Koishi was still wincing a little as she helped Sango lift Tewi?s unconscious body to the surface. Those kicks had left a lot of bruises on her arms where she?d used them to cover her head. They?d probably need a few days to heal up properly.
?Wait, so you?re telling me the little girl pulled out a sword and cut them all in half? For real!??
Sango was amazed by the story Koishi told about the fight, mainly at Flandre?s miraculous intervention to save both of the Sirens. Koishi shrugged, not entirely sure what had happened herself.
?I don?t really know what was happening either. She took it all so naturally...and she was pretty strong, too. I guess after I gave her the ring of breath, she sort of understood everything that was going on.?
Sango frowned. It would probably be too late to wipe Flandre?s memory now - the thoughts were too far ingrained into her head. They would just have to work on damage control and hope that Sakuya could keep the girl under wraps.
?Anyway, Inaba?s definitely been mindcoiled. You?re going to need to work your magic again, Koishi-san.?
Koishi looked down at the limp body in front of her. Tewi had lost all magical power, and the Black Key?s effects had reversed, leaving the ex-rabbit in the plain black dress she?d been wearing earlier. Koishi looked down at herself, seeing the dormant eye still lying on her chest.
She gulped. She?d only done this once before, and it hadn?t been a pleasant experience last time. But if Tewi?s life depended on it, she was willing to take the risk. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Koishi reached down and pulled open the eyelid over her third eye.
Once again, it let off a violet ray of light, enveloping Tewi completely. Immediately Koishi felt a weight pressing down on her shoulders, and her eyelids grew heavy. Before she knew it, she was slumping onto the ground, her eyes closing as her mind left her body and entered Tewi?s.
The instant she jolted awake, the world she lived in had disappeared, replaced with the inside of Tewi?s mind.
This time, there was none of the harsh coldness she?d found inside Cirno?s head. It was dark in here more than anything, and the lights above her head flickered on now and again. She was at the end of a corridor, its walls a pale shade of red. There were doors at the ends, but black tendrils running along the walls stopped Koishi from opening them.
The mindcoil.She was familiar with this - it had taken a similar form in Cirno?s mind. She would have to find the source and kill it; then the entire thing would collapse, and Tewi would return to normal.
As she started to make her way down the corridor, Koishi started noticing there was something else on the walls other than the mindcoils. Letters, words, written by a childish hand in white chalk.
santa claus gives me presents at christmasIt was a simple sentence, a simple belief. But Tewi was a young woman now - she must have known that Santa Claus was just a story. This was a lie, one that Tewi had told herself years ago. The chalk was faded, almost invisible, but the mindcoil underlined the words, making them stand out once again.
Moving on, she saw more of these childish lies drawn up on the walls. Stories of the tooth fairy, myths about the local shrine, the legend of the staircase whose number of steps changed on a full moon. All silly childhood stories, all underlined and brought back to light by the mindcoil. So far, so harmless.
She caught the next sentence just as she started to hear sobbing in the distance.
Papa didn?t make it to my school play because of workThis one hadn?t faded as far as the ones before it; it still hung with some strength inside Tewi?s mind. The underlining black tendril gave it extra impact. This was where Koishi started to feel slightly afraid, her pace increasing. She started to fear the worst, and had to calm herself down - maybe Tewi?s father had just been busy?
The lights were flickering, and Koishi only caught a few of the messages that followed. In the distance, she could still hear Tewi weeping.
Papa can quit any time he wantsWas it alcohol? She hoped to god it wasn?t. Maybe it was smoking? Or he was overweight. Yes, those were easier for her to take. It couldn?t be that bad.
Mama just fell down the stairs last nightKoishi stopped running at that one. She read it again, praying that she?d misread it before. Her hopes were dashed. There was only one reason Tewi could be lying to herself about that.
Mama and Papa love each other very muchKoishi had to resist the urge to be sick. This was horrible. She couldn?t keep looking at these for much longer, not if she wanted to keep her own sanity intact.
Papa won?t get mad at my report card tonightBefore she even knew it she was running. She?d put together the story that these lies were telling, and it frightened her. She didn?t want to look anymore, and it was tempting to close her eyes and look away. Still, she had to fight on. If she wanted to save Tewi, she had to understand her first of all - learn what the Claw had used to control her, and help her overcome it.
She only caught one more message before the lights went out completely.
Mama?s just sleeping Papa didn?t do anything to herKoishi?s heart froze in her chest. Her hand ran across her mouth, and she could feel tears streaming out of her eyes. This poor girl had been through so much, and she?d lied to herself to cope with it. She?d never quite believed her own lies, though, and she?d tried to etch them in her head so they stuck.
It wouldn?t work. Deep down, Tewi had to still know the truth. It scared her. It horrified her. She was running from it. Koishi suddenly realised that in a way, Tewi and Sakuya weren?t that different - both of them were desperately looking to deny a truth they couldn?t stand.
What, then, was Tewi running from? Or at least, what in particular? What was driving her to flee from her own past, deny everything that she?d been? What had twisted her into the pathological liar she?d become?
The answer came to her as the lights flickered back to life. It screamed at her, written across all of the walls in a desperate hand.
It?s not my fault...
it?snotmyfaulttheyweren?tfightingovermeit?snotmyfaultmamaisn?tgoneisn?tnotmyfaultpapadidn?tdoitit?snotmyfaultshe?ddeadit?snotmyfaultpapachokedher
it?snotmyfaultmyfamilyfellapartit?snotmyfaultit?snotmyfaultit?snotmyfaultKoishi was running again before she knew it. It was too painful. This girl had gone through hell, and Koishi was in pain just seeing what she?d suffered. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She didn?t want to be here. She wanted out. She wanted to get away.
But more than any of that,
she wanted to help her.The words just repeated themselves, over and over. They only grew more frantic and desperate the further in Koishi went, until the walls were more white than red. She couldn?t read the text any more, but the crying was only growing louder as she ran down the corridor.
After what felt like far too long, Koishi reached the end of the corridor. The walls were pure white now, the chalk running a second layer on top of the faltering red paint. This was the only room with decent lighting, but it was little more than a small cube of a room.
Still desperately etching her words into the wall, Tewi Inaba muttered to herself, demented. Her other hand tugged at her dress, white to match the shade of the walls.
?It?s not my fault, right? Mama?s just asleep. They weren?t fighting over me...even if I hadn?t been there, it still would?ve happened. What would?ve happened? Nothing is wrong. Mama?s sleeping. It?s fine. Stop thinking about it.?
Even as she told herself to stop, Tewi?s hand kept scribbling on the wall uncontrollably. The floor was laced with pieces of chalk, and she?d presumably pick one up the instant the one she was holding ran out. Something was crawling along the floor onto her hand, pulsing as it ran across her fingers, culminating in a throbbing mass on the other side of her writing hand.
The core of the mindcoil. It was forcing her to write, no matter what she wanted.
?...Inaba-san.?
The girl flinched. She wasn?t used to company. She turned back to Koishi, hand still writing furiously.
?Oh, sorry. I didn?t hear you come in. It?s a shame you weren?t here earlier - I was talking to that massive rock star everyone?s in love with. Shinki? Y?know, lead vocalist for The Gate To Makai? We?re totally best friends - I taught her everything she knows about singing. She?s offered me royalties like a trillion times, but I?m too cool for money.?
She smiled, but the teary red eyes gave her away. Koishi walked over to her, placing a hand on top of the black, gooey mass compelling her to write.
?Inaba-san, please. Stop writing.?
?What are you talking about? I?m not writing anything.?
Koishi wasn?t going to stand for that. She grabbed Tewi by the shoulder, pointing at the mindcoil?s core on her hand. The girl stared absently at it, not really paying attention.
?You can?t keep lying like this forever. You?re not helping yourself. You?re making things worse.?
Tewi was silent for a few seconds. Her head bowed down. Her hand still wrote, but it had slowed down.
?B...But if I don?t...that means...?
She started furiously scribbling again. Koishi couldn?t even see what she was writing any more, but the words that Tewi started to scream were enough of a clue.
?I didn?t kill her, I didn?t kill her, I didn?t kill her...!?
This was bad. Tewi was going off the deep end. If Koishi didn?t interfere, there was a chance the girl would snap completely. She had to calm her down.
She did it in the only way she knew how - by wrapping her arms around the poor girl.
?Aaah!??
Tewi?s writing hand jerked around, not even forming letters as she wrote. Koishi hugged her as closely as she could, whispering into her ear.
?It?s okay, Inaba-san...it?s not true. A lot of horrible things have happened to you, but they weren?t your fault. You can stop blaming yourself now...?
Tewi shivered in Koishi?s arms, sniffling. She started to cry again, screaming as her scribbling started again.
?But-but-but-but if I didn?t do it, Papa did it! That?s crazy! Papa?s a great man! He?s just...misunderstood! That?s...that?s right...?
She spoke without any honesty. She didn?t believe what she was saying, but she felt compelled to say it nonetheless. Koishi could understand - the man was her father, after all. He brought her up. He raised her. Of course she didn?t want to see him as a monster.
But if it was a choice between blaming it on him, or blaming it falsely on herself, she would need to take the lesser of two evils.
?Inaba-san, you can?t blame yourself for what your father did. He?s already hurt you enough. Don?t let him hurt you again like this.?
?But...Papa...Papa...!?
Tewi didn?t want to believe it. It was too big. Too frightening. Too scary. She wanted to run, like she always had. But even as they comforted her, Koishi?s arms were holding her in place.
Koishi felt her own heart on the verge of breaking. She?d already seen one person go through this despair tonight. Two was about all she could handle. She had to end this soon, for both of their sakes.
?Relax, Inaba-san. Just take a moment to let it in. Don?t fight it. It?ll hurt, but don?t fight it.?
Tewi struggled for a few seconds longer, but the words of Koishi finally seeped into her mind. She stopped, her writing hand freezing in place, the creature thriving on it starting to squirm in fear.
?D-Don?t be silly. You of all people should know I did it.?
?Why?s that??
Tewi looked back, a deadly serious expression in her eyes.
?I nearly killed you, didn?t I? That stupid treasure map I gave you. You nearly drowned, remember??
Koishi gasped. She was blaming herself for that, as well? Her grip on Tewi grew tighter, closer.
?Inaba-san, it was an accident. You didn?t mean for me to get hurt.?
The rabbit was shivering now, her emotions set to completely overwhelm her. She didn?t say a word, thinking silence would end the conversation now.
Koishi leaned down, and whispered into her ear.
?I forgive you.?
That, it seemed, was the magic phrase. Tewi stood upright all of a sudden, looking invigorated. She turned back to Koishi, looking to see if the girl would suddenly burst into laughter or admit she was lying. Koishi?s honest, caring smile supported her, and suddenly Tewi was beginning to gain the courage she needed to fight her fears.
?Papa. P-Papa did it.?
?Did what, Inaba-san??
Tewi didn?t want to say. She didn?t want to bring those thoughts out into the world. Only the encouragement Koishi was offering guided her along.
?P-Papa was the one who...who hurt Mama! Not me! NOT ME!?
The creature on Tewi?s hand screamed out as she spoke. She was making progress. Koishi had to push her further.
?Keep going, Inaba-san, keep going!?
Tewi was crying, but she was smiling all the while. Every word made her feel stronger, better, more powerful. She had stopped running, and she was facing her demons head on.
And it felt fantastic.
?What happened between Mama and Papa was...was their problem! I didn?t have any control over it! It...It wasn?t my fault! I did everything I could! I didn?t do anything wrong!?
The creature and Tewi screamed out at the same time. Tewi?s yelling formed words; the mindcoil?s dying cries just made Koishi?s skin crawl.
?
THERE?S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME!?
Tewi screamed the last sentence out loud with all the force she could muster. The creature that had been plaguing her was forcefully torn off of her hand by an unseen force, falling backwards along with the black strands. The chalk slowly started to drift off the walls, floating into the air and likewise flying backwards into the distance. For a few seconds, there was nothing but the deafening sounds of the mindcoil?s howling and the chalk blowing past Koishi?s face.
As soon as it started, it had ended. The chalk had dissipated along with the mindcoil, revealing what had been on the wall the entire time. Tewi looked at it with wonder, like she?d never known it existed, and walked up to it with slow, deliberate steps.
Her own face looked back. She was looking into a mirror, reflecting her own face back at her.
And just above the mirror stood a plaque, reading the words ?I LOVE YOU?.
Tewi stared at her own reflection in silence for a few seconds. Then the last semblance of resistance gave way, and she burst into tears at the sight of it. Not tears of sadness - tears of joy. She?d finally reunited with a long-lost friend. The one girl who she?d stopped caring about after all those years of lying. The girl she?d written off as a monster, a demon.
Herself.
Koishi felt a tear coming to her own eye as she saw it. Her strength was leaving her as she crumpled to the floor, but even as her consciousness faded again she knew she?d done her part.
The coil had been removed. Tewi was free.
-----
?Koishi-san? Are you awake??
Sango?s voice welcomed Koishi back to the world of the living as soon as she woke up. She shielded her eyes almost as quickly as she?d opened them - the sun was finally rising, and it hit her square in the face.
?Y-Yeah, I?m back. How long was I out for??
?Half an hour or something. How?d it go??
Koishi stretched as she let her body wake up fully. It felt strange coming back here, like her whole body was nothing but a skin she could take on and off. All her limbs felt alien, like they belonged to someone else. It took a little flexing to feel comfortable in her own body again.
Reaching down, she carefully pulled Tewi?s eye open. The glint of light had returned to her eyes.
?Yeah, I think it went pretty well.?
Sango nodded, sighing in relief. She gave Koishi a little hug as congratulations. They?d pulled it off, somehow. They?d found Sakuya, saved Flandre, and even saved Tewi. All in all, about as well as things could have possibly gone.
?...Let?s take her to Kawashiro-sensei. Maybe she remembers something.?
?Right. I need to give the boss a run-down on everything that?s happened, anyway.?
Besides that, there was still a lot to sort out on the mundane side. Tewi had been caught up in some bad business, and even after all this it wasn?t right for her to just walk away without consequences. Koishi felt a little guilty about it, but Tewi had to be held responsible for her mistakes, whatever state of mind she?d been in when she made them.
Working together, the pair put Tewi?s arms behind their shoulders and started to walk. There were still a few hours before the school properly filled up, and they?d have to worry about running into any teachers other than Nitori.
Koishi yawned. She?d pulled an all-nighter for the second day in a row. There was no way she was going to make it to class today, either.
Not that she cared that much - saving lives felt like a much more productive use of her time than studying algebra.
-----
For once, Sakuya was grateful for Meiling?s complete disregard for road safety. If she spent time doing petty things like waiting at red lights and obeying speed limits, there was no way they?d make it back to the mansion before the sun came up. There was more in the way of opposing traffic this time, so Meiling got a few shouts from passing drivers as she disobeyed every driving law ever designed.
?Watch it! Outta the way! Emergency, and all that crap!?
She was yelling at drivers the instant she saw their cars in the distance, scraping around to swerve past them with momentum. Sakuya learned that day that if you try hard enough, you can make a van
drift, weight and aerodynamics be damned.
Flandre was still unconscious, strapped in as Sakuya sat in the back seat alongside her. The maid had dropped the transformation, and was thankful to learn that her uniform had not, in fact, been torn to shreds by the cards. It reappeared, as stainless and well-kept as it had been before - though Sakuya?s soaking wet skin ruined that effect somewhat. (This, strangely, Meiling had ended up commenting on. Maybe her time alone in the van had been enough to get her brain back in shape.)
It felt like the longest car ride she?d ever been on, but at long last the mansion came into view. A tiny blip in the distance at first, growing larger as they approached. The gate was still open from their departure, and Meiling drove straight into the gardens rather than parking in the garage. Dozens of innocent flowers were crumpled beneath the crimson van?s wheels before it grinded to a halt. Before it had even stopped Sakuya had unstrapped Flandre and picked her up, opening the door and running for the mansion entrance. The girl was cold in her hands, the bloody rags she?d been wearing leaving their marks on Sakuya?s hands. Like the gate, the front door stood open, the only sign of intrusion being the six bullets that had embedded themselves in the main staircase.
Meiling followed soon afterward, closing the door behind Sakuya as the first few rays of light started to creep over the horizon.
?That was...close.?
Meiling gripped at her knees, panting. Sakuya didn?t waste her time with silly things like resting - Flandre could still be in danger. Not hesitating for a moment, she charged down the corridors and slammed the library door open with her shoulder, almost taking it off its hinges.
She heard two voices as she made her way in, echoing throughout the room. One of them was teary, sniffling between sentences; the other was more mature, but clearly struggling to maintain her calm.
?Patchy, why?d they take Flan?! Did they want to blackmail us, or hurt her, or get back at Sakuya for all that money she won? What if it?s all three?!?
?Remi, calm down! I?m sure there?s a perfectly good explanation for what?s going on! We just need to wait for Sakuya to return, and-?
Patchouli?s eye caught Sakuya charging down the corridor, whistling past the bookshelves as she went. The geneticist rose to her feet, and her mistress turned in the same direction soon afterward.
?Saku-?
?FLAN!?
Remilia cut Patchouli off, darting over to Sakuya as she carried over the still-unconscious Flandre. There was no time for her noble vampire game - not when her sister?s life was potentially hanging by a thread.
?W-What happened? Why?s she bleeding so much?!?
Remilia had every reason to be frightened, in all honesty - Flandre?s clothes had turned sheer scarlet, and from the smell rising up from her it could only be blood. Not wasting a moment, Patchouli knocked the books off her desk and left room for Sakuya to place the body.
?Let me see her.?
Sakuya complied immediately, placing Flandre on the desk. Patchouli would?ve worried about the stain her blood-soaked clothes would have left if she didn?t have much more important matters to take care of. She carefully removed Flandre?s clothing, checking her body for the wound responsible for this bleeding.
Patchouli?s brow furrowed.
?Sakuya. You?re certain this is her blood??
The maid flinched. Was it? It had to be. It had happened during the fight, when she?d tapped into whatever magical energy she possessed. It had risen up from her chest, staining her clothes, even passing out into the water around her. She nodded.
?...Curious. I don?t see any wounds on her body.?
Now it was Sakuya?s turn to raise an eyebrow. Looking down, she confirmed Patchouli?s claim - nowhere on Flandre?s body was there any sort of injury, let alone one that could cause so much bleeding. The closest there was to a wound was a small mark just above where Flandre?s heart would be. Sakuya thought it was a birthmark at first, but Flandre had never had anything like this before hand - a small black patch of skin, in the shape of a crucifix.
Magical, perhaps?She couldn?t explain that to Patchouli, of course. Even if she tried, the scientist would probably write her off as a maniac, and for good reason. Still, what mattered was that the bleeding had stopped, and even if she was unconscious Flandre was still alive. Patchouli gave the girl another look-over, nodding to herself but looking uncertain. Remilia was practically pinned to her side, still crying.
?Is she okay? Is she okay!??
Patchouli finished her inspection, buttoning Flandre?s shirt back up. With a sigh of relief, she looked to Remilia with a small smile.
?Your sister will be fine, Remi. She?s suffering from blood loss, but she hasn?t been exposed to the sun. Based on the amount she?s lost she?ll be bedridden for a week, assuming her...wounds don?t reopen, but after that she should be fine.?
Patchouli?s face steeled for a moment at the word ?wounds?. She scratched slightly at her head, still unable to figure out exactly where all this blood had come from. Sakuya was relatively sure of the answer, but she decided not to voice it for the sake of her reputation.
Remilia, seeing the immediate threat had passed, switched from hugging Patchouli to hugging Sakuya. Sakuya wasn?t sure if the girl was laughing or crying.
?Oh, Sakuya, thank you so much! I was so scared after you told me to stay in bed last night, and then I couldn?t find Flan, and, and-!?
Sakuya wrapped her arms around her mistress, offering her a gentle pat on the back. She took a long deep breath, gulping. This was the part that she?d been most afraid of.
?You...you shouldn?t thank me, Remi. This was my fault.?
Remilia?s grip around Sakuya grew tighter. She looked upwards, her face a mesh of disappointment and horror.
?W-What do you mean? Was it the casino??
?...Yeah, something like that. They took Flandre hostage to get to me.?
The library fell eerily silent. Remilia slowly broke out of her hug, stepping backwards, shaking her head like she didn?t want to believe what she was hearing. Patchouli just glared at Sakuya with a ruthless look in her eyes, harbouring the disappointment of a mother visiting her daughter in prison.
All of this was Sakuya?s fault, and she knew it. If she hadn?t got herself wrapped up in all that underworld nonsense, Flandre wouldn?t have been on the brink of death earlier. She was tempted to justify herself, insist she?d been doing it for the girls, claim that in the end they?d understand.
But not anymore. She?d stopped running. She was ready to take responsibility for her actions rather than hide behind good intentions.
?I...owe both of you an apology.?
This was it. She?d managed to hold herself together up until now, because she?d had no choice. If she let up, showed a moment of weakness, she?d have been in no state to save Flandre. Now that she was okay, Sakuya let the tears flow, head bent down in shame.
?I?ve been a terrible maid. A terrible employee. A terrible friend. I?ve been running around like a headless chicken, getting myself into all sorts of danger, all because I didn?t want to accept there was something wrong with you, Remilia. I?ve hurt you all trying to keep myself in denial, and there?s nothing I can say to justify that. I?m...I?m sorry.?
Patchouli and Remilia looked upon Sakuya in amazement. Neither of them had seen her this vulnerable before. The only times Patchouli seen her in tears were when she was defending her actions, and Remilia hadn?t seen her cry for years. For a few seconds, they simply watched on in stunned silence.
Soon afterwards, Remilia slammed a fist into Sakuya?s stomach.
?You IDIOT! You think saying sorry is going to be enough?!?
Remilia didn?t hit with enough damage to injure Sakuya, but she knocked the wind right out of her. The maid stumbled back a few steps, clutching her chest and gasping. Patchouli leaned forward, amazed that her ?mistress? had lashed out in such an unladylike manner.
?Flan nearly died because of you! She?s been miserable all this time because of
you! She spends all day in her room not talking to anyone because of
YOU! For years, I trusted you, had faith in you, and now it turns out you?ve been poisoning my sister with your fairytales!?
Remilia pointed a finger straight at Sakuya, listing off her crimes one by one. Sakuya made no attempt to flee, nodding along with each of them. She winced visibly with each claim, almost shrinking until she was looking eye-to-eye with Remilia.
?She is right, you know. And if it hadn?t been for your friend?s intervention, you?d likely have broken my jaw last night.?
Patchouli saw fit to join in the sentencing, eyes jumping between Sakuya and Flandre. She was still uneasy about these non-existent injuries - she?d never seen anything like them in all her time studying at medical school. What mattered in the end was that whatever had happened, Flandre would survive it.
Sakuya felt just about ready to collapse where she stood. The weight of her own failures was pressing down on her like an anvil, bringing her to her knees, head and shoulders still drooping down. This was as low as her emotions could hope to fall, and the shame was almost unbearable.
Almost was the key word there, because in spite of everything she had done Sakuya struggled back to her feet.
?You?re right. It is all my fault. I?ve made mistakes, and I?m going to be held responsible for them.?
She held her head high, looking powerfully into Patchouli?s eyes.
?I may have offered an apology, but I?m not asking for forgiveness. I?m asking for a chance to repair the damage I?ve done.?
Remilia?s body still stood rigid, ready to punch Sakuya again. She was seriously considering refusing the offer and having Sakuya kicked out right now.
Sakuya offered her mistress a deep curtsy.
?Milady, I shall take care of your sister while she has fallen ill. For now, I believe you should rest. You?ve had a long day.?
?W-What, that?s it? You ask for a second chance, and then you assume that I?m going to give it to you??
Remilia had pulled her hat down over her head, trying to hide the fact she was still crying. For a few seconds, only Remilia?s sniffling filled the library.
Finally, she pulled her head back up, rubbing at her cheeks. She managed to force a smile, with some difficulty.
?...Very well. You are a talented maid, Sakuya. You would be difficult to replace.?
Patchouli wasn?t quite as optimistic on the matter as she lifted Flandre off the table, handing her back over to Sakuya.
?Understand this, Sakuya. For the next week, the concept of ?free time? as you know it will cease to exist. Every waking moment of your day will be spent either tending to Flandre, looking after the mistress, or your typical cooking duties at the bakery. You will not ask for a moment?s pause, lest I throw you out of the mansion never to return. Do I make myself clear??
Sakuya took Flandre back into her arms. Just hearing her slow, regular breathing was enough to put Sakuya at ease.
?As crystal, Patchouli. I?ll be taking Flandre to her room now. Prepare a blood transfusion while I change her into something dry.?
With that, Sakuya started the long walk back out of the library. Her family thought less of her now for certain. She?d betrayed them, in almost the worst way possible. But facing that fact had given her a strength she?d never felt before. She felt proud, worthy.
And in knowing she?d been taken back into the mansion despite everything she?d done, she felt loved.
-----
?...Well. That?s quite the story.?
Nitori leaned back on her chair in Room 495, nodding to herself along with Sango?s retelling of the night?s events. Like Sango when she?d heard it the first time around, her eyes had widened when Flandre jumped into the starring role. Nitori bit her lip, swiveling slightly in her chair.
?She?s a foreigner. I only have a list of the most prominent magical families outside of Gensouto, so I?m unlikely to have anything on her. Let?s see...?
Not showing any genuine confidence in her database, Nitori typed in the name lazily. They had to settle for the family name, Scarlet, mainly because all of them found the name Flandre so foreign they had no clue how to spell it.
The machine whirred for a few seconds, scouring its memory banks. Nitori looked away, assuming that the machine would find nothing, returning to her questioning.
?Regardless, the incident has probably made her aware of magic. Did you wipe her mind afterwards??
Sango shook her head, looking increasingly embarrassed.
?No, ma?am. She was unconscious almost as soon as she?d finished, and we had to have Izayoi-san get her home before the sun rose.?
That was not the answer Nitori had wanted to hear. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, bending down in her chair and muttering in a language Koishi had never heard
of, let alone actually heard before.
?Well, it?s too late to do it now. We?ll just have to hope Izayoi can keep her under control.?
Nitori sighed. Honestly this was the best case scenario, but that didn?t make the problem of another rampant human any easier to handle. The seven Sirens were a necessary evil, but she?d wanted to keep it at that and no further.
It was better than fatalities, at least. And given the stakes the Pearl and the Claw were playing with, one more human becoming aware wasn?t that much of a loss.
The computer behind her beeped.
?Huh??
Having truly come to understand her own creation, that beeping was enough to attract her attention. It wasn?t the slow, almost sad blip of ?No match found?, it was the cheerful beeping of ?Look what I found, look what I found!?. She turned the chair around again, examining the monitor.
?...Well, I?ll be damned. It?s THAT Scarlet family.?
Three faces turned to the computer screen in varying degrees of awe. The genealogy confirmed it - Val?ry Scarlet, father of Remilia and Flandre. Their attention was more focused on the large letters at the bottom, declaring the family in general to be a RANK: S+ threat.
?The Scarlets, formerly known as the Blood Knights, are a highly dangerous human family. Their power is purely destructive - they have no powers that can aid or support, but when it comes to sheer devastation they are without equal world-wide. Thankfully, there is a drawback to this power - it is fueled by the caster?s blood, and unless it is properly trained users risk exhaustion or even death with their attacks.?Nitori let out a low, long whistle. She was now much more concerned about Flandre becoming aware, knowing the girl had this sort of destructive power to wield. This would take a good long conversation with Sakuya when she got the chance.
Koishi on the other hand took a moment to appreciate the irony. The self-proclaimed vampire needed blood to be a threat. She?d have giggled if it wasn?t horribly inappropriate.
?Uh, anyway. Inaba-san is probably waking up soon, so I?ll go talk to her.?
Koishi stood up from her chair, making her way back out of the hidden compartment. They?d brought Tewi in carefully, but they only had an hour or so before classes began and people started swarming in. She got a wave from both the dolphin and the kappa as she left, with Nitori throwing out one last sentence to her.
?You?ve done some great work today, Koishi-chan. Go get some sleep when you?re done.?
Even if she hadn?t said that, Koishi was planning on crashing the moment she was finished here. She walked out into the classroom, where Tewi?s still-unconscious body was lying back in the front chair.
The sun rose higher into the air, bringing its light downward into the room. Its rays caught Tewi in the eye, and the girl squirmed around a little in her seat.
?Inaba-san, it?s time to get up.?
Koishi gave Tewi a gentle nudge on the shoulder to try and help her along. Slowly, gradually, Tewi opened her eyes. Rather than being surprised at what she?d found herself in, she managed something of a smile as she saw Koishi right beside her.
?...Oh, hey. That?s weird. I think I was dreaming about you just there.?
?Really? Well, that?s quite a coincidence.?
Koishi pretended to be surprised by this claim. She did a good enough job to fool the half-asleep Tewi, which was all that mattered.
As Tewi slowly became more and more aware of her surroundings, she started to become aware that she had no reason to be here. This was where Koishi would have to start playing it carefully.
?It?s strange...I don?t remember how I got here. What was I doing, again??
Think fast.
?Didn?t you have to hand a trophy back or something like that??
Tewi nodded, still a little fuzzy in terms of her memory. This was much to Koishi?s relief, given that Gensouto High had never given trophies out to their students at prizegiving. Regardless, Tewi?s attention was definitely somewhere else.
?To be honest, I really don?t remember a lot. There was...a party? No, a casino. Gambling. I...lost? The boss got really mad at me. Then I-?
Tewi?s recollections hit the critical point. She probably couldn?t recall specifics, but she had a vague idea of what had happened.
?Oh god. You lied. Did I really...a little girl...??
Koishi hung her head, then slowly nodded. Tewi?s shoulders seemed to snap, losing strength completely and almost sending her head crashing into the desk.
?That?s right, Inaba-san. You had a gun to her head, and I tackled you.?
Tewi nodded in agreement, not finding any contradiction in Koishi?s statement. That was a sign she didn?t remember the details of the fight, at least. Still, Koishi had to try another avenue.
?...Why?d you do it? I didn?t see you as the sort to try and kill someone, Inaba-san.?
Tewi looked up into the air, squinting at the ceiling. She was trying to rack something out of her brain, but nothing was coming. She bit her lip, hammering her hand against the desk.
?I...I don?t know. There was a dress, a promise, a note, a gun...a kiss? I don?t know, it?s all a blur. It feels like someone took an eraser to my mind and went nuts with it...?
She rubbed at her eyes, muttering beneath her breath. Koishi sighed - what little she remembered was useless. At least now she was aware of just how much Tewi knew - or rather, didn?t know.
Tewi put her elbows onto the desk, resting her head in her hands. It was as if she?d finally woken up, looking back at all the crimes she?d committed in the last few years. Koishi stayed silent, giving her space to think and come to terms.
?It?s probably bad that?s just the last horrible thing I?ve done, isn?t it? I?m...not a good person. I lie. I cheat. I steal.?
She tugged lightly at her own hair in frustration. This was where Koishi saw the need to step in and give Tewi the encouragement she needed to take a step in the right direction.
?No, Inaba-san. You lied. You cheated. You stole. It?s all in the past, and that makes all the difference.?
?Just like the accident in the lake??
Tewi jerked her head back to look Koishi in the face. Her expression was hard, severe; Koishi?s was soothing, compassionate.
?Yes, just like the accident in the lake. It?s okay, Tewi. I know you didn?t mean any harm.?
Tewi?s body went rock-solid for a moment as Koishi put her hand on her shoulder. Something seemed to pass through into her from Koishi, relaxing her, putting thoughts into her mind.
?Yeah, I guess you?re right. I can turn over a new leaf any time I want, can?t I??
There was a solemn smile on Tewi?s face as she pulled herself out of the chair, making her way towards the door.
?Wait! Where are you going?!?
?To the police station. I need to turn myself in. Maybe if I stand in court against the boss, I can start making up for what I did...?
The breath caught in Koishi?s throat. Tewi smiled a little brighter at the sight of that.
?Heh. Surprised you, didn?t I? Guess that?s the first sign I?m getting somewhere.?
Tewi fidgeted with the seams on her dress, looking downwards.
?...I...thank you. I don?t know why you started helping me, or what you even
did, but I appreciate it. I feel...better. Calmer. Happier. I dunno how to word it, but whatever it is it feels good.?
Tewi looked back her, her eyes misty but her smile genuine.
?Thank you. Whatever it is you do, Komeiji-san, keep at it.?
With that, she stepped casually out of the door, walking willingly into certain imprisonment.
Koishi didn?t react immediately to Tewi?s departure. She held a hand out in the direction of the doorway, like she was trying to pull Tewi back into the room. There had to be a better solution. She?d been through hell, and she?d just been surviving with whatever coping mechanisms she had picked up as a child. Was it right to punish her if that was why she?d turned to crime?
Koishi?s mind said yes, but her heart said no. It was unfair on the criminal to pass judgement, but it was unfair on the victim to let them get away with it. There were two options, and she didn?t like either.
She stood there, conflicted, up until Sango emerged from behind the wall.
?Koishi-san, let?s go home. You?ve had a long day.?
Sleep. Yes. Sleep would be good. She was tired. Irrational. Maybe after a good night?s sleep, this?d all make sense.
She hoped that was the case, desperately. Otherwise it was going to plague her for far too long.
-----
Patchouli kept to her word. Sakuya had been worked to the bone since the moment she?d returned, with most of her work being tending to Flandre?s needs. She?d yet to regain consciousness, so just to be safe Patchouli had helped her to install an IV drip so she didn?t miss out on nutrients.
She was tending to the girl now, checking her again for open wounds and once again finding nothing. She?d caught Patchouli walking up and down the halls now and again, muttering about how the whole thing was impossible and ?against all scientific reasoning?. Though she wouldn?t say so out loud, Sakuya agreed whole-heartedly.
?I really haven?t seen much of this room, have I...??
It suddenly dawned on Sakuya how rarely she, or indeed anyone other than Flandre, came into this room. Most of the time, any attempt to enter earned her a tirade from Flandre about privacy and how she was busy or something like that. Sakuya just wrote her off as entering
that stage of her adolescence, but now she was aware that the anger and frustration was thanks in a good part to her.
No use crying over spilled milk, Sakuya told herself. She?d just have to pay it forward.
The room was for the most part featureless. A large double bed took up most of the floor, and this was the bed Flandre was currently lying on. A wardrobe stood upright in the distant corner, full of clothes that she?d been insistent someone bought for her (since she obviously was in no condition to buy them herself). They all shared in the general punkish theme Flandre usually favoured - short black skirts, tank-tops, and spiked anklets whose purpose Sakuya couldn?t quite determine. Various tidbits lay on the floor - pencils, textbooks, various pieces for study. Patchouli hadn?t been ready to let the girls fall behind in their curriculum based on something silly like XP, and acted as their tutor as well as their attending doctor. Neither of the girls had shown much love for the regime, but Patchouli enforced it to the letter.
Hm?After she?d finished checking over Flandre and refilling her IV bag, Sakuya?s eyes were drawn to something in the far corner of the room. On the other side of the wardrobe, a book had half-slid out, letting Sakuya read only half its title.
Given that half of the title was ?MAGICAL GIRL?, Sakuya?s curiosity was definitely aroused. She?d never seen Flandre read one of these. Hell, she didn?t know Flandre even owned manga. She carefully tip-toed over, pulling the book out in full.
Half a dozen extra books fell out after it, all with similar titles and various sparkly title pages.
?Mmmf...?
Flandre stirred in her bed at the sound of the collapsing books. Sakuya froze in place, which in retrospect was perhaps the worst thing she could have done.
?...Saku...ya??
Flandre slowly came back into awareness, her eyes falling onto the maid. Sakuya grimaced, looking down at the girly manga still in her hand. She?d been caught red-handed (though given the dominant colour of the book, pink-handed may have been a better term).
Flandre?s heart sank in her chest.
?Oh...so you found them.?
The girl had made an attempt to pull the top half of her body up, but she lacked the strength for it and slumped back down onto the bed. Sakuya was over her immediately.
?Flandre, you mustn?t move. You?re lucky to still be alive after...?
The words trailed off in her mouth. She wasn?t sure if Flandre could remember what had happened earlier today. This was where she was supposed to come up with some sort of clever lie, but in the middle of her panicking nothing came to mind.
Thankfully, Flandre filled in the blank for her.
?After I beat the crap out of that rabbit girl??
She managed a weak smile with that one. Sakuya blinked once. Flandre remembered. From what Koishi and Sango had told her, that was a very bad thing. No use in lying to her if she already knew, though.
?...Yes, after that. You pushed yourself too hard, Flandre. If you do that to yourself again, there?s a good chance you won?t be so lucky.?
Flandre didn?t really need to be told that. She was already feeling the physical effects of it: the ever present urge to go back to sleep, the difficulty she had even so much as sitting upright, and the general feeling that all the energy had been sucked out of her.
?Yeah, okay. I get it. I won?t beat people up anymore.?
Flandre pouted, disappointed that her own magical adventure wasn?t set to start any time soon. Sakuya placed both her hands over Flan?s, the closest she could show to consolidation.
?If it means anything, Flandre, you saved my life. If you hadn?t acted when you did, I would?ve probably died.?
Flan looked into Sakuya?s eyes for a moment, mouth forming a tiny o in amazement. A smile started to grow on her face.
?I...I actually...wow. That?s...that?s
awesome.?
That wasn?t quite the reaction Sakuya had been expecting from her. A heart-warming moment of acceptance or something like that. Flandre?s words sounded slightly...she couldn?t find a word for it, but it was like she was rooting for herself.
?So in the end, the powerless kid who can?t even stand the sun ended up being a hero of justice??
Flandre was getting more excited with every word, bringing her hands to her chest and giggling. That was a new sight for Sakuya - she hadn?t seen Flandre so happy since the day she?d first been told about her XP.
Her XP.Sakuya?s heart suddenly sank. She had to break the news to Flandre, didn?t she? It was going to be painful, but she had to try.
?...Hey, Flandre, there?s something I need to tell you.?
?Yeah? What is it, Sakuya??
Flandre turned to her, smiling brighter than she ever had. Sakuya didn?t know if she wanted to go through with this - she didn?t want to do it now, while the girl was so happy. It felt wrong to kill her mood like that. But at the same time, she knew that if she didn?t say it now, she?d just keep delaying it and Flandre would never know the truth. Better now than never.
?I think I?ve been wrong this whole time. There?s...probably nothing I can do to make you better.?
Flandre?s face returned to neutral as the statement hit her. Her eyes closed, and for a moment Sakuya expected her to burst into tears.
Amazingly, she didn?t.
?Yeah, I know.?
Sakuya?s jaw practically hit the floor.
?You...you know??
Flandre pulled the bedsheets in with some effort, looking down on herself.
?I think at some level, I always knew that you were just lying to yourself. I knew that Patchy was the expert on the subject, and if she said nothing could be done she was probably right. I knew that Remi wouldn?t give up on me if she thought there was really a way to make me better.
But...I didn?t wanna believe that. I didn?t wanna be some weak wannabe who couldn?t get a tan without dying of some sort of cancer. Even being normal was gonna be good enough for me. And you kinda gave me a chance to lie to myself about it more.?
She looked over to the fallen pile of sparkly comics, smiling fondly.
?I convinced Patchy to start buying me those. She won?t admit it, but she enjoys that sorta story too. I liked them because...well, they let me run. They let me pretend that I?m not some loser locked up in a mansion. They let me be a superhero, or even just a high school girl with a secret. They?re everything I?ve ever wanted to be, put onto paper. Sometimes I?d sit and just read them for hours, over and over again, just because I desperately wanted to be someone,
anyone but me.?
Flandre deliberately spoke in the past tense. She took Sakuya?s hand, squeezing weakly.
?But y?know what? After what I saw at the docks, I figure maybe I?m a pretty cool person to be. I might not be able to prove it to anyone, but I got to be a hero. That, well, means a lot to me.?
Sakuya felt tears welling up in her eyes, squeezing Flandre?s hand back. She?d have hugged her if she wasn?t afraid of choking the girl in her current state.
?That...that?s right, Flandre. You?re a hero, and don?t let anyone tell you otherwise.?
Flandre smiled again. That smile alone was enough to make Sakuya feel like she?d been absolved of all her sins. She felt revived, reborn, renewed.
?Thank you, Sakuya. Y?know, don?t tell Remi I said this, but I always thought of you as my other big sister.?
That was too much praise. She wasn?t intent on intruding on Remilia?s place, and so she piped up.
?That?s touching, but I can?t accept that. I already have a little sister.?
Flandre?s head tilted slightly on the bed.
?You do? You?ve never mentioned her before.?
Wait. What had she just said? She said she had a sister. Why had she never known that? Had she forgotten? Was it coming back to her? Was she making this up as she went? Maybe she was tired. Yes, that made sense. She?d been up for far too long, and the fatigue was kicking in. Maybe she needed to close her eyes for a few minutes-
?Hey, Sakuya?!?
Sakuya collapsed onto the bed alongside Flandre, asleep the moment she hit the bedsheets. Flandre was startled for a moment, but the quiet sound of Sakuya?s snoring allayed her fears.
?...Heh. And you say
I push myself too hard.?
Flandre put her hand in Sakuya?s, deciding to join her in sleeping. She clutched onto Sakuya?s hand like she was a stuffed doll - with affection and the utmost care. It wasn?t until a few hours later that Patchouli entered the room, finding the two sharing the bed, both of them with beaming smiles even in their sleep.
She decided not to punish Sakuya for this. She?d only told her to work every waking moment, after all.
-----
And thus the third arc of Dolphin Rider Koishi comes to an end.
I might take a break for a while. I wanted to wrap this arc up before uni started again, but I've got projects and exams to start working towards now. On the other hand, summer follows afterwards, so :3
Lemme take a quick moment to thank people, mainly because the story's managed to break 125k words. That makes it twice the length of Rising Star, and I don't think I'm even halfway through yet. o_O
Biggest thanks goes to Iced for working as a faithful editor and generally keeping me on the straight and narrow. I feel like I really overworked you this week in particular, and I'm grateful you looked over everything regardless without so much as a complaint. :V
Next is Sect for generally being a great source of ideas - for the record, Jozu probably wouldn't have come into existence (DRK version AND RRS version) if it wasn't for him. Besides that you're generally an awesome guy.
Shoutouts to Esi for being able to pile on the inspirational comments. A few times when I was feeling down it was the stuff you said that gave me a little faith in myself.
Shoutouts to Ruro for being the other Well Known Writer Of Absurdly Long Stories and giving me competition.
And finally, just a general thanks to everyone who's read and commented up to here. This started off as a silly branch-off from another story, but it's pretty much turned into the biggest thing I've ever written, by a looooooong way. Thanks for listening to the general ramblings of a swimsuit fanatic who's played too much Persona. @_@
Until next time.
