It was an eerie night, as it had always commonly been in the surrounding vicinity of Hime's mansion. After having been released from school, Hiro excruciatingly began the climb up the hill leading to the mansion, the place he started to call "home" the moment he died and became Hime's immortal warrior. After a few minutes, he arrived at the worn-out, iron gates. He slowly opened them and soon walked past the withering flowers of the front yard to the most gigantic doors that led to the interior of the large building, he still found it amazing how easy and light the doors were to open in contrast to their size. He found Riza vigorously polishing the stair railing the moment he stepped in.
Riza kept at it until she felt someone's eyes on her. She lifted her gaze over to Hiro's direction. "Ah, Hiro, welcome back. How was school?" she asked energetically, never stopping the movement of her hand on the railing.
"A-ah, it was fine," Hiro answered nervously as he scratched the back of his head, holding his school bag with the other hand. That was just his nature. "What are you doing, Riza-san?"
"Well, I figured that since I'm just a homeless person whom Hime has taken in "—she suddenly raised her voice, loud enough for anyone, or everyone, in the entire mansion to hear—"I might as well contribute to the well-being of this place and not slack off like a freeloader who sleeps all the freaking day!"
"Please keep it down up there, lack of sleep is an enemy to natural beauty," a carefree, yet elegant, voice soon followed in response from the mansion's basement.
"Get your lazy butt up here before I get down there and drag you out of that coffin myself!" Riza roared, kicking the floor multiple times in repetition.
Not too long after that, Reiri came in dejectedly hovering from somewhere along the right of the stairs. She was covered in what seemed little white pieces of dust. She had missed school today, but it was not a very surprising since every student, including her fan club, had gotten used to her frequent absences. Sighing in disdain, she said to Riza, "Thanks to your childish rampage up here, little bits of debris came off the ceiling and dirtied me…"
"Stop your complaining and take this," Riza said, shoving a broom into Reiri's hands.
"You're still going to be the one to fix my ceiling, since it was your fault in the first place," Reiri said, getting a good grip on the broom.
"It was yours for slacking!" Riza retorted.
"But it's too early for me to get up~" Reiri said, yawning.
"It's five in the afternoon!"
Hiro contently watched as the two argued. He knew they got along much better than they appeared to, and their pride just got in the way. Soon after, his older sister appeared at the top left of the stairs, holding a tray with rare tea and luxurious cups. She found Hiro waving at her; had it not been for the silver tray she was holding, she would have waved back. Instead, she just smiled.
"Hiro," she called with lively cheerfulness as she stepped down the stairwell. "Oujo-sama requests your presence immediately…or else... That is what she said."
Hiro tentatively nodded and hurriedly made his way up the stairs to Hime's room, or at least the room where she spent most of the time in. He opened the doors and found Hime's slim figure calmly sipping tea before the window, the sun beginning to set. He thought she looked like a portrait, and hoped that she would remain in that position for a little while longer, just so that he could marvel at it.
"Fuga," Flandre, who stood by Hime's side, greeted Hiro as he proceeded to closing the door.
"Hiro," Hime began, delicately setting her cup of tea upon the table. "The effects of my blood are dissipating, aren't they?"
"Y-yes," Hiro answered guardedly, managing a tighter grip on his bag pack.
Hime allowed an enigmatic smirk to form upon her lips. "Flandre, hand me that knife over there," she ordered.
Flandre didn't hesitate to grab the butter knife that Hime had used in the morning. Strangely, that was the only utensil that Sawawa had left untouched. The moment she received the knife, Hime cut her index finger and blood began to drip from it, bits blood falling on the carpeted floor and staining it.
"Don't just stand there, Hiro," Hime said. "Royal blood is not to be wasted."
Hiro ran awkwardly over to where Hime resided, dropping his school bag midway, and kneeled before her, right beneath her hand. He let her blood fall into his mouth and land on his tongue, but he was careful not to make any actual contact with Hime's hand itself.
Hiro wiped his mouth after he was done replenishing of his life, and Flandre handed Hime a Hello Kitty band-aid.
"Flandre, a normal band-aid would have done just fine," Hime said, her temple popping out a bit.
"Fuga," Flandre said, nodding.
Someone knocked on the door.
"You may enter," Hime said grandly.
Reiri and Riza stepped in--Riza wore a frown, and Reiri the usual scowl.
"Hime-sama," Reiri whined, closing her eyes, "how much longer do I have to put up with this dog?"
"I should be the one to ask that," Riza snapped, closing the door behind her.
"Severin has died, but that does not mean that any of us are safe," Hime explained calmly, she had gathered everyone she needed. "Reiri: you've been banned from the vampire circle ever since you cooperated with Riza to save Hiro. They destroyed your church and therefore you've come to live here"
"Sorry," Hiro muttered, ashamed of his own weakness.
"Riza: you're here to avenge your brother's death, and the culprit is one of my siblings. But you have not found that person just yet; therefore you're waiting for them here. Not to mention, you're a half-breed."
Riza leaned on the wall and nodded stubbornly.
"Hiro: you're my immortal warrior, and Sawawa brought you here in the first place."
Hiro was a little disappointed to hear that, he didn't get a long reason like Riza and Reiri. And to add to that, he was paired up with his sister. So was he considered just part of a set?
"Flandre: she's my gynoid."
Well, at least Flandre's was shorter.
"Do any of you find a chain of connection here?" Hime queried, eyeing everyone inquiringly.
"W-what do you mean?" Riza asked, scratching the side of her face in contemplation.
Reiri put her thinking cap on and remained silent. Hiro just looked around, as if to find the answer somewhere in the room. Flandre's facial expression didn't change, so one couldn't quite tell what was going on in her mind.
"Hmph," Reiri grunted, getting everyone's attention. "Hime-sama, we're all outcasts, aren't we?"
"Exactly," Hime said, clasping her hands together in front of her, setting her elbows on the table.
Riza and Hiro were no Sherlocks, so Flandre tried to explain. "Fuga fuga fuga, fuga fuga fuga fuga fuga. Fuga fuga fuga, fuga fuga fuga, fuga."
"It is just as Flandre said," Hime said perceptively.
"Oh, I understand now," Riza said, grinning. "Flandre, you're very articulate!"
"Eto…" Hiro was still left out in the cold.
"I've been banned from the vampire circle, Riza is a half-breed, Hime-sama's from the demon realm, Flandre is an android, Hiro, you're not even human anymore, and Sawawa"—Reiri paused—"well, she was abnormal from the beginning."
Yes, my sister is one of a kind, Hiro thought, a little embarrassed. "But I think I get it now…"
"But what does this have to do with anything?" Riza asked.
"Riza, do you enjoy being an outcast?" Hime suddenly asked.
Riza was caught off guard. "Well, I don't exactly enjoy it, but I don't like it, either. Everyone treats me like trash," she admitted, looking somewhere else to avoid Hime's all-knowing, piercing gaze.
"One of my siblings has been defeated, only six remain, Sherwood and myself included," Hime continued. "The siblings in the royal family and their factions are all outcasts."
"What are you trying to say, Hime?" Hiro asked cautiously.
"Just as Riza hates being an outcast, so do they," she replied. "Therefore, the only way to find their place again, is to fight the others and obtain their rightful throne. Of course, I couldn't care less about who gets the throne. I don't fight for authority, I fight to stay alive."
Hiro was in awe, Hime was indeed someone intriguing and worthy of admiration. More than once he had seen her fight, with grace and valor, never flinching—that was his one and only mistress, and he felt nothing but utter respect for her, or at least that's what he told himself after the little kiss-slap incident. Anyhow, if Hiro were to have a say in all this, then Hime would be the rightful ruler of the demon realm.
"Hiro"—Hime's voice snapped him back into reality—"what are you doing standing there like an idiot?"
Hiro looked around and noticed that everyone was gone, except for Flandre. Apparently, he had zoned out at the last part of Hime's beautiful speech—if there even was one.
"I-I'm sorry, I missed what you said," Hiro apologized.
Hime sighed in exhaustion. "I said that we will continue to live our lives here in this city without disruption, and if my siblings wish to engage in battle, then they shall be the ones to come to me."
"Ah, y-yes!" Hiro bowed and left the room. He then realized he left his bag in Hime's room and returned, grabbed it, bowed again, and left…again.
"That Hiro…" Hime said in dejection, though her features soon changed afterward, into a callous one. "But he is the one who holds the most potential."
"Fuga" was all Flandre said, standing right beside her.
"We have to end this battle before I become an adult," Hime said in a serious tone, gazing at the last blinding portion of the setting sun that was left.
"Fuga," replied Flandre.
Hime took a hold of Flandre's right hand and pressed her opposing thumb, the gynoid's expression remained that of a clueless one, as if it had not felt anything.
"This recording session is now over," Hime finally said, and let go of Flandre's thumb.
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"Ah, Riza-san," Hiro called as he walked down the stairs, having come upon Riza, who was now done with polishing the stair railings and supervising Reiri's brooming. Sawawa was dusting.
"Oh, what's up, Hiro?" Riza asked, and then turned back to Reiri's direction. "Hey, you missed a spot!"
"Y-you're lucky you're one of Hime's subordinates, or else I'd be whacking you with this broom right now!" Reiri said angrily, her brooming becoming faster and more ravenous.
"Riza-san, I've been wondering for a while now," Hiro said casually. "Why is it that you, Hime, Reiri-san, and Onee-sama wear the same thing every day? Do you do your laundry every single day? Or is it a girl thing?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
"Hmph," someone let out a malevolent chuckle. Hiro turned around to find Hime at the top of the stairs, a malicious grin plastered upon her face. "Would you care to know, Hiro?"
Hiro's lower lip quivered. "F-forget I asked!" he said, running past Hime and toward his room at lightning speed.
"Pity," Hime said, feigning ruefulness. "Then it'll remain a secret."