Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Hakurei Shrine~ => Patchouli's Scarlet Library => Topic started by: Unassuming Squid on August 20, 2010, 03:45:55 AM
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?Hey, there goes that white-haired hag!?
One of the boys pointed at the girl walking down the sidewalk across from them. The girl with the ragged clothes and silver hair, who looked about seventeen or eighteen. As usual, she tried to ignore them, humming a song to herself.
Ignoring them became harder when they began to throw stones, but at least their aim was bad.
?Get out of here, you arsonist! You witch!?
?at least, their aim with stones was bad.
Tears began to form in the girl?s eyes as visions of her burning family played in her head. Their flesh blackening and peeling off as they tried to shove her out of the house, away to safety.
She ran from the boys, into the nearby park where she curled up at the base of a tree and cried quietly, grasping her head. She wished she could remember her name, or what happened before the fire, or what her family had been like, but every time she tried to remember all that came to her mind was the fire.
She felt so alone now. The orphan that everyone hated, that everyone taunted and teased, the girl that hated every human being she met because of how they all looked at her with fear.
Why did they blame her? Just because they couldn?t find a reason for why the fire happened, and because she was the only one who survived, even after the falling scaffolding knocked her out?that didn?t mean she caused it, right?
?Stop thinking about it?? she muttered to herself.
She tried something to comfort herself. She brought to mind the only memory of her parents she had, and tried to imagine them without the hideous burns. She tried to picture them as they could have been before the accident.
The girl lay on her side, curled into a fetal position. She closed her eyes and imagined her parents holding her, singing to her as she fell asleep.
Tears covered her eyes once more.
As she drifted off to sleep, burn marks reappeared on her parents? faces.
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The girl jolted awake, frightened by the same nightmare she had been experiencing for the past two weeks since the fire.
She let out a few deep breaths to calm herself and wiped the encrusted tears from her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she made out that it was quite late at night, and there was some?thing sitting in the tree above her.
It looked like a human with bat wings.
Her heartbeat raced, pounding in her ears as she pulled out one of her knives and scurried away from the tree, backing into another one. Her breath came out in rapid gasps as the thing descended slowly, as if it were falling through water. It alighted on the ground, and the girl could see that it was a young girl no older than herself, dressed in fancy white clothes. Bat wings emerged from her lower back.
?S..stay back!? She pointed her knife at the winged girl. ?Stay away from me!?
The winged girl?s glowing red eyes looked up at the silver-haired girl. She curtsied politely and smiled, showing her pointed incisors. ?Please, don?t be afraid. My name is Remilia. Remilia Scarlet.?
The girl stayed silent, shaking in fear.
Remilia spoke again after the pause. ?It would be polite to introduce yourself. Otherwise, this will be an awkward conversation.?
?I don?t remember my name??
Remilia thought for a while. ?I?ll call you Sakuya. Sakuya Izayoi. That?s a nice name, don?t you think??
Sakuya nodded curtly. At this point, she assumed all of this was a dream. Or maybe she died while she was asleep, and this was a demon coming to send her to Hell for killing her parents. But?she didn?t kill them, so?maybe Remilia was an angel?
?Anyway, I thought you might have some use for this.? Remilia walked elegantly over to Sakuya and held out her hand, which held a brass pocket watch. ?It?s just a trinket I came across one day.?
?Why are you giving this to me?? Sakuya took the watch and examined it. It looked perfectly normal. When she looked up again, Remilia was gone.
I?m dreaming. I have to be dreaming. This doesn?t make any sense.
Sakuya looked at the pocket watch again. She flipped open the metal cover, revealing the clock face, steadily ticking away the time. At a loss, she clicked the knob on the top.
The watch stopped.
Did I break it already? Sakuya looked around her, wondering if something actually happened.
A bat was frozen in midair, about to ready another flap. A cockroach on the ground stood completely still, even its antennae as immobile as death.
Astounded, Sakuya clicked the knob again. The bat flew through the trees again. The cockroach wagged its antennae before scurrying into the grass.
A wide grin spread across Sakuya?s face.
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Someday I'll cross all of these backstories of Sakuya's and come up with something awesome.
Nice fic so far.
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Liking where this is going. Definitely following it.
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The following morning, the same group of boys lounged by the fence surrounding the park. They spoke about nothing important, the subject matter that an average teenager would focus on.
One of them noticed Sakuya in the distance, watching them through the trees. He pointed at her during a lull in conversation. ?Hey, there?s that weirdo. Want to pull a prank on her??
?Nah,? one of the boys replied. ?I?m not in the mood for it right now.?
?Well, you can hang around here, then,? another replied, ?because I?ve got an idea.?
With that, four of the boys hopped the fence and headed for Sakuya, while the other three resumed talking.
Sakuya stood still as they approached, her head looking down at the grass. She she shook with anticipation as she waited for the opportune moment, the point where a strike would be perfect.
?This is kind of creepy,? one of the four whispered. ?I?m not sure this is such a good idea.?
?Oh, come on. You?re scared of a girl? We outnumber her anyway.?
Once they were in earshot of Sakuya, one of the boys picked up a stone and shouted to her. ?Hey, fire freak, look up!?
The boy made the mistake of blinking. When he opened his eyes, Sakuya was gone, replaced by an array of knives headed straight for him.
He was too shocked to react. The knives thudded into his body, but it was the one through his eye that finished him. He fell to the ground, dead.
The other boys stood gaping at their fallen companion. Suddenly, the knives vanished from his body, and Sakuya stood in front of his corpse. She looked up at the boys, her once blue eyes glowing red, a grin spread across her face.
She vanished again, and another boy fell to the ground, stabbed in the chest several times. At this, the remaining two boys turned and ran, shouting to their friends on the fence. Their friends turned just in time to see them fall on their faces with knives severing their spinal columns.
The three that were left turned back just in time to see a knife headed for each of their heads, while Sakuya stood and watched.
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Tears of adrenaline, joy, and hatred ran down Sakuya?s face as the last of her tormenters fell, knives embedded in their foreheads. She walked over to them and yanked out the bloodstained weapons, then proceeded to kick and stab their faces until they were unrecognizable. She shouted, cried, and filled each blow with hatred and anger.
She finally fell to her knees and punched the concrete until her knuckles bled. She didn?t understand why she didn?t feel happy, why she didn?t feel liberated, why she felt like her chest was burning. She had finally killed the people who made her life such a hell. Wasn?t that enough?
She ran back into the forest and left the bodies of the youths for someone else to discover. At least now they would have a reason to be afraid of her, to avoid walking on the same side of the street as her, to close their doors when she was in sight.
At least now, with this power, they had a reason to hate her.
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?Remilia, do you realize what you did??
A lavender-haired girl in pajamas looked sternly at Remilia, holding a book on her lap. They were sitting at a table, drinking tea.
?Patchouli, don?t worry about it. I only gave that girl a way to defend herself. Is that such a bad thing??
?She slaughtered seven people this morning.?
Remilia nearly choked on her tea. Her red eyes were wide with shock. ?Wha?what? Where? Why??
?Apparently you underestimated her mental state. From what I heard, she mauled them until they were unrecognizable. They had to check dental records and fingerprints to find out the victims.?
Remilia put her head in her hands. ?That wasn?t supposed to happen??
?Says the one who can control fate,? Patchouli mumbled, taking a sip of her tea. ?Look, you should go back and talk to her. Find out what her problem is, and if you need to, you?re strong enough to take the watch away from her. If all else fails, I?m sure your sister can provide enough leverage.?
?I?d rather it didn?t come to that.? Remilia stood up, wings extended. ?All right, I?ll go find her. Watch over the mansion while I?m gone.?
?I always do.?
With that, Remilia flew out of the mansion, toward the town where Sakuya lived.
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the little jerks deserved it. go sakuya!
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the little jerks deserved it. go sakuya!
I think it was the ones that decided not to bother her that kind of pushed her over the edge there.
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Do they have dental records in Gensokyo? :V
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Thanks for the comments so far. :)
Do they have dental records in Gensokyo? :V
All the stuff that's happening right now is happening in the "real world", or, in other words, outside of Gensokyo. Probably in Europe, I would suppose, around the late 1800's/early 1900's.
That night, the town church was packed with activity. In response to Sakuya?s retaliation, the local priest called a meeting, and nearly everyone in the town came. The priest ascended to the podium, where he raised his hands for silence.
?My beloved friends,? he began, ?we have come under attack many times in the past. Vampires, demons, poltergeists, all have attempted to threaten our town. Yet, through the grace of God, and with the skill of the Ruthven family, we have defended ourselves and prospered.?
A cheer rose up from the crowd at the mention of the monster-hunting family. The priest raised his hands again to quiet the crowd.
?But now, through a cruel twist of fate, it seems that their only daughter, Carmilla, the sole survivor of the dreadful fire that took them from us, has been caught up in the arms of the Devil.? The priest now had to raise his voice over the angry shouts and hisses of the crowd. ?We gave her the benefit of the doubt, told ourselves that she was not responsible for the deaths of her beloved parents, but with this slaughter of our youth, we cannot hold our peace any longer. We must stand up for our rights as people of God. We must bring down this witch before she brings our town crashing down into Hell!?
The townsfolk needed no more goading. With a unanimous cry, they took up any weapons they could find, lit lamps and torches, and stormed toward the park, hungry for the death of Sakuya.
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Meanwhile, Sakuya sat on the edge of a pond, her feet in the cool water. The fish nibbled at her toes as she contemplated what happened earlier that day.
She had already washed the blood off her knives and clothes, but the images of the mauled and eviscerated boys wouldn?t leave her mind. She stared blankly at the water, watching the fish with her blue eyes.
A thump behind Sakuya broke her thoughts, and she turned to see Remilia standing behind her. ?Oh, it?s you??
Remilia could already tell that this would not be pleasant. She cleared her throat before beginning. ?I heard that there was a bit of an incident earlier today.?
Sakuya stood up to face Remilia. She was easily two heads taller than the vampire, a fact that Sakuya took advantage of to try to intimidate her. ?If you hadn?t given me that pocket watch, then it wouldn?t have happened. It?s your own fault.?
Remilia remained calm, though she noticed that Sakuya?s irises were turning red. ?But you?re the one who carried it out. I only intended for you to defend yourself, not kill people.?
?How can you be so damn calm about this?? Sakuya suddenly pulled out a knife and made a lunge for Remilia. ??you idiot!?
The vampire leaped out of the way and landed on a nearby tree branch, out of Sakuya?s reach. ?Alright, so we were both wrong. Now calm down. Fighting isn?t going to get us anywhere. I came here to get the pocket watch back and see if I could help you in some other way.?
Sakuya glared up at the vampire. ?You?ve already made things worse. I don?t need-? Remilia raised a finger to interrupt her, then pointed to an opening in the trees.
From the opening, Sakuya could see firelight and the glint of metal, accompanied by a huge, shouting mob.
?Damn it,? Remilia hissed. ?I should have expected this.? She jumped out of the tree and landed next to Sakuya, then held her hand out to the girl. ?Come on. We need to get out of here.?
?Why should I come with you? If they?re after me, I could kill them easily-?
?There she is!? Remilia and Sakuya turned to see the priest pointing directly at them. A bullet sped by them, but missed.
?Where the hell is the pocket watch I gave you?? Remilia?s right hand began to glow red. ?Stop time or something!?
Sakuya checked her pockets several times, but the watch was nowhere to be found. Another bullet shot by them, breaking the bark off a nearby tree. ?Hurry up and find it!?
Remilia raised her hand, and a huge spear made of red energy formed in it. She took aim and threw it at the crowd, which it plowed through with ease.
?It?s her,? the priest shouted. ?The Scarlet Devil has come to her aid!?
Sakuya ran back to the pond and dug through the glass. As she searched, a bullet shot through Remilia?s shoulder. The vampire grunted in pain, then threw another spear into the approaching crowd.
Finally, Sakuya found the watch. She pressed the knob on top, but the crowd didn?t stop. They began moving slowly, as though they were going through water.
?Nothing is working today,? Remilia groaned. She grabbed Sakuya?s arm with her uninjured hand and shot into the air, pushing her wings with all her strength. As the crowd watched, Remilia carried Sakuya to her mansion on a distant hill.
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This is great! Can't wait to read more!
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Jeez, yet another awesome story to read :D Honestly, with my limited computer time, the stories to read and my own story to update, I wish I had that pocket watch right about now :V
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Patchouli jumped as the doors of the Scarlet Devil Mansion were thrown open by an abnormally tall, red-haired girl dressed in green Chinese clothes. The shock caused Patchouli to have a coughing fit, her asthma acting up again.
?Ah, s-sorry, Lady Patchouli,? the red-haired girl said apologetically. ?I just thought I should tell you that they?re back.?
After about a minute, Patchouli stopped coughing. She cleared her throat before she replied. ?That?s good, I was getting wor-wait. What do you mean, ?they???
?The Mistress is carrying some white-haired girl with her. I assumed you knew who she was.?
Patchouli?s palm instantly met her face with a slap. ?Yes. Yes, I know who she is, unfortunately. Thank you, Meiling.?
Meiling nodded, then returned to her post, careful to close the door quietly this time.
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Sakuya and Remilia landed at the front gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Remilia leaned against the gate, her wings drooping at her sides. ?If you?re going to stay, you?re going to have to learn how to fly,? she panted. ?I?m not carrying you everywhere like a sack of potatoes.?
Sakuya couldn?t tell if the little vampire was being serious or joking. How could she learn how to fly, of all things? Admittedly, being able to control time was an unusual ability in and of itself, but still. Flying?
She took her mind off the question and focused on the girl dressed in green Chinese clothes walking toward them. ?Who?s that??
Remilia looked at the girl. She sighed and pushed herself into a standing position, then approached the girl. ?Good evening, Meiling.?
Meiling bowed to Remilia, smiling. ?Good evening, milady. Who?s that you brought with you??
Remilia motioned for Sakuya to join them. ?Meiling, this is our new guest, Sakuya Izayoi. Please make yourself acquainted with her while I go speak with Patchouli.?
With that, Remilia walked past the two and entered the mansion. Meiling turned to look at Sakuya, beaming down at the girl. ?Hey, my name?s Meiling. Hong Meiling. Nice to meet ya.?
Sakuya stared blankly at Meiling. ?Sakuya Izayoi.?
?Why?re ya so glum? I think you?ll like it here.?
?Sure??
It was then that Meiling really noticed how Sakuya looked. Her slender body was covered by clothes that looked like they used to be quite beautiful, but which were now burned and torn. Her silver hair was matted and dirty, and dark rings formed under her eyes.
I wonder what this poor girl has gone through, Meiling wondered.
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?Remilia??
?Yes, I know, Patchouli. You didn?t want me to bring her. It?s not like I had a choice, though.?
Patchouli was busy going over Remilia?s wounds, using her magic to heal them and repair her clothes. ?We already have enough trouble as it is with attackers coming from the villages. We don?t need the youngest in a family of vampire hunters living with us.?
Remilia winced as the bullets squeezed themselves out of her shoulder, landing on the ceramic tile floor with soft pinging noises. ?She doesn?t remember all that. If I can manipulate her fate so that she never remembers, then we should be fine.?
?I?m not willing to take that chance, Remilia. Your parents left me with the task of keeping you and your sister safe, and I?m going to ensure that I do exactly that. Letting this girl live here is a risk to the safety of this entire household. And not just from her directly; what if the villages come here to bring her back or kill her? And, by extension, to kill us??
?We can handle them,? Remilia mumbled. ?Give her a chance. She?s in the same position that we?re in.?
Patchouli sighed once she finished healing the little vampire. ??fine. But if anything happens, I?ll hold you responsible.?
Remilia grinned, looking up at her friend. ?Thanks, Patchy.? She gave the magician a hug, which only reached Patchouli?s waist. A small smile grew on the magician's face.
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Sakuya and Meiling turned as Remilia and Patchouli walked out of the mansion. ?Alright, you?ll be staying here from now on,? Remilia said, going up to Sakuya. ?I?ll show you to your room.? The silver-haired girl nodded and followed the vampire into the mansion.
When they left, Patchouli turned to Meiling. ?I would suggest that you keep a close watch tonight. We might have?visitors.?
Meiling nodded in understanding. ?No problem, Lady Patchouli. Good night.?
Patchouli nodded and returned to her home in the mansion?s giant library. She likely wouldn?t sleep, as usual. Too many books to read.
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The door creaked on its hinges as Remilia pushed it open, revealing the maid?s chambers. The light from the candle Remilia held illuminated the dusty room. She walked over to one of the wall sconces and lit the aged candles. ?I apologize. This is the only extra bedroom, and we haven?t had a maid in quite some time.?
Remilia turned to see Sakuya already sitting on the bed, running her hand along the silky covers. ??it?s nice.?
Remilia smiled, her fangs glinting in the candlelight. ?I?ll let you get some rest, then. It?s been a long day. Tomorrow you?ll get a tour of the mansion.?
Sakuya remained silent, looking at the patterns of the blanket. After a moment of silence, Remilia turned and walked back to the door. She said a brief ?good night? before she closed the door behind her.
Sakuya lay on her side, sinking into the soft pillows and mattress. She watched the shadows cast by the candlelight play against the opposite wall as she slowly fell asleep.
Even if this is a dream...even if none of this is really happening?
?thank you.
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Sakuya woke up the next morning with her eyes firmly closed. She knew everything the day before was a dream. It had to be. That was the only logical explanation. She couldn?t control time, she didn?t kill anyone, vampires don?t really exist, and the town wasn?t trying to hunt her down and kill her.
But she silently wished that it had been true. She wished that she wasn?t any longer the lonely, feared girl who hated everyone. She could have been part of a family again, cared for by others who knew what it was like to be shunned and hated.
Well, no point in dreaming. She had to face another day, whether she wanted to or not. She opened her eyes finally, and saw?the maid?s room. She was in the maid?s room.
Sakuya sat up and looked around. Yes, it was definitely that same room that she fell asleep in last night. But if she was here, then that meant-
A knock on the door interrupted Sakuya?s train of thought. It was a delicate knock, as if the person on the other side didn?t want to upset her. ?Come in,? Sakuya called, rather weakly.
The door creaked open, and another girl peeked out from around the door. She had long red hair, and a pair of small bat wings emerged from the sides of her head. She smiled sweetly at Sakuya, a genuine, warm smile.
?Good morning, Miss Izayoi!? Her voice was sweet, almost otherworldly. Well, she obviously wasn?t human; the wing-ears ruled out that prospect.
She stepped, almost bounced, into the room, still smiling like she was Sakuya?s best friend here for a visit. Her outfit looked like a black business suit and skirt, complete with a red tie. A pair of bat wings grew from her lower back. ?My name is Koakuma,? she continued. ?It?s a pleasure to meet you.?
Sakuya nodded silently back to her. Why was this Koakuma so?sickeningly cheerful?
Koakuma was unperturbed by Sakuya?s lack of a response. ?I?m currently the head?well, the only servant here in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but from what I hear, you will take up the position of head maid. Isn?t that exciting??
Again, Sakuya remained silent.
?Today I will be giving you a tour of the mansion. But first, why don?t we get you some breakfast??
She was still smiling. Why was she still smiling?
At the mention of breakfast, however, Sakuya?s stomach began to groan. When was the last time she ate? ??that would be nice.? she replied.
Sakuya slid out of bed and followed Koakuma out of the maid?s chambers, through the vast corridors of the mansion, and down to the dining room.
There she was greeted by Remilia and Patchouli, already enjoying their breakfast at opposite ends of the table. Remilia was daintily eating some kind of red cake and tea, while Patchouli had a mug of coffee in front of her, her nose firmly buried in a book of some kind. Remilia looked up from her cake and smiled at Sakuya. ?Ah, good morning. I see you have already met Koakuma. Please, have a seat.? Remilia indicated a chair between her and Patchouli. ?Koakuma, please bring our guest some food.?
The demon girl nodded and flew off to prepare breakfast. As she left, Sakuya carefully pulled out the chair Remilia invited her to and joined the two of them.
?I trust you slept well?? Remilia took a sip of her tea, her red eyes focused on Sakuya. Only now did she realize how disheveled the girl looked. Her clothes were torn, her short, silver hair was messy. After the tour, she would definitely need some tidying up.
?Yes, thank you,? Sakuya replied.
?Good. As I?m sure you were told, you will be filling in the position of head maid. Koakuma is spread rather thin, being the only servant we have for work around the mansion. Your ability to control time and space will come in very handy in that position, and Patchouli will help you learn to use and control that ability.?
Patchouli coughed quietly at that and gave Remilia a look.
The vampire took another sip of tea and continued, ignoring her friend?s disapproval. ?Also, while I would like you to start as soon as possible, there is one rule I need to inform you of.? Remilia put down her teacup and looked directly into Sakuya?s eyes.
?Do not, under any circumstances, go into the basement. Koakuma will tend to that part of the mansion until you have been here for long enough. Do you understand??
?Yes, I do,? Sakuya replied. What could possibly be so dangerous in the basement? Or maybe it wasn?t dangerous, just a secret Remilia wanted kept safe until she knew she could trust Sakuya.
?Good,? Remilia replied, returning to her meal. At that point, Koakuma returned with a steaming plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and two kinds of jam on the side. She set it down in front of Sakuya, whose eyes widened in hunger. She wasted no time in wolfing down the meal, putting aside all decency.
Remilia watched with a twinge of disgust. ?We?ll need to work on your etiquette??
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Hmhm, Koakuma is such an underused character most of the time, glad to see someones finally putting her to use.
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Awesome update is awesome. Neonie has the right idea on Koa. Good job squidy~
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I love your take on Patchouli and Remilia's relationship. I had never imagined it, but Patchouli being a caretaker to the Scarlet sisters just feels really natural now that you've written a little of it. I double approve.
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The Perfect, Elegant Maid
I approve of this story massively, even more then before! Seriously, this story is great! Why is it that pretty much everyone wirtes better stories then me? I feel like a :fail: writer compared to stories like this.
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I approve of this story massively, even more then before! Seriously, this story is great! Why is it that pretty much everyone wirtes better stories then me? I feel like a :fail: writer compared to stories like this.
Aw, don't feel like that. People are always much more critical of their own work. I haven't read your stories yet, but I'm sure they're just as good as you think mine is.
After breakfast, Patchouli and Remilia returned to their rooms. As Sakuya watched, Koakuma removed the used dishes and napkins and carried them off into the kitchen, setting them down on the counter for later cleaning. ?I?ll show you how to do these some other time,? she said to Sakuya. ?Right now we have a mansion to tour!?
Again with that smile, that sweet, friendly, warm smile. Sakuya nodded, her face still as blank as it had been when she arrived at the mansion.
With that, Koakuma led Sakuya through the Scarlet Devil Mansion, telling her all about anything they passed. They went through the main hall, where Koakuma talked about the different antiques scattered around. They walked through the many corridors, stopping at the gigantic portraits of the Scarlet family line interspersed throughout, including one of Remilia?s dearly departed parents. Finally, they entered the Voile library, where Koakuma and Patchouli stayed.
It was a single, impossibly large room, easily as big as the entire mansion. It was quite dark, lit by hundreds upon hundreds of candles floating in the air at regular intervals. Towering bookcases that seemed to stretch for miles lined the floor, and the ones that couldn?t fit on the floor floated in the air. A giant, iron pendulum, presumably from the clock tower on the roof of the mansion, swung slowly from side to side, filling the vast room with its deep, echoing clangs.
Sakuya was speechless. She had seen many things since her encounter with Remilia, but this?this was something else altogether.
Koakuma noticed that Sakuya had stopped to gape at the library. She giggled quietly. ?Yes, it?s amazing, isn?t it? I was just as surprised as you were when Lady Patchouli summoned me here.? She patted the slightly taller girl on the shoulder to get her attention again. ?Come on, I?ll take you to Patchouli and then you can ask her anything you want.?
They continued through the labyrinth of bookshelves and books, Koakuma talking about all the different kinds of books from all over the world that Patchouli and she had gathered over the years. Sakuya noticed that, even though all the pathways looked the same to her, Koakuma never faltered in her pace or stopped to figure out where she was going. She must have walked this path for several years now.
Finally, they reached a clearing equipped with several book-laden tables. Patchouli sat at one of them, and she looked up from the book she was reading when she heard the clack of Koakuma?s shoes. ?Ah, good afternoon,? she said, standing up. ?Finished with the tour??
Koakuma nodded and bowed to Patchouli. ?Yes, I just came to drop Miss Izayoi off with you.?
?Thank you, Koakuma. You can leave us, now.? With another bow, Koakuma left the two of them together.
Patchouli coughed quietly as she floated over to Sakuya, her slippered feet dragging along the tile floor. Her sleepy eyes looked down at the silver-haired girl. While she was floating, Sakuya?s forehead was at her eye level, but if she stood with her feet planted on the floor, Sakuya would be slightly taller.
Patchouli coughed again before she spoke. ?I trust you are familiar with the function of that watch Remilia gave you??
Sakuya nodded. ?It lets me control time.?
?And space,? Patchouli added. ?In fact, that watch is the reason this library can maintain its size in this mansion. It will be a helpful ability when you have to clean these large spaces.?
Surprised, Sakuya took out her pocket watch and looked at it. How could something that seemed so mundane be so powerful?
The magician turned her back to Sakuya and floated back to her table, taking a seat again. ?I understand that Remilia gave you that watch. Do you know why??
Sakuya shook her head. ?She just showed up and gave it to me?
?Hm.? Patchouli returned to the book she had been reading. ?Well, I hope that you will meet our expectations as a maid. Koakuma will be limiting her work to the library after you get the hang of your new job, so you won?t need to do any work here. But, of course, feel free to stop by if you are in need of reading material.? Patchouli called for Koakuma, and after a minute the demon girl popped up from behind a bookcase. Without looking up from her book, Patchouli said, ?You can go ahead and take her now. We?re done for the day.?
Koakuma bowed and led Sakuya out of the library, striking up a conversation with her about how they needed to get Sakuya tidied up, and how the gate guard was a surprisingly good hairdresser.
Patchouli picked up the mug of coffee sitting on the table and took a gentle sip. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, enjoying the steady thoom, thoom of the pendulum.
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You paint an awesome picture of the library. It really does sound amazing. I don't get how Patchouli can spend 24/7 reading though, I'd get a serious migraine after awhile!
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After their encounter with Patchouli, Sakuya and Koakuma returned to the maid?s chambers. Koakuma opened the closet and brought out a maid uniform, still strangely fresh.
The demon girl noticed Sakuya?s surprised look. ?Lady Patchouli put a spell on it to avoid the effects of aging. It hasn?t been worn in a few decades, not since the last maid passed away.? She handed the outfit to Sakuya, then ushered the girl into the bathroom. ?Come on, we?ll get you cleaned up now.?
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A few minutes later, Sakuya emerged from the bathroom looking much better than when she went in. The outfit fit her perfectly, and her skin and hair had a clean sheen to them. She pulled the edges of the blue skirt that reached her knees, a bit unused to the length.
?There,? Koakuma said, smiling as usual. ?Much better. Now, let?s go visit Meiling.?
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Meiling leaned against the wall next to the gate, her arms folded over her chest. It was a nice day. The sun was out, the breeze was blowing the scent of the garden?s beautifully varied flowers over to her, and turtledoves had decided to frolic in the trees near the mansion. She could feel the warm Qi of all the things around her, their life force becoming one with hers. Sometimes it made her wonder why people feared the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Meiling?s thoughts were interrupted by a call from behind the gate. ?Meiling, I have a visitor for you!? She recognized it as Koakuma, and she turned to look back into the gate. There she saw Koakuma walking out of the mansion, followed by Sakuya, now much cleaner than when they first met and wearing a maid?s outfit. Meiling grinned at them as they approached. ?Hey, you look good, Sakuya!?
The new maid remained expressionless. ?Thank you,? she said quietly.
Koakuma stopped at the gate, looking up at the significantly taller gate guard. ?I brought her over so that you could do something about her hair. I washed it, so you get to style it.?
Sakuya was a bit annoyed that she didn?t get much say in the matter. They just decided to do with her hair what they would.
?Sure thing,? Meiling replied, cracking her knuckles. Sakuya stepped back a bit, worried at the guard?s show of force over a simple hairstyle. Meiling chuckled sheepishly, her hand on the back of her neck. ?Sorry, didn?t mean to scare you. I?m not gonna break anything, don?t worry.?
Koakuma giggled, enjoying the antics of the two of them. ?Alright, I?ll leave you to it. I?m sure you two will get along well.? With that, she returned to the mansion.
Meiling ushered Sakuya through the gate and sat her down on the stool Meiling occasionally used when she was feeling tired. She brought a pair of scissors out of her pocket, removed the maid headdress Sakuya wore, and got to work.
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(Sorry for the delay. Blasted college.)
Sakuya sat perfectly still as the gate guard worked with her hair. She looked straight ahead at the view of the countryside, a beautiful view from the hilltop the Scarlet Devil Mansion sat upon. She could feel her hair steadily being snipped and shaped, but Meiling seemed to be keeping the front longer.
?So,? Meiling began, ?what do you think of the mansion so far??
?It?s?large.? Sakuya didn?t know what to say. All of this was happening so quickly. Only yesterday, she was running for her life with Remilia, and now she was being introduced to a world she knew couldn?t possibly exist.
Meiling chuckled a bit at the simple description. ?It?s alright, I was pretty amazed myself when I first got here. You?ll get used to it.?
?Where did you come from?? Sakuya noticed a hint of an accent in Meiling?s voice. It sounded Eastern, obviously nowhere near their current European location.
?I?m from China,? the guard replied. ?I wandered around and trained for most of my life, though. I?d stop by towns here and there to pick up food and stuff, but otherwise I stayed on my own. Eventually I kinda just wandered my way here and met Remilia.?
Meiling seemed to be almost finished. She set down the scissors she was using and moved around to Sakuya?s front, where she started braiding two sections of hair that she had kept long. It was then that Sakuya noticed that Meiling had that same pair of braids as well.
Meiling noticed Sakuya staring at her braids. She grinned slightly. ?Thought you might be feeling a little out of place, being the only human here and such. So I figured we could share this, so you at least have something in common with someone here.?
Sakuya was still quiet. Everyone here was so kind. Remilia, Koakuma, Meiling?even Patchouli, expressionless though she was. Sakuya had grown so used to being alone and taunted. It was a strange feeling to know that someone actually cared how she felt. That someone was trying to make sure she was comfortable and happy.
Meiling tied the two braids with a single green bow each and replaced Sakuya?s headdress. She stood up and, with a flourish, produced a hand mirror and held it up to Sakuya?s face. ?Ta-da! Whaddya think? Good? Bad??
The maid looked up at her reflection. Her silver hair now stopped halfway down her neck, and the two braids, identical to Meiling?s, reached past her shoulders.
Tears formed in her eyes, and for the first time she could remember, Sakuya smiled out of happiness.
She stood up and hugged the noticeably-taller Meiling, who stumbled a bit before awkwardly patting Sakuya on the back. ?Uh?so?I guess you like it, then??
Sakuya let go and stepped back, wiping her eyes. ?Y-yes. Thank you, Meiling.?
Meiling grinned broadly at the maid and held out a hand to her. ?So?are we friends, Miss Izayoi??
Sakuya shook Meiling?s hand and smiled back up at her. ?Yes, we are.?
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Remilia watched the two of them from her bedroom window, her chin resting on her fist as she lounged on the sofa under the window. She smiled, her fangs glinting. She knew Meiling would be able to get through to Sakuya. Koakuma likely wore down her barriers, but Meiling was the final blow to breach the gate.
A knock at the door. ?Come in,? Remilia called.
Patchouli entered, hovering lazily above the floor as usual. ?Meiling and Sakuya have become fast friends,? Remilia said, not looking away from the pair. ?Fate weaves its threads in strange patterns, doesn?t it??
Patchouli coughed quietly in response. She took a seat next to Remilia, folding her hands over her lap. ?It would be more accurate to say that you weave Fate?s threads in strange patterns.?
The little vampire giggled and plopped herself down on the sofa, bouncing slightly as she did. ?Come on, Patchy. You can?t have a maid who?s unfriendly to her co-workers. I?m just making sure she loosens up, knows she has friends.?
Patchouli?s lavender eyes narrowed slightly as she looked away from Remilia. ?I simply wonder why you would do that with a complete stranger, yet you ensure that your own sister is as isolated as possible.?
A sudden change came across Remilia?s face. She became very serious, no longer her childish self of a minute ago. ?I don?t want to talk about that, Patchouli. You know why we have to keep her there.?
?She?s just as sorry as you are for what she did. It broke her, Remilia, and your own panic only pushed her even more. All she wants is to know that her sister still knows she exists, if not that she still loves her. She?s been down there for centuries, and how many times have you gone to see her? Twenty, at best??
?Patchouli, that?s enough??
The magician turned to look at Remilia. ?You?ve had time and experience to learn about what you are now. And yet, you?re making her food look like tea and cake, and Koakuma tells me that she?s been wondering why she hasn?t grown an inch in all these years.?
?That?s enough, Patchouli,? Remilia snapped. She extended her bat wings and flew over to her four post bed, where she sat with her hands on her head, curled into a small ball. A position that Patchouli knew meant that Remilia would not talk to her any time soon. Patchouli stood again and floated over to Remilia. She put an arm around the little vampire?s shaking shoulders. She really was still just a child, even after all these years?
Patchouli began to sing to Remilia. The vampire?s mother used to sing it to Remilia when she was younger, and it usually calmed her.
"Fr?re Jacques, fr?re Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Din, dan, don. Din, dan, don."
She repeated it until Remilia?s shoulders stopped shaking. The two of them sat in silence for a while, alone in the darkness of the vampire?s bedroom.
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This story is changing, fullfilling and completing my view of Sakuya and the SDM as a whole like you can't imagine.
One question though, are you French? :3
I used to have that song singed to me all the time when I was a child, in equal ammounts of the French and the Portuguese versions.
I can't really remember the Portuguese version right now, and only remembered the French after reading it. It's now playing in my head, and will be for quite some time, thanks
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I'm not French, but my mother learned the language and taught it to me. She'd sing that song to me a lot when I was young, and since Remilia and Flandre are French, I figured I'd throw it in there. :V
I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far. I'm aiming to make it as unique as possible while sticking to what canon provides. What with college, though, I'll be updating erratically.
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You have received 1 Atty seal of approval :D
http://i39.tinypic.com/flga9w.png
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HAVE! A ! COOKIE!
No really, this is amazing story. Continue please!
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HAVE! A ! COOKIE!
No really, this is amazing story. Continue please!
^ This + Charismatic Congrats~
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This is officially my favorite depiction of the SDM gang. I said it once but I really, really love the relationship of Patchy and Remilia you have going on here. Patchy is like a harsh but loving parent.
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(Wow, thanks, guys. I really was not expecting such a good reaction to this at all. :3 )
The rest of the day passed quickly for Sakuya. Most of it was taken up with Koakuma teaching her various maid-related things, like doing the dishes, cooking meals, making tea, and so on. Dinner was served at seven PM, and everyone in the mansion sat and ate at the large dining table. Remilia sat at the head, Patchouli and Koakuma to her right, and Sakuya and Meiling to her left.
They ate, talked about the events of the day, laughed, remarked at how well Meiling did Sakuya?s hair, arranged for Sakuya to train with Meiling and Patchouli when she had the time, and went on for a couple of hours in this fashion until Koakuma and Sakuya took the dishes away and everyone went their separate ways.
Once the dishes were gathered, Koakuma put together what looked like a slice of red velvet cake and a cup of the same red tea that Remilia drank. She placed them on a serving tray and turned to Sakuya. ?Sakuya, I need to go to the basement for a little while. Do you mind taking care of the dishes by yourself??
The maid nodded, and Koakuma left her to her work.
Sakuya quietly did the dishes in the candlelight of the kitchen, contemplating everything that happened today. She was happy here, in this place where it seemed everyone was happy. She wondered what tomorrow would be like. Her first training sessions with Meiling and Patchouli, and her first day working?
After a while, she finished, but Koakuma still hadn?t returned. Sakuya decided to return to her room and retire for the night, but just as she opened the kitchen door, she almost bumped into the little demon.
?Oh, Sakuya, are you finished?? Sakuya noticed that the tray Koakuma was carrying was empty. So there was something living in the basement?
?Yes, Koakuma. Will you need anything else??
?No, thank you. I?ll see you in the morning.? Koakuma smiled warmly and moved past Sakuya into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Sakuya returned to her room and found a nightgown folded on her bed, probably left there by Koakuma while Meiling was doing her hair. She changed into it and hung her uniform on the door, then lay in bed and quickly fell asleep.
That night, Sakuya dreamt of many things, but never did the nightmare of her burning family return to her. In a mansion filled with monsters, she was finally at peace.
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The next morning, Sakuya woke up early to help Koakuma prepare breakfast. She changed into her uniform and headed for the kitchen, but the little demon wasn?t there yet.
Sakuya shrugged and took the time to familiarize herself with the room. The gas stove, enameled for easier cleaning; the various spices and cooking ingredients in the cabinets; the stainless steel utensils, pots, and pans.
Finally, she opened a closet off to the side, and her eyes widened at the sight of what was inside.
The small closet was filled by a large, iron tank. A small, controlled fire burned under it, and Sakuya could hear the pumping of pistons from inside. Pipes snaked through the room, and everything had the strange smell of blood and iron.
?Ah, so you?ve found the blood container??
Sakuya turned to see Koakuma behind her. ?Oh. Good morning, Koakuma.?
?Good morning.? The little demon smiled at Sakuya. ?That?s where we keep the blood for the mistresses. The fire keeps it at body temperature, and the pumps circulate it so that it doesn?t stagnate.?
I guess that?s easier than going out hunting every night, Sakuya thought.
?Alright, let?s get started with breakfast.? Koakuma closed the closet door and moved over to the cabinets, where she started pulling out eggs, potatoes, sausages, and tea leaves.
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Several minutes later, the inhabitants of the Scarlet Devil Mansion were sitting at the dining table for breakfast. They sat in their usual configuration, eating more quietly than the night before.
Remilia broke the silence once she finished her tea. ?So, Sakuya, today you will be following Koakuma around the house and helping her with work. At noon, you will go to Patchouli for an hour to learn magic and how to control your watch. Then, at one, you will go to Meiling for an hour for physical combat training. Afterward, you can return to any duties that come up for the rest of the day. This will be your schedule for the next couple of weeks, then Koakuma will move to the Voile Library and you will be in charge of taking care of the rest of the mansion.?
Sakuya nodded. ?Yes, milady.? She was already filling in her position quite well, and it was only her first day of work.
With that, Koakuma and Sakuya cleared the table and everyone went for their individual activities. Sakuya noticed Meiling give her a grin and a thumbs-up as she left.
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(Wow, thanks, guys. I really was not expecting such a good reaction to this at all. :3 )
Shut up Squidy, your awesome and you know it >=O
Good job as well~
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This is very cool.
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Oh Squid, so modest :) This story is great! You really do great writing! I hope you keep this up ^_^
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I! NEED! MORE! PERFECT! MAID!
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Oh god I want to hug Sakuya forever.
Also Flanplot thickening~
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(I'm running out of ways to thank you guys for your comments. :V )
Patchouli sat at her desk, reading a novel she had been meaning to finish. As usual, a cup of coffee sat on the desk, steaming away. She occasionally took a sip from it, never taking her eyes off the book. With all the reading she did, it was a wonder her eyesight was still so good.
There was a loud thunk as the hands of the giant clock on the roof met at the 12:00 o?clock mark. The tolls started, announcing the time.
One?two?three?
Patchouli took a sip of her coffee. Any second now?
Seven?eight?nine?
Maybe she forgot that she can stop time. They would have to work on that.
Eleven?tw-
?Good afternoon, Lady Patchouli.?
Ah, just in time. ?Good afternoon, Sakuya.? Patchouli slipped a bookmark into her novel and looked up to see the maid standing a few steps away, hands folded in front of her. She looked quite elegant, a stark contrast from when they first met. Remilia was right; she would fit into her new position nicely. ?Koakuma isn?t too hard to keep up with, I hope??
Sakuya shook her head. ?No, I?ve been able to help her. She has to do the tasks that require flying, though.?
Patchouli pushed herself out of the chair, hovering above the ground as usual. ?Well, now I know where to start with you.?
She floated up to the top of the nearest bookshelf and sat on the top, her legs hanging over the edge. ?When you can sit on this bookshelf, then I?ll know that you?re finished with your first lesson. To fly, you have to focus your spiritual energy in the direction you want to go, then you can go there.?
This was easily one of the worst sets of instructions Sakuya had ever experienced. ?Um?Lady Patchouli, I don?t think I understand??
?You can feel it. It?s the energy keeping you alive, the force that moves through everything. Imagine the energy of your body flowing toward one point and let it pull you in that direction.?
The maid sighed and closed her eyes. Alright, it shouldn?t be too hard. Patchouli did it all the time, after all.
She focused, visualizing an energy pulling her up into the air. A rainbow of light wrapping around her like a harness and lifting her up.
She felt her feet lift off the ground. It was working. She was flying.
Sakuya opened her eyes and saw Patchouli looking down at her, eyes wide in surprise. The maid was at least six feet off the ground and still ascending. As practice, she strafed in the air, moving in every direction she could think of. Then she increased the force of the pull and shot up to the top of the bookshelf, where she turned and sat next to Patchouli.
She did it. She really did it. She flew. Sakuya sat up straight and grinned like a giddy schoolgirl, waiting for Patchouli?s reaction.
??I didn?t expect you to get that nearly so quickly,? the magician finally said. ?You?re a fast learner. Even Meiling took the whole day to catch on.? Patchouli pushed herself off the bookshelf and hovered in front of Sakuya, leaning back as if she were in a reclining chair with her legs crossed. ?Alright, since you got through that lesson so quickly, I?ll give you the rest of the hour to look around the library as much as you would like. At one, the entrance is over there.? She indicated a large, blue flame floating in the air in the distance.
Sakuya nodded and flew off in the direction of a random bookshelf.
?Oh, and Sakuya?? The maid turned to see a small smile on the edge of Patchouli?s mouth. ?The books on the higher shelves are better reading material.?
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Nice.
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Your running out of ways to thank us, I'm running out of ways to compliment this, so I'd call it even :D The story title is exactly what this is, perfect.
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I already use the sentence Perfect Maid so i will use : I!NEED!MORE!PA- *knifed*
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HIGHER SHELVES
BETTER READING
GO FOR IT
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this goes on the top shelve. Of a bookcase on top of the other ones.
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At sunset, Sakuya exited the Mansion through the front door and was greeted by a beautiful sight. The sun was on the horizon directly in front of her, coloring the sky with yellow and orange. The hundreds of different kinds of flowers were made even more colorful by the light of the setting sun.
Meiling poked her head around the gate, smiling at Sakuya as the maid gaped at the view. ?Hey, Sakuya! C?mon, are you gonna just stand there all day??
The maid dragged herself back to reality and returned Meiling?s smile. To show off what she had just learned, she floated down the path and through the gate, landing in front of the guard. Meiling, needless to say, was speechless.
?Huh, you learned that fast? That?s impressive. Guess ya won?t need to train for long, then.?
With that, Meiling walked into a small building nearby, likely the house she stayed in, and emerged carrying a training dummy made of straw. She set it down on the ground, then turned back to Sakuya. ?Alright, you?ll be using this for your training. You have some knives, right??
Sakuya shook her head. Why Meiling expected her to carry knives around with her wherever she went was beyond her. It?s not like she was still living on the streets.
?Yeah, I guess ya wouldn?t.? Meiling disappeared into the small building again and emerged with two chef?s knives. ?You can use these for now. Not the best, but it?ll work. Patchouli can probably make you some tomorrow.?
Sakuya took the knives and eyed them. They were about the same as the ones she used before she came to the mansion, so it wouldn?t take her time to get used to them.
Meiling moved over to a tree nearby and cracked her knuckles. ?Now, I don?t use weapons myself. I?m better with my bare hands, but I'll see what I can do for you. First we?ll work on physical combat. Attack the dummy and show me what you can do so far.?
-------------------
A minute later, Sakuya stood breathing heavily in front of a very torn up dummy. Meiling leaned against the tree, impressed. ?Huh. Looks like you?re pretty advanced. Guess we don?t need to work on technique.?
She picked up the dummy and carried it back into her house. Meiling returned massaging her hands. ?Alright, we?ll go for some hand-to-hand. Don?t worry too much about stabbing me, I can always regenerate. I?ll try to go easy on you, though.? She entered a battle stance, crouching and ready to act.
?Are you sure about that,? Sakuya asked. Even if Meiling could regenerate, Sakuya was pensive about hurting her.
?Don?t worry about it. Just don?t hit me in the head and I?ll be fine. C?mon, we don?t have all day.?
Sakuya nodded as her face hardened. Without warning, she lunged at Meiling, slashing at the other girl?s shoulder. Meiling swiftly grabbed Sakuya?s attacking arm and drove her palm into the maid?s stomach, knocking her back.
Sakuya grunted and fell against the wall surrounding the mansion. That blow knocked the wind out of her, and she coughed a few times before straightening up again. Meiling was already ready for another attack. Rainbow flames covered her forearms and fists. Her flaming palm suddenly flew at Sakuya?s head.
Sakuya had no time to react. She stared in shock, watching as the palm shot closer to her face. This wasn?t really happening, was it? Meiling wouldn?t-
CRACK
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At last!
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CRACK :3c
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KrackoCloud enters the PSL for no reason, and finds this gem!
I really like this story. It portrays the relationships in the SDM very nicely.
Man, I should visit this board more often.
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(Not sure this one came out so well. I had about as much trouble as Meiling did with what I wanted to say. :/)
When Sakuya opened her eyes again, she saw Meiling?s wrist embedded next to her head at least two inches into the stone wall behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she breathed deeply to calm down.
Meiling pulled her hand out of the wall and dusted off her hands. ?You should?ve reacted. If I wasn?t your friend, you?d be dead right about now.? She sighed and put her hands on Sakuya?s shoulder, leading the shaking girl over to the small house nearby. ?C?mon, I think there?s something I should tell you. I?ll get you some lo mein while we talk. You?ve gotta be pretty hungry right about now.?
They entered the one-room house, and Meiling asked Sakuya to have a seat at the low table in the middle of the room. ?You hafta kneel to sit there. It?s how we used to do it back home.?
Sakuya nodded and kneeled at the table, looking around the room while Meiling got to work at the stove. The room was furnished mainly by the stove, a sink, a large bed, and the table Sakuya currently sat at. The walls were painted with Chinese murals of strange dragons and unicorn-like things, and various charms and lanterns hung from the ceiling. A single window let a lot of light into the room.
After a while, Meiling placed a bowl of noodles mixed with steamed vegetables and pork in front of Sakuya, then plopped down on the other side of the table with her own bowl, sitting with her legs crossed. She produced a pair of chopsticks and began to eat, before realizing that Sakuya was looking at her own chopsticks in confusion. The gate guard slapped herself on the head and chuckled quietly. ?Sorry, I guess you don?t know how to use those. Just a sec, lemme get you a fork.?
Once the issue of utensils had been resolved, the two of them sat quietly for a short time while they ate. Finally, Meiling set down her bowl and broke the silence. ?Did ya enjoy the lo mein? It?s an old recipe I learned from my parents a while back.? Sakuya nodded and thanked Meiling, eliciting a smile of pride from the gate guard. She quickly regained composure, though, becoming quite serious as she began her speech.
?Alright, Sakuya, I?ll be honest. I don?t think that your current situation has registered in your head yet. I mean, you?ve only been here two days now, so it?s understandable.?
?What do you mean, Meiling??
?I?ll put it this way. I?m a youkai. Like all youkai, I eat stuff like pork and beef, but humans taste delicious to me. I can shatter the trunk of an oak tree in one punch, and even if you cut me into five pieces, I?ll come back together. Going by the fight we just had, if I lost control and tried to kill and eat you, do you think you would stand much of a chance the way you are right now??
Sakuya shook her head.
?Now look at Remilia. She?s a vampire, so she lives off human blood. Now, she may look delicate, but damn if she isn?t nearly as strong as I am. She knows some good magic, too, and that spear of hers, Gungnir, can run you through like a knife through butter. If she attacked you for some reason, how long do you think you could last??
?Probably not very long??
?Then there?s Koakuma. She?s a demon. A lesser demon, of course, but a demon nonetheless. You might have a chance against her, but then there?s Patchouli to contend with. She?s the best magician on this continent, and she?s a magician by species, not just occupation. That means she?s lost her human soul and replaced it with magic, so she?s basically a youkai no better than me. She can control every element you can think of, and she?s studying new spells every day. I probably don?t need to ask you how you think you?d fare against her right now.?
Sakuya shook her head again. ?I don?t know why you?re telling me all this, though. I already know I need to work on combat.?
?It?s not just that, Sakuya. I?ll be blunt. You?re a lamb in a den of wolves. We may seem nice, we may act human, but that doesn?t change the fact that you?re the only human in this entire mansion. If you?re going to survive here, you don?t just need to fight better. You need to be willing to stab your friends in the chest. You need to understand that if we?re willing to kill you if, for whatever reason, we give in to our natural urges, you need to be willing to kill us if you want to stay alive.?
Meiling sighed, rubbing her temples. ?I?m probably sayin? this wrong. What I?m trying to say is, you don?t need to just work on your skill in combat. You need to work on your mindset, the way you think. Back there, you trusted that I wouldn?t hit you, right? You trusted me to let what?s left of my human side take precedence over my youkai side, right? And I did. But once in a blue moon, I might not be able to do that again. The youkai that I am might beat my humanity into the curb and try to kill you. You understand??
The maid nodded. ?I think so.?
?Sakuya, I want you to trust me. I want you to trust all of us. Remilia, Koakuma, Patchouli. But don?t trust us so much that you let your guard down, alright? No matter how human we may look or act, we?re all monsters here.? Meiling shuffled over to Sakuya?s side and put an arm around her friend?s shoulder. ?You?re a good person, and I don?t want you gettin? hurt just ?cause one of us screws up. I don?t want to scare you, I just want you to be safe here. Okay?? Sakuya nodded in response.
?Good. Now c?mon, cheer up. Can?t have you going back to work with a face longer than one of Miss Patchy?s novels.? Meiling beamed down at Sakuya as the shorter girl giggled quietly.
A little while later, Sakuya met Koakuma at the gate again, and the cheerful demon led her back into the mansion. Meiling smiled and waved at them as they walked away, but her face became serious once the maid and the demon were out of sight.
?Sure hope I didn?t screw up there??
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I need a love button on posts...
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I've always loved Meiling. <3 This makes her even more awesome, because not only did she narrowly avoid exploding Sakuya's head, she's also a lot damn wiser than people credit her.
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"A lamb in a den of wolves" XD I liked that, it sums up Sakuya's position nicely, even though the Sakuya we know is closer to "A lamb with a gun in a den of wolves"
I already said this before, but Perfect Elegant Maid is Perfect and Elegant.
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That's um, a very nice perspective.
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Here, have a cookie box.
No, seriously now, this thing gets better and better and better.
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Why didn't I find this sooner?? You need to get payed for writing this masterpiece. :o
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Needs moar perfection and elegance <3
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This story deserves cake of the highest caliber.
*gives a slice of perfect, elegant cake*
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(This took longer than expected. On the plus side, I'm finally at one of the points I really, really wanted to get to. As usual, thanks for all your comments!)
Time passed.
After the maid figured out how to control the pocket watch, Patchouli gradually taught Sakuya a form of metal magic, one of the six elements the magician could control, allowing the maid to summon knives. First she was only able to create the knives out of thin air, solid metal utensils that looked like sharpened table knives with flowery patterns engraved on them. Then she could create portals to launch the knives. Finally, after only a month of practice, she could freely manipulate the weapons, making them bounce off surfaces or change course in midair. She became truly deadly with them, even beating Patchouli once or twice in practice sessions.
Her physical combat classes experienced similar progress. She could give Meiling a hard time in their bouts now, though the gardener still surpassed her when going all-out. Sakuya also had taken over Koakuma?s job almost completely, using her stopwatch to stop time, shrink the huge rooms of the mansion, and clean them quickly and efficiently, flying to clean hard-to-reach locations. She was fitting into her job very well. The perfect maid.
Finally, a month after she arrived at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Remilia called Koakuma and Sakuya to her room to speak with them. She sat in a chair next to one of the windows, the curtain open just enough that she could see outside, but not enough to let sunlight hit her. Patchouli sat on a sofa nearby, intently reading a book as usual.
Koakuma and Sakuya entered with a brief knock and a ?good morning, milady?. Remilia turned to look at them, smiling, while Patchouli didn?t bother looking up from her book.
?First, Sakuya, I would like to congratulate you on how well you?ve been doing with your new job. While I never actually see you do much work, which I assume is due to the pocket watch you have, the mansion has remained clean and tidy all month. I appreciate your hard work.?
?Thank you, milady,? Sakuya replied, bowing politely.
Remilia?s face suddenly became serious. An air of apprehension filled the room. ?Now, you?ve been here long enough that I think you can fully take over for Koakuma. That means that, starting today, you will start caring for our?special situation in the basement. Koakuma will explain the situation to you as you go down there, and after you are finished you are to return to speak with me. Understood??
?Yes, milady.? Remilia dismissed the two of them, and Sakuya and Koakuma headed for the kitchen. Koakuma prepared the usual tea and cake as she explained what they would be doing.
?To be honest, I?m not really sure how to explain this to you,? Koakuma began, smiling sheepishly as she prepared the food. ?You see, we have someone staying in the basement. I think it would be best if you find out for yourself, really. Anyway, I bring her three meals every day, and then stay with her for an hour before returning to work.?
?Wait,? Sakuya interrupted, shaking her head. ?You?re keeping someone in the basement? Why? Why don?t you ever let?her?out??
Koakuma?s gentle smile faded. She was silent. ??I?I really think Remilia should explain that to you, Sakuya. I understand the situation, but I don?t really know how to explain it.? She finally finished putting together the meal, placed the tea and cake on a tray, and handed it to Sakuya to carry. ?Let?s go. I don?t have anything else to say right now.?
They went to the door that led to the basement, a door Sakuya had been told never to open. Koakuma produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open. It creaked on its hinges, revealing a stone staircase that led down into the earth. Candelabras lined the walls, making the shadows in the staircase dance. ?The doors are really just for show,? Koakuma said, starting down the stairs. ?If she really wanted to, she could easily break out, locks or no locks.?
At the bottom of the stairs was another pair of doors, which Koakuma unlocked with yet another key. ?Young mistress, it?s me. I?m bringing you breakfast,? she called.
As Koakuma quietly pushed open the door, Sakuya could hear the voice of a little girl singing. She sounded a little younger than Remilia, but with a slightly more obvious French accent.
?In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.?
Koakuma turned to Sakuya and raised a finger to her lips as she walked into the room. It was quite large, but surprisingly empty, save for a few old bookshelves, a large four-post bed, a child-sized desk equipped with brushes, combs, and a large mirror, and a table next to the bed. Various toys, stuffed animals, and dolls were strewn all over the bed and floor, some of which were torn apart, and others that looked like they had been patched together several times.
?We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.?
It was also dark. Very dark. The only light came from a couple of lit candles, one on the table and one on the desk, and the mostly-closed windows that lined one wall near the roof. There was, however, one odd light source; sixteen crystals, in all colors of the rainbow, hanging from rods or sticks that emerged from the back of a small girl sitting on the bed. She was the one who was singing, reading the words from a book in her lap.
?Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.?
When the girl finished reading, Koakuma applauded, smiling broadly. The girl looked up at her, at first surprised, then overjoyed. ?Koa! Good morning!? She leaped off the bed and ran over to the demon girl, hugging her around the waist. Koakuma laughed. ?Good morning, Flandre. Did you sleep well last night??
Flandre let go of Koakuma and nodded vigorously. ?Yep. I didn?t have any nightmares tonight! Isn?t that great?? Finally, she noticed Sakuya standing nearby. The maid looked both confused and surprised. When she saw that Flandre was looking at her, she quickly composed herself and bowed her head. ?My name is Sakuya Izayoi. I?m the new head maid of the mansion, and I?ll be filling in for Koakuma.?
Flandre suddenly looked terrified and clung to Koakuma?s skirt, staring at Sakuya as if the maid just gave her a death sentence. ?But?but?why? Did Koa do something? Is she fired? Did I do something wrong? Whatever it is, I?m sorry! Don?t fire her, please.?
Koakuma gave Sakuya a look that said ?why did you have to say that? before patting Flandre on the head and shushing her. ?Shh, it?s okay. I?m not fired, and you didn?t do anything. Your sister just wants Sakuya to take over my job so I can focus on working in Miss Patchouli?s library. It?s not your fault, don?t worry.?
?Remilia is her-? Sakuya started, but was quickly silenced by another look from Koakuma. ?Sakuya, why don?t you go set up Flandre?s breakfast on the table over there? I?m sure she must be ready to eat by now.? She jerked her head over to the table, and Sakuya quickly obliged. Obviously she was messing up with Flandre.
?So, Flandre,? Koakuma began, ?what was that you were singing when we came in??
Flandre quickly let go and beamed up at Koakuma. ?I got it from one of the books you brought me. It?s called In Flanders Fields. I thought it was In Flandre?s Fields at first, so I was excited, but it wasn?t. I?m trying to learn it so I can show Remi when she comes to visit me again. When is she coming? Do you know??
The demon girl shook her head. ?No, I don?t. She?s awfully busy, though. I?m sure she?ll come down the moment she finds the time.?
Flandre?s face quickly fell at the lack of news. ?Oh?alright. I wanna see her soon, though. Can you tell her??
?Yes, I?ll be sure to. Now come on, you should have some breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, after all.? Koakuma led the little vampire over to the table, where they sat with Sakuya, keeping Flandre company while she ate.
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:*
*gives a truckload of perfect, elegant cake*
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The newest installment made me have a braingasm .___.
I love you
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You are killing me with this Elegant Perfection! Please, do keep this up if at all possible.
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Sakuya look after Flandre>>She must be more mother like :3
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The cake is NOT a lie. This is the cake.
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Well the cake in this case is also a lie, seeing as it's actually human blood in disguise.
Anyway, this story goes so deep into the roots of the SDM, it's just
:o
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Portal cake is NOT a lie. Flan's and Remi's cake IS a lie.
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A perfect and elegant cliffhanger.
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(Sorry for the wait. School's been swamping me lately. I hope this came out well, though.)
?So, Flandre,? Koakuma began, sitting next to the little vampire, ?how far are you in the last book I brought??
Flandre took another bite of the cake before answering, smiling up at Koakuma. ?I?m almost done. It?s kind of weird, ?cause I don?t get why all this bad stuff?s happening to the sailor. He just killed a bird, can?t the spirits just forgive him and get it over with??
?The Rime of the Ancient Mariner??
Flandre looked at Sakuya, her eyebrows raised in surprise. ?Oh, you read it too??
Sakuya nodded, trying to smile a bit. ?I read it in Miss Patchouli?s library a few weeks ago. I thought it was very good.?
Flandre nodded thoughtfully, taking another sip of tea. ?I still think they should just forgive him. It feels bad when someone just won?t forgive you for doing something you feel guilty about??
Her voice trailed off as she looked blankly ahead of her. She seemed to be somewhere else entirely. Thinking quickly to break the awkward silence, Sakuya spoke up again. ?I?I like your wings, Flandre.?
Flandre quickly snapped out of her small trance and grinned up at Sakuya. ?Thanks! I made them myself. It hurt when I had to put them in, though. But aren?t they pretty?? She cheerfully poked at a light blue crystal on the tip of her right wing. ?I like the light blue ones the best. That?s why I have two on each wing.?
Sakuya was too shocked by Flandre?s response to say much of anything. ?Y?yes, Flandre. They?re beautiful.? Flandre smiled in satisfaction and returned to eating, completely oblivious toward Sakuya?s shock. The maid looked up at Koakuma, but the demon only gave her an awkward little smile.
After a few more minutes of silence, Flandre finished her breakfast and wiped her mouth clean. ?Thanks, Koakuma. It was really good, like it always is.?
Koakuma smiled and put a hand on Flandre?s head. ?I?m glad you enjoyed it. Now, I?m sorry to tell you this, but Sakuya and I need to leave a little early today.?
Flandre?s face fell instantly as she looked pleadingly up at Koakuma. ?But?but why? I don?t want you to go. It?s only been twenty minutes.?
Sighing, the demon hugged Flandre comfortingly. ?I know, but we need to talk with your sister. We?ll be back for lunch. Won?t we, Sakuya??
The maid nodded, unsure what to say. Flandre looked so sad. They couldn?t just stay a little longer?
Reluctantly, Flandre agreed to let them go. Promising to be back in time for lunch and dinner, they exited the basement and locked the door behind them. Sighing, Flandre slowly walked over to her bed and sat on the edge.
?I wonder why they left me in such a hurry,? a familiar voice said behind her.
Flandre turned to see herself standing on the other side of the bed, grinning at her with an uneven smile. The clone walked around the bed and sat next to her, staring off into the basement. ?They don?t want to be near me for long. Can?t say I blame them, though. I?m such a frightening person, aren?t I??
Two pitch-black pools formed on the floor, and from them emerged two more black shapes. Once they fully freed themselves from the darkness, colors formed on their bodies, revealing two more clones of Flandre. One had a face torn by sorrow, and the other had eyes burning with hatred.
The sad one sat on the floor, hugging her legs close to her. ?I wish Remi would come down. Why won?t she see me? I miss her??
The angry one snorted scornfully, walking over to the table. ?She won?t come down because she hates me. Isn?t it obvious?? Suddenly, she kicked the chair clear across the room, watching as it hit the opposite wall with a crash. ?I hate her so much! That stupid little brat.?
?That?s right,? the grinning one said in a soothing voice. ?Why do I even put up with her anymore? It would be so easy to break out of here and get back at her. Make her know what it?s felt like all these years.?
Flandre shook her head, shutting her eyes. She bent forward in her seat and covered her ears, trying her hardest not to hear anything. ?Remi?s my big sister?I?I?d never do that. I just want to make her happy, even if it means staying in here.?
?But if this were making her happy,? the sad one said in a soft whisper, ?wouldn?t she come down to see me and tell me? Wouldn?t someone say something??
The grinning one?s smile spread even wider. She put an arm around Flandre?s shoulder. ?Of course not. She just wants to forget that I?m even here, that I exist. She wants to forget that her scary, insane little sister is still alive after all these years, right??
?I?m not insane.? Tears were starting to fall from Flandre?s eyes. ?I?m not. I?m not.?
Then why did you kill your parents?
The thought cut through her mind like a bullet. Nobody needed to say it for her.
The room was silent, save for Flandre?s quiet sobbing. Quietly, the clones slowly disintegrated into black ash that sank into the floor, leaving their original to cry alone in the basement.
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I love it !!!
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:ohdear:
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:ohdear:
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Worry not, it's an excellent addition. Flandre's always an interesting character study (and writer study). I especially approve of her wings.
Oh man.... Now I'm so tempted to write... Must resist.
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(And finally an update. I...don't really like this one, but maybe that's a good sign.)
?So, Sakuya,? Remilia began, ?I trust your meeting with Flandre went well??
?Yes, milady,? Sakuya replied. Patchouli had dismissed Koakuma to do some work in the library while they talked. The demon had been glad to leave anyway.
?And I suppose you would like to know why she is kept there.? Remilia turned to look out of the window as she spoke, an elbow on the windowsill and her chin on her wrist.
?Well, I would, but it doesn?t seem to be my place-?
?I?m making it your place.?
Sakuya remained silent. She was obviously going to get an explanation whether she wanted one or not.
?Patchouli,? the little vampire said, still staring absently out the window, ?if you would, please. You can explain the situation better than I.?
The book the magician had been reading closed itself and floated onto a coffee table next to her couch. Patchouli closed her eyes, took a deep breath (accentuated by a small cough at the end), and looked up at Sakuya.
--------------------------------
?To begin, I should explain that Remilia and Flandre are not normal for their species. When a pair of vampire parents has a child, that child is born a human. The child grows like any other human, and when they reach an age when they appear to be at the peak of their physical and mental capability, their parents convert them into vampires, so that they will permanently be at their best age.
?The problem happened on Remilia?s fourteenth birthday. Flandre was ten at the time. I, as a friend of the Scarlets, wanted to take Flandre and Remilia out for an evening in Paris as a birthday present. With my magic, money was not an issue, and their parents happily agreed.
?Everything went well for most of the night. We enjoyed ourselves, saw every sight we could, ate at some famous restaurants. And then, just as we were about to leave to come back here, Flandre and Remilia were attacked. I had been walking ahead of them, and as we passed an alley a homeless, starving vampire pulled them into the shadows and began to feed on them.?
Patchouli closed her eyes again and took a few raspy, deep breaths, clutching at her chest. When her breathing returned to normal, she looked back up at Sakuya. ?Forgive me, it isn?t easy to go through this again.
?In any case, when I realized what had happened and used my magic to kill the vampire, it was already too late. Flandre and Remilia had gone into shock, and they were already beginning to turn into vampires themselves. All I could do was carry them back to the mansion, flying in the cloud cover to hide from anyone on the ground that might see us.
?Needless to say, the Scarlets were upset. Their daughters would be children forever, and this was probably the end of their line.
?Now, before I continue, there is something else I should explain. When a vampire is created, they gain a random power that can range from teleportation to the manipulation of the stars, as well as a weapon related to that power. Remilia and Flandre gained two extremely rare powers: Remilia can manipulate fate, and she has the spear Gungnir, that, like fate itself, almost never misses its mark, while Flandre can instantly destroy anything by closing her hand over the object, and she has the wand Laevateinn, said to be able to destroy the world.
?When Flandre and Remilia woke from their shock, they had already grown their wings and gained their powers. However, they didn?t know how to control them, and purely by accident, Flandre destroyed their parents. Remilia, in a fit of grief and rage, tore out her sister?s wings, but I managed to stop her before she could do anything else.
?As she was the oldest, Remilia became the new head of the mansion. Before that day, the Scarlets had asked me to take care of their daughters in case anything happened to them, and I?ve done exactly that. Flandre, meanwhile, became unstable due to the shock from so many things happening at once, and through both Remilia?s request to her and her own dedication to her older sister she has stayed in the basement for the last four hundred and twelve years. I?ve tried urging Remilia to visit her more often, but she still seems to hold a grudge toward her sister.?
?She destroyed my family and any chance of the Scarlet family continuing its lineage, Patchouli,? Remilia snapped, still staring out the window. ?She?s the most dangerous thing in the world right now, and keeping her anywhere but the basement is a threat to everyone?s safety.?
Patchouli remained silent, and her book floated off the table and back into her lap again, opening up to where it was before she started speaking.
?In any case, Sakuya,? Remilia began after a moment, ?now you know our secret. You can either stay and continue living and working here, or you can leave. If you do, however, keep in mind that I won?t be able to guarantee your safety anymore.?
Sakuya had been quiet through this whole explanation. It was a lot of information to soak up all at once, and most of it was quite shocking. She really didn?t know what to think.
??if you wouldn?t mind, milady,? Sakuya finally replied, ?I would like some time to think it over.?
?That?s fine,? Remilia responded, turning to look out of the window again. ?Come back to me when you have reached a decision.?
Sakuya curtsied politely and walked out of the room, somewhat quickly. When she closed the door behind her, the room was blanketed in still silence.
?I hope that was the right thing to do, Patchouli??
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Oh wow. This is good. Keep it up!
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what can descripe this story other than Perfect, Awesome, or Win? I can't think of anything :D
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I've run out of words so I'll draw you another picture later ^^
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400-hundred-year grudge :derp:
Still as intense as usual, which is how it should be. Perfect. :3
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glad i found this! needs more PERFECT!! =P
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(Holy crap three months. Geez, I need to be more diligent with this stuff. In any case, I had to completely rework this bit about three damn times and I'm still not sure it came out well. But hopefully it did.)
In the basement of the mansion, the crystal-winged little girl sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. She still cried quietly, shaking from the return of repressed memories bludgeoning her mind. Her parents? last looks of shock, Remilia?s screams, Patchouli pulling her sister off her mutilated body?
Just then, Flandre felt a small hand on her shoulder. She looked out of the corner of her eye and was met with herself, grinning eerily. ?Go away,? she mumbled, pulling herself into a tighter ball and squeezing her eyes shut. ?Just go away.?
The clone sighed and put her arms around Flandre, caressing her shoulders slowly, comfortingly. ?I know I don?t like it when I come out,? she whispered, laying her head on Flandre?s hat. ?But it?s not like I have anyone else. The only other option is for me to sit in this basement and rot alone.? The clone slowly ran a finger across Flandre?s cheekbone, and the little vampire quickly turned her head away in disgust.
The clone just moved her hand to Flandre?s side-tail instead, moving the long strands of blonde hair between her fingers. ?But that?s why I made me, right? Why I made us. So that I could have someone who understands me, someone who knows what it feels like to be me. Someone to be there for me when nobody else is.? The clone sighed, embracing Flandre again. Flandre finally relented, laying her head on the clone?s chest, still curled up as the ever-grinning version of herself stroked her hair. ?It?s a shame. Solitude will do horrible things to people??
??I?m not alone,? Flandre mumbled, her voice cracking. ?I still have Remi, and Koakuma, and Patchouli, and now Sakuya-?
?Remi hates me,? the clone interrupted. ?I know she does. Patchouli, too. Why else would they never visit me? And now Koakuma?s getting tired of coming down here as well. I saw how eager she seemed to be to get out today. She?s leaping at the opportunity to give her job to Sakuya, and Sakuya has no idea how dangerous I am. ?Better that Sakuya get hurt instead of me,? must be what Koa?s thinking.? Slowly, gently, the clone rested her head on Flandre?s, moving her hand to the original?s back. ?After all, I?ll hurt everyone one day. Everything that gets near me breaks eventually. My toys, my friends, my family. I just can?t control myself.?
The grin of the clone grew wider and wider until it seemed it stretched from one ear to the other. ?Everything?breaks,? she hissed in Flandre?s ear.
?Young mistress? Can I come in??
Flandre pulled herself away from her clone to see Sakuya peeking around the door in the distance, silhouetted by the light coming from the stairway. She looked back to see if her insane copy was still there, but already it evaporated into black dust. ?C?come in, Sakuya. What do you want??
The maid silently entered and closed the door behind her before walking through the darkness to the bed. She stopped a few feet from the end of the bed, curtsied, and gave Flandre a small smile. ?I just thought I would pay you a visit. May I sit with you??
The vampire shifted a bit and looked down at her feet, trying not to let Sakuya see her eyes red from crying. ??you should stay away from me. It?s not safe.?
Sakuya stood there quietly for a moment. Then, slowly, she moved over to the bed and sat at Flandre?s side, putting an arm around the vampire?s shoulders. Flandre relented after a time and leaned against Sakuya, stuffing her hands into the folds of her skirt as if she were afraid they would leap out of their own volition and attack the maid.
?You shouldn?t be down here all alone,? Sakuya finally said, giving the vampire a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. ?Why don?t I come down here more often than just three times a day??
Flandre was silent. She stared at the burning candle on the table beside her bed.
?If I have free time,? Sakuya continued, ?I can come down and spend time with you. Maybe we can play some games, or I can read you stories. Would you like that??
??I already told you it?s not safe around me,? Flandre muttered, just barely audible. ?I break things. Anything. It?s just a matter of time before-?
?Ssshhh,? the maid interrupted, holding Flandre more tightly to her. ?Don?t talk like that. It?s not good for you.? Pause. ?Besides, I won?t break. No matter what happens, I?ll never break.?
Finally, Flandre looked up at Sakuya, sitting up straight to get a better look at the maid. ?Promise??
Sakuya smiled warmly down at Flandre with a gentle nod. ?I promise.?
?And you won?t leave either??
?Never.?
The little vampire took a few minutes to stare into Sakuya?s eyes, and then suddenly hugged the maid around the waist. ?I?m so happy, Sakuya. Thank you. I don?t want to be all alone down here anymore.?
Sakuya felt a few tears welling up in her eyes, but tried her hardest to push them back. She laid a hand on Flandre?s head, stroking her back with the other. ?I understand, young mistress. I?ll always be here for you. Always.?
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Three figures watched the exchange from the shadows. One mournfully, one barely containing her anger, and one with cold, malicious glee.
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Four Of A Kind, but they have different personalities, and their own influence on Flandre, I like this...a lot.
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This is amazing. In fact, the whole "Four of a kind" thing being Flandre's different... "persona's", so to speak, Is described amazingly. In fact, this is the first time I've seen any fanfic incorporate four of a kind into the story as part of her personality, and not just a cheap Naruto rip-off. Sadly, the only bad thing about this story, well, not so much the as the author who updates infrequently (COUGHUPDATEMORECOUGH).
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Indeed Squiddy~ Update More >__>
I need this to get through the exam weeks...
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I...just wow. I'd never really known much about the Scarlet Mansion since I never really looked into EoSD much(Was always most interested in IN/PCB), but this story...It's a very well done emotional piece, for sure. I'm loving what you've done with Flandre, though I must say... Everytime I think about her wings, I'm reminded of this horrifying tearing sound from this one audio thing I heard on youTube once... *shudders*
Of course, I like the other characters as well, it's just that Flandre's gotta be my favorite player in this story(with the Perfect, Elegant Maid a very close second of course).
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Three figures watched the exchange from the shadows. One mournfully, one barely containing her anger, and one with cold, malicious glee.
For a second, I thought this sentence meant Koakuma, Patchy, and Remilia :ohdear:
Reading Comprehension, where are you hiding inside my brain? :(
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Wow.... an amazing story. I love the characterization, how they're fleshed out in each segment.
More updates please~~!
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Infinite thanks, for writing this, and for posting the link in your signature - that's how I found your story (epic luck :D). It's mindblowing to see all the characters outside of their carefree outward appeareances and crazy memes. The settings you add make it so much more...colorful. Geh. I can't describe this in words. Update please.
For a second, I thought this sentence meant Koakuma, Patchy, and Remilia :ohdear:
Reading Comprehension, where are you hiding inside my brain? :(
I did the same thing as well, all the way until I read the next sentence. ><'
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(So I decided yesterday to just force myself to write again. I should be doing a lot of things, but screw that. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement.)
?For the last time, we are not moving the mansion,? Remilia stated firmly, setting down her tea on the table in front of her. ?The Scarlet Devil will not turn tail and flee like some helpless little mouse faced by a rat. Our pride is at stake, and the pride of the Scarlet Devil Mansion is a thing to be preserved.?
The little vampire narrowed her eyes at the woman seated across from her, who sighed in response and crossed her legs beneath her long, purple dress. She rested an elbow on the arm of her chair, gently laying a cheek on that same hand as she eyed Remilia with her bright violet eyes.
?You know,? she began, her voice mature and almost sultry, ?you?re really lucky. I don?t usually come to other youkai like this. Usually I just let them find the place for themselves and slide in. But no, here I am, giving you the best offer of your life, and you?re just going to turn me down?? The woman clicked her tongue, shaking her head in disappointment. Patchouli, lying on a nearby sofa, looked up from her book for a second to shoot the woman a somewhat irritated glance. She said nothing, however, and returned to reading a moment later.
Remilia leaned back in her chair, interlocking her fingers together contemplatively in front of her mouth as her wings rested over her shoulders like a shawl. She closed one crimson eye, eyeing the woman in front of her with the other. ?I?m sure you know that we have a new member of the household. A human, in fact. She?s been here a month now, but she?s slowly acclimating to this new environment.? Slowly, she closed the other eye, measuring her words carefully. ?She would have no place in this?Gensokyo, was it? You keep pitching it as a youkai paradise, but it seems there is no place for a human there.?
The woman giggled, a light and airy sound. ?Of course there are humans as well. Gensokyo is a place where humans and youkai can coexist. A haven for anyone who believes in us, so to speak.?
The vampire considered this for a moment. She reached for her tea once more and took a sip of it, savoring the bloody taste. Finally, her eyes slid open again as she looked straight at the woman. ?I must continue to decline. For now, the mansion will stand its ground. The Scarlet Devils have lasted for centuries here, and we will remain for many more hence.?
The woman just shrugged, sighing in resignation. ?All right, if you?re going to be so adamant about it??
As she stood up and retrieved the parasol that lay against her chair, a jagged crack appeared in midair next to her. Fingers from several hands slid through the crack and shoved it open with a sound like the splitting of an overripe melon, creating a portal to an open dimension colored like rotten flesh and filled with thousands of staring red eyes. The woman took this all in stride, and as she was about to walk through she turned to Remilia one last time, smiling mischievously. ?The offer still stands, though. Maybe one day you?ll see my side of things. I can wait.?
The vampire narrowed her eyes at the woman, but remained silent. Once the woman passed through the portal and the fissure resealed itself, Remilia let loose her irritation by slamming her fist on the arm of her chair. ?Damn that Yukari,? she growled, her eyes burning with frustration. ?Who does she think she is, waltzing into my home and insulting my integrity? I have half a mind to go over to that damn Gensokyo of hers and teach her just what happens to those that disrespect the Scarlet Devil.? Taking a moment out of her monologue, she turned to glare at Patchouli, who was still calmly reading her book. ?And why did you just sit there and let me take all that? You could have helped, you know.?
?The affairs of the mansion are yours to handle,? Patchouli replied, her tone one of boredom as she refused to look up from her reading. ?You are the head of the mansion, after all. I?d think you would have adapted to that after the last couple of centuries.?
Remilia just glared at the librarian for a moment longer. Eventually she relented, sinking into her chair as she massaged her temple. ?Ridiculous?simply ridiculous??
She winced as someone knocked on the door, grating further on her nerves with the irritating sound. ?Come in,? she snapped. In response, the door slowly opened as Sakuya entered the room, looking around the door warily. ?Am I interrupting anything,? she asked, looking at Remilia with concern.
Patchouli raised a hand and motioned for the maid to enter, still focused on reading. ?No, no. We were just having a meeting with someone. Come in. Have you reached a decision yet??
Sakuya nodded, entering the room and closing the door behind her. ?Yes, I?ve decided. I will stay.?
Remilia suddenly perked up at that, letting her hand drop as she looked up at Sakuya. Realizing her own excessive enthusiasm, she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and sitting up straight. ?Well, I?m certainly glad you decided to stay. You?ve been quite helpful around the mansion.?
?Koakuma has expressed her gratitude, by the way,? Patchouli chimed in. ?She?s much less pressured now, working only in the library.?
Sakuya just nodded in appreciation. After a moment of silence spent fidgeting with her apron, she spoke up again. ?Well. I should return to work.?
?Yes, yes, go ahead.? Remilia waved her hand to dismiss the maid. ?Take care. I?ll call for you if we need anything.?
Once Sakuya curtsied and left the room, Remilia sighed in relief, falling back into her chair again. ?Well, I suppose that?s some good news to counter that minor annoyance. We won?t be losing our maid anytime soon.?
?I get the feeling she?s a bit more important to you than just being a maid, Remilia,? the magician droned. ?Admittedly, she does hold some resemblance to your mother-?
?I know, I know.? The vampire hid her face in her hands, partially out of embarrassment and partially out of building irritation. ?Is it wrong for me to want some memory of my family??
Patchouli defensively raised a finger, though her eyes still never left her reading. ?I never said there was anything wrong with it. Just pointing it out.?
For a minute, Remilia just looked at her. Then, slowly, she slid off her seat, walked over to the sofa, and warmly embraced the magician. A small, pleasant smile grew on Patchouli?s face as she rested her cheek on Remilia?s head, putting an arm around the vampire?s shoulders.
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Awwweeehhhhhh~
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For a minute, Remilia just looked at her. Then, slowly, she slid off her seat, walked over to the sofa, and warmly embraced the magician. A small, pleasant smile grew on Patchouli?s face as she rested her cheek on Remilia?s head, putting an arm around the vampire?s shoulders.
D'AWWWW
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Took some time to read up the entirety of it, t'was an excellent read. :V
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Love your work so far. keep it up.
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ANOTHER UPDATE YES I LOVE YOU
/fanboyism_end
This stuff is awesome.
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Great read!
Please keep updating :3
Love your work :D
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Darn it, I've seen this some time now but I regret never clicking it earlier. It's really good, I can't think of a word to describe it...
Why is it that everytime I read someone else's work I feel so inferior >.<
Really loved this, hope you update it soon :V
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excellent update ~~
I would expect nothinhg less though
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Man squidy, I totally forgot about this XD Gonna have to do some catchin up in the story. Also long time no see, good to see your keepin busy~
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Zomg,
Where's the new chapter :O