Welp, it's been along time since I've posted anything. I've been writing this short story on and off for a while. It's heavily inspired by a concept within another fanfic titled "A Mortal Moon" by TearsInTheSnow1994. I'll leave footnotes at the end of chapter 4 incase anyone wants to know where my head's at. Also, it should be noted that I only have a rudimentary knowledge of the Touhouverse. As Cave Johnson once said, "We're throwing science at the wall here. Not sure what's gonna stick." Just replace science with bullshit.

Touhou, and all its respective characters and settings are property of Zun.


All it took was for Sakuya to inquire about her Mistress's sudden change of behaviour. About why she suddenly distanced herself from the close bond they shared. There were a few heated words, then Remilia broke down in tears. During Sakuya's many years as head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she had seen its Mistress go through a plethora of mood swings. But until that night one week ago, she'd never seen her cry….

"I'm frightened, Sakuya." Remilia sobbed, wiping the tears from her ruby red eyes. "I have grown too close to you…."

"Of what reason do you have to be frightened of our bond, my lady?" Sakuya asked.

"That I will be alone once more when you leave me." Came the sombre reply.

"Don't be ridiculous." Sakuya said bluntly. "My life is indebted to you, and will forever be in your service."

"But it won't be." Remilia rose from her chair on those words, before gazing out at the crescent moon in the dimly lit night sky. "Time will see to that."

Sakuya didn't reply. She knew what the Scarlet vampire meant by those last words, and lacked any comforting retort to put her mistress at ease.

"Your spirit maybe sworn to me eternally, but your physical body is not. It will age, whither, and eventually die out. And your spirit, despite its resilience, will be whisked away to a place I can't follow. And even with your ability to manipulate time, you cannot stop this."

The silver haired maid struggled to remain stoic as Remilia poured out her confession. The vampire was right: Someday, Sakuya would die, and her soul would be ferried across the Sanzu River. Away from her mistress, and off to parts unknown. Sakuya was unsure of what frightened her more. The event of dying itself, or the idea of being forcefully parted from Remilia.

"Maybe someday, after you're gone, someone else might-no. You truly are irreplaceable to me, Sakuya. And for that, I hate you." Remilia said with an almost apologetic tone.

"You….. hate me?!" Sakuya gasped, as her unshakable demeanour began to crumble.

"I hate you for your mortality. And I hate myself for it, because I want to love you. Truly love you. But knowing how our path will end, I can't dedicate myself to you the same way you have to me."

Sakuya slumped to her knees, and allowed her tears to roll freely down her cheek. Until tonight, she was sure that Remilia loved her as much as she loved the vampire. And to hear now that she was hated by the being of her affections just for being mortal. Sakuya felt as if her heart was literally shattering within her chest.

"Your love means too much to me to hear this from you, Remilia!" Sakuya found herself almost shouting, as she cast aside her etiquette as head maid. "I will do whatever it takes to earn your love despite me being mortal. I will work harder, I will make better tea, I will-"

"Would you give up your humanity for me?" Remilia interrupted.

"What?!"

"There is only one way I can love you without the fear of losing you." Remilia explained, as she turned around to face her bewildered maid. "But it requires some re-assurance that you will stay by my side."

Sakuya began to tremble slightly as her mistress slowly approached her. Despite the lack of moonlight, Remilia was cast against the night sky as an ominous silhouette. Normally, Sakuya could make sense of Remilia's often cryptic words. Right now the silver haired maid could barely make sense of her own mind.

"As I said, your physical body cannot hope to match the commitment of your spirit. But I could change that."

"What are you saying?!" Sakuya asked impatiently, now physically feeling the close proximity between her and Remilia.

"That the only way for me to love you, is for you to make one last pledge to me." As Remilia spoke, she gently clasped Sakuya's chin between her thumb and index finger, and tilted her head up to lock eyes.

"Pledge yourself to me as my eternal maid. Cast aside your humanity, and accept immortality at my side, as a vampire."

Those words caused Sakuya to collapse backwards from her knees, breaking free from Remilia's hold. She gazed up at the vampire in pure shock as her words sunk in properly. She'd never even considered that Remilia would even ask her to become a vampire, never mind whether or not she could go through with it. But the dejected look on Remilia's face told Sakuya that she telegraphed a pre-mature answer, thus blowing her only chance.

"I see….. So your love does have its boundaries after all….." She sighed, as she turned away from her maid.

"I didn't say no!" Sakuya spoke up.

"You didn't say yes, either."

There was a brief moment of silence between them.

"I'll give you 7 days from tonight. If you can't take that last step by then….. You will have to leave Scarlet Devil Mansion. And never come back." Remilia spoke bluntly and directly.

"Leave the mansion?!" Sakuya repeated, now thrice rocked to her core.

"It's the only way, Sakuya. I either have you forever, or I embrace the loneliness before I grow too attached to your presence."

And then silence, once more. Sakuya was rendered well and truly speechless by the ultimatum delivered to her: Become a vampire and remain at Remilia's side for eternity, or stay human and face banishment from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Before she could dwell on the repercussions of either choice, Remilia spoke again.

"I don't need to tell that not a word of this is to be spoken outside this room. Now, if you don't mind, I need my privacy."

Despite her thought patterns being scattered, her maid instincts immediately kicked in. She quickly moved to retrieve Remilia's tea tray, and with an unusual lack of grace, she fumbled with the tray almost spilling the contents of the teapot. Somehow recovering, she moved with haste to leave Remelia's private chamber. She didn't even glance back at the vampire. She couldn't bear to. Right now all she wanted was to be left alone with her thoughts, and far away from everyone.

.

That was almost 7 nights ago exactly. And depending on Sakuya's decision, tonight would be her last night in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The past week had taken its toll on her, despite it not being any more chaotic than an average week in Remilia's abode. Even with the Vampire's ultimatum weighing heavily on Sakuya's mind, she made sure not falter in her duties. The moments she had to reflect on her feelings were few and far between, and because of it, she became more liberal in using her time manipulation powers to extend these moments. As a side effect however, she was depriving herself of sleep. By the end of the week, she was looking physically tired, and feeling lethargic and extremely grouchy towards anyone who wasn't Remilia (which at one point almost caused Sakuya to draw knives on Hong Meiling when she was caught napping-again).

Although they looked human for the most part, the realm of Gensokyo was mostly populated by youkai, beast-kin, and other mythical beings. To actually be a human in this realm was something of a rarity, and Sakuya took a lot of pride in this. And if this wasn't enough, she held a position of authority as a human over creatures who were her seniors by centuries. On the other hand, there was Remilia herself to contend with. At some point, Sakuya grew close to the vampire to the point of falling in love with her, and Remilia had returned her affections in private. But then suddenly, Remilia withdrew, for reasons unknown to Sakuya until a week ago, which came down to her ultimatum-eternity or nothing. On the surface, the demands were extremely selfish on the Vampire's part. But were they really? Remilia could've left her to her miserable fate as an infant. Instead, she took her in. She gave Sakuya her name. She raised her. She gave her a home. She gave her authority. She gave her a sense of purpose and pride. And finally, she taught Sakuya how to tap into her latent powers. All she asked for in return was a bit of cooking and cleaning. And on top of that, Remilia was prepared to give Sakuya her love. Was it really selfish of Remilia to ask her to give up her humanity when she had given her so much, and was willing to give so much more?

In the end, it boiled down to a choice between pride and desire. Choosing one, would cost her the other.

Sakuya sighed quietly as she finished preparing Remilia's supper, shortbread biscuits and Earl Grey tea. Remilia had requested that Sakuya always bring two cups when bringing tea to her private quarters on the off chance she'd want her company for a while. Given the circumstances, tonight would be a certainty. She left the main kitchen, and made the long journey of stairs and hallways to Remilia's private chamber. Strengthening her resolve, she took one last deep breath, before knocking gently three times on the door.

"Enter." Remilia replied.

With a loud creak protruding from the large wooden doors, Sakuya entered to find Remilia patiently seated at her tea table positioned not too far from her bed. Her ruby eyes glistened brightly despite or maybe because of the room being dimly lit. Sakuya could barely make out a warm smile on Remilia's lips. One that only Sakuya has had the pleasure of seeing. Seeing it nerved Sakuya, given the weight of what tonight's events might bring down on the two of them. She began to feel uneasy about her mistress's current mood and mind state, but pushed through it, and proceeded as she normally would. She silently approached the tea table, before placing the tray in front of Remilia. Sakuya then went about preparing Remilia's first cup. She poured the tea first, then one spoonful of sugar. She then materialised a knife in her left hand and held her right over Remilia's cup to add the final ingredient. Exactly five drops of Sakuya's blood.

"Won't be necessary tonight." Remilia spoke, causing Sakuya to pause. "Please, sit."

Whenever Sakuya brought Remilia tea, she always insisted on mixing it with the head maid's blood whether in public or private. Tonight would be the first night that she drunk tea in Sakuya's presence without her blood. As she sat down, Sakuya had to wonder if the Vampire was beginning to cleanse herself from the taste of her blood, or…..

"You've requested my blood to be mixed in your tea, my lady as long as I have been able to serve it to you. May I ask why you've forgone it tonight?"

"Tonight is special." Remilia replied, as she intently took a sip from her tea.

"You're right." Sakuya frowned. "This could be the last night I get to spend with you."

"Possibly your last night of captivity and servitude. Is that not something to celebrate?"

Remilia seemed to be putting a positive spin on the idea of leaving Scarlet Devil Mansion as though she were giving Sakuya the chance to obtain freedom. It was frustratingly impossible to figure out what the vampire was playing at. Was she trying to convince herself that maybe letting go of Sakuya was a good thing? Or was this simply to test how much the maid really wanted to stay with her?

"I….. haven't really thought much on what I'd do if I were to leave" Sakuya confessed, biting back her frustration.

"Well….. I'm sure Reimu might have need of you at her shrine. Maybe you could find a place amongst your own kind in the human village. Or perhaps you could cross over into the outer world, where humans are more commonplace. Although with their dependence on science and technology, your aptitude with magic might come off as frightening."

Again, the vampire's words leant strongly towards Sakuya leaving. If she wasn't aware of the double meanings Remilia was capable of portraying with words. Exhausted and agitated due loss of sleep from worrying about this final decision, Sakuya Izayoi was in no mood to play her mistress's mind games tonight.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd get the idea that you might actually want me gone." Sakuya spoke almost at shout volume as she shot out from her chair. "Or maybe I truly don't know any better!"

"Sakuya….."

"What do you want from me, Remilia?!"

"You know what I want." She spoke calmly in the face of her maid's anger.

"Then why speak as though my leaving your side is a good thing?!"

"Because I know how strong your pride is in what you are, Sakuya. I know how much you value being human." Remilia calmly rose from her chair, and approached Sakuya, wrapping her hands around the maid's balled fists.

"Which is why I've given you this last choice. A chance at freedom, or an eternity with me." The tears flowing from Remilia's eyes melted Sakuya's mood, and her fists gradually opened

"Tell me, Remilia." Sakuya spoke, now at the point of tears herself. "what good is freedom without a purpose to follow?"

"What good is pride without the one who instilled it in me?"

She laced her fingers with Remilia's and held on for dear life.

"These silly little things mean nothing to me, if it means losing the most important person in my life!"

"Sakuya, are you saying that-"

"I'll do it!" The maid cried out, as she fell to her knees. "I pledge myself to you as your maid, from now till the end of time. And beyond."

Remilia stood frozen for a moment, with her warm smile still fixed to her face. She then slowly detached her hands from Sakuya's before taking the maid's head and pressing it against her stomach.

"This path you're taking for me. It won't be an easy one." The vampire said, brushing her fingers through the silver locks of Sakuya's hair.

She said nothing, and instead snuggled closer to Remilia to indicate her understanding. She didn't care. Nothing about life in the Scarlet Devil mansion was easy. But the love its mistress was able to give made all the hardships worth it.

"And still you've chosen to cross it for me. You truly are…. Irreplaceable."

"So what has to happen for me to turn?" Sakuya asked.

"Well….." Remilia replied, as she lowered herself to look her maid in the eye. "I need to take some of your blood, modify it, and return it to your system."

"And how will you do that?"

"Don't worry about the details. I just need you to relax."

"As you wish….."

Sakuya shuddered as Remilia slowly untied the bow on her shirt before undoing a few buttons so that she could expose the maid's slender neck. She instantly felt stupid for asking Remilia how she was going to turn her. She knew more than enough about vampires to know better. There would be no magic rituals or instantaneous transformations here. But for all the knowledge she possessed, she still had no idea what to expect when it came to experiencing the changes herself. She imagined that they would happen subtly over the course of a month at most, but even this was just guesswork on her part. But she knew this much: It would all start with a bite.

She felt the chill of Remilia's cold breath over the side of her neck. As if her body began acting on its own power, Sakuya tilted her head to the side to allow easier access. She barely had time to register Remilia's lips over her neck before feeling two ivory stakes pressing against the skin. With a slight push, they broke through, scoring the sweet wine of Sakuya's veins, and earning a loud gasp from the maid's lips. It hurt, but surprisingly far less than she expected. She wasn't sure how it was happening, but Sakuya could feel whole mouthfuls of blood leave her neck through Remilia's fangs. Then she felt another mouthful leave. Then another. At this point, the thought of Remilia having deceived her just for the chance to drink her dry entered the mind.

I have to trust you. The maid repeated over and over again in her head like a mantra to ease her increasingly terrified mind.

Finally, a wash of relief came over her when she felt fluid re-enter her body. Now Sakuya realised why Remilia refused the maid's blood in her tea. She was double dipping, taking as many mouthfuls of Sakuya's human blood as she could get away with before taking claim to her as her eternal maid. The vampire worked herself into a pattern. Three mouthfuls out, and one mouthful in. Gradually, Sakuya began to feel warm, lightheaded, and tingly across her skin. She wasn't sure if it was due to the loss of blood, or the way Remilia gently rolled her tongue across her neck to lap up anything her fangs missed. Or the way she gently supported Sakuya, with slender digits tracing lines across Sakuya's back.

In her mind, it ended before it began. Slowly, Remilia withdrew her fangs from Sakuya's neck, giving it one last gentle kiss before pulling away to make eye contact with her maid. With her eyes glazed over, and her breath shaky, she vaguely looked back at remelia.

"I should return… I should….." She stuttered as she awkwardly got to her feet.

Her legs felt like jelly, and managed only one step before doubling back. She expected to meet the ground hard, only to find herself falling into Remilia's open arms. Now off her feet, she let any pretence of self-control slip, as she felt herself being scooped up and carried. Her last moment of consciousness was being placed down on a bed, and Remilia snuggling into her side.