Ah, I write some more.

I actually inspired myself... When I wrote some lyrics for a song for my UTAU. Simple, but powerful...? Eh.

Usotsuki means "liar." Tis Japanese of course. So naturally "Usotsuki, Usotsuki" means "Liar, Liar" and is the name of the song I wrote... Yup.

Please beware of insane game spoilers pretty much all the way through. Sorry, dears.

And now it begins.

Usotsuki, Usotsuki

Chapter One

Of Chaos and Curses

PROLOGUE

I am one of a very dishonest nature. Or, simply, I'm a horrible liar. I'm not very honest with most everybody, and the sad thing is that I'm not even good at lying. Quite the opposite - I'm a terrible liar. I can't even make eye contact when spurting my nonsense... though I can't even make eye contact during normal conversation, seeing as I'm "socially challenged."

Anyways, I guess I should start... er, continue... with my name and all. Unfortunately I'll be lying about that as well, seeing as I despise my real name. I go by the alias of Temari Haruhara. I'll be honest about my age: I'm fifteen years old. Also, in case you didn't already know, I am a GIRL. So many people mistake me for a guy that it defies logic. Well, I do wear baggy boys' clothes... but that's just because I hate girly stuff and I'm ever so defiant.

Now the story I'll be telling. Due to my dishonest reputation, and the simple fact that it's insane and defies all logic, no sane person will believe it. In retrospect, it makes a surprisingly good read, though. Perhaps this is how my name will be known - Temari Haruhara, the writer who insists that lies are truth and truth are lies. I can't say much for my writing skills, I'm afraid, but if this does happen to be of use somehow, then I can say I've accomplished something...

As I recall, this whole ordeal began with an ordinary Friday night at home, playing an awesome video game that my friend Kyle was kind enough to lend to me. I was playing it through for the second time before returning it, because I loved it so and would grieve when I had to let it exchange hands.

This game happens to be called Tales of the Abyss for the PlayStation 2 system. Before I actually got to play the game, I had only very briefly heard of it and knew nothing of its plot, characters, or setting. When Kyle told me he had it and wouldn't mind letting me borrow it, my first thought was "Sure, what the hell? Let's see how long it takes me to give up on it..."

As it turns out, within ten minutes of starting the game I was HOOKED. I only really disliked two things about this amazing work of art: 1. the man wearing a belly shirt. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it when men show off their stomachs like that. It BOTHERS me. 2. At the end, one of the characters confesses "love" to another. THEY RUINED EVERYTHING. Now, which two characters? I can't say, because I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who haven't played the game, or are just starting to. I only say they "ruined it" because I utterly despise pairings of any sort. I especially dislike yaoi and yuri. I have nothing against homosexuals, I have a LOT against people who take two perfectly STRAIGHT characters and put them in a gay pairing. I see that as twisted and cruel...

Anyways, I had just beaten Sync at the core and I had a stroke of tremendous misfortune - the power went out before I could save. Needless to say my dad and brother were treated with the sound of my anguished cry of "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Which probably woke my mother up... which is why I now take the liberty to wonder how I'm still alive.

So, after awhile, as I sat there grumbling and cursing at the storm, and power outages, and lazy people at the electric power corp, and flashlight showers, I saw what I first thought to be a flash of lightning through my window. Then I remembered that the rain had stopped some time ago, and that the power had probably gone out only because the jerks at the power corps think they're funny. I am as curious (and nosy) as I am dishonest, so I shoved on my shoes and jacket and went outside to investigate this mysterious light.

Now at this point, I don't really remember what happened. It all whirred by so fast. I do remember stepping outside and swearing foully at the cold air. Then I can kind of remember wandering around my front yard for a bit. I know I recall hearing a weird noise behind me, because I'm bloody paranoid and it scared the living crap out of me. I probably freaked out and started running back towards my house... and after that it's a blank.

The first thing I became aware of when I suddenly was thrust back into consciousness was the pain. It felt like an elephant had tap-danced on my head. I groaned and shielded my face as a bright light came into view. I shook my head slightly (then regretted it, as it felt like my brains were getting mixed up in a blender) then cautiously looked around. My clothes were oddly filthy and tattered, and I noticed some little nicks and abrasions on my legs and arms. I already had a bad feeling, and the sight of sheer straight up walls did not improve this feeling at all. I felt my heart skip a beat as I thrust my aching body into a sitting position. I examined the signs, none of which I could read, and a few people that were hurrying on by on their urgent business, apparently oblivious to the strange girl behind the stairs.

"N-no way..." I gasped, surprised at how hoarse my voice was. "This... looks like... Baticul..." At that point I decided that I was having a very strange and realistic dream. But, alas, you know how these things work. You don't feel pain in dreams, and my head was absolutely killing me...

So before I could even make an attempt at rational thought, I took a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. Needless to say, THAT got me an awful lot of attention. A mousy girl sitting behind the left side stairway screeching for no reason? Who WOULDN'T stare?

I was forced to stop screaming when my voice broke and I burst into a coughing fit instead. Two soldiers temporarily abandoned their posts beside the elevators and rushed down the stairs to see what all the commotion was about. Now, I know I should have sat there and cooperated, but at the sight of these two armored guys carrying bladed scythe things I had a panic attack and RAN. In my state of blind terror, I didn't even head for the bridge that would take me out of Baticul - I rushed for the aircar on the right. As some may know, that leads to the PORT, and would do me no good whatsoever. But I was scared shitless and didn't even try to think things through.

I got to the aircar and tried to get inside the thing but a soldier grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back. Uh, OW. I tried to tear my way to freedom, but another soldier grabbed my arms and further restrained me. At this point I was hysterical and, shamefully, near tears. I fell to my knees and started taking frantic, shaky breaths as I tried to keep from crying. Another soldier came up and knelt next to me.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked roughly. I blinked back tears, coughed again, and simply stared hopelessly at the ground. 'What's the matter?' I scream and run and scream some more and all this dipshit can say is THAT?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." I chanted, shaking, with a steady gaze at the ground.

"You're not in trouble, kid. Just tell us what's wrong."

"I'm SORRY!" I yelled. "I didn't mean to scream, I swear! I just... I..." I faltered, unable to think up a good excuse for my frantic screaming and running... thing. I took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry... just... please let me go... I promise I won't scream again..." I muttered, getting to my feet. The soldiers exchanged a look - or, they seemed to. Their helmets faced each other for a bit, anyway. They seemed to reach a mutual agreement, and let me go without another word. They all grudgingly returned to their stations by the elevators (and one in front of the aircar on the other side) and at that point, I seated myself firmly on the ground and took deep breaths until I managed to calm down enough to think a little (which took about ten minutes...) I got up, dusted myself off a bit, and started walking in a random direction, ignoring all the weird looks I was getting and muttering to myself.

"O-okay... so I'm in Baticul..." I mumbled to myself. "First things first - I need to find a place to stay. Then a job... but I'll probably have to learn their alphabet first... damn... and who would hire me...? And how am I going to learn this alphabet thing anyway...?" I sighed and seated myself on the wall next to a random door with letters on it that I couldn't read. "Well, wait... what do I have with me...?" I asked myself. I immediately shed my jacket and searched my pockets, which earned me another weird look from the soldier at the elevator to my left.

I spread out my discoveries in front of me, and they are as follows: a cigarette lighter I stole from Dad for kicks, my Japanese-English dictionary (that was falling apart), my iPod, a crumbled up wad of notebook paper, and a dime.

Basically nothing of any real use. DAMN. I swore under my breath and whacked the back of my head against the wall behind me, which caused the nearby soldiers to stare some more. I slowly turned my head to stare back at the one to my left.

"Uh, hey... do you know where I can get paper and a writing utencil...?" I asked quietly. I figured the first thing I should do would be to start practicing the lovely Fonic alphabet. I was apparently standing in front of the inn. I could see that the last two symbols were the same, and there were three symbols total, so... just a not-so-educated guess.

I was fortunate enough to get such a writing utencil from a bypasser, then hastily uncrumbled the paper I had and made a messy chart. I carefully copied the symbols for 'I' and 'N' next to their American counterparts, all while under the wary stare of the nearest soldier. Now, I was fortunate in my guess that the Fonic alphabet corresponds to the one I know. The same number of symbols and everything, and for the same sounds. That was a large stroke of luck for me... Anyway, I decided to ask the nearby soldier about any hopes for employment.

"Uh... hey..." I muttered, as an attempt to get his attention. The helmet promptly turned back towards me. "Umm... do you know of any places that are hiring...?"

"Yes, actually." I was taken aback at the casual, non-cryptic response. Then my spirits lifted. Ah, a job possibility! Where there's a job, there's money, and where there's money, there's food! And I knew that I shouldn't have any issues with age requirements - Anise had a job at age thirteen, so...

But Anise doesn't live in Kimlasca. There very well could be an issue with my age here...

"Uhm... do you think I have any chance of getting the job...?" I asked quietly, shuffling my feet uneasily.

"Sure. You should be eligible as long as you're at least fourteen years old."

"Oh, good..." I sighed in relief. "Umm, sorry to keep bothering you, but... Where is this job opening exactly?" I asked. I hastily shoved my meager belongings back into my pockets and got ready to write. The soldier replied simply, as if it were no big deal at all:

"Duke Fabre's manor." My stomach dropped instantly.

"B-but... wait... why would the duke want to hire anybody? What job does he need done?" I asked shakily. If it's a sword teacher or something, I can't. No talent whatsoever, a-yup.

"He simply wants another servant to replace the one that was fired for stealing. You'll probably just be asked to clean." Another huge sigh of relief. I might hate it, but even I could clean. It was a job, and it would feed me, so ha.

I just hope I don't have to wear one of those freakin' maid oufits. I'll really hate that...

I thanked the soldier about four times, bowed, and rushed toward the elevator to my right, which I knew led straight up to the castle. The duke's manor is right next door, so... yeah. The only problem with that was an insane (and irrational) fear of heights. I filed carefully past the soldier and boarded the elevator. As soon as it started to move, I covered my face with my hands. I had to... I never knew Baticul got so high up... And as I mentioned before, I'm terrified of heights.

As the elevator jerked to a stop, I immediately ran out and away from it to avoid getting an accidental glance downward. I suddenly got very, very nervous. Wh-what if they don't let me in? What if I don't get the job? What if he's already hired someone else? I thought anxiously as I approached the soldier in front of the duke's manor. I cleared my throat a bit to get his attention, which worked well as the shiny metal helmet turned my way.

"E-excuse me..." I managed. "I-I heard that the duke was hiring..." I gulped and clenched my hands into fists. Shape up, Haruhara. No way you're getting a job if you keep acting like your usual anti-social emo kid self. To my surprise, the soldier stepped aside promptly and gestured towards the door.

"Ah, an applicant. Please, go on in." I steeled myself some more, insisting mentally that this was probably the only chance I'd get and messing up wasn't an option. I bowed and thanked the soldier graciously, then opened the door and stepped briskly inside.

It was even more magnificent than in the game. The tapestries, the weapons...! I stood in awe before the huge sword monument thing, which was an awesome sight even though I knew how the duke had gotten it. I got a few strange looks from the maids, and from Ramdas. I felt very awkward at that point, and immediately straightened my bad posture.

"Umm..." I mentally slapped myself. "Hello. I, uh, was hoping to apply for a job here..." Before I could say anything else, a door to my right opened and out comes Luke himself. Unfortunately, I happened to be in his way and he smashed right into me. I gasped and stumbled backwards, instantly dropping to my knees.

"Hey, what the-?" I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just bowed my head and mentally slapped myself some more for being so stupid.

"Ah, Master Luke." Ramdas saved me! Ha! "I've been told to inform you that Commandant Grants will be here shortly."

"I know. He's never been late." Luke apparently turned back to me. "So, who's that? Don't tell me it's another stupid job hunter..." I gulped and bowed my head lower, so low that my nose was almost touching the marble floor. Crap. I'm at the point where Luke's still a bitch. Dammit.

"Yes, Master Luke. This is another job applicant." I could hear Luke make an unpleasant noise.

"Well tell him to get his face off the floor. What a moron..." I sat there in numb shock for a few seconds. What the hell...? Did he just call me a guy...? I shot to my feet immediately after that and silently glared at Luke's retreating back, marvelling at how long his hair was. How can he put up with that...?

"Don't mind the young master's words." I looked back over at Ramdas. "I will tell the Duke that you want to apply for the job. Please wait here," he ordered. With that, he turned on his heel and marched off toward the door I knew led to the drawing room. I sighed and rubbed my head. Haruhara, don't touch anything. Don't even breathe on anything. Just stand and wait... it could take awhile...

I stood stock still for about ten minutes, ignoring the looks I was getting from the maids around the room. Sure is fancy, though... freakin' rich people always have to show off, eh? Especially freakin' nobility... I was shaken out of my thoughts when Ramdas returned and marched towards me.

"The duke will see you now." WHOA, the DUKE? I thought I'd just have to talk to this guy or something, NOT THE FREAKIN' DUKE! I nodded and bowed my head.

"Thank you, sir," I stated quietly. Ramdas seemed to approve, but made no mention and simply pointed to the door. I bowed my head again and instantly headed that way, taking great pains so as not to trip over the crimson carpet. I can't believe I'm actually gonna talk to the DUKE. Does he really get involved in such trivial things? No wonder this country has problems... I put a halt to all these thoughts as I gently knocked on the dark wood of the door. A brusque voice granted me entry, and I promptly opened the door and shuffled in, being careful not to mess up the carpet. Weird, though, how they have marble floor and then just some carpet, like a path...

I was greeted by the sight of not just Duke Fabre, but Susanne as well. I quietly closed the door behind me and immediately bowed, trying hard to make a good impression. The duke simply gestured toward an unoccupied chair. I gulped, unwilling to touch something so valuable seeing as I'm a bloody klutz and tend to break things. I cautiously seated myself, and forced my body into a position similar to the one I was forced to assume during Keyboarding class.

"Th-thank you... for your consideration, sir..." I stuttered. SHAPE UP. EITHER TALK LIKE NORMAL OR GO HUNGRY. "My name is Temari Haruhara. I hope I meet your standards, and I hope that if I do that I can be of great service to House Fabre."

"What a polite girl," Susanne gushed. She turned to look at the duke. "She certainly seems devoted. Can't we hire her, dear?" I tried to look politely composed, but I was doing a happy dance on the inside already. I won her over already! Maybe it's not so hopeless after all! I MIGHT BE ABLE TO EAT TONIGHT!

The duke seemed to be considering the matter very seriously. I gulped and clenched my hands into fists in an attempt to stop shaking. After a dreadfully long pause, he looked up and said: "Very well. You're hired."

It took every ounce of self-control in my body not to jump up and scream "YESSSSSSSSSS!" I stood up and bowed my head yet again.

"Th-thank you so much, sir! I promise I'll work very hard!" I replied excitedly. I straightened up and tried to compose myself again. "If I may ask, sir, is there any specific task you would like to charge me with right now?" I asked, trying to sound as humble and... maid-like as possible.

"No, just get settled in first, dear," Susanne spoke up, smiling kindly. Yay for nice people. I bowed again.

"Th-then if Your Grace would excuse me, I need to make living arrangements immediately..." I was answered with a gentle laugh from Susanne.

"Oh, there's no need for that, dear. Just take one of our spare rooms." I almost choked on air.

"B-but ma'am, are you sure that's all right? I don't want to be of any trouble..." I stammered, secretly hoping that she was serious about the offer. Job AND place to stay. Two birds with one stone. Epic win. Still, impressions are important... if I just went 'okay, thanks' that'd probably cost me a few points...

"It's no trouble at all. I believe the room across from Pere's is empty, so feel free to take that one," Susanne replied. Holy crap, this woman was nice. I could tell that she was frail and all, though, judging by her pale face and everything. I bowed again, struggling to keep my composure when I was doing the Caramelldansen on the inside out of sheer happiness.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much!" I gushed, sounding like an idiot and just remembering to keep my voice down. I was led to the previously mentioned spare room by a surprised Ramdas, who obviously didn't expect me to get the job. I entered said room in a sort of happy daze and sat down on the edge of the rather hard mattress. It was a very nice room - with red carpet and walls, a simple desk with an unused notebook on it, a door which apparently led to a bathroom, and a small window on the wall across from the door. Simple, but more than enough. I wasn't expecting to get to live in the MANOR. For FREE.

After awhile I walked over to the desk and picked up the notebook, examining it idly. I think I'll just take this... and though I hate to be like Luke at this point... I sat down at the desk, opened the notebook to the first page, and after a slight pause, began to write...

So I don't know how the dating system works here. It was winter back home, but it feels more like late summer/early fall here. Ah, well, who needs dates? I'm insanely happy right now because I got a job at Duke Fabre's manor. Susanne was even nice enough to let me LIVE here. I know that Guy and Pere do, but... yeah. LET ME FEEL SPECIAL, DAMMIT.

I know I'm not out of the woods yet. I know that I ended up a bit before the game begins, so I have no idea what's going to happen until Tear shows up and tries to kill Van. Until then, I guess I'll just be doing lots and lots of cleaning... and hopefully I'll avoid Luke. He really is an asshole at this point. He didn't even apologize for smashing into me earlier... though that was mostly my fault, for just standing there all "DDDUUUUUHH" and stuff. And I can't believe he called me a guy... I don't even look like one! I have long hair (though not as long as his, I'll admit) and... PARTS that guys don't have! WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP THINKING I'M A GUY UNTIL I TALK? Geez...

Anyway, I have some planning to do. I'm feeling ambitious, and it may help me in getting home, so I'm going to try to join Luke on his epic journey thing. In that case, I'll need to buy a sword... along with a wooden one to practice with. WHERE AM I GOING TO GET THE MONEY FOR THAT? The wooden sword shouldn't be too much of a problem, but... yeah. I think I'll buy a broadsword. Epic win. Food and clothes comes first, though. Susanne made no mention of those horrible little maid outfits, but I didn't talk to her and the duke for very long... so if I wake up to see one folded up on the edge on my bed, I can be sad.

Holy CRAP, I just realized that my room is right across from Guy's. Major character that ISN'T an asshole. He could help me with the secret sword practice, actually... I don't think Luke would take me seriously; and if I asked Van, Luke would probably have a shit fit and feed me to rabid rappigs. Then again, Guy might not be so willing to help because of his condition... so I guess I'll just go to that dojo in town during my spare time. Yeah, that'll work.

So now... I think I'll stop wasting time and get to work. I'll go talk to the maids and stuff. Making friends among staff members could make things easier. And besides, as far as cleaning this place goes I have no idea where to freakin' START.

And it's a good thing I'm not able to write in the Fonic alphabet. This way, even if someone does happen to get this and open it up and stuff, they won't be able to read it anyway! My secrets are safe indeed!

Seriously, I need to stop writing now...

~Temari Haruhara

And so the end of chapter one.

Is it okay? Ish?

Edit: Ha ha, fixed it up! No more useless little plot points that will never be used here! Also, things make a little more sense now! Next chapter, then...