Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there lived a boy who loved his mother very much. The boy’s name was Reki and he was his mother’s world. Though she was gone for many weeks, traveling for her job, Reki would always be thrilled when she returned. His father had died when he was very young, and his mother worried that he was going to be lonely while she was away. Though her household always made sure that Reki was taken care of while she was traveling. As he grew, Masae began to seek another husband who could take care of her son while she was away. After several years, she had finally found an eligible bachelor who had two children of his own. The two married and Masae was bringing them home to meet her son and household.
Reki was vibrating with excitement. His mother was finally returning after what had been one of her longest trips yet, and she was bringing home a father and two brothers for him. He could barely contain his enthusiasm as one of the servants, a teenager named Hiromi, tried to get him into his clean tunic.
“Hold still already! I can’t tie all of these ties with you wiggling all over the place!” Hiromi shouted, though it was more out of love than malice.
“I’m sorry, Hiromi! I can’t wait to get a larger family. A father and two brothers! I wonder what they’re like…” Reki trailed off, his eyes sparkling as he tried to imagine what his new family might be like.
“I’m sure they’re great. Now will you hold still?” Reki nodded enthusiastically before remembering he wasn’t supposed to move. He tried holding still as Hiromi tied each of the strings of the arms of his tunic. He then helped him into the fine gold brocade vest. As he was finishing the last button, Reki heard a voice outside his open window. Pulling away from a grumbling Hiromi, he ran to the window and saw his best friend, Miya. Miya’s bright green eyes narrowed as he looked up at Reki.
“What are you wearing? You look like a noble.”
Reki looked down at himself, smoothing out the front of his vest before grinning at Miya. “Noble or not, I can still beat you!”
Miya’s mouth quirked up at the ends and he took off. Reki tore after him, despite Hiromi’s agitated shout that his mother was arriving soon. Hiromi lifted his hands in exasperation and went to follow Reki, though he was quickly stopped by other servants who were prepping for the arrival of the mistress of the house.
Several minutes later a carriage pulled up the drive, coming to a stop at the entrance of the estate. The servants were lined up, waiting for the arrival. Hiromi felt a drop of sweat roll down his back when he noticed that Reki still hadn’t returned. He should’ve gone after him and now regretted that he hadn’t when the door to the carriage opened and Masae stepped out with a smile. “Hello everyone! It’s good to be home.”
Hiromi stepped forward to take her hand and help her out of the carriage.
“Welcome home mistress.”
“Hiromi!” she said, pulling him into a hug, before continuing, “It seems everything is in order, but where is my son?”
“He, uh, well, you see…” Hiromi began until he heard a shout at the other end of the drive. “Mom! You’re back!” Hiromi turned and saw Reki and he died a little on the inside. It looked like he and Miya had fallen into the pig pen. The clean white tunic he had just finished tying Reki into was now stained brown, and the state of the fancy vest made Hiromi want to just start crying right then and there. Reki’s bright red hair was coated in dirt and it was smeared across his cheeks. Miya looked even worse. Hiromi groaned internally, but was thankfully saved as his mistress started to laugh. Reki took that as his cue and ran into her open arms, hugging her tightly despite ruining her travel clothes with his own mud stained ones.
“Reki! Look at you! Just how I left you,” she giggled. “I wager you and Miya had another legendary battle next to the pig pens again, huh?”
Reki laughed, “Yeah! I slaughtered him!” Miya’s eyes narrowed across the drive but he said nothing as Masae pulled Reki tighter into her arms, before trying to brush some of the mud off his cheek. “I suppose you did! Well, I had hoped to present a little lord, but I suppose you’ll have to do.” She put Reki on the ground and pulled her arms around him as a new person began to exit the carriage. “Reki, may I present my new husband and your stepfather, Baron Aiichiro Shindo and his sons, Ainosuke and Kojiro.”
A man in a lovely green and silver brocade suit stepped out of the carriage. His dark blue hair was perfectly styled and he had an air of grace. Reki stared at him in awe. The man gave him a small smile before kneeling before him, though he made sure to keep a distance from the mud stained boy.
“Hello, Reki. At last we meet. Your mother speaks of nothing else.”
Reki smiled up at his mother and she hugged him a little tighter before carefully booping his nose with her finger.
The baron stood up and waved his arm at the carriage where his oldest son was exiting. He wore a flattering red vest that made his perfectly styled blue hair shine. He looked around before landing on Reki where he quickly scowled before schooling his features into a small smile. He stood beside his father while another boy exited the carriage. This one wore a green vest with velvet overlay and wore his longer wavy green hair in a low ponytail. He waved at Reki before standing beside his father and older brother.
“These are my sons, Ainosuke,” he swept his hand towards the boy in red, who bowed gracefully, “and Kojiro.” This time the boy in green gave a bow, though it was a little clumsier than Ainosuke’s. They both rose from their bows and looked expectantly at Reki, who gave a clumsy bow back before waving.
Masae smiled. “Well, now that everyone has been introduced, let’s head inside! I’m sure everyone is hungry and tired from the journey. Plus, Reki needs to change before dinner. I’ll have my staff show you all to your rooms.” She released Reki and gave Aiichiro a small kiss on the cheek, making sure to keep her muddied skirts far from his outfit. Then, she took Reki’s hand and headed into the estate, followed by her staff and new family.
━━━━༻❁༺━━━━
“Mom! Did you see the way they ate? It was like watching a performance. They moved with such grace. I don’t know if I could ever eat that elegantly!” Reki exclaimed as his mother helped him into his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin, despite Reki squirming out immediately. Masae giggled as her son stared at her expectantly. She began to take out a small wrapped present from her skirts as she replied, “They are indeed very elegant. But, I also like how much you show that you care and how you’re always willing to be yourself, Reki. Just remember that.” She pulled her son’s hand into her own and laid the present into it. He smiled broadly and began to unwrap it, his smile fading a little when he saw that it was just a plain looking book. Masae grinned and flipped the book over, revealing the gold embossed title pressed into the leather cover, Utopia .
“Well, I know reading hasn’t been your favorite and this is a bit thick for an eight-year-old, but this was one of my favorites growing up and I thought we could read it together. I may be a wife now and have two more children, but I want us to still have our time together, sweetie. I hope this can be a way for us to stay close…”
Reki dropped the book and tackled his mother in a hug. “Of course, Mom! It’s perfect! Can we start reading it right now?”
Masae squeezed Reki a bit tighter before letting go with a sigh. “It’s getting late, Reki, and I have to make sure Aiichiro is settled in as well. Besides, I have to start planning the next trip.”
Reki’s lip quivered as he looked up at his mother. “But, you just got back. How long will you be gone this time?”
Masae bit her lip. “Only three weeks, Reki.”
“One.” Reki crossed his arms, staring his mother down. She crumpled immediately. “Fine, I suppose I can do it in two weeks.”
“No, one!”
Masae laughed and held her arm out and Reki immediately did the same. They engaged in a spirited game of rock, paper, scissors. Masae threw out paper at the same time that Reki threw out scissors. Masae laughed, grasping his hands and meeting his eyes. “Fine. One week it is.” Reki’s smile widened as he threw his arms around his mother, drawing her into a large hug. She pulled away and sighed, “Alright, we can read a little, but then I really must go and check in on the rest of our new family. Deal?”
“Deal,” Reki agreed, snuggling back under the covers as his mother carefully opened the book. Before she began reading she looked over and quietly asked, “Do you like them?”
Reki nodded, “Yes! Very much.”
Masae nodded, “Well, it is a big change to have a larger family. I know it’s just been the two of us for a long time. So, I’m glad that you like them.” She opened the book and began to read, until she noticed that Reki had fallen asleep, his breathing steady and deep. She carefully closed the book, marking the page with a bookmark, before placing it on the nightstand beside the bed. She pulled the covers higher onto Reki, and stroked the bright red hair back from his forehead, before softly kissing him. Reki gave a small smile in his sleep before curling deeper into the covers. Masae grabbed her candlestick, and slowly left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
━━━━༻❁༺━━━━
Several weeks later, the family and servants had gathered together in front of the estate to send Masae off on her next trip. Everyone looked somber. No one liked when Masae left the estate and, even though this was a shorter trip, thanks to her deal with Reki, it was her first time leaving her new husband and sons alone. Reki stood beside the front door, his hand gripping tightly to Hiromi’s. Hiromi stood straight, waiting for his mistress to open the door and leave on her next business trip. Aiichiro and his sons stood waiting on the other side, as several servants finished loading the carriage. A moment later, the front door groaned on its hinges, as Masae made her appearance. A faint flash of pain graced her features, as she carefully readjusted her arm, before she looked out at her family.
“My! What somber faces!” she said with a grin. “I shall be back in a week. You all will barely notice I’m gone.” She leaned over and gave Aiichiro a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her and quietly said, “Then go. The sooner you leave the sooner we can celebrate your return.” She gave Ainosuke and Kojiro small kisses on the cheek before turning around to see Reki near tears. She placed a gloved hand to his cheek and brushed one away before it could fall. “It’ll be a fast trip, Reki. I promise. Until then, this gives you and your new brothers and stepfather time to get to know each other. I trust that you can show them the ropes around here? The baron and his sons aren’t used to getting their hands dirty.” She gave Reki a quick wink, completely missing the disgusted faces of the people behind her. Then, she kissed his forehead and stood up, gasping a little at the dizziness that caused her. Hiromi let go of Reki’s hand and carefully helped escort her to the carriage and her horse. She buried the dizziness she felt and turned to Hiromi. “Thank you and thank you for always taking care of Reki.”
“Or course, Mistress. Have a safe journey.”
Masae carefully got on top of her horse and began riding towards the end of the driveway, her carriage following a distance behind her. Aiichiro clapped his hands, as she departed and looked at his sons before saying, “Come along boys. Back to your lessons.”
Reki looked at him, aghast. “Wait! It’s tradition! She always waves at the gate.”
Aiichiro stared down at Reki from the doorway. Reki felt like he was being doused in cold water, before Aiichiro finally looked away and stepped inside, closely followed by his sons. Reki tore his gaze from the door and back towards the form of his mother, who was getting closer and closer to the gates at the edge of their estate. He waited anxiously for their tradition.
Masae could see the gates and was about to turn back and wave at her family, when she felt pain course through the left side of her body, from her chest down to her arm and back again. The pain was so intense, that the wind was knocked out of her and she lost her grip on her horse. She fell painfully to the ground, her travelling skirts whooshing out around her, as she struggled to catch her breath. The world was going blurry around her, as the pain continued to wrack her body, her breath getting harder and harder to catch.
Reki saw his mother fall. He screamed and ran as fast as he could towards her. Aiichiro heard Reki’s scream and hurried out to a scene of confusion and disarray. He noticed the small red-haired boy running full speed towards a person lying motionless on the ground near the gates of the estate and then he realized in dismay that it was Masae. He ignored his fine clothes and took off after Reki.
Panting and wiping away tears, Reki reached his mother first, collapsing at her side. “Mom! Please! You have to be okay!” Masae reached her arm up towards Reki’s face as Aiichiro dropped down beside her on her other side. “Masae! No! What’s wrong?” She let out a small moan as she rubbed Reki’s cheek gently. Quietly, she mumbled, “I l-love you, Reki,” before letting her arm fall to the ground and shutting her eyes. Reki’s tears overflowed as he grabbed onto her lifeless body and wailed at her to come back. Aiichiro stared at her, disbelief in his eyes and slightly hurt that she had said nothing to him. He grabbed her hand and screamed, “You can’t leave me here! Masae! You can’t!”
Reki’s wails continued as Hiromi came over and tried to carefully pry him away. He was very upset and couldn’t believe what had just happened. His mistress had died so suddenly and unexpectedly and left Reki, the servants, and her new family completely alone. He knew he had to help Reki but he wanted to do the same and throw himself across her body crying. Biting his lip, he once again tried to pull Reki away, but he refused to budge, so he helped Aiichiro up instead, walking him back to the house as another servant attended to Reki and another helped take care of Masae’s body. Ainosuke and Kojiro stood in the doorway of the estate looking lost and confused, but moved gracefully out of the way as Aiichiro was escorted inside. Ainosuke immediately followed him in, but Kojiro gave one last glance at Reki, who was sobbing in the arms of a servant who’s name he couldn’t remember as they walked back up the drive together. Several other servants were taking care of Masae. Kojiro took a deep breath and turned back to the estate following his father and wondering how things were going to change now.