Chapter V: The Return

'Are you all right, Edouard? Your performance in class-all your classes-has suffered these past two weeks. The change is not much, but it is cause for worry.'
'I...I'd be lying if I said I was, Monsieur Vampa. Anne is there for me, as I was there for her when she needed me years ago, but this sort of thing cannot be dealt with in a week or two.'
'I know. If it's time you need-'
'Thank you, but I do not think a leave of absence is a good idea with mid-terms coming up. I can deal with my grief here.' De la Fère refilled his cup from the squat porcelain teapot on the cluttered table between them. The two were seated in Vampa's office, almost swallowed by immense leather armchairs. The chamber was dimly lit by a handful of small lamps scattered among-and atop-the stacks of books that filled the room. A door half-concealed by massive bookshelves led to the professor's small kitchen and his living quarters upstairs.
'You may be right, but I don't want you forcing yourself over this. It never does any good: you can only hold the grief in for so long and it will be stronger when it breaks out.' The aged Italian laid a papery hand on his student's knee. 'Better to grieve now, when you have friends to support you.'
'Thank you for your concern, but I think that the worst is past.' The younger man caught a glimpse of the grandfather clock in one corner as he reached for one of the innumerable leather-bound volumes stacked beside him. 'Ah! Please excuse me if I seem rude, but I must leave. The fencing team's practice is almost over and Anne will be expecting dinner shortly. By the way, may I borrow this?'
'By all means. It is a most excellent account of the Hundred Years' War, though I think it dwells too much on the military aspects while neglecting the political and economic issues surrounding the war [1].'
'I am young: I can still find glory in the thought of battle and war. Allow me my illusions while I can still have them.'
Vampa laughed. 'Very well, go with your dreams of glory; and may you never learn the truth of battle.'

'Edouard! What's for dinner?' The call reached the Frenchman as he stepped off the stairs leading to the teachers' quarters. Anne and a half dozen other fencers approached from the East Gym door.
'Beef stew. But I can make Ramen if you'd rather have that.'
'Stew's fine. How was your talk with the old man?' Anne wrapped one arm around her friend's neck as he joined the group. She seemed to favour her right leg.
'The usual: discussing the private lives of people dead a hundred years and more. What happened to your leg?'
The blonde grimaced. 'Juri. She's been more savage than usual ever since the masquerade ball two weeks ago. Asking her about it only makes it worse.'
'That's because it's none of your business!' Juri snapped from the end of the column. She carried foil and helmet under one arm and a small duffel in the other.
'Whatever it is, you can discuss it somewhere else. Make way.' The kendo team's green-haired captain appeared at the head of a dozen of his teammates.
De la Fère tapped his cane against his boot. 'Monsieur Saionji, the hall is wide enough for you to pass comfortably. There is no need to order us around so rudely.'
'Shut up, gaijin! It's bad enough we have to use the East Gym after you without receiving a lecture on manners [2].'
'Is it his fault that rain drove the soccer team into the West Gym?' Juri asked overly politely. 'Tournament play begins on Saturday, after all.'
Saionji made no reply but gestured peremptorily for his team to proceed to the gym. As he passed Juri, he hissed, 'Remember, Arisugawa, that I am your superior now that you are no longer on the Council.'
Once the other team was out of earshot, she snorted. 'Council. As if we were ever anything more than End of the World's puppets.'
'End of the World? You make that sound like someone's name,' Anne noted.
'It's nothing important...I'm no longer one of them. No longer part of his plots.' The normally confident Captain seemed to be assuring herself that this was true.
'You want to talk about this over a cup of something?'
Juri jerked erect and bowed stiffly. 'Thank you, but I have other matters to attend to. Perhaps another time.'
'She's upset about something. It seems to hinge on Monsieur Saionji, the Student Council, and this End of the World. What do you make of it, Anne?' De la Fère toyed with his cane as he stared at the Captain's retreating back.
'Some of the Council have been overheard mentioning "End of the World," usually in connexion with the Duels. This may be connected to her resignation from the Council; and that seems to be related to whatever happened at the ball.' Anne shook her head. 'We can talk about this over dinner. Food and a cup of wine always wake my wits.'
Dinner shed little light on Juri's behaviour and the conversation turned to the inevitable topic of two lovers who had known each other long enough [3]. 'This may be a little premature, but I have to know: will we ever be engaged again, like...before?'
Edouard stared silently into his glass for a moment before answering. 'Actually, we always have been. What I said to you...I said in haste and confusion. I couldn't bring myself to go to our fathers and ask them to call the marriage off. And I couldn't face you again, not after what I'd said. By the time I was ready, you'd already left. But if you want to take me back, I am yours...as I've always been.'
The blonde's first reaction was to throw her drink in his face. Her second was to sieze the young man and kiss him over the table. 'All those years! You could've written or called! And why didn't you tell me when you got here?' Anne threw her fiancé back into his seat.
'I-I thought it would be better to go slowly, see if you still wanted anything to do with me. If you want me out of your life for deceiving you...I understand.'
'Whatever gave you the idea that I'd want that? You're mine, now and forever.' The ferocity of that statement was tempered somewhat by the blush that accompanied Anne's next question: 'So, if we're still engaged, when do you want the wedding?'
Edouard stammered as his mind raced wildly. 'W-W-We can't possibly get married while school is in session, and I don't think that most of our family would be willing to fly out here on a few days' notice. The earliest we could possibly have it would be this summer, I think. And even that is too early if you want a big ceremony and reception.'
Anne laughed. 'We don't have to decide now. I just want you to start thinking about it. We can't remain fiancés forever, after all.'

'Next!' Juri called impatiently as she scored another touch on the day's latest loser. Only a handful of fencers at Ohtori ever survived the first pass with her, but that did not dissuade the entire club from challenging her at every practice. Another mesh-masked figure in white stood forward with foil in guard position. This one stood taller than any of the other fencers; Juri did not remember anyone of that height at the last meeting.
The two faced each other on the narrow strip and Miki gave the signal to start. Faster than the eye could follow, Juri lunged; the unknown deflected the thrust with a twist of his sword and stabbed at her shoulder. The Captain sprang back and the attack fell short. The two fencers eyed each other warily, seeking some opening, then lunged simultaneously. The newcomer twisted under Juri's blade and came up with his foil's point at her throat.
'You've gotten better while I was gone, Juri.' He pulled off his helmet to reveal light blue hair flecked with silver framing a long, narrow face. Deep-set blue eyes flanked a high-bridged nose set amid prominent cheekbones and taut, thin lips. The nobility of his features was enhanced or marred-depending on the observer-by great pallor.
'Welcome back, Captain Tsuchiya.' Juri pulled off her own helmet and saluted.
'Captain?' The question roared from a dozen throats.
'This is Tsuchiya Ruka, the true Captain of the fencing club. I was appointed as Acting Captain while he was away.'
'I've been recuperating from a protracted illness at a small hospital and spa on the Loire in France [4]. As part of my recovery, I studied at two fencing schools nearby; the masters of those schools are possibly the best swordsmen I've ever met. Juri, I've brought a gift for you. Miki, my bags!' The blue-haired boy brought forward two long leather cases. Ruka opened one to reveal a pair of gleaming rapiers. The name Arisugawa shone in gold script on one blade-Roman letters on one side, Japanese on the other. Orange enamel traced delicate vines on the basket-shaped handguard. Its blue-enameled twin bore the name Tsuchiya. Two leather baldrics were coiled in the top of the case.
'I-They're beautiful, Ruka. This is too much.'
'One of my instructors said that one could only advance so far with toy blades. At some point, one must take up true arms.' The two removed the swords and donned their baldrics. 'With your permission, Juri, I'd like to dismiss this meeting: we have many things to talk about, and it would be best to discuss them in private.'
'You're the Captain; give whatever orders you want.' Even before the words were out of her mouth, the younger members had left silently bearing new gossip.
'Sir, what about the other bag?' Miki inquired timidly.
'Thank you for reminding me. It was given to me by one of my instructors to deliver to his son, who has recently enrolled at Ohtori.'
Juri immediately thought of Edouard, who had mentioned that his family ran a fencing school in Orléans, and asked if the package was intended for him. Ruka replied, 'Yes, it is. Do you know where to find him?'
'I'm here, Monsieur Tsuchiya. I've been awaiting this for some time; thank you for bringing.' The Frenchman bowed low to the Captain and opened the case to remove the sword within. It was slim, somewhat shorter than the other two due to his family's merely average height. The guard was a simple cup and bar, the blade's sole adornment the motto Fortis et Fidelis in bronze [5]. Edouard looped the swordbelt around his waist.
'This was my brother's sword, and my father's before him. The eldest son of the de la Fères has borne it for as long as we've had our name. In duel and battle, it has served us with faith and strength. Again, I thank you for bringing it to me. I will leave you to your own affairs.'
Ruka returned de la Fère's bow and spoke warmly. 'Your brother was a good man when I knew him, as is your father. And yours as well, Miss de Beuil.'
'How did you recog-. Of course. Father must have shown you pictures of me while you were at our school. May I ask how you fared against them?'
'Poorly. Even after the doctors had declared me cured, I only won one match against each of them.'
The blonde laughed gently. 'Don't feel bad: the two of them were in the finals of every major tournament in Europe back in the Seventies [6]. Edouard, let's give these two some privacy.' The foreign couple left with Miki practically treading on their heels.
Once the door shut behind them, Ruka turned to Juri and somberly pulled a small object from a pocket sewn into his vest. The red stone shone under the gym's fluorescent lights. 'This arrived for me in a letter the day before I left for Japan. I hope these blades never cross in the Arena.'
'There's no need to fear that. I've quit the Duels.'
'Quit? When? Why didn't you tell me?'
'I quit about a month ago. Something happened that made me see the Duelists and Council for what they are and I wanted no part of it. I couldn't trust my decision or my reasons to phone or paper, not with him in charge. Please, I'd rather not talk about it now.' Juri turned away from her old friend.
'I understand. But, please, remember that a burden is lighter when shared.'

The great bells chimed ten 'til eleven as Anne and Edouard made their way back to the dormitories after a moonlit stroll in the gardens [7]. A taxi pulled up as they passed the gates. Two passengers got out, one leaning heavily on the other; moonlight reflected from white jackets and orange hair. As the cab drove off, the more alert passenger called out, 'Who goes there?'
Anne ran up to him. 'Just us, Ruka. Is Juri with you?'
'We went out for dinner and she...overindulged a bit.'
The ex-Duelist murmured in protest, 'I'm not drunk! Just a bit tired.'
'Let's get her inside before anyone else sees her like this. Edouard's rooms are closest, I think.'
Due to the late hour, the four saw no one before the passed the door marked Le Bastion St. Gervais. They seated Juri at the table while Anne heated water for coffee. The kettle's whistle roused the orange-haired woman. She gazed in confusion around the room before her eyes fell on Edouard. She lifted a glass left over from dinner and ordered, 'Waiter, another glass of red!'
Ruka whispered to the hesitant Frenchman, 'Play along. She'll take the bottle herself if you don't. We were forced to leave when she turned violent after the waiter refused to bring another drink.' The younger man nodded and fetched a full bottle from the rack.
Juri drained the first cup in one gulp and repeated the performance twice before letting the glass touch the table. Her voice almost seemed sober when she asked, 'What do you think of two men-or women- loving one another?'
'The Church frowns on it,' de la Fère began, 'but I...I have nothing against it personally.' Anne nodded agreement, as did Ruka, who added, 'Why do you ask?'
'Because I'm about to tell you the story of a friend of mine-a friend, not me-who drove herself to distraction over another girl.
'This happened in a small private school in my hometown, a school with the ceremonial Student Council every high school has. The President was a playboy who tried to sleep with every girl at the school; that's what the rumours say, at least. My friend was a fencer, a good one; she was my equal when I knew her. But that was years ago.' Juri paused to empty her glass again.
Anne took the opportunity to ask how Juri knew this story if she'd last met her friend 'years ago.' The older woman shrugged. 'We still write to each other from time to time. But let's return to my friend's tale. Her Student Council was ruled by a playboy, as I said, and he often made passes at her. But my friend had fallen for another girl, maybe a year or so younger than her. To hear her tell it, that girl was a delicate little thing with the most wonderful hair...and a body to die for.' The ex-Duelist smiled almost ruefully.
'My friend was heads over heels for her; she would've given the world for her, as the saying goes. She even let the girl talk her into attending a masquerade ball dressed as a cat. The other girl dressed as a fox and they agreed to meet outside the ballroom about half an hour after the dance started.
'My friend arrived early and awaited her lover beside the door. Her costume was a glorious orange-and-crème tabby with perky ears and a silky tail. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then an hour. Her love, the fox, turned up as the clock chimed the end of that hour. With that playboy President on her arm!' Juri grabbed the bottle and drained it at a draught, collapsing across the table afterwards.
She rose a few minutes later, whereupon Anne asked what her friend had done at the ball. The fencer replied in thickly slurred words, 'Nothing...at th' time. But if I ever get my hands on that bastard, he'll regret taking her from me.' Juri's hand rose to her throat, groping for a chain no longer there. Tears flowed freely down her face as she slid limp to the floor.
As the three moved her to the couch, Anne murmured, 'Nec fulvus aper media tam saevus in ira est.'
Edouard nodded agreement while Ruka raised a questioning eyebrow. The blonde explained: 'It's part of a verse by Ovid about the savagery of jealous women. As the English put it, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned [9]."'
Juri awoke the next morning with a terrible headache and begged her audience to disregard the tale of the night before, saying, 'I'm sorry if I lost control of my drinking. It just tasted so good, I couldn't stop. It may have made me say some strange things. I've heard that alcohol can do that to people.'

Notes:

1) The Hundred Years' war lasted off and on from 1337 to 1453. I don't know much about it except that it was between England and France, mostly fought in France, and that the French won that war. Also, Joan of Arc figured prominently in the latter stages of the war.
2) As mentioned earlier, gaijin is a Japanese term for foreigner. Saionji may come off as just a bit racist here...but if you scratch deep enough on someone from the Far East, you'll find a nice ethnocentric fellow who thinks that his nation is the center of the world. Some of them even name their countries that.
3) This is not to imply that they're sleeping together, merely that they love each other.
4) The city of Orléans lies on the Loire River. Edouard and Anne are natives of that city .
5) Fortis et Fidelis is the Latin for 'Strong and Loyal.' It, or a variation on the same words, is the motto of M. de Tréville, the Captain of the Musketeers in M. Dumas' novel.
6) For the sake of argument, let's agree that this fic is set in the early Nineties...as much as time can be said to mean anything at Ohtori, especially this version of it. That puts the elder de la Fère and de Beuil in their early or mid forties at this time. Athos retains his skill with blade into his late forties or early fifties in Twenty Years After, and probably another ten years later in the final part of the Musketeer trilogy. Edmond Dantès from The Count of Monte Cristo is also a great swordsman and marksman into his forties.
7) I know that it's odd for clock bells to chime at a time like that, but remember that Ohtori Academy is nothing if not eccentric. Besides, Jules Verne has Big Ben ring five 'til nine or some time like that at the end of Around the World in Eighty Days.
8) I probably exaggerated Juri's capacity for alcohol just a bit. However, the incident that I've based this on had a storyteller who'd consumed the greater part of a cellar full of wine over the course of a week (and a bottle while telling the story). It seemed an effective way to reveal what's wrong with her.
9) The quote is from Ovid's Art of Love. The first line, which Anne quoted, reads (loosely translated) 'Neither the red boar is so savage in his rage...' The rest lists a few famously savage animals-the lion suckling her young and the trodden snake-and says that their fury is nothing compared to a woman who finds a rival in her bed.

General:
I apologize for the long delay, but those of you who write fics yourselves have probably all felt the frustration of writer's block at some point. I hope this chapter isn't too disappointing.
My handling of Edouard and Anne's relationship doesn't feel...satisfying to me. It just doesn't seem quite right. She's deeply, possessively in love with him; he's slightly more distant, but loves her as well. I don't think I'm bringing it out right. Any advice would be welcome.
Ruka and Juri...the couple that never was. If you are a fan of the Juri-Shiori pairing, calm down and please don't flame me. I have my reasons for bringing these two together. Not least because I think that Ruka deserves a chance with the lady Shiori discarded. Also, Juri probably has a few suspicions about Akio, perhaps from scraps Touga let drop or from the Chairman's idiosyncrasies.
About the spelling of Anne's surname: It's only mentioned once in the novel I obtained it from (the identity of that book should be obvious from the theme running throughout this fic); however, it seems to be spelled differently in each edition or translation I find. I've even seen it spelled de Breuil. So please don't come waving books at me saying that I spelled it wrong.
And now for another 'preview' that may or may not have anything to do with the future course of this fic:

Thick fog surrounded the Rapier, veiling sea and land from its crew. Ruka ordered them to set the sea-anchor and wait for the fog to burn off. As they waited, he and Juri paced the deck, muttering, 'Where has this ship taken us now? So far we've landed on jungle islands, feudal kingdoms, and an Old West mining town.'
Some hours later, the fog dispersed, revealing that they lay mere yards from a grey stone wharf. They moved the ship closer and tied her up. The buildings around the dock appeared to be of European construction, so Anne and Edouard were dispatched to investigate their new environs. Miki took out his violin to pass the time, but Ruka brusquely ordered him to stop after a few minutes.
An hour later, the French couple returned and asked their companions to come ashore: they'd found someone who'd be able to help them find Akio and his followers. Though reluctant to leave their ship unattended, the five disembarked and followed. Strangely, none of the sailors walking along the dock so much as glanced at the slim new ship.
After several turnings through the misty streets, the party found themselves facing a door marked '221B.' The woman who opened the door sent them upstairs, where they were greeted by a man fully as tall as Ruka. He wore a mouse-grey dressing gown and carried a pipe in his hand. His chambers were messy in the manner peculiar to bachelors with papers and tools scattered haphazardly. Several letters were pinned to the mantelpiece with a large knife.
Their host bowed them in and gestured for the ladies to take the few seats available. He began by waving at Anne and Edouard. 'I can tell that these two are French, by their accent, physiognomy, and a number of other signs. However, you are a mystery to me. Your names, as they've reported them, seem to be Japanese in origin, but you do not resemble the natives of those islands. You are too tall, too pale, and your hair colours are either exceedingly rare or completely unique. Who are you?'
Juri told their story, with frequent interruptions from their host asking for clarification or explanation. When she was done, he sat back with his pipe in his mouth. At length, he pronounced, 'This is the strangest case that has been ever brought before me. I might almost believe that you are actors hired by Watson to test me. But your story rings true. I will make what inquiries I can; return in a week and I will tell you what I have found. In the meantime, I would advise you to try to find employment; you may be staying here for quite some time.'