Pieces of a Dream
Adventure, Drama, Family, Friendship, Humor

Two-Faced Youth

Disclaimer: Disgaea is not mine.

i. prelude to something interesting

"The other instructors were a bit troubled with this one, so I guess I'll give her to you and see if you're the one who can take care of her," Warden Axel said with a shrug, gesturing towards the little girl standing next to him.

The lass, Valvatorez noted, had brown hair that was adorned with a plain headband, while her brown eyes stared at up at his crimson ones with utmost curiosity. However, the child did not speak, and so he could barely make out what was so troubling about her. More importantly, what was the reason for her presence in Hades?

"Warden Axel," the Vampire called, shifting his gaze towards the other demon. "Are you trying to say that this lass is supposed to be a Prinny?"

The Warden nodded. "Don't ask me why, but they say she's definitely one."

"She looks nothing like a Prinny," Fenrich pointed out, referring to the girl's lack of Prinny skin. What he said had sense, of course, for a normal Prinny consisted of the human's soul and the blue skin that was quite similar to that of the penguins of the Human World.

"Something about a mistake, or was it a shortage? Either way, these are what they gave her." Axel shoved a hat and a jacket into Valvatorez's gloved hands. "Well now, I did what I had to do. Stuff to do, places to be," the warden chirped, waving a hand cheerfully before rushing towards the Dimensional Gate and leaving them with no further explanation for his actions.

A displeased sound came from Fenrich. "If this lass is truly a Prinny, then the quality of human souls has certainly decreased. Even a child as young as this has committed enough sins to be condemned."

"Indeed…" How far has the worlds fallen? If only it were up to him, and if only he has not lost his power, this certainly wouldn't have happened.

However, the Vampire who was once known as a Tyrant is now but a mere Prinny Instructor. Will the time come that a demon such as he has to step up and straighten everything out?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Valvatorez looked straight into the eyes of his new charge and asked, "What's your name?"

She didn't reply.

ii. to seek what is not known

"Trauma, perhaps," mused the Cleric stationed at the prison's makeshift hospital. Her head turned towards the lass, who was watching the other demons loitering about. However, the Cleric's eyes did not open, and she turned towards Valvatorez and Fenrich again. "If it's not truly the child's nature to be this quiet, that is one of the possible causes of her silence. We should be cautious and gentle in dealing with her."

Valvatorez quietly took in this information, and was going over his list of past strategies on how to deal with this kind of Prinny. Never had he taken care of a case in which the Prinny was not contained in the usual skin, but trauma was something he had dealt with before.

There was something in her eyes, he noticed. It was something... pitiful, as if her eyes once reflected brilliant flames that were now doused with the iciest of waters.

The Cleric seemed to have noted his silence, and a frown was soon formed in her lips. "Would you rather not take care of the child?"

"Nonsense!" Valvatorez exclaimed, flourishing his cape as he snapped out of his thoughts. "The lass is a Prinny, and so I shall train her to become a great Prinny."

The Cleric's frown only deepened at his words. "Lord Valvatorez, you're not planning on making her clean toilets, are you? If you make her do such things, her condition might only worsen. She might even run away as a result."

"What are you suggesting then?" Fenrich asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood faithfully next to Valvatorez.

"A few considerations, Sir Fenrich," the Cleric replied. "Child labor is frowned upon, not only in the Human World, but in the Netherworld as well. No child below working age should be forced to do any tedious tasks. Of course, this is not noticeable in demons, as we grow at a much slower rate. Still, children are children and should be taken care of."

With a solemn tone, she said, "I trust you shall take my words seriously, Lord Valvatorez."

"Certainly."

The Cleric finally smiled. "Thank you, my Lord. Now then, we will have to accommodate her. She can't possibly sleep with the other Prinnies, so she shall have her own bed. For now, that is. Three meals a day, proper clothing—"

"What?" Fenrich cut in. "For a Prinny?"

"This is only for the time being," the Cleric assured him. "Until she is ready. As I was saying—"

"When will she be 'ready,' exactly?" Fenrich demanded. "You're not expecting her to grow any older than she is now, are you? She's dead."

"Yes, of course. She may not grow any older physically, but she may grow up mentally." With a smile that Valvatorez categorized as that of the teasing sort, she added, "We wouldn't want to raise a forever-childish prinny now, would we, Sir Fenrich?"

"What are you trying to say with that tone of voice?"

"Why, nothing at all, good sir."

While Fenrich was generally calm, he still had a few tendencies of losing his temper, especially when the right buttons are pushed. Knowing this, Valvatorez interrupted before anything else happened. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"

"Yes, yes," the Cleric chirped. "Her education is a most important matter, and not just education in the field of being a Prinny. The things she must learn, I leave to you, as she will be in your care until her training is done."

Valvatorez nodded. "Very well. Is that all?"

"Yes. At least, until something goes wrong. Let's hope it doesn't come to that." The Cleric then turned as she went back to work.

Valvatorez himself turned around, only to meet the gaze of the brown-eyed lass. She stared back at him for a few seconds before breaking eye contact, and that was the end of that little episode.

iii. this spells trouble, no doubt

It was quiet, Fenrich observed. It would have been an ideal atmosphere, if it weren't for the fact that it was a little too quiet, especially for a place where a child dwells.

It was very likely that what the Cleric had said was true, but such information wasn't exactly pleasing to Fenrich's ears. In fact, it irked him, as it meant that the seemingly quiet lass needed special attention. If anything, he wanted the child to disappear, to be whisked away by that cretin of a warden or something.

Alas, it appears that the things he wanted the most needed a lot of work, and to have the child vanish without an explanation would only lead to Lord Valvatorez searching for her, since he had already made it clear before that he was taking his profession as a Prinny Instructor seriously.

Without a definite plan ready for this kind of situation, Fenrich grudgingly decided to merely observe the child for the next few days, watching her in the corner of his eyes in case she did something out of the ordinary.

Fortunately, nothing of great interest happened. She would eat whatever was given to her, drink whatever was offered to her. Everything else she was told, she would do with absolutely no protest. While it was true that there were times when she displayed hesitation over the matter asked of her, she would eventually comply and finish the simple task in no time. All seemed well, and it appeared that there was nothing to worry about after all.

That is, until she found that blasted stick.

He should have guessed that she would pick up something sooner or later, since there were days when she would stare at the various weapons the other demons carried around, but her choice was most peculiar.

Lord Valvatorez didn't mind, telling Fenrich that there was only a little chance that she would harm herself, though the Werewolf certainly thought that such an episode wouldn't hurt at all. Meanwhile, the Cleric, who was fond of referring to herself as the Netherworld Nurse, seemed pleased at the development, saying that this was a possible improvement and insisted that they see her if anything else happens.

Now, something like this wouldn't normally bother Fenrich, if it weren't for the brat's fondness of poking him. Of all the demons in Hades, he was her choice. On top of that, she ignored the glares and snarls he sent her way whenever she jabbed him with the long piece of wood.

"Stop that," he commanded with a sneer once, when the lass decided to prod his arm for the umpteenth time that day.

Her hands paused as she looked up at his eyes. They stayed like that for a while, with Fenrich curling his lip at her and the lass barely flinching.

She then decided to give him one last poke before running off, the stick still in her hand.

Fenrich kept his gaze on her until she decided to trouble another demon. With an exasperated sigh, he went back to attending to his Lord's needs, knowing that the sneer he gave her only had a temporary effect, and that she will be back to bother him again soon.

iv. tails are not meant for that

He didn't look like a stuffed toy or anything of the sort now, did he?

Fenrich growled in irritation, glaring daggers at the lass who was poking his tail.

"Stop tha— What do you think you're doing!" Vexed, Fenrich grabbed his tail protectively and snarled at the lass. His tail was most certainly not a pillow, and yet this insufferable brat seemed to have thought that such was the case and had begun to lay her head down on it.

"I'm warning you, you wretched little imp, if you even dare to do that again, I'll—"

"Is there something wrong, Fenrich?" Lord Valvatorez asked as he entered the room, apparently through talking with the other instructors. Fenrich had been reluctant to leave his side, of course, but his Lord insisted that he should look after the lass, as he would only be gone for a short while.

"Everything's fine, my Lord," Fenrich lied, sending a brief glare towards the child, who was staring at him with her big brown eyes.

"Are you sure? I heard you yelling."

"You must be imagining things, my Lord."

"If that's what you say, then that must be the case. However… why in Hades are you clutching you tail like that?" His eyes soon found the lass sitting near Fenrich's feet, and there was no doubt that he had noticed the stick in the child's hand, judging by his next words. "Was it injured?"

Fenrich quickly let go of his tail and coughed awkwardly. "I was merely… It was nothing. Nothing at all, my Lord."

v. like a security blanket

How the lass found his room was lost on him, but Valvatorez decided to entertain the child for now.

He was just getting ready for bed, but Valvatorez was awake enough to take note of the child's appearance. One of her hands clutched the pillow and the blanket she was given the night she became one of his charges, while her hair was free from her headband. Her usually blank expression was replaced with a troubled look, and beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead.

Valvatorez furrowed his brow. A nightmare?

"My Lord…"

Valvatorez's gaze shifted towards the other figure that followed the child. "Fenrich," he acknowledged. "Is there something wrong?"

"That was what I was going to ask you, my Lord," Fenrich admitted, eyeing the lass warily. "Is she troubling you? I can send her back to her own room and make sure she stays there."

The lass whipped her head towards Fenrich's direction. Her eyes widened and her hands trembled, and Valvatorez felt that she would cry if she were to be sent to bed alone.

"Wait," Valvatorez said. "There must be a reason why she's here." He then did something he rarely did. Much to Fenrich's apparent surprise, Valvatorez stooped down to meet the lass at eye level, an act that seemed to calm her down.

"What's the matter, lass?" he asked. The thought of making his voice more soothing didn't come to mind until he had asked the question. Gentle and cautious, the cleric had said, and so he could only hope, if he ever did such a thing, that his words didn't come out as a harsh demand.

Fortunately, the lass didn't seem to take it that way. Still, she didn't respond, the same way she had kept silent during the past few days. Instead, she reached out and tugged at Valvatorez's hand, his now ungloved and cold hand. Was she trying to make him come with her?

With the slightest hesitation, Valvatorez stood up and allowed himself to be led by the child. Fenrich faithfully followed, narrowing his eyes at the lass whenever he thought Valvatorez didn't notice.

The few demons they met along the way stared at the most peculiar procession. Even the Netherworld Nurse seemed to have noticed. However, they soon went back to whatever they were doing, almost in a hurry. A quick glance at his attendant told Valvatorez that he would have to thank Fenrich later.

Eventually, they arrived in front of the child's room. The lass momentarily let go, pushing the door to her room before grabbing his hand once more, pulling him inside.

Fenrich was about to voice a protest when Valvatorez raised a hand, requesting for silence. His attendant complied, and Valvatorez gestured for him to follow.

The room was fairly simple, although it completely stood out compared to the other rooms in the prison. In fact, it barely looked like a part of Hades at all. While the floor had the same texture as the rest of the prison, the walls were covered in light blue wallpaper. A bed had been placed in one corner, with the stick that the lass seemed to have taken a liking to leaning on the bedside table. Much to Valvatorez's disapproval, her hat and jacket were littered on the floor.

The grip on his hand tightened.

"Lass?"

"…Stay." Quiet, short, but the message was fully delivered.

"My Lord," Fenrich began, only to be cut short by the shake of Valvatorez's head.

"It's no big deal, Fenrich. You may stay as well, if you wish." After taking the child's pillow and blanket from the child's hand and laying them out, Valvatorez helped the lass climb onto her bed. It was strange, and there was a foreign feeling. Such an odd experience it was, raising a child.

Valvatorez looked back at Fenrich and tilted his head. "Can you sing a lullaby, Fenrich?"

His attendant spluttered. "M-my Lord?"

"Can you?"

Fenrich shifted uncomfortably. "I… I don't sing, my Lord."

"Don't?"

"My Lord…"

Valvatorez chuckled. "All right." He returned his gaze to the wide-eyed child. "Go back to sleep, lass," he prodded.

As with the previous days, the child did as she was told.

It was only the day after, while Valvatorez was discussing another lesson with the other prinnies, when he realized that the child spoke that night for the first time.

vi. lass, thy name is

"Lass, do—"

"My name… is not Lass."

Valvatorez stopped on his tracks, his eyes on the child who had already changed from her nightclothes. She was now brushing her hair, Valvatorez noted, and she seemed to having quite some difficulty accomplishing that simple task.

It was quite a surprise, hearing her speak again, since she barely uttered another word after the night she was plagued by a nightmare. Even when they took her to the Netherworld Nurse and had her examined, she refused to open her mouth, choosing to poke her favorite stick at the Cleric and at Fenrich instead.

"I am aware of that," he said as he approached her. He held out his hand, and the lass reluctantly gave him the much-abused hairbrush. Seeing a lot of strands caught around the bristles, he shook his head and proceeded to remove them. Once it was clean, he started working on the child's hair.

He saw her eyeing him warily, but she made no move of protest. "Why do you call me that?" she asked eventually. "Isn't the word you call another person considered a name?"

"That's not always the case. You've heard Fenrich call me 'Lord', haven't you?"

She turned her head to look at him, only for Valvatorez to make her look in front of her again as he tried to untangle the knots in her hair. "…That's not your name?"

"Certainly not. That is a title he has chosen to address me with."

"A… title? Like a title of a book?"

He stopped to think carefully on the matter, something he hadn't done in quite a while. He had always been spontaneous, even in his words, after all. Now, how was he supposed to explain this? "The word has quite a few different definitions, but in this case… I meant for it as a term used to describe one's job or position."

"Then your job's being a lord then?"

His lips formed a lopsided smile. "Not quite."

"But you just said—"

"Being a 'lord' is not exactly a job, lass."

"Then… a position?"

"…Quite, but the same can't be said for my case."

"You… you don't sound so sure."

He chuckled at her perception. After giving it more thought, he said, "Fenrich calls me that because he considers me as his master, and he as my servant."

"Then he should call you 'master' instead, shouldn't he?"

"Ah… There's not really that much of a difference." As the last knot was untangled, Valvatorez's train of thought faltered. This lass certainly asked a lot of questions, didn't she?

"…What's your name then?" she asked finally while he reached for her headband on the bedside table.

"Valvatorez."

"Mine's Fuka. Kazamatsuri Fuka."

vii. walking all over

Fenrich hurried over to the child's room after being informed that his Lord was last seen going in there. The door ajar, and the werewolf had no trouble hearing the voices inside. Apparently, the brat's name was Fuka, and that she was speaking considerably more than the last time she did.

"It seems you have a guest," he heard his Lord say, and there was no doubt that he had sensed Fenrich's presence.

"May I enter, my Lord?"

"By all means," Lord Valvatorez replied. "Do keep in mind next time that I am not the owner of this room, and that you should ask the lass permission instead."

The lass frowned. "Fuka."

Fenrich barely stopped himself from twisting his lips into a scowl in front of his master. His Lord couldn't have possibly become fond of another human now, could he? "Lord Val, it's almost time for the Prinnies' lesson for today."

"Yes, of course. Thank you for reminding me, Fenrich," Lord Valvatorez said with a faint smile. To the lass, he said, "Come along, lass. I've been meaning to show you how I teach the Prinnies. You'll be learning their ways soon, seeing as you are entirely capable of speaking."

"O-of course I can speak," the child said, seemingly offended.

"And yet you refused to do so before," Fenrich pointed out with a sneer.

The child frowned. She looked up at Lord Valvatorez and asked, "He called you Lord Val, didn't he? If the 'Lord' part is a title, then what's the 'Val' part? You said you name was… Valva… Va…"

"Valvatorez," Lord Val said.

"Right. That. So, Val's not your name, is it? Why did he call you that then?"

Lord Valvatorez laughed quietly. "It's a nickname. 'Valvatorez' is quite a mouthful, after all."

"Not at all, my Lord," Fenrich said hurriedly.

"What's a nickname?" asked the lass.

"It's…" Lord Valvatorez paused, trying to find the right words to answer the brat's question. "It's a name given to someone instead of using his or her real name, I suppose."

"But why use a nickname when you can use a name?"

"The reasons vary," explained Lord Val. "It may be because the person's real name is a mouthful—"

"Like yours."

"Lass!"

"Indeed. It may be also because of familiarity between the one who gave the nickname and the one it's given to."

"Another reason is that you want to make fun of the person," Fenrich added, narrowing his eyes at the lass.

She blinked. "Is that why you call him 'Val'?"

Fenrich felt himself twitch in annoyance. "I would never do anything of the sort," he declared. "Making fun of my Lord, that is."

"'Val' isn't an embarrassing nickname at all," Lord Valvatorez mused. "I doubt it's to make fun of me. Besides, Fenrich has been very loyal. Cunning, yes, and he's been very persistent into making me forget my promises, but still a very loyal servant."

"My Lord…"

"So it's because your name's a mouthful then?"

"Lass."

"What is it then?" she asked. "F-fa… Fami…"

"Familiarity? I suppose that's it, isn't it, Fenrich? He's been serving me for a very long time now, after all."

"Eeeeh…" The lass looked at Lord Valvatorez then at Fenrich. "…Can I give you two nicknames?"

Absolutely not.

Fenrich began to say something, only to be chided by his Lord.

"Come now, Fenrich. It won't hurt, will it?"

"Of course, but—"

"Nicknames," the brat cut in, folding her arms and frowning. Her attitude has certainly changed, hasn't it? Being as quiet as a mute, then speaking in meek tones before showing her true colors as the demanding brat that she truly is. She's an obstacle, after all.

"Go ahead," Lord Val said.

"My Lord, today's lesson—"

"I'll call you Valzy!" she exclaimed, pointing at Lord Valvatorez. Turning towards Fenrich, she said, "You're Fenfen."

"Fenfen!" Fenrich repeated in horror.

Lord Valvatorez chuckled. "I haven't seen anyone walk all over you like that in quite a while, Fenrich. Ah, it's not that bad. Quite amusing, really."

"My Lord!"

"Very well then. Let's go. Any longer and we'll be late. Come along, Fenrich. You as well, lass."

With that said, Lord Valvatorez left the room with the brat in tow, leaving Fenrich as the attendant let out one of the most exasperated growls that has ever been produced by his throat.

viii. delusional brats are delusional

"This must be a dream," the lass concluded once as they were on their way towards the Prinny Factory.

"A dream?" Lord Valvatorez echoed. "Not at all, lass. This is all real."

"How could you have possibly come up with such a conclusion?" Fenrich asked as he walked beside his Lord, watching the brat closely while she skipped in front of them with her stick in hand.

"Because this place is so weird," she declared. "I'm stuck with you two. Well, there's nothing wrong with Valzy, I guess." She looked back at Fenrich and shrugged. "I dunno 'bout you though."

"Oh? Are you saying there is something wrong with me?"

"I never said anything like that! I just said I dunno what's with you. You always have that creepy smile on your face. At least, I think it's a smile. But aren't smiles supposed to be kind? Your smile isn't kind at all!"

"A creepy smile, you say?" The corners of Lord Valvatorez's own lips turned up, even if only by a few millimeters. "I'm sure you'll be able to find the right word for that."

"Anyway, it's just so weird. This is all so weird."

"A lot of things may be considered weird, lass," Fenrich pointed out. You're one odd brat, for instance.

"I'll prove it to you then! I'll come up with an expla… explanation. Just you wait, Fenfen."

Fenrich rolled his eyes. Such a delusional brat… "Good luck with that."

ix. lass, warden; warden, lass

"Whoa, she's finally talking! You should've told me before that you were good with children, too, Prinny Instructor. I wouldn't have wasted any time in searching for someone to actually look after her if you did."

Valvatorez turned towards the direction of the voice, although he didn't need to do so just to recognize the speaker. "Warden Axel," he acknowledged with a nod. He certainly didn't expect the Warden to reappear as soon as this. What more, he sounded like he went out of his way just to find an instructor for the lass. Was it possible that the child's peculiar case interested him as well?

"Children are nothing but a nuisance," Fenrich told the Warden wryly. "My Lord should not be bothered by this entire nonsense."

"…A bully. Fenfen's a bully, isn't he?" the lass asked cautiously, tightening the grip she had around her stick.

"You might be on to something there, er… What's her name?"

"Kazamatsuri Fuka," Valvatorez replied.

"Or just Fuka," the lass added quietly.

"Well, I'm Axel, the Warden of Hades," he announced proudly. "I was appointed by the President himself, by the way. Make sure you remember that. Anyway, Prinny Instructor, seeing as you're competent enough, I'll be leaving her in your capable hands."

"Competent enough?" Fenrich repeated with unmistakable menace.

Warden Axel frowned. "Hey, raising a child's not easy, you know, especially if you have other things to worry about."

"You speak as if you know a lot about the matter, Warden," Valvatorez said. "Have you, by any chance, raised a child before?"

Warden Axel smiled wistfully. "Something like that." His smile was then replaced by a grin. "I'll be seeing you then. Just dropped by to see how things are going."

After he left, the lass spoke up. "He doesn't seem very smart."

"Idiot, moron, fool, dunce, dolt, those are just some of the words you can use to convey the same meaning," Fenrich said.

The lass nodded. "I'll remember those. Still… he doesn't really look like a bad person."

"The Warden is not evil. He is just odd," Valvatorez said.

"Hmm. Hey, Valzy, what does 'warden' mean?"

x. youth knows no sin

"I… I didn't do anything wrong!" the lass exclaimed. "So, I'm not a Prinny. I'm not!"

"Calm down, lass," Valvatorez commanded. After explaining the child's situation and hearing the same words from some of his previous charges, he wasn't the least surprised to hear her reaction.

"You wouldn't have been sent here if you haven't done anything wrong," Fenrich said dryly.

"S-so you're saying that you really believe that I did something wrong? I… I didn't. I never did!" She sank into the ground, eyes shut and hands over her ears. "Bad dream. This is a bad dream, after all!"

A sigh escaped Valvatorez's lips as he massaged a temple. What was he supposed to do now? This was harder than he had originally thought, much harder. The Warden had been entirely correct. Raising a child's not easy. Was it possible that he needed the Warden's help in this?

Should he soothe the child now, tell her that everything he had said was a mistake? No, that's not right. He had already said those words, and taking them back, lying to her, would be as terrible as breaking a promise.

"Stand up, lass," he finally said quietly. "You do not belong there, on the floor.

The lass opened her eyes, but made no other movement. Valvatorez wondered if she'd go back into her disturbingly silent self again.

Is it truly possible that a child as young as this would have committed enough sins for her to end up in Hades?

Would it be best to take her mind off the matter for now?

"…Come, lass. It's time for dinner."

She stared at his hand. Slowly, warily, she took it. "Fuka didn't do anything wrong," she whispered, her voice horribly hoarse.

Momentarily meeting Fenrich's gaze, Valvatorez didn't make a reply.

A/N: No worries. She'll be her hopelessly loud self in no time. Criticism is welcome, so go for it!