Chapter 1
Somewhere, in an abandoned mansion's basement, sat a black mahogany coffin. On the lid of the coffin was engraved a name, "Teirin Yururu." A dim light from a small window shown into the place, not reaching the coffin.
In the soundless room, a creak split through the air and the intricately carved lid slid back. Bright crimson hair drifted out and floated back down from inside the case, as a young female sat up groggily. Her blood-colored eyes scanned the area she was in.
"Wo sind alle? (Where is everyone?)" she queried in her German language. Feeling a sharp wooden object by her hand, the girl whisked up a picture frame in surprise. Gazing upon its contents, her eyes softened. 'Mutsuki… Where have you gone?' She immediately embraced the frame tightly.
...
YAWN! Anis Yamamoto trudged down the entrance to Shoubi Academy with a bewildered look on her face. 'Man, all that searching for those Arcana cards last night sure was tiring…and we still haven't found anything!' she sweatdropped.
"A-Anis-sama." She spun around, "Seiran!" The blue-haired boy smiled sweetly, "How are you doing today?" Anis smiled back, "I'm fine."
"Hey." Anis felt a hard object hit her on the head. She whirled in fury, "Who did that?" A red-haired teen frowned at her, "We're going to be late for class if you keep blabbing on." "Please, don't fight!" Seiran pled. "Kaede! You stupid jerk!" "Why you-" he was suddenly pulled back several feet from Anis with black strings. "Oof!"
"A dog should not treat his master in such a manner." Anis and Seiran turned to see Mitsuru and Mutsuki. Kaede began to get up, "Black, you're a jerk." Mutsuki glared at him. "Fool," he threw Kaede all the way to the front doors of the school, "We'll be late because of your tomfoolery."
"My deepest apologies, Lady Anis, for not arriving on time to rescue you from this red mongrel!" Mitsuru Tenjoh kneeled before her with her hand in his. "Ew! Get away from me!"
Mutsuki sighed while all this went on. Then, suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence nearby. He couldn't remember who it could be no matter how much he searched his own mind. So, they all went to their classes and he didn't think about it anymore for the time.
...
'Mutsuki… I wonder where he is,' the crimson-haired Teirin wandered down a sidewalk, receiving strange looks from passersby. She stopped, 'I'm sure I sensed his presence near here.'
An amazing sight struck her when she realized she was standing in front of a school. "Uwa! Hmm?" she read the large sign, "Shoubi Academy…" She nodded in triumph. 'I will join this school and search for him here.'
...
Anis had just finished her Algebra I class, boring to death as usual. "Oh, my head." A clamor began erupting down the hall. "Hm?" Anis was confused by the loud ruckus of giggles and talking.
A flash of red came from behind a group of students and appeared before her with a crimson-eyed beauty. "Erstaunlich! (Amazing!)" "Eh?" Anis freaked when the girl sniffed her hair. The girl narrowed her eyes and broke into a cute smile again, "Interessante... (Interesting…)" Now she touched her own nose. Anis stumbled back before the girl squealed, "Oh! Ich habe seinen Geruch gefunden! (Oh! I've found his scent!)"
Strangely, the German-speaker took Anis' hand, as if to beg. "Miss, do you know Kurama Mutsuki?" she spoke perfect Japanese, which came as a shock to all the gawkers in the hall. "A transfer student. Heh-heh," students brushed it off awkwardly.
"Please; I have to find him." "Y-Yes, I know him," Anis stammered. The red-head was overjoyed. A grin graced her features, accompanied by sparkling orbs when Mutsuki could be seen at the end of the hall.
The two girls were mid-way down the hall, but he didn't notice. "Nein! Ich verliere ihn! (No! I'll lose him!)"
Sprinting in the black-haired person's direction, the girl swiftly did a handspring and vaulted all the way to the other side of the hall. A student's pocky fell from her mouth upon witnessing this.
"Who was that crazy person?" Anis burst out. "I don't know," Seiran came to her side, "but she's not much different from us." Anis shuddered, 'On of dad's new experiments? Maybe it's after the Black Rose!' Anis took off after the girl.
"Anis-sama?" "I'll be fine, Seiran. Don't worry about me. Just get to class on time!" Seiran clutched his uniform, 'Anis-sama…'
...
At this time, Mutsuki had just begun down a flight of stairs. "Mutsuki! Mutsu-" the girl tripped in her strange school shoes and went down the first flight of steps.
"Waah!" The sharp scream turned Mutsuki about, just in time to see her. His eyes widened in alarm.
The girl did not hit what she had expected, a hard floor; instead, she felt herself floating like a feather. 'What is this cold I feel?' she kept her eyes closed, noticing her cheek brushing up against this odd object.
Opening her crimson orbs slowly, she gasped when hers met with blood red ones. "That was reckless," Mustuki sighed. So awestruck at seeing him once more, the girl stared at him with a large-eyed expression glued to her face.
"M-Mutsuki," she breathed. He frowned, "Yes, my name. What of it?" "Do you remember?" He gave her a puzzled look. She looked down. "Of course you wouldn't remember. Do you have amnesia?" Now, the two traded expressions.
"P-Put me down so I can see!' she growled. Quirking an eyebrow, he let her down. "Listen Missy, I have not the slightest idea who you are nor do I care."
With her eyes covered by her squarely-cut bangs, she spoke something familiar, "Rose, oh reiner Widerspruch…" He froze. "Do you remember it, Mutsuki? I overheard from your brother." He remained silent.
She spoke again, this time, a memory sparked, "Diese Freundschaft gilt für alle Ewigkelt. (This friendship shall last for all eternity.)"
...
***A little girl's smile lit everything; her red hair plastered the sides of her face and hung loosely behind her ears. An echo of her voice rang, "Diese Freundshaft gilt für alle Ewigkeit." Giggles erupted and shattered the droning silence. She tilted her head, "Mutsuki?"***
...
'I…know who this is, but I…can't remember,' he thought, a blank face for his shield from interruption. He turned to the girl, she had tears running down her face.
"Why? Why don't you remember…me?" she gripped her fists together, "I'm Teirin Yururu, Mutsuki!" She slowly approached him.
"There is a way for you to remember me." Brushing the tears away, she sniffled and smiled. 'If I can just…' Her eyelids slid closed as she stood on her tiptoes.