"You are fools, how could you both let this happen!?" They both stood in silence, their heads down as Florence continued her scolding of the two of them. One hand on Amari's head, the other holding one of the swords pointed towards the brothers. She put the sword beside her, sighing as she looked upon the demi-human.
"Is she going to be ok?"
"You doubt my alchemy?"
"N-No, of course not I was just-"
"Then be quiet."
I...Ok... Neil stood there as Florence immediately cut him down, before turning her attention back to Amari. Klein had already made his way to a nearby seat, quietly watching Florence do her work. The alchemist was such a big help to the two of them, she'd always been there for the two of them, especially Amari.
Neil felt a sea of guilt wash over him, his heart aching whenever she winced in silence. He looked to his brother pacing around, glancing between Amari and himself.
Judging by his scornful gaze Klein didn't want to talk or interact with him at all. Not without yelling at him, as he changed direction whenever he made eye contact with Neil.
"Meet me outside." Klein said, before walking out of the room without a word. Leaving the brother a bit bewildered at first, Florence nodded for him to go, possibly needing some time to herself.
"This is the second time, Neil... Once was already painful enough.." The door to the apothecary closed, turning to the right to find his brother, already a significant distance away from him.
"I know Klein, it's my fault things out of hand. I tried to stop the fight but the dumbass wouldn't listen-"
"So you just let him walk over to you like that!?" Neil flinched at his brother's sudden outburst, taking a deep breath before taking out a napkin. Klein was already sweating just from that small moment of rage, something he wasn't proud of.
"I tried to fight, but they ganged up on me!"
"You know when I first came here, the last thing I expected was for our demi-human, a child! To be grabbed, messed around with by some middle-aged shithead while you sat helplessly..."
K-Klein... I tried to fight... He was just too strong...
Wiping his face, Klein's expression grew even worse before gripping his face in anger. Neil tried to ease his brother's tension, only for him to raise his hand and stop him. Putting the napkin back in his pocket, he pulled out a short sword out of nowhere. Pointing it towards his brother, he rotated it so the blade faced towards Neil to take.
"Klein what're you-"
"Just take the bloody thing." Reaching out to grab it, Klein began adjusting himself as Neil was starting to get confused. What came next was a bit of a shocker to him, as Klein reached into his back pocket to retrieve something.
It was a dagger.
It was very small in size, less than half the size of Neil's short sword. Gripping tightly before loosening it in his hands, Klein's head tilted to the side whilst pointing his weapon.
"Try to attack me, like your out to kill."
"What? Why-"
"Try to attack me, I won't ask again..."
He's serious... Neil looked at his brother's face, and he saw nothing that might say otherwise. He wasn't sure if this was a test, or perhaps he had something else in mind. Maybe Klein just wanted to get all this stress he was feeling off his chest.
Whatever the case, Neil wouldn't let it deter what his brother had asked of him. He wanted him to attack, so that's what he'll do.
"Alright... You asked for it!" His uncertainty was all but gone. Neil immediately ran at Klein who stepped back a few steps in preperation. Neil turned his heels and stopped his rush as they locked eyes, pausing for a moment.
"Well, at least your not that stupid."
"What's the point in this Klein?" Neil changed his plans as he was soon circling around Klein, trying to anticipate his next move. Klein wouldn't respond, instead changing the side of his blade as he was now backhanding it.
Here he comes!- Klein immediately charged forward, much faster than Neil had anticipated, blade in hand as he went in for a stab in the chest. Neil managed to fall back, adjusting his body accordingly to kick Klein's arm out of the way. Hitting the floor, he rolled out of the way of an oncoming slash from above, before jumping back up into his stance.
"The point? The point was to see if you could fight-" Neil had rushed in with abnormal speed with a horizontal slash, causing Klein to duck.
"As you can see, I'm more than capable!" Pushing his body back up to avoid another, Klein watched as his brother reeled in for a stab maneuver with his sword. Klein felt the world slow down for those little moments, when the blade was inches away from his stomach.
"So was I, and yet here we are."
You asshole...! Neil threw a punch catching Klein off-guard, as he managed to lean back before grabbing his little brother's hand. Letting go of his dagger, he twisted Neil's arm before lifting him with all his strength. Seething, Klein flipped his brother over his head as Neil fell flat on his back.
"I honestly thought if we just kept our heads down things would be alright...!" On the floor, Neil moved around in pain before kicking Klein in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees. Using this opportunity, Neil spun his sword to his brother's neck, stopping before it reached its mark.
Looking at Klein only made him feel even even worse. He saw as his brother was perplexed, already sweating from the brief scuffle between the two.
"I..I'm sorry Klein..." Klein wasn't in any shape to continue, laboriously breathing as he held his chest with one hand.
"I know..." Grabbing his brother's arm for support, the two of them headed back to the apothecary. Exiting the forest and reaching the town, they had decided for themselves that they'd discuss their problems later.
For now, they would go and stay for Amari's recovery. From behind one of the buildings, a girl shrouded in a cloak observed the brothers from afar as they went back inside.
----------------------------------------
THE NEXT MORNING
"Klein...?"
"...No thanks..." It was early in the morning, the sun still coming into view as Neil stood over his brother. Back at their old apartment in Yuoshi, to be awake before his older brother was an accomplishment. The alarm on his phone would've definitely rung, letting him know that it was time to wake up.
Yet Klein remained stuck to the couch, unmoving as a book laid on his face.
"Hm?" A yawn could be heard from the other room, a door slowly opening as Amari had woken up, startled by what she heard as sirens. Vibrations could be seen from inside Klein's shorts, as she opened his pocket and pressed snooze.
"You feelin' any better?" Neil asked Amari, her eyes remained squinted as she turned to meet his gaze. Judging by her face she hadn't been awake for long. She nodded, before walking to Klein and placing herself beside him. Resting her head on Klein's chest as she snuggled in, Neil was in awe that they just fell back asleep.
"Come on guys, What happened to our morning training…?” Neil sighed at their lack of response, standing in place as the two went back to sleep. After a few more moments of snoring, he gave up and went back to his bed.
Morning training, an improvised solution to what they had originally planned to resume for as long as it took. Klein had already decided that they'd learn magic with Amari, albeit quietly, chipping in on other ideas. That night they returned back from Florence's apothecary, Amari injured once again, the brother's had decided to have a proper discussion on what to do next.
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1 HOUR AFTER AMARI'S RECOVERY
“I-I’m sorry…” Amari was close to tears, sitting in the apartment as Neil sat beside her. Klein was across from the two, book in-hand, reading something that didn’t catch the other two’s interest.
That book was hardly important right now.
“We forgive you, what do you say brother?” Neil asked, both looking to their big brother in approval only to see his head in a book. She felt her heart ache, seeing him ignore them like this, as Neil left her side to snatch it out of his hand.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Klein she’s trying to apologise-“
“I forgive her-“
“Then put the book down and tell her.”
Klein tilted up Neil, his younger sibling a bit fumed by his ignorance. Closing it shut with one hand, his eyes glanced over to Amari, who was still as sensitive as ever. Walking over, she felt his hand rest on her head, a warmth very familiar to her. It was one she had grown accustomed to these past few weeks, as the two parented her on several things from their world.
“I forgive you Amari… But you shouldn’t have gotten involved…”
“Klein-“
“You could have gotten hurt, what if he had done something? What if he hurt you too?” His bluntness as astonishing both his brother and Amari, but that questioned seemed to trigger something in her. That feeling of powerlessness, to be hurt no matter what you do, to be weak.
All the more obvious when she pushed his hand away.
“I…I had to do something…!”
“I understand that, but your not stro-“
“PLEASE STOP!” Her sudden outburst startled the two, Klein’s body twitching as his senses felt shocked for a moment. They watched as she slowly stood up from the couch, complexion reddening as she turned to Klein. Her fists were clenched, as her expression could only be described as regretful.
“I just don’t want to lose my parents again!”
Her….Parents…? Klein stood there, petrified at what she had just said. Neil sat by on a nearby chair, looking at the scene unfold as she continued to vent. Grabbing his shirt, Amari tightened as Klein looked down at her head pushing into the fabric.
“I don’t want to be alone anymore…”
“…….”
What was this feeling? Klein thought, as his chest started to swell. His heart started to wince in pain, getting even worse as Amari’s quiet anger turned to tears, sobbing as she held onto his shirt. He had been here before, looking to his brother to find any sort of hint.
He found none, just staring at them with an unrecognisable expression.
As time passed, Klein felt the sobbing begin to slow down, as she slowly began to calm down. He hated this feeling, this guilt that was held in his heart as he wrapped his arms around her. He never wanted this to happen, to see her crying in his arms once again as Neil stood by. Klein bit his lip, feeling a tear escape his left eye that he promptly wipe away.
“Ok…” He knelt down to her, hugging her tightly as she did the same to him.
Time for me to join… Neil finally moved in for a group hug, as Amari felt the embrace of them both. This feeling she had always been wanting, since she was separated from her family. After what felt like hours, her sobbing slowly softened before stopping, as Klein glanced down to find Amari asleep between them.
“She’s asleep…”
“Well, uh… You think we should seperate now…?” They were close, perhaps a bit too close for his older brother’s liking, as the two quickly adjusted themselves before Klein took Amari. Neil stood up, straightening his shirt as he observed his brother hold Amari in his arms.
“Just like that, one problem led to another… I knew something was bothering her, but…”
“Don’t worry about it, at least we know what's been on her mind...” Neil looked up at his brother as he felt his hand touch his shoulder. His face was reassuring to him, telling Neil everything that he needed to know at that moment. Klein got up holding Amari, taking her to her bed as he continued.
“All this time, we’ve kept her at a distance since she’s joined us… Adventuring, shopping, and working with Florence… She’s remained here alone.”
“I know, I’m sorry for not seeing this sooner.” Klein wasn’t too surprised by his brother’s apologies, though he knew it was hardly the place or the time. Tucking in Amari, he found his brother downtrodden, eyes focused onto the floor and nothing else.
Were all to blame for this mistake, I just hope now that we can make up for it… Klein thought, walking to his brother as he took the book from the table. His mood began to sour as he resumed his reading session on magic spells, specifically the verbal section. It was definitely common for those trained in magic to use spells that just come out of their body naturally, but what if it came from a normal guy.
“Spark.”
Neil stood behind his brother as he continued to orally pronounce spells, as flickers of electricity escape his fingertips. No doubt he was trying to master the power of lightning, noticing the sparks himself. But a question that loomed in his head had remained unanswered…
“That came out of your fingers…”
“The downside is that I feel extremely light-headed… Go get some rest, Neil. I’ll make up some plans for our physical training tomorrow…” Klein moved to the couch, gently patting his brothers chest as he passed. Before heading to bed, Neil was left thinking about what his older brother had just just.
Physical training...? Neil grabbed his phone, checking the time to find that it was already pretty late. Turning it off again, he smoothly rolled into his bed, blanket already covering his upper body as Neil slowly drifted to sleep.
----------------------------------------
PRESENT TIME
“Why did you bring us out here Mr Klein?”
“And in our gear no less, is this going to be easy?” Neil asked, leaving Klein to chuckle to himself. He slowly reached his hand into the tall grass below him, before pulling out what could only be described as a wide plank of wood.
“Think fast!” Without breaking a sweat, Klein threw two planks of wood from both of his hands. They were momentarily taken aback at the sudden attack, with the two instantly bracing for the oncoming projectiles.
Amari was quick on her feet, the first to get out of the way as she immediately ducked, glancing up as the plank flew over her head. Neil glanced to see what she did before attempting the same, the main problem being his size compared ot the demi-human. He quickly ducked, expecting the plank to fly over him like it did Amari.
Only to feel his forehead sting as the wood made contact anyways, his height being his undoing.
"AAAGH! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!"
"Welcome to my training program!" Amari was unsure of what Klein meant by program, looking back to the plank as a reference. Perhaps he has other goals in mind, those pieces of wood could mean he was testing her. The latter was evident when Klein approached, his smile directed at the demi-human before he threw a smirk at Neil. The younger brother raised his hand and raised his middle finger, as his older brother's amusement soon stopped after that.
It was a little bit confusing, but she had a hunch that it wasn't going to end there.
"Training...Program?"
"Program is basically like a set of activies, with these being focused on building us up for the day." Neil sighed as Amari's head tilted downward, processing information as Klein dragged on his explanation. He coughed loudly, snapping Klein out of his stupor.
"So... What kind of activies have you got in mind?"
I have a few ideas... But I don't think your gonna like them... Klein carried on past Amari towards one of the nearby trees, as the two now-trainees pick up on what was leaning against it. Standing on both of his sides, Klein handed each of the objects to them before taking one for himself.
"The sparring kind, you guys ready?" They were swords, wooden swords that looked eerily familiar to the ones Neil & Klein wielded when going on guild requests. Having used them before, Neil did a few practice swings, noticing how heavy they were. It wasn't what he had expected, he was almost certain that these must've been special.
Checking on Amari, it was to be expected that she struggled to even lift it, as she held it with both hands.
"Y-Yes...!"
"Yeah." Neil let his mind drift, observing his older brother trekking to the middle of the field. Amari watched one of her caretakers stare on at his sibling, slowly following from behind. For a moment she felt hesitant, before remembering why they were here. They were here to train, and she couldn't back down. Getting out all the fear she could, she soon followed as well.
Sword resting on his shoulder, Klein turned with a grin before lifting the blade from it's place. Pointing to the two approaching, Klein simply said his piece.
"Now then, lets start with the basics..."
........................
It was an exhausting walk back from the forest, as the brothers laid outside their bathroom resting on whatever was closest. Inside, Amari had just finished taking a bath after hours of training, as she began to dry off her body. Gazing into the mirror, she could still see the scars on parts of here body. However, hey weren't as noticeable as they were before joining Klein and Neil.
The brothers...They're so nice... She still remembers their first encounter, as curiousity over safety got the best of her. From such a hostile reaction to her sneaking, Amari didn't expect for things to turn out so well. Initially scared of the brothers, she soon started to come out of her mental shell, the brothers taking their time as it started to crack.
Thinking back on her past, they were almost like her parents. Her loving mother who had a bit of spunk, and her father who kept a cool attitude. Those were simplier times for the demi-human girl, her face frowning as she remebered the times she'd rather forget.
Ah~! Covering up her body with a warm towel, she flinched as the linen brushed against her chest. Looking back into the mirror, Amari was surprised to see that she'd changed physically as well. Gone was the pale skin, the easily noticeable scars and downcast expression. Her body lit up in a peachy tone, as Amari's physique was more soft compared to her previously thin stature.
Am I growing...? She quickly covered herself with the towel, continuing to wipe the rest of her body from any traces of sweat that might've remained. Her face flushed red as she averted her eyes from the small figure in the mirror, attempting to wipe away the her already embarrassed expression. She finally in drying herself, as she quickly threw her clothes into the basket in the corner of the bathroom. She should finish up soon, after all...
The brothers were right outside waiting for their turn.
"Did you hear that Neil? Sounds like she's taking a bit too long in there..." Amari's ears perked up, turning to the door to listen in on the brothers conversation.
"She hasn't been that long, Neil. Amari should be out any second now..."
"Ten minutes isn't long?"
"Just be glad it isn't twenty."
An audible sigh could be heard from outside the bathroom as she grabbed the handle, followed by the bed sqeaking as Neil had most likely fallen back onto the bed. Letting out a small giggle, she happily opened the door to find the brothers right outside.
"Dibs!" Neil ran into the bathroom with his towel, as the two could hear the turn on. Klein moved closer to one side of the bed, turning away to let Amari change without looking. They had agreed to let her dress and bathe herself from now on, especially since she had finally recovered physically.
The first week she arrived, it was spent nursing her the best they could. The brothers would always be watching over her, but as the days went by they began to realise that she was growing. The rate was unusually fast, with the two eventually telling her that she'd need to do those things herself.
"Klein... How long have I been with you two?" Klein turned to the demi-human, a bit startled by the sudden question. He could hear her right beside him, yet he would never dare open his eyes. She watched as he pondered on it, his hand brushing his hair back before he replied.
"It's been past a month now, at least from what I've counted on my phone..."
"I see..." Amari finished changing her clothes, putting on one of the shirts they had bought for her before she sat down beside him. Tapping his shoulder, Klein opened his eyes to find her downcast, giving a faint smile.
"What's with that look, you feelin' okay?"
"Y-Yes, its just..." Klein sat beside her as she tried to explain, tripping over her words before she felt his gaze on her. She turned to find Klein's confused expression, ever so obvious as it frowned over her like a wave of annoyance.
"Just what?" His arms were now crossed, now genuinely concerned as he adjusted himself onto the bed properly.
"Well..." She sat for a few more seconds, trying so hard to force the words out. Amari could feel the anxiety already building up inside her as she shifted on the bed. Finding enough courage, she adjusted herself before turning to the worried brother.
"T-Thank you both so much... For taking me in, and for giving me something I thought I'd never have again..." It felt like an eternity for her as she saw Klein's frozen state, his face unmoving. Amari wondered if she said anything wrong, starting to choke up inside as he refused to make a move.
"Your welcome... That doesn't mean your getting out of my training." A hand fell onto her hair, rubbing her head as Klein's unsmiling face did a full one-eighty.
"W-What!? T-That's not what I meant!" Patting her shoulder before getting up, Klein took the moment to nod in agreement to what she had just said. Amari was confused at his sudden shift in attitude, as his smile was more sincere than his usual expressions.
"I can only fight for so long! You'll have to carry my weight sooner or later!" Her face went red as his own swapped for a smirk, walking back into the living room.
C-Carry his weight?! Amari grew sour at her attempted gratitude immediately turned to an excuse, as she fell back onto the bed. With a sigh, she looked at Klein picking back up one of the books to read.
"By the way Mister Klein, what're we doing today?" Klein perked back up from Amari's question, his head rising from the couch as she saw his hand reach his chin in thought.
"Adventurers Guild," Klein sifted through his magic book before reaching a specific part. Placing a finger in his tongue before touching the page, he closed it and took out a piece and showed it to Amari.
"-we have to get you signed up." Amari moved from her spot and stood behind the couch, already reading the description as Klein kept his arm in-place.
"You finished reading it?" Klein said, checking back to Amari who remained unmoving. "...Amari?" Amari looked so focused on reading it, while Klein was left to awkwardly leave his hand up.