[ATTENTION]
This fanfic is a side story of my other fanfic called "Scarlet Archive: The Maid and The Little Girls of Gensokyo".
The two fanfics are only loosely related, so this fic won't make a great changes to the main storyline, vice-versa. What I need to tell you is that this fanfic took 8 years BEFORE Touhou EoSD, which means Sakuya and the girls are still little kids. Moreover Sakuya, Koakuma, Alice, Marisa, and Reimu are childhood friends in here.
With the explanations out of the way, please sit back and enjoy this story over a cup of warm chocolate.
Have a wonderful day~
"Hey, Sakuya. Do you know what day it is today?"
"Huh?"
The silver-haired maid paused, letting the knight on her hand hovered slightly above the gameboard. She furrowed her brow in thought.
It was one of those days when she had to visit the basement when suddenly the vampire insisted her to stay for a game of chess. Despite her busy schedule the maid had no other choice but to obey. She hadn't got any luck though, as Flandre suprisingly had beaten her for the twelfth time now, snickering at her misery. She put down the piece.
"It is the fourteenth of February, I believe, young mistress."
"Eeh, I know about that. I'm talking about what day the fourteenth of February is. Do you know?"
Sakuya didn't answer; she was busy eyeing the chessboard closely as her vampiric master took yet another one of her piece. Fourteenth of February? There's nothing special as far as she knew. She moved her King away from the intimidating black Queen, retreating to a safe zone.
"Fu fu, just in case you don't know: It's Valentine's day. Oh, and checkmate."
The maid blinked as another round ended with her defeat once again, before she let out a sigh and slumped back to her chair. The blonde vampire in front of her laughed.
"Thirteen to zero. Ahaha, too bad Sakuya!"
She secretly pouted.
"...so, about the Valentine's day."
"Hm? Ah, at first it's actually a day to celebrate the death of a certain Saint, but it has change into a custom where people share happiness with their loved ones."
Sakuya let her eyes wandered to the artificial sky, processing the information in her brain as Flandre rearranged the chessboard. A custom where people share happiness with their loved ones, huh? It's not like she got anyone special. Well, maybe the mistress. And lady Patchouli. And perhaps Meiling and Koakuma, too. Flandre giggled as she saw the little chief maid getting lost in her thought. This called for a little teasing~
"Of course, loved ones can also mean friends or family, but usually people celebrate this day with their 'special someone'."
"Special someone?"
"Yup! Someone that makes you feel uneasy when you're close, yet you don't want them to leave. You might feel your heart beating faster, or you can't speak right, or your face heats up."
The young maid blinked, clearly oblivious of all the explanations. Well, that didn't seem to work. Flandre let out an awkward laugh.
"Whoops, my bad. Maybe Sakuya is too young to have that kind of person."
"...I see. Then, would you like a present instead?"
"Wow, you catch on fast! Then I want you to make...THIS!"
Suddenly the vampire threw away the chessboard, letting the pieces flying to the air. Normal people might be surprised from the sudden change of mood, but no, not Sakuya. The maid kept her cool, stopping time and catching all the flying items with all her elegance, putting them neatly back to the toybox. It turned out that there's a cookbook hidden under the board, and Flandre offered it for Sakuya to see.
"Here you go."
Hm? What is that? Chocolate? The maid took the book on her hand, inspecting it closer.
"I heard they give away chocolates to celebrate valentine's day around here. So I want you to make me one. A very very delicious one."
So that's the deal; the young mistress was probably just bored. Because, the little girl thought, why would people give away chocolate as a sign of love? The young mistress just wanted some chocolates and made this day as an excuse. Yes, that's definitely how it was. But still, she bowed in obedience.
"Understood, young mistress. I'll prepare for you the best chocolate you'll ever have."
xxxxx
Chocolates. It would be the first time she'd make one, so the maid took the time to research the procedure in the grand library, taking some more cookbooks with her. She took a seat on the nearby chair, reading them one by one carefully.
"Are you making chocolates, Sakuya-chan?"
Hm? The silver-haired maid felt a little weight on her shoulder and raised her face from the book, finding her little demonic friend Koakuma behind her, peeking through her shoulder. She nodded.
"The young mistress wanted some chocolates for Valentine's day, so I'm going to make one. I'll probably make some for everyone here as well."
"Valentine's day, huh?"
The little devil locked her eyes on the book, seemingly thinking.
"Say, Sakuya-chan. Do you mind if I tag along? I'd like to make one for Patchouli-sama, too."
The maid closed the book and flashed her bestfriend a smile.
"Of course."
"Yay! I'll go finish my job early so we can start."
"Then I'll wait near the library's entrance."
"Gotcha. Be right back!"
The little devil gave her friend a little hug before skipping away to the deeper end of the library. After she's sure the familiar had gone, the maid sighed. Now that Koakuma's tagging along the cooking would take more time. She just hoped the young mistress had enough patience to wait until then.
"The two of you are planning to make chocolates for Valentine's day?"
...eh? Sakuya almost jumped as yet another presence appeared behind her. Almost. The maid had gotten her own share of experiences. She kept her cool, rising from her seat and turned to the source of the voice. A blonde little girl around her age was standing there, hugging a grimoire that was adorned with a golden lock tightly to her chest. She smiled sweetly.
"I had finished my lesson for today. May I join as well?"
The maid put on her best smile, all the while keeping her composure.
"It'll be my pleasure, Alice."
"Why thank you, miss White Rabbit. Then let's wait for Koakuma together near the entrance."
The blonde girl took her hand swiftly, letting them walk hand in hand. This girl is called Alice Margatroid. She had been studying under Patchouli for almost three months now and came to the mansion almost everyday. There was a minor problem though. It was, whenever she's near, Sakuya couldn't help feeling uneasy. Oh no, she didn't hate her. She just had this lingering feeling. At first she thought it was because she's not used to her friendliness, but even after they'd met for countless times now, she still felt so restless. So what's wrong? The maid didn't know herself. But these unusual sympthoms... Hasn't she heard about them just recently? Oh yeah, something the young mistress told her earlier.
Someone that makes you feel uneasy when you're close, yet you don't want them to leave. Someone that makes your heart beating faster, or you can't speak right, or your face heats up.
A special someone.
Suddenly the maid felt herself heating up. She quickly slapped her face, hiding it behind her hand. The sudden action caught the other girl's attention.
"Um...are you alright, Sakuya?"
Alice's voice. Why of course! The girl was still holding her hand. Sakuya took a deep breath and faked a cough; a technique she had been using to regain her composure.
"Yes. I was just thinking about something, nothing to be worried about."
"But your face is strangely red."
What? The maid raised a hand to touch her burning cheek. Had her technique finally failed? She's starting to panic, but even then she kept her poker face on the outside. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Alice was as oblivious as ever. The magician apprentice leaned forward to have a better look on her friend, worry painted all over her face.
"Are you really al—"
Time stop.
Sakuya froze, staring at the girl's face that's barely touching hers. Had she accidentally stopped time again from shock? How embarrasing. The maid quickly let go of the girl's hand, backing a few steps away to her personal zone. She took a deep breath. After she's sure she had regained her elegant persona, she resumed the stagnant time.
"—right...eh?"
"Thank you for your concern but as I was saying before, I am fine. Come to think of it, I haven't checked if there's enough ingredients so I shall do it right this instant. Please excuse me."
And with that, the maid disappeared, leaving the blonde girl lost in confusion. She felt bad for doing that but she felt that she couldn't kept her composure if she stayed any longer. As the chief maid of Scarlet Devil Mansion she mustn't show any improper behavior. That's right! She had to be composed and elegant all the time. Keeping that in mind, Sakuya arrived on the mansion's kitchen, only to be met with another surprise.
BOOM!
Something flew past her and crashed to the nearby wall, a hair breadth away from landing on her face. The maid froze.
"Hm? Oh, Sakuya. I didn't know you were there."
The young mistress!? What is she doing in the kitchen? The poor maid shouted loudly in her head, while her face was smiling.
"Is there anything you need in the kitchen, young mistress?"
"Well, as you can see, I'm making chocolates for Onee-sama!"
I can't see that...Sakuya secretly sighed. The sight of Flandre on apron with maid fairies shivering behind the tables didn't explain anything. And what's with the frying pan? She just couldn't understand this vampire's logic. Suddenly two new figures arrived on the scene from the dark corridor.
"Sakuya-chan, I heard explosion—aaah, y-y-young mistresss!?"
"Hiya, Koa! You look well."
Flandre smiled widely, earning an awkward laugh from the familiar. The vampire's attention was caught on the other figure though, and she pointed her frying pan toward the other perplexed girl.
"And you are?"
"Umm, I'm an apprentice of Patchouli Knowledge. My name is Alice."
The vampire tapped her chin, before clapping her hands in exclamation.
"Ah, I've heard about you from Patchy. An anomaly that's not exactly human nor youkai. Fu fu, how interesting..."
The girl flinched; those words were a bit of a taboo for her, and she didn't like it. Sakuya seemed to realize the sudden change in atmosphere and stepped between the two girls, hiding Alice behind her.
"Sorry for intruding, young mistress, but I'll be borrowing the kitchen a bit."
Hm? Is the maid cutting her off to defend this girl? Oho, Could it be... The mischievous vampire decided for another teasing.
"Eeh~ But I'm using it. Can't you use another kitchen?"
"This is the only kitchen in the mansion."
"Then how about you borrow your little friend's kitchen? I'm sure she have one in her home, right, Alice~?"
It was Sakuya's turn to flinch now, and the reaction only added to the vampire's fun. The maid paused before faking another cough.
"Borrowing other's kitchen for your own personal use is improper—"
"You can ask her to join. Besides you can make some for her as well in return."
"Ah, well that's... That's true, but—"
"I don't mind."
Eh? The maid glanced at the source of the voice that was Alice.
"My kitchen is big enough for the three of us, so I don't mind."
Sakuya didn't know what to say again. A part of her was happy, but another part of her was worried of what to come. After a few seconds of mental argument, she finally sighed in defeat. Flandre laughed in victory.
"Alright! Now off you go. Have fun~"
This will be a long day...
xxxxx
It had been a very long time since the last time Sakuya came to Alice's place, and much to her surprise, the house had transformed so much from an eerie wreckage it once was to a cozy dwelling. On top of being tidy, there were more cute ornaments around now, along with more dolls arranged neatly on the shelves. The maid stared in awe. Looked like the doll-lover had been taking a great care of her home. The said owner of the house smiled and lead her two friends to the kitchen.
"Um, wait here. I'm going to fetch us some aprons."
The maid and the little devil nodded, taking the time to observe the kitchen. Soon enough Alice returned to the room with her promised aprons. One, two, three..four? Wait, didn't we get one too many? Alice sighed as she seemed to read the maid's thought.
"Well, that one is for—"
CRASH!
Now what? Sakuya reached for her knives, ready for any attack.
"Yo, Alice~ I'm dropping by—whoa, the devil's maid and the little devil? Whatcha guys doing in this gloomy shack?"
Kirisame Marisa. A walking piece of trouble. Her guess was right when she felt that this would be a long long day. Alice seemed to agree with her, as her eye twitched in annoyance.
"Are you that much retarded that you don't know how to use a door? And whose house you're calling gloomy?"
"Aww, stop being so stingy. You know, you blast doors in greeting nowadays. So anyways, what're you guys doing?"
That's not even common sense. The doll-lover knew better than arguing with her though, and she let out a long sigh.
"We are making chocolates for valentine's day..."
"Chocolates? Sounds fun! Lemme grab Reimu and let's start!"
"Yes, yes..."
"Be right back!"
With that, the witch wannabe jumped on her broom and blasted off. Alice turned to her two friends that were caught dumbfounded from sudden turn of event, and she let out an awkward laugh.
"She's always like that, so please get use to it. Reimu might be too lazy to come along though—"
"I heard there's delicious food."
It was Alice's turn to be baffled now as she found her shrine maiden friend perching on the window, eyes sparkling with hunger; it seemed like Marisa suceeded in dragging her lazy friend, and now she's sitting by the window with a smug smile.
Oh yes, this will be a very very long and tiring day...
Sakuya thought to herself as the five of them headed toward the kitchen. There were only four aprons, so she decided to let her friends used them; she's used to working with her maid uniform anyway, and she bet they needed them more than her.
Well, shall we start?
She started with the cocoa beans she'd brought from the mansion, roasting them in the oven. After fifteen minutes of delicate roasting, it was time to crack the beans and seperated them from their husk, preparing them for later grinding and mixing. This initial process was so boring that Marisa and Reimu decided to sit this one out, lazying by the living room. The maid didn't mind though, and continued the procedure with the help of her other two friends. After a few conching and tempering, the chocolate mixture was finally ready to be work with.
And now, come the messy part.
As soon as Marisa entered, the kitchen turned into a lively show. She was making a big heart shape, which the maid thought didn't fit the girl's personality even by valentine's day standard. The blonde didn't forget to snatch some into her own mouth though; now that's very Marisa like. Reimu on the other hand had started to work on the miniature of her own shrine; it was an amazing sight to behold when you remember it's the first time the girl worked with chocolates. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden had never failed to amaze, the maid thought. She let her attention wander to the other girls. Koakuma was struggling to make crescent moons with her pastry bag as Marisa constantly bugged her; she's clearly making them for her master as mentioned before. The maid herself settled for bat shape, and probably some stars for the gatekeeper, too. She secretly smiled.
"They seem to be having so much fun."
Hm? Sakuya turned to see Alice standing by her side. The maid switched her gaze away.
"...I have to apologize beforehand for ruining your kitchen, though. I'll help with the cleaning later."
"Really? I'll be very grateful."
She felt her breath stuck on her throat as the girl gave her that sweet smile of hers, before she decided to return the smile. She finally realized that Alice hadn't made any chocolate molds herself, and this caught the maid's attention.
"Say, Alice. Aren't you joining them?"
"Huh? Hmmm... Everyone looks very excited, so I guess I'll work from what they have left. I have to remind Reimu that she's supposed to give away the chocolate though; it seems like she's planning to eat it herself..."
That sounded possible; Sakuya could see the shrine maiden staring at her own chocolate with hungry eyes. Alice giggled and left her side, entering the bustling party of her kitchen. The maid sighed and put her finished mold into the fridge. Well now that she had secured the portion she needed for her mistresses, what would she do with the leftovers?
"—you can make some for her as well in return."
The maid slammed her head to the fridge; luckily everyone else were busy with their own business to notice her sudden outburst. Why does she have to remember that now? She slammed her head one more time to the hard surface, as if doing that could transfer the cold from the box to her burning face. Sakuya sighed, letting herself sliding down the fridge to a crouching position.
...
Well...
Maybe she'll make one.
At least in gratitude for letting her and Koakuma borrowed the kitchen.
Yes. With that in mind, the maid took a deep breath and put back her calm outer shell. Walking back to the bustling kitchen.
xxxxx
"Wheew~ What a fun day~ Right, Reimu?"
"I can't eat it..."
"Whuh?"
"If I can't eat it, should I sell it on the village instead? Or display it on my shrine to attract more visitors? What do you think, Marisa!?"
"Reimu..."
The messy blonde girl put her hand on her friend's shoulder, a serious look on her face.
"Let's pretend to give it to Kourin and split it to three. Besides, I've heard of another day called 'White Day' where you can ask him to pay you back ten times. Whaddya say?"
Reimu clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.
"That's an amazing idea! Let's go Marisa, before this saint-whatever-he's-called-day end!"
She proceeded to drag Marisa by the hand while clutching her chocolate greedily, yet the witch wannabe still managed to say something.
"Oi, Alice!"
"Hm?"
"Since I can't eat that chocolate, I'll give 'em to you. Just think of it as a reparation fee from this Great Magician Marisa-sama! Catch ya later~"
"Wait, Marisa—and off she go. Geez... What reparation fee, she doesn't even stay for cleaning."
The doll-lover sighed and headed to the fridge, retrieving the chocolate her fellow magician apprentice left behind. She grumbled.
"And what with her ridiculous choice of design? A heart, among other things. And it's way too big!"
Either Alice was very dense, or she was overthinking; the maid could only guess. But her line of thought was quickly interrupted.
"Hey, Sakuya-chan."
She felt Koakuma nudged her.
"I'm sorry, but I need to return to the library now. Patchouli-sama had been calling me, so can I leave the cleaning to you?"
Wait. What did that familiar say? Suddenly a magic circle formed below her friend's feet.
"Oh, look. I've been summoned. See you back in the mansion!"
Hold on—but before she could say anything, the little devil had disappeared in a puff of smoke. The maid stared at the empty spot, dumbfounded.
"Sorry, let's start with the cleaning...huh? Where's Koakuma?"
Sakuya shook her head slowly.
"She's being called by Patchouli-sama through summoning ritual just now."
"Is that so? I guess we have to clean all the mess by ourselves. Hmmm, maybe I'll use some dolls as well to help."
The maid only stared as the little magician closed her eyes, seemingly deep in concentration. Soon enough the dolls that were lining on the wall rose, waking up to their master's call. It's been a long time since she saw the puppeteer displayed her doll-play, and it's always a magnificent sight to watch. The number of dolls had increased, and now the dolls' movements looked almost natural, as if they were alive. Sakuya couldn't even imagine how the girl managed to control them all through many individual tasks. The said puppeteer seemed to realize that the maid had been staring for a while now, and she giggled.
"Is there something on my face?"
Sakuya blinked back to reality.
"...no. I was simply taken aback for a while. Your doll-play had truly improved."
"And it was all thanks to you."
Huh? The young puppeteer tugged an invisible string by her finger, and one of the dolls approached her with a small package.
"You are the one who taught me, that these girls can do more than taking innocent lives, that this ability of mine can also be used to help. So, I want thank you. For coming to the forest two years ago. For showing me a new world; a wonderland in this place called Gensokyo."
It was a chocolate. With a shape of a rabbit dressed in a neat vest, a pocket-watch on its hand. She handed the perfectly made gift to the maid.
"Happy Valentine's day, miss White Rabbit."
That smile. That sweet innocent smile. It was a smile that always made her felt uneasy, yet she never wanted it to vanish. Sakuya put a hand over her beating heart, gathering her courage.
"I-I also have something to give you."
It was simple; like a professional magician, she flicked her fingers. Then in a matter of second, her desired object appeared in her hand. In actuality she had to run to the fridge and rushed back, but in the eye of the puppeteer, it's like an amazing magic show.
The very thing was a small indeed, nothing but the size of her palms. But she put her whole feelings to it.
A small chocolate with the shape of a heart.
The maid smiled as she handed the chocolate to the puppeteer; a true smile of hers.
"Happy Valentine's day, Alice."
xxxxx
Flandre stood in front of the huge majestic door; a door she had known for almost as much as her own, yet she couldn't ever bear to cross. Not yet. She raised a hand to knock on it, but her hand never reached it.
"Flandre?"
She stopped mid-movement, hands barely touching the wooden structure.
"Is that you?"
The blonde vampire smiled, a bittersweet smile. She turned around and let her back rest on the door, chuckling softly.
"I can hear that you're well, sister."
"And so are you."
The two vampires paused, enjoying the silence. A simple door was the only thing separating them, and yet, none of them dare to open it. No. Not yet. Flandre chuckled again, and she continued.
"I made a chocolate for you. I'll make sure Sakuya bring it for you dessert. Later, sis."
The blonde vampire stood and stretched, the jewels on her wings jingled faintly as she did. She gave the door one last glance, whispering softly as she left.
"Happy Valentine's day, my dear dear sister."
Little that she knew, the vampire on the other side managed to hear it.
Remilia smiled, treasuring that simple moment she spent with her little sister; a fleeting moment that was far more powerful than an eternity. She whispered under her breath, hoping that, perhaps, the wind would deliver it. Hoping the little message could reach her most beloved.
"Happy Valentine's to you too, Flandre..."
Ah, what a sweet sweet story... Please excuse me for a moment. *coughing from the high intake of sugar* Sorry, it's too much for my pitch black heart. I'll be back in a second. *brewing a black coffee* Wheew, that's better. Now, where were we? Oh yeah.
Here's the cover for this story:
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As usual, exchange brackets () with dots .
Well, this story is supposed to be a soft SakuAli story, but you might find a slight MariAli tucked here and there. Or was it too hard to see? Oh, well. Poor Marisa... *laughs* I couldn't say more for Sakuya too, though. She might be better in the puppeteer's eyes, but well, not pass that line yet. Alice is just way too dense sometimes. Don't worry, girls; you're still young, so good luck! *raising a thick book to protect myself from incoming masterspark and knives* So anyways, what with the RemiFura ending? Sorry, I just couldn't help it. If you've read my story titled "Scarlet Archive: The Origin" you might understand my feelings. Those sisters really need their own happy ending.
All in all, I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews are greatly appreciated, so let me know how you guys think. Last, but not least...
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone~
-worthlessvalor