Flandre Scarlet merrily skipped down one of the many flights of stairs of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It was finally nighttime and she could go outside to play at the front yard. Thud, thud the sound of her bare feet made as she descended each wooden stair. The back of her bright red skirt swept the banister and her golden blonde hair bounced with every step. As the girl neared ground level, she skipped the last ten steps and took a mighty leap. She landed on the floor with a mighty thump, creating a tinkling noise as the dangling crystals on her wings jingled against one another. Flandre giggled and proceeded to the front door.
The vampire waltzed through the living room and noticed a box sitting on the coffee table. Curious as to what was in it, she approached the object. The box was wrapped in delicate red paper and had a satin gold ribbon tied around in a bow. Flandre took the package and shook it gently. There was definitely something in it. She then held it up to her nose. It smelled of chocolate.
Mmm, chocolate! she thought, her eyes sparkling. Along with human blood, Flandre loved anything sweet. I wonder who this is for...
"Flan?" a voice called from a nearby room.
Flandre nearly dropped the box from surprise. Carefully, she set it back on the table. "What is it onee-sama?" she called back to her sister.
"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if you were there. I heard someone's footsteps heading down the stairs."
"Well, I'm going outside right now."
"Okay, don't venture out too far."
"Yes, onee-sama!" Flandre sang enthusiastically. She skipped to the front door and slipped on her brown winter boots. She then swiped her red scarf from the coat closet and dashed out the door.
Ah, what a wonderful night! The sky was deep navy blue as the bright quarter moon illuminated the picture. Shimmering, glittering stars twinkled from the outer reaches of the galaxy. The earth was blanketed by a somewhat thin layer of mushy snow and the pine trees encircling the mansion were like powdered donuts. It was all so beautiful, the gentleness of nature. Flandre gave her wings an experimental flap before leaping into the air. The chilly winter air felt amazingly refreshing. She hastily tied on her red scarf before puffing out warm breaths of air. The clouds of warmth amused the young vampire as she flew higher into the winter sky. She ascended fifty feet or so until she spotted a figure flying in the distance. Flandre recognized its shape to belong to the human magician, Marisa Kirisame.
Ooh, has she come to play with me on this lovely night?
Excited about the arrival of her "playmate," the vampire glided in the direction of the human but was brought to a screeching halt by the gate guard.
"Hey Flan, where do ya think you're going!" a voice hollered from down below. "Miss Remilia told me not to let you venture too far out so you should just stay inside the gates!" The guard was wearing a heavy forest green coat over her uniform and carrying a dim kerosene lamp. Transparent snow was lightly powdered over her hat and coat from the many hours of standing in the frigid cold.
"Aww, but Meiling, Marisa is here!" Flandre retorted as she began to slowly descend. She crossed her arms.
"Huh? Marisa?" Meiling squinted at the flying girl approaching them. The girl wore a floppy pointed hat and a black dress with a frilly white apron wrapped around her waist. She was also riding on a broomstick, an object not needed by many in Gensokyo in order to fly.
The gate guard adjusted the hat on her head and let out a heavy sigh. "This may mean trouble," she muttered.
Soon, Marisa was hovering above the guard and the vampire. Her skirt and maroon scarf fluttered in the air as she gently flew the broom down to the earth.
"What brings you here?" Meiling asked once magician's black boots touched down onto the ground. There was a bit of annoyance sprinkled with her voice as she spoke with her hands on her hips.
"Meh, just visiting," Marisa replied cooly. She glanced aimlessly at her surroundings.
"Are you sure?" Meiling cocked to head slightly to her right. Her shoulders were tense and hunched; she appeared ready to attack at any moment.
"Of course," said the magician smoothly, "I mean, since when have I lied?"
The guard scowled and slid her right arm off her hip. "Then why are you here?"
Marisa grinned and carefully retrieved a small box out of her dress pocket. The box was covered in cheap white wrapping paper with tiny red heart designs dotting the paper. A scarlet ribbon choked the package to form a messy lopsided bow on the top. "Here," the girl spoke, her grin growing wider. She held the gift out in front of her with both hands. "It's for Patche."
"For Miss Patchouli?" Meiling questioned. She debated whether or not to take the present.
"What is it?" Flandre asked with a hint of curiosity.
"It's chocolate," Marisa spoke in a hushed voice, "But I don't want anyone to tell her, 'kay? I want her to find out on her own."
"Is that all?" Meiling questioned, "No explosives or magic lasers included?"
"Yep, just cocoa and, uh, whatever chocolate is made out of."
"Ah, fine." Meiling snatched the box from the magician's hands. "I'll have Sakuya take it to her." A look of uncertainty swept through her face. "So, er, is this all you're here for? You're not going to, uh, intrude or anything?"
"Of course not!" Marisa giggled, "I only came here to deliver the candy." A mischievous look swept across her face. "Well, if you really want me to-"
"Nah, it's fine," the guard interrupted. "Now leave, it's not safe for humans like you to be out at this hour."
"Ah, you don't have to worry about me, I should be fine," said Marisa as she mounted her broomstick. "But if you insist." She began to ascend slowly. "Goodnight, you two." The girl vanished into the midnight sky.
"Aww, Meiling, you scared my playmate away," Flandre groaned. "Who am I going to play with now?"
"Hey now, I didn't scare her away," Meiling retorted, "Just fly around the mansion or something while I give this box to Sakuya."
"Ooh, can I come with you?"
"Meh, I suppose why not," Meiling shrugged. The pair walked towards the mansion and entered the front door.
As the two passed by the living room, Flandre noticed that the other box of chocolates was gone.
"Hey, Meiling, what was that box on the table earlier?"
"What box?" Meiling questioned as they entered a dim hallway.
"Well, just a while ago, there was a box wrapped in red paper on the living room table," Flandre explained, "But it's not there anymore."
"I don't know what that is," the guard stated, "But it is probably your sister's." She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Hey Sakuya!" Meiling yelled as loud as she could. The chief maid could be anywhere at the mansion, afterall. "Sakuya, we have a package that needs to be delivered to Miss Patchouli! Sakuya! Sakuya! Where are you-"
"I'm right behind you, now stop yelling," the annoyed maid hissed as she mildly thwacked the back of the guard's head. "Lady Remilia is taking a nap right now and I don't want her to wake up." The vampire and guard swerved around.
"Ah, Sakuya, there you are!" Meiling chuckled, rubbing her head. "Sorry about all that noise." She fixed her crooked cap then held the box toward Sakuya. "This is for Miss Patchouli."
"From whom?" the maid asked, taking the package.
"Miss Kirisame," Meiling replied. Sakuya's eyes grew wide. "Ah, but don't worry, it's harmless, I think."
"What is in it?" Sakuya questioned. She held the box as if it were a bomb ready to detonate at any second.
"Just some chocolates," Meiling answered casually, "Nothing explosive this time around."
"But don't tell Patche what's in it," Flandre chimed in, "It's suppose to be a surprise!"
"Oh, I see," Sakuya sighed, "It's that time of the year again." She held the gift in her right arm. "Thanks, Meiling, I'll go deliver this right away. You go back to your post now."
"Yes ma'am!" Meiling burst with a playful salute. Sakuya walked down the hall, grinning while shaking her head in disapproval. The guard turned toward the vampire. "Well, I'm going back to the gate now. Are you still playing outside?"
"Of course I am!" Flandre beamed. The two began to stroll down the dim hallway. "Hey, Meiling?"
"Yes?"
"What did Sakuya mean when she said it was 'that time of the year?'"
"Well," Meiling began, "There is always that certain time of the year when people exchange gifts with each other. During this month, it's usually cards, flowers or chocolates. Of course you wouldn't know since this is your first time out the basement in years."
"But why do they give gifts to each other?" Flandre asked. How odd would it be if people randomly gave things to each other?
"To express their love," Meiling replied.
"Marisa loves Patche?" Flandre burst out with a shocked expression on her face.
"No," the guard chuckled. Or at least I think not. "You know, people also give gifts to friends to show their friendship."
"But that wouldn't make sense, either," the vampire stated, "Friends don't steal books from each other."
"Well let's just say that people exchange presents for various reasons, okay?" Meiling spoke as if she were a mother talking to her little daughter.
"Do youkai exchange gifts, too?"
"Sure," Meiling replied though a bit uncertain. At least the civilized ones do…
They finally made it back outside. "Well, Flan, you go ahead and play inside the gates, 'kay?" the gate guard said as she began to head back toward her post.
"Okay," Flandre agreed. She then thought of something. "Hey Meiling, what is the name of this gift giving day and when does it occur? Was it earlier today? Did we miss it?"
"It's called 'Valentine's Day,' something from the outside world," Meiling answered, "and I believe it actually takes place tomorrow, which makes me wonder why Marisa stopped by late at night. Why do you ask?"
"Oh nothing," Flandre sang merrily. She skipped through the garden while humming a nursery rhyme.
Meiling shrugged and continued to walk to the gate.
Flandre awoke from her nap just before nine o'clock in the morning. She pulled a small wooden box out of her closet and emptied its contents onto the bed. "Yay, I do have some!" she said happily as she picked out four playing cards. "One for Sakuya, one for Meiling, one for Patche…" She smiled at the queen of hearts. "And this is for onee-sama." Flandre set the cards onto a table. Now I have cards for Valentine's Day! But the cards still did not seem like enough. Flowers! She sped out her room and headed downstairs.
The vampire stopped at the front entrance and slipped her boots on. She snatched her pink parasol from the umbrella rack and ran out the door to the garden.
Remilia sat at the balcony sipping a cup of black tea while watching the garden below her. She was wrapped in a black knit shawl. Ah, just look at how lovely the roses look! Little sprinkles of snow topped the precious plants; they looked like sweets. Her roses were so special that they were able to survive in even the harshest conditions of the weather. She was about to take another sip but was surprised to find her younger sister's pink, lace-trimmed parasol make its way into the picture.
"Flan, what are you doing out there?" Remilia called out as she set her teacup on the table beside her. Her sister stopped and looked up.
"I'm picking flowers!" Flandre answered back. She proceeded in dashing through the garden to hunt for the best ones to pick.
"HEY!"
Remilia sprang out of her seat as she prepared to defend one of her most prized possessions. "I don't want to see any of the flowers in that garden get plucked out of the earth, do you hear me!"
"But onee-sama-"
"No excuses, now get back inside this instant!" Remilia's face was bright red.
Flandre sauntered back towards the front door. How am I going to get flowers? She spotted a woven basket in front of the steps of the porch. She lifted the lid and found the imperfect, dead roses that had been collected from the garden. She smiled. These will do! Flandre held a rose head, withered and colored dark maroon, in her palm. They look just as pretty as the ones that are alive! She grabbed three more rose heads before entering the mansion.
"Lady Remilia, is something the matter?" Sakuya arrived to see the vampire bright as a tomato with a pout on her scarlet face. It actually looked a little cute...
"Nothing Sakuya," Remilia groaned as she seated herself back onto the cushion of the wire frame chair. She brushed a few loose locks of her periwinkle hair to the side and adjusted her dress collar. "Did you get my biscuits?"
"Oh my, I did not," Sakuya gasped. "I am terribly sorry, Lady Remilia, I will bring them in right away." As red as her lady, Sakuya hurried back into the mansion.
Remilia continued to sip her tea. I wonder what Flan is up to…
"Perfect!"
Flandre giggled as she plopped a rose head onto a card to see how it looked. It's so pretty! They will be so happy! Flandre let out another high-pitched giggle. She snatched a woven basket from her closet and gently filled it with the goodies. "First, Meiling," the vampire spoke aloud, arranging her delivery itinerary in her head. Firmly gripping the basket in her right hand, she bounced out of the room to the mansion gate.
"Meiling!" Flandre called as she approached the gate. Snow squeaked under her boots and she couldn't help but laugh from the sound and her bubbling excitement.
The green-clad guard peeped her head from the corner of the brick wall and grinned. "Good morning, Flan!" she greeted with a wave from a gloved hand.
"I have something for you," the young vampire spoke and she shook the basket lightly.
"What is it?" Meiling held Flandre's parasol while the girl retrieved the gift.
"Here." Flandre held out a playing card and withered rose head on her palm.
The guard accepted the presents while handing the umbrella back to the girl. She twirled the rose corpse in her fingers then examined the playing card. It was the ten of clubs. "Is this..."
"Yep. Happy Valentine's Day, Meiling!" Flandre was beaming. She couldn't help it. Giving gifts to others warmed her heart and she loved that odd, cozy feeling.
Meiling returned a wide grin. "Aww, thank you Flan! This is so sweet of you."
"You're welcome," Flandre replied with a slight blush. "I just thought that the idea of Valentine's Day was...interesting."
So this is why she was intrigued by the idea of it the other day.
"Well, I gotta go now!" the vampire spoke as she skipped back towards the mansion door. Her side ponytail jumped with every step as Meiling watched from the gate.
Flandre was almost finished delivering the gifts. Patchouli was easy since she was always in the same place: the library. Sakuya, on the other hand, was not so easy to find. Nevertheless, she had found the knife-throwing maid in the kitchen, preparing food. It was almost half past ten and she had one more set of gifts to deliver. These last gifts were for her older sister, Remilia.
"Onee-sama?" Flandre called as she knocked on the door to her sister's room.
No response.
The young vampire twisted the knob and slowly peeked inside. There was nobody there. I wonder where she is…
Flandre searched all over the insides of mansion for her missing sister, but she could not find her. Sitting up against the hallway wall, the vampire tried hard to think of other places her sister could be. She noticed that Sakuya was also not present. Maybe she's just taking a walk around Gensokyo.
The sound of the front door creaking open echoed from the lower level. Flandre perked her head up; she could hear her sister's voice from down below. Springing from the carpet, the vampire bounced through the hall and down the stairs.
"Onee-sama, where were you-" Flandre's jaw dropped.
Remilia was holding a magnificent bouquet of roses; they were colored red, pink, yellow, black. A big scarlet bow tied the whole piece together. The older vampire held the flowers out in front of her.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Flan."
Flandre stood as still as a statue; she did not know what to think. The flowers were just too beautiful. "A-are these for me?" Tears of joy were swelling from her eyes.
"Yes, Flan. I'm sorry about what happened this morning." Remilia had a calm, pleasant smile stretched across her face. She took several steps forward until she immediately found herself in the tight embrace of her younger sister.
"I forgive you, but onee-sama!" Flandre wailed, "I know how much the roses in your garden mean to you. You didn't have to!"
"Don't worry about it, Flan," Remilia responded gently, "They will grow back eventually." She pulled herself away from her sister and handed her the gift. "Besides, you seemed quite interested in them earlier this morning."
Flandre gasped. "Onee-sama, I meant to give some flowers as gifts to you, Sakuya, Patche, and Meiling for Valentine's Day."
Remilia raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?"
Flandre nodded as she set the bouquet down and pulled the playing card and withered rose from her basket. Avoiding her sister's eyes, she held out the presents in her right palm. "I know it's not enough, but Happy Valentine's Day." The young vampire appeared a little disappointed at how small her gift was compared to her sister's.
Remilia accepted the tokens. She studied the card and could not help but let out a wide grin when she saw the withered rose head. "Flan, what's wrong, these are wonderful."
The younger sister shuffled her feet. "They are just too...simple."
The older sister approached her sibling. "Flan," she stated, putting a hand to the girl's shoulder, "They may appear simple but it's more of the thought that counts. That's what Valentine's Day is about: the thought and feelings. A nice bunch of flowers or box of chocolates are great but love and appreciation are way more important." Remilia held up her palm and looked at the gifts she received. "I believe these gifts were given lots of thought, am I right?"
Flandre brought her head up. A meek smile crossed her face as she hugged her sister for the second time. "Yes, they were." The loving siblings stayed that way for a while until a thought crawled back into the younger vampire's mind. "Onee-sama?"
"Yes, Flan?"
Wiping her tears, Flandre released her grip and pointed towards the living room. "Last night, I saw a box of chocolates on the table. Now, I know you've told me many times not to touch things that aren't mine but I was just so curious as to what it was."
It was Remilia's turn to gasp. "Where did that box go?"
"I don't know. After seeing it, I headed outside and when I returned it was gone."
"Well, you see, those chocolates were supposed to be for you, Flan."
The young vampire raised a brow. "For me?" She tried to recall what else happened that night. "On that same night, Marisa came. She didn't come in so I don't think she had anything to do with this."
"Marisa?" Remilia believed she knew exactly who the culprit was; that blasted magician was never up to any good around the mansion.
"But onee-sama, at least the thought was there, right?"
Remilia smiled. "Yes Flan."
The two spent the rest of the day as proud siblings. They had never felt so happy together in so long. They ventured through the mansion while passing out beautiful roses to the staff.
And wondered what to do about the massive hole in the drawing room.
Oh well, Flandre reasoned.
It's the thought that counts.