His father was a dead man.
It's not that Ryugo was dead, but as Sengo watch him drown himself in work, Sengo thought that he might as well be one.
He still take care of them, of course. But other than that? He spent most of his time in the forge. And that pained Sengo. It feels like he wasn't losing only one parent, but two of them.
Charlie isn't faring any better. Sengo always found him in mother's side of the bed and crying. It was painful to watch. But grieving was never meant to be easy. Even Sengo had his own grieving session.
Today was one of such days.
It had been almost a month since mother's death, and Sengo find himself stumbling towards her grave. He sat down in front of it and stare blankly.
He had just finished training (because he can't neglect it even after her death) and thought of what his mother would say to his sweat covered body and then remembered that she had died. After that, he look at his own family, who was grieving as well, and then go straight to her grave.
It had been a mindless action. His unconsciousness searching for his mother. But his mind soon realized that he couldn't, so now he was staring at the small statue of his mother that Charlie carved because he was missing her a few days after the funeral. It didn't look like her, but it was the closest thing they now had to what she once was.
At that moment. Sengo realized that his mother had been an anchor to the family. Losing her was starting to make them crumble. (His fist clenched) and Sengo can't have that. He can't let this family crumble, what would his mother said? It was time to pull himself back together and pull his father and Charlie with him.
Because mother wouldn't want this.
With a new resolve, Sengo got up, look at his mother's tombstone for a few more minutes and said, "I love you, mom. And I'll make sure to bring this family back together. I'm sure you wouldn't want us like this, right?" With a pained smile, he walked away.
--
Sengo finally remembered the other kid.
Cale Henituse. The Young Master, his cousin, whose mother also died the same day as his and was buried the same day as well.
He didn't beat himself up for forgetting. But he was glad he did remember.
He really was.
Because he found the kid between mountains of paperworks. Ron Molan was there, helping the boy, a 7 year old boy, working on paperworks.
How did he find Cale? Well, he asked Beacrox, and Beacrox lead him here and now he's also stuck in the mountain called paperworks.
Sighing, Sengo quickly look over all the papers so Cale could go to sleep.
The kid was handling the matter of the County, while Sengo was handling the House matters.
By all rules, he shouldn't be doing this, but Cale and Ron trust him enough to not make a mess out of it. Besides, they were family before friends. Sengo would never put them in harm way, at least Cale since Ron is an Assassin, he can take care of himself.
Now, you might ask, where's Deruth? He had drown himself in alcohol.
Sengo understood why, and yet he couldn't help but be angry at the Count. He had abandoned Cale, who was also grieving to grief by himself. He had left a child, who just lost his mother alone. Sengo wondered if the Count even comforted Cale when he cried, because the young Muramasa could see the eye bags that shouldn't be on a kid Cale's age.
Sengo finally finished his batch of paperwork and look at Cale, who wasn't even half-way through what he had when Sengo came in the Solar to help.
Sighing, he walked over to Cale and picked a large amount of paperwork to look over.
Truly, it was Sengo's first time doing this. So he was careful and set his mind straight as he put the paperwork on the table he had been sitting in for an hour or more, he never counted.
He thinks of what would be the best, not as a child or a part of the population, but as a Lord owning a land. And he starts his work.
If he was being honest, this situation never should came to be. Why? Because even if he was a close relative to them, it doesn't mean he should be in this position. The only reason he was was because he was a trusted man of the kid.
In the first place, kids his age and Cale's age shouldn't be doing paperwork.
And yet, here they are.
It took them another hour to finish the remaining paperworks for that day.
Sengo sighed and stretched his body. His bones definitely cracked in a way a kid body of his age shouldn't been able to. He then look at Cale, who looked as exhausted, if even more so than him, and frowned.
He remembered the promise he made to himself that day on the funeral. And got up from where he sat to pick the kid up.
Cale looked surprised but didn't protest, instead he lean in more to the older boy.
"Ron, is the Young Master's bedroom ready?" Sengo asked as Ron opened the door of the office to let him carry Cale out of there, a place where kids shouldn't work in the first place.
"Yes, the bedroom is ready for the Young Master to rest in." Ron answered readily, eyeing the red haired Young blacksmith that his son had been close with these past few months.
Sengo hummed, "prepare a bath. It should help him with all that sitting he's been doing today."
"I'll prepare it now." Ron went ahead of the children, telling a maid nearby to lead Sengo so he won't get lost, seems like the story of his tendencies to get lost had become quite well known in the Count's household.
Sengo finally arrived after thirty minutes of walk. The reason it take that long was because of his short legs and the fact that he was taking his time carrying Cale to his room.
Though he was just enjoying having one of his little brother in his arm more rather than Cale being heavy. Cale was lighter than he had expected, which was a little bit concerning and made Sengo wonder if the kid was eating enough or was it because of the works he had to do in his father's stead? Either way, it was concerning. And made him want to hit the Count at least once for being a fool, but couldn't because he's the Count and because Sengo understand how grief could make the worst of the greatest of people.
As he go to the bathroom and help Cale out of his clothes and get him inside the bathtub. With the help of Ron, he cleaned Cale and get him in his pajama and then set the kid under the covers of warm blankets.
Sengo turn towards the butler, "thank you for your hard work, Sir Molan." Who only smiled and nodded at him.
"It is simply my job, Sir Muramasa." At the formal way he addressed him, Sengo sighed. He was close to Ron's son, so it was awkward for Beacrox's father to call him with his last name and adding a 'sir' to it as well when Sengo haven't done anything impressive.
But aside that, Ron was right. And yet, "No one else had done more than you as a butler, Sir Molan." Which was true, and that spoke a lot of who Ron Molan was truly serving. Maybe that was what he was trying to imply.
Ron's smile turn more sharper that Sengo instinctively tensed up. "No one has done more than you as the young master's family, Sir Muramasa." Sengo wanted to protest, but it was the truest words that Sengo can't fought it. Because he was family with the young master, his little cousin. "And, i had promised the late Countess."
Sengo couldn't argue with that. He sighed and nodded, "then I will take my leave, Sir. Again, thank you for today." And then Sengo left before Ron could utter a single word.
--
A week after that.
Sengo could be found training his swordmanship in the training yard when the Young Master appeared searching for him.
"Cale?" Sengo looked at the petite young master, who clearly didn't eat his breakfast again. "Shouldn't you be eating at this time? What is it? Is there something wrong?"
"... Will you leave?" Cale's question reminded Sengo of himself a little bit.
"Not for a long time." Sengo answers truthfully, "there are places i want to visit, but I'll come back here eventually."
Without further questions, Cale went and hugged Sengo tightly, "please don't leave." Sengo heard the kid say.
The Reincarnator didn't respond to those, instead he patted the young master's head.
His mind were on the promise he made the day their mothers die.
(If someone dare to hurt this kid, I'm not going to let them go until they pay for what they did. )