother's words, which confused her. 'Is that not something he wanted her to mention? He reacted the same way when Paris mentioned them. Just what all did he tell his family in those letters?'

"Can you really turn people to stone?" One of the twins asked. Kai couldn't tell which was which.

"I…uh… I…can, but it's not a magic spell that's to be used as a toy," she answered, hoping that it would suffice and not upset the boy's parents. It wasn't the first time that children had approached her and asked her things, and each time she never knew how best to handle the situation. In the past she'd been able to get away with explaining that it was dangerous and that was enough. Given how Pauline smiled at her, Kai felt like she answered suitably.

The boy mock-pouted. "Aw man, I was hoping you could turn Adrien into a statue until he grew up a little more!"

Geof coughed into his hand, clearly embarrassed. "That's not how that works, son."

If you go over to my tumblr (clearwillow) or ao3 (same name as here), you can find the Belaira family guide for a better visual.