Chapter Text
Chapter 1: A Fateful Meeting Again
The entire castle rumbled as the white pillar of light descended.
Great walls crumbled and debris flew everywhere. Down below the small figures of her subjects could be seen scattering around in panic at the devastation, bodies being tossed like ragdolls.
"Really… To think you would be this cruel!" She shouted out into the unforgiving sky, rage, and betrayal plain in her voice.
Veronica startled awake in her bed.
She was in a cold sweat, breathing hard, her heart racing. It was that dream… no, that memory again.
Bleary eyes glanced at the room around her. An alarm clock. A music player plugged in to charge. The faint whine of the air conditioner. The scatter books, printed color posters and transparent glass windows.
So different from her old room with it's cold stone walls, lack of electricity, and no running water.
She shook her head, letting out a weary sigh. Well, she wouldn’t be getting back to sleep, not after a dream like that. Getting up from her bed in one smooth motion, she shivered from the brisk morning chill as she walked to the bathroom, bare feet pattering against the floor.
Entering, the thing that immediately drew her attention was her own reflection in the mirror. There was nothing special or different about her appearance. She looked the same as she always did.
And that was exactly the problem.
Long shimmering golden hair. Brilliant, gem-like blue eyes. Gorgeous face. A slim body, yet womanly figure.
Veronica Minami of Japan stared into the mirror and Princess Veronica of Zerestria stared back at her.
The era might be different, the world might be different, and her life might be different, but still Veronica was still somehow the same.
She laughed tiredly in the mirror. She knew reincarnation was real, but weren’t you supposed to be reborn in a new body and the same old one?
***
The moment Hiroki Yuu saw Princess Veronica for the first time in this life, it felt like her heart had stopped and time itself had frozen.
It was her last year of middle school and it was the weekend. Yuu was shopping on her own at a mall further from home than the one she usually visited. She was spending the day here but wasn’t really buying that much. Just a few things here and there that caught her eye. She mostly had fun going from one store to another browsing.
She had a good amount of allowance to spend, but not that much. She tended to be frugal anyways, perhaps a holdover from her past life.
Yes. Her past life as Glen Schreiber.
Ever since her first year of middle school she began remembering bits and pieces of it. Her past life as a knight. Capable of wielding real magic and a genuine warrior who had sworn his sword in the name of his princess.
It was the sort of thing that sounded unbelievable and insane. Since her memories began returning, no small part of her wondered if she was actually insane. The only ‘real’ proof she had was the sudden scar on her ear the same place that Glen had and her own recollections of Glen’s life. Not exactly ironclad.
Magic, like Glen had learned, would be the perfect proof, except Yuu couldn’t do it. She tried, very at that, with every spell and offering she could remember, but not a spark ever showed up. A disappointing result.
So, without evidence and a lifetime of another man’s memories stuck in her brain left Yuu to just do her best to live her life. Hence the occasional shopping trip like this.
Doing some stereotypically feminine stuff like shopping, growing her hair out, and wearing girly outfits was oddly helpful in reminding herself she was Hiroki Yuu now and not Glen anymore. A few more…. adult undergarments in her shopping bag she got from a lingerie store helped exemplify that.
Anyways, time passed quickly, and it was around the end of the day now and Yuu was preparing to go home via the subway. Most of the other shoppers had left now, so she’d be able to get a train seat that’d be less crowded. An unfortunate encounter with a train groper a while back left her wary of the more crowded train cars and made her wish it was socially acceptable here to carry around a sword.
But then, on the way out the mall, when her eyes first saw that unforgettable figure, all other thoughts went away.
Walking out a small, tucked away cafe in the corner was someone who shouldn’t possibly be here. Long golden lustrous hair that shone brilliantly. Bright blue eyes as perfect as the purest gems. Skin of the finest soft white and an enchantingly beautiful figure.
It was unmistakably Princess Veronica Zerestria.
She was instantly recognizable, even now when wearing a modern outfit of a leather jacket and fashionable jeans rather than one of her characteristic gowns.
Hiroki Yuu had never laid eyes on the Princess of Zerestria in this life, but Glen Schreiber had her visage memorized for all eternity.
Glen had a hard life. It was easier than many others had been, but it was still hard.
A bastard child of House Alphard who was taken by House Belbania, Glen was burdened by many expectations in life. Sent to the battlefield at a young age, he saw so much blood and death. So many of his memories were like this. So many memories that Yuu preferred to ignore and try not to remember.
However, in Glen’s memories filled with battle and hardship, the Princess was like a shining star. A beacon of hope and happiness that he treasured until the very end. The memories of Veronica were a delicate treasure that even Yuu appreciated, thinking of them fondly.
And now that Princess had appeared once more in front of Hiroki Yuu.
It was a good thing she was speechless at the moment, otherwise Yuu might have blurted out something ridiculous in her shock. Instead, she simply watched in shock as Princess Veronica walked away.
Without conscious thought, Yuu found her legs moving as she followed the Princess, practically in a daze. Absently, her gaze evaluated Veronica’s body and motions as she walked past dozens of shops and pedestrians toward the parking lot.
God, even the way she walked was exactly the same as Glen’s memories.
Yuu didn’t know why, she didn’t know how, but the Princess was here, alive in this world. Had she been reincarnated like Glen had been into herself? Did the Princess remember their past life as well? She had no idea how that worked. The religion back then had been quite clear that reincarnated people should be reborn in a new life without their old memories.
Then, Veronica stopped at the edge of the parking lot, waving forward to someone. A black limousine had pulled up, a formally suited man stepped out, bowing, before opening one of the side doors.
Yuu’s breath hitched. Veronica was leaving, walking towards the limousine.
The reincarnated girl bit at her lip in nervousness. Most things that had to do with her old life, Glen’s life, were scary and frightening. It was something she almost instinctively wanted to avoid. Terrifying thoughts ran through her mind.
It would have been better if you had died.
You must die.
I will kill you… Glen.
But thinking of the Princess brought nothing but feelings of warmth and comfort. It was familiar. It made her desperately want to learn more. To reach out. To call out.
She didn’t hesitate. Her decision was already made the moment she saw the Princess’s figure once more.
“Wait!” Yuu yelled out.
Veronica paused just as she was about to enter the vehicle, looking back towards Yuu who stood some distance away. “... Yes?” She said, curious blue eyes regarding Yuu.
Yuu swallowed nervously at Veronica’s gaze. With her hands clenched, she took a deep breath and walked to the waiting Princess. “I have something very important to ask you.” She spoke with as much confidence as she could muster. “Is… are you… I…” Her words failed her. A sudden bout of nerves and anxiety rushing over her.
Veronica looked at her odd behavior puzzledly, curiosity in her eyes. “Your question… it is something important I gather?”
“Uh… yes.” Yuu flushed at her own uncharacteristic bashfulness.
Veronica smiled back at her kindly. “Then relax and take as much time as you like, miss.”
Yuu held her hands together in front of herself, fingers intertwined to stop herself from fidgeting. Glancing around them, Yuu realized her earlier shout had drawn substantial attention, and they were standing right at the mall entrance. Also, the driver of the limousine seemed to be looking at her disapprovingly. “I-Is there perhaps somewhere we could speak privately?” Yuu asked in hesitation.
“Ah, yes.” Veronica nodded, her eyes kind and understanding. “It must be hard to speak with such attention. We could speak in my car if that’s acceptable with you?”
“Yes please.” Yuu replied quickly.
***
Hiroki Yuu was annoyed at herself. This sort of timid worrying was utterly unlike her. What was worse, she knew this was purely her and not Glen.
Glen would be more than comfortable talking to the Princess given how much time they spent together. Perhaps it was because this was bringing up the whole mess of her past life. She’d spent literally years just trying to live her new life on Earth, trying to ignore the past and now it was all coming up at once.
Still, she felt increasingly certain this person was indeed the Princess of her past life. It honestly would have been just like Veronica to invite a complete stranger to talk privately just because she was curious, or the person looked like they needed help. An odd part of her, probably Glen, felt annoyed the Princess was without a guard in the presence of a stranger. Where was Rida when you needed her?
Sitting inside the limousine, Yuu observed the interior. Simply decorated and furnished in brown leather, it was a luxurious space that denoted both wealth and simple tastes. The limousine wasn’t that large, but with just the two rather petite girl’s inside, it felt huge.
Veronica sat in a plush leather seat directly across from Yuu. With the door closed and the sounds of the mall outside falling away, she couldn’t help the feeling of being put on the spot. It wasn’t that Veronica’s gaze was intimidating, just the opposite, she looked so kind and reassuring. Rather Yuu felt distinctly out of place in front of this girl who felt straight out of another age.
“Well then.” The Princess clapped her hands. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Minami Veronica. You are…?”
“Ah! Right.” Yuu shook her head at her foolishness, she hadn’t even introduced herself. “H-Hiroki Yuu.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you then, Hiroki-san. We seem quite similar in age. Are you in middle school or highschool?” Veronica asked gently, well aware of Yuu’s anxiety.
“Um, middle school. My last year.”
“Oh! Me too!” She smiled, surprised. “Our schools must be distant for us to not have met. Had we, I’m sure I’d remember you.”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Now, you had something important to ask me?” Veronica asked curiously.
Taking a deep breath and pulling a bit from Glen’s courage, Yuu braced herself. “A-Are you Princess Veronica of Zerestria?”
For a brief moment time seemed to stand still. Veronica blinked owlishly, mouth dropping in surprise. She looked utterly startled.
Then Veronica’s eyes narrowed. An intense gaze focused on Yuu as soft blue eyes seemed to turn to solid ice. She straightened up, no longer the reassuring and kind girl, but instead authoritative and powerful royalty. All of a sudden, the huge spacious limousine felt all too cramped.
“Indeed.” Veronica acknowledged coldly. “In my past life I was known as Princess Veronica Zerestria. Now…” She leaned forward, demenor demanding. “How do you know that name?”
Yuu froze. Any doubts she had that this was the real Veronica fled her mind.
At the same time, she couldn’t possibly think of what to say in response. Glen had only rarely seen this more imperious side of the princess, but it had never been directed at him. Furthermore, Yuu wasn’t a battle-hardened soldier like he was. She was just a schoolgirl, overwhelmed by this unexpected situation.
So Yuu simply fell back to the part of herself that did know what to do in this situation.
Channeling Glen Schreiber more than she ever had before in this life, she fell to one knee on the floor of the car, fist over her heart and head bowed.
“I am Glen Schreiber, warrior of House Belbania of Zerestria and sworn to the service of Princess Veronica.”
The words were spoken in her own voice, but it was undoubtedly Glen speaking. It was in a language that wasn’t Japanese, but Yuu spoke it fluently without extra thought. Yuu’s heart was pounding. Her breathing was shallow in her own ears, and she could feel her hands shaking. The silence and anticipation was overwhelming.
“... G-Glen…?” Veronica choked out.
“Yes.” Yuu confirmed.
“I-Is that you… Glen?” The princesses voice was shaken and sounded so small all of a sudden, overcome with emotion.
Despite her instincts, Yuu looked up, a break in knightly protocol. Veronica’s previous composure was gone, both hands held up to cover her mouth. Her eyes wide open looking over at Yuu, as if she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. It was a rare and endearing expression.
She felt a sudden sense of confidence, relaxing as a smile that was all Glen formed on her face. “Yes. In my past life I was Glen Schreiber. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you again in this life, Veronica-sama.”
Those words were all the confirmation Veronica needed. Quick as a flash, the Princess had grabbed hold of Yuu’s right hand in both her own hands. Holding on tightly, the most brilliant and shining smile formed on her face.
“Glen! Glen! Thank goodness! I’m… so glad you’re here! Ah! Thank goodness!” Veronica looked radiant, utterly overjoyed.
Any and all the tension previously in Yuu’s body disappeared without a trace at the sight of Veronica’s joy. She relaxed, a great feeling of joy coming over her as well at their reunion, at seeing that heavenly smile just once more.
Once again, like many times before in this life and the last, her mind went back to an old, treasured memory.
It was Princess Veronica, glistening wet skin shining in the torch light. Her long lustrous golden hair dripped water and flower petals onto the ground even as she wore only a sodden nightgown. She had held his hand in both her own hands, a beaming smile still the same and saying, ‘Thank goodness!’
Hiroki Yuu felt a great warmth in her heart.
***
So… this is my first fanfic ever really. Or at least the first I’ve written that I’ve uploaded.
I’m a massive Bokura no Kiseki fan. It’s probably one of my most favorite manga ever. In particular, Veronica is my favorite character and I really wanted to write about her in the modern world and her interactions with everyone else.
In this story, basically Veronica got reincarnated after dying, only instead of being reborn as Minami Harusumi, she was reborn as Minami Veronica, physically identical to her last life. Suffice to say that’s going to cause some butterflies.
Anyways, feel free to drop a comment if you feel like it. I’d really appreciate it.