A/N: I own nothing of Maid-Sama. Enjoy!
Since the previous patriarchal world of the centuries past, the Roses have risen to balance out the gender inequalities that subjected those of the female persuasion to the status of mere slaves. No longer were the few female elementalists relegated to mere roles of healers, if they had been lucky enough for their powers to not be repressed.
Now the Roses are revered, respected, valued, even feared.
Each color of a Rose symbolizes the strongest specialty the Rose possesses, though all Roses have the ability to manifest far more than their delegated specialty.
And the strongest Rose of them all, most feared for the blood-painted battlefields she leaves in her path...
Bloody Rose.
"Hanazono Sakura!" The austere but strikingly beautiful woman handed a polished magic staff of white elder to the pink-haired girl, her pigtails swaying in the light breeze. "All hail the White Rose!"
"Kaga Shizuko!" A serene girl in glasses walked out to receive her graduation gift, a sapphire ring imbued with the power to store Shizuko's seemingly endless water magic. "All hail the Blue Rose!"
"Ayuzawa Misaki!" Misaki stepped forward. The rest of her classmates smiled at her, and she grinned back.
They were finally graduating, from their selection to the Rose Academy as Roses-in-Training at the tender age of ten to the completion of their training at twenty one. After years of intense training, they were finally able to make a difference in the world.
They were finally Roses.
Misaki knew what color of Rose she was called out to be. Originally she had expected to be the White Rose or the Crimson Rose, for her aptitude for healing and control over fire were far advanced than most of her peers. But Sakura had edged her out by just one point on their final exam and Nakomoto Teru had just as much control of fire as Misaki did. But unexpectedly to her, no one came close to her ability to grow poisonous plants or detect and resist poisons like she did.
All the Roses had the ability to control over multiple elements, no matter what their specialty was. They were healers but they could be warriors or assassins, performing whatever duty the Empire assigned them. All were impervious to most poisons, having been fed small doses of most of the known poisons in the land until they acquired immunity to those poisons.
With Misaki's turn, the Headmistress handed her a gleaming long dagger in its leather sheath. The hilt was inlaid with gold and amber, matching her amber eyes.
"All hail the Yellow Rose!"
"Misaki!" Sakura cheerfully called out. "How exciting is this? We've finally graduated!"
"Yes, I wonder what our assignments will be. It's very likely we might not see each other for a long time," Shizuko put in.
"Aw, why did you have to remind us of that, Shizuko? Now, graduation is going to seem so sad," Sakura pouted.
Misaki laughed, ruffling Sakura's hair. "Don't worry, Sakura, we can always meet up. But think of the positive things; we'll explore the lands, help our people and have all sorts of exciting adventures."
"You're right! Thanks, Misaki, you can always make me feel better. Oh, I see Kuuga-kun! I'll see you girls in a bit!" Sakura ran off, with Shizuko shaking her head.
"She really needs to pick better men," Shizuko muttered, following Sakura. But before the pair had even reached talking distance with Kuuga, a crowd of fawning fangirls had gathered around the young royal musician, nearly toppling Shizuko to the ground in their haste to reach Kuuga.
"Misaki."
Misaki turned around to face the soft voice. "Mom," She said warmly. "Are you feeling better? Maybe you should stay inside. It's been quite chilly these days. Should you be walking out like this?" Misaki fussed over her mother's clothing. Though it was spring, the weather was still quite damp. Shizuko had mentioned that she sensed rain coming in.
Ayuzawa Minako smiled back at her eldest daughter, her second daughter Suzuna in tow. The Ayuzawa females were similar in appearance, boasting raven black hair and striking amber eyes set in smooth skin. However, whereas Suzuna and Misaki were the perfect pictures of health, Minako's illness showed through the yellow pallor of her skin.
"Misaki, you're starting to sound like the mother instead. And where does that leave me? Besides, it'll do me good to get fresh air and exercise. Suzuna's medicine has been working splendidly as well. With two daughters as excellent healers, I'm sure my health will be back to normal in no time."
Suzuna showed Misaki two thumbs up. "Congratulations on graduating, Onee-chan. I've brought you some medicine and supplies for the journey up ahead."
"Thanks Suzuna," said Misaki as she took the bag. "Ah, they're giving us our assignments now. I'll be right back!"
Minako sighed as she watched her eldest daughter take off. Magic flowed easily through the blood of the Ayuzawas, passed down through the generations. Minako's own grandmother had been the Scarlet Rose of her generation. However, whereas Misaki's powerful abilities had gotten her selected as a Rose, Suzuna possessed deftness in only healing abilities and opted to attend a medicine academy instead. And Minako herself possessed only minor healing abilities, enough to pull her through the illness that had plagued her body when her daughters were but wee children and to make a living supporting the family.
But Minako knew much from the stories that her grandmother had told her. The life of a Rose may seem exciting, but it is a life also filled with pain, danger, and even death as the Emperor's exclusive female warriors. Parts of the Empire revered the Roses as saviors who had the abilities to help bring lush crops from droughts, to cure whole villages from disease, and to protect the Empire from rival countries.
But to their enemies, Roses were regarded as savages, beautiful but lethal women who could kill with a flick of a hand. Thus, Roses and even Roses-in-Training often had large bounties placed on their heads in hopes that they would be eliminated, even though there were only several Roses each generation. Such few Roses had the large burdensome responsibility of protecting the Empire. And Roses faced many dangers, not just from outside countries but from disputes within the Empire such as the few magicians who resented losing their formerly exclusive status as right hand men to the Emperor. In the end, even Minako's grandmother had perished in a rebellion that rampaged against the Empire and the Roses. Minako had been no older than nine when that had happened.
Minako sighed once more as Suzuna gently placed her hand in her mother's. "She'll be all right, Mom. Onee-chan is the strongest person we know."
Minako didn't reply but squeezed Suzuna's hand for comfort. She looked up, the azure sky looking innocent of knowing what dangers her daughter would have to face.
Please, Grandmother. Please protect our dear Misaki.
Four years later
Takumi found the screams too hard to bear. Without another thought, he disobeyed his family's orders and ran out of the hiding niche he was ordered to stay, immediately coming in contact with a masked person in black as he tumbled out into the hallway.
Takumi and the intruder sized each other up, neither daring to make the first move. The intruder twitched first.
From the corner of his eye, Takumi saw a flash of silver. Without thinking, Takumi sent a second attacker flying through the air with a flick of his wrist as the first attacker charged, bearing a spear. Easily, Takumi crashed the attacker into the hallway, where the attacker crumpled to the floor in a tangle of limp limbs.
Not bothering to see if the attackers were still conscious, Takumi turned on his heels. His feet took him flying, following the twisting passages to where the loudest screams were. Before he knew it, he had ended up in the throne room.
"Give us the jewel!" An attacker was yelling, grunting as he batted away the flames sent his direction. There were at least fifteen attackers surrounding the castle occupants, which included Takumi's grandfather, the Grand Duke of Raven Castle. The bodies of attackers and a few castle staff were scattered around the room.
Gerard, Takumi's half brother, flashed an angry glance to Takumi as he fought off the attackers. The message in his glare towards Takumi was obvious, get away. Gerard blasted a weak fire flame at one attacker, his arm supported by his butler Cedric who brandished a sword. Takumi could see they wouldn't hold long. And what was that about the jewel?
With one massive effort, the attackers surged forward. The castle maids screamed. Gerard gave one last sputtering fire ball as he suddenly bent down double, coughing. But before the attackers even reached striking distance of the castle occupants, Takumi had tossed them all to one side of the throne room using his wind powers.
Only one of the attackers seemed to withstand Takumi's powerful wind gust, only staggering a few steps before regaining his or her balance. Unlike the rest of the enemy, this attacker wore a bright silver slash. Takumi judged him or her to be the leader.
The attacker glanced at Gerard, then at Takumi. Pointing a finger at Takumi, the attacker barely got to say "Attack" before Cedric lashed out with his sword. The attacker fell to the ground. A few members of the group of attackers that had collapsed into the wall began to stir and Takumi easily slammed them into the wall again.
Cedric nodded to the castle staff, who immediately began trying to remove the heavy throne in the room.
Gerard, still supported by Cedric, rounded on Takumi. "I told you to stay put!"
"And hide while the rest of the castle is being slaughtered? As if," Takumi spat back.
Gerard shook his head, the locks of black hair waving wildly. While the siblings had a similar face structure and the same emerald eyes inherited from their mother, their hair differed and their powers differed. "You need to get out of here."
"What did they mean when they said they wanted the jewel? How did all these attackers get through the castle defenses? What is going on, damn it! Just tell me!" It was the closest thing that people had see him lose his normal blank expression. For far too long he had been kept in the dark. Literally, as he had always been kept in the darkest sections of the castle or shuffled from relative to relative's home, hidden from the world because he was a bastard.
For the first time, Gerard had something akin to fear in his eyes. "Listen, Takumi, the jewel is what they want. You have to leave. If they catch you, we're all doomed. Do you understand? Leave."
Takumi saw what the staff had been currently trying to expose under the throne; a hidden passageway that led out of the castle walls. He could hear more frightened screams and the sounds of more attackers approaching. "What about you?"
Gerard shook his head, coughing again. "As much I hate to admit, you're far more important."
"Boy. Leave now." This came from his grandfather. It was the first time his grandfather had addressed him directly.
Takumi cast one last glance at the castle occupants. Gerard's father, Edward and the current Duke, guided him to the passageway and pressed a small traveler's pack in his hand. "Go, and may luck be with you." Surprisingly, Edward was the only member of Takumi's family who had treated Takumi most like an equal despite Takumi being the product of Edward's wife's infidelity. There were misty tears in Edward's eyes.
Gerard's shadow fell over the open door of the passageway. "Takumi, you have to find Bloody Rose. It's the only way we can survive. Find Bloody Rose."
The door fell shut and he was cocooned in darkness. Takumi heard the throne scrape against the door as the staff began hiding the entrance.
With nothing else he could do to help, Takumi summoned a small flame no bigger than that of candlelight. Just enough to see, but not enough to steal the limited oxygen that was left in the stale air of the passageway.
Upon inspection, the passageway was narrow but the walls were at least well built and not rotting. Takumi followed the curve of walls, going further and further from the battle shouts of the throne room, regretting that he couldn't help fight. Though he and his family didn't get along, he didn't want them to be left behind. He tried to convince himself that they would be okay. Before long, the only sounds were the crunch of his shoes.
As he walked, Takumi began thinking. In particular, he thought about the jewel that was embedded in his body.
Originally, the jewel was meant for his legitimate brother. The jewel was actually a shard of a powerful jewel that came from the Emperor's crown, a gift from the most powerful magician in history. The power from the jewel would have invigorated his brother's weak body and given him as much of a normal life as he could have. But Gerard's body rejected the jewel. The next thing anyone knew was that the shard had somehow embedded into Takumi's body, not even leaving a scar in its entrance.
Now there was more cause for resentment for Takumi. Not only was he the disgrace of the Duchess, he had now stolen the heir's only chance of a healthy life. Although it wasn't Takumi's fault by any means, he was being blamed for it regardless.
From their mother's side, both Gerard and Takumi had inherited the ability to wield flame. But Takumi was also born with the powers to manipulate wind, a genetic gift he assumed to be from his birth father's side. With his abnormal powers and the jewel embedded in him since he was ten, Takumi was long considered abhorrent by the castle occupants.
But it didn't matter.
Takumi had long regarded life to be unfair to him.
A/N: Hello, hello my lovelies! This is my second Maid-Sama story after To Find the Perfect Fit (M-rated), and I hope I'm doing well so far. I thought I would post this after I finished To Find the Perfect Fit, so I believe I will post all later chapters for this story after I wrap up my first story. Fear not, I will continue this (I already wrote like the next couple chapters), so please bear with me!
I really love reading reviews as I find them a good source of motivation so leave a review if you'd like! I might change this story from T to M rating, depending on if people think this story is too mature in later chapters. Hope to see you all in my next chapters c: