Disclaimer: I do not own Servamp or any of the characters
"Who wakes up this early in the morning?" Kuro groaned when he looked at the time. It was only six in the morning yet Mahiru was already awake. He threw open the window to let the morning air into their room. The sun hadn't risen yet so it wasn't too bright but Kuro still buried himself beneath his blanket. "Close the window, Mahiru! People are trying to sleep."
"Oh, sorry Kuro. I live by myself so I'm not used to having a roommate. I'll try to be quieter next time." Mahiru said apologetically and Kuro sat up. He knew that it would be pointless to go back to sleep because he had to watch over Mahiru while he worked. As he sat up, he noticed that Mahiru had a rather sad expression as he looked out the window.
"Feeling a little homesick?" Kuro's question brought Mahiru out of his thoughts and he turned away from the window. Mahiru lived in Tokyo but moved to the coast so he could work for the Alicein household. He didn't know why Mahiru was willing to move so far when the appraiser job was temporary and couldn't last for more than a couple months.
"It's not that." Mahiru stared out the window to the cliff. It was a scenic sight but Mahiru couldn't help but think of Licht. Grief and sorrow filled him but the pain only made Mahiru more determined to discover who killed him. Someone had to be responsible for his death and Mahiru refused to believe that Licht would kill himself.
Mahiru pushed himself away from the window and closed it. He tried to force a smile onto his face before he turned to face Kuro. "I was just worried about my plants back home. I asked my uncle to water them but he works a lot. It's really nothing so don't worry about it. I'm heading down for breakfast so you can sleep in a little more."
"I'm already up so I might as well show you the way to the kitchen." Kuro went to the closet and Mahiru stepped outside so he could have his privacy. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the door. Mahiru sighed to himself and tried to think of how he could find the person that killed Licht. He wasn't a detective so he didn't know where to begin.
The door opened behind him and Mahiru began to fall backwards. He fell against something warm and an arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. Mahiru looked up to see Kuro staring down at him with an exasperated expression. "Are you going to make a habit of falling into my arms?"
"That was just an accident!" Mahiru blushed and pulled away from Kuro quickly. He tried to keep himself from appearing flustered but couldn't meet Kuro's eyes. In contrast, Kuro merely walked down the hall with a bored expression. Mahiru followed him and Kuro slowed his steps so they could walk together.
"It's still a little early, so the chefs haven't started breakfast yet so we'll have to eat cereal or something. Servants usually eat in the kitchen since it's pretty big and there's a table there." Kuro explained as they walked. "We don't usually start our day until seven. You don't have anything important to do today so I don't know why you would wake up so early."
"I'm an early bird, I guess." Mahiru shrugged. When they reached a door, Kuro held it open for him. He was shocked by the size of the kitchen since it seemed to be for a restaurant rather than a home. Kuro sat at the table and watched Mahiru. He looked a little hesitant when he opened the large refrigerator so Kuro reassured him.
"You can eat whatever you want. The Alicein are lax about these kinds of things and they're nice. If you're going to make something to eat, can you make me some tea too?" Mahiru sighed at his question and intended to tell him to make it himself.
But when he turned back, he saw Kuro resting his head on the table with his eyes closed. He looked tired but offered to help him to the kitchen so making tea was the least he could do. Mahiru searched the cupboards for everything he needed to make them breakfast. "Kuro, would you like an English or Japanese style breakfast?"
"I just asked for tea. You don't need to cook me anything. I'll just grab some toast or something." Kuro muttered as he listened to Mahiru cook. He kept his eyes closed and tried to drift off so he could have a few more blissful moments of sleep. Kuro was never a morning person but it seemed like Mahiru was. He hummed to himself as he cooked and soon the kitchen was filled was a pleasant smell.
"Here you go." Kuro looked up as Mahiru placed a plate of eggs and a cup of tea in front of him. Before he could argue, Mahiru said: "Eat it. You need to eat more than toast to function properly. Consider it my thanks for being so nice to me."
"I haven't had a home cooked meal in a while." Kuro commented as Mahiru sat next to him and began to eat as well. Usually, he would wake up late and had to rush through his morning routine and have a meager breakfast. "It tastes good."
Mahiru smiled at his words. He lived alone for most of his life so he was skilled at cooking and cleaning. He usually ate alone so he found Kuro's company refreshing despite how quiet he was. The atmosphere was pleasant around them that Mahiru almost didn't want to ask Kuro about Licht. But he knew this was his best chance to learn more.
"Kuro, can you tell me more about the Alicein family and this house? I'm going to be working and living here so, thinking simply, I should learn about them. What kind of family is the Alicein? What are the other servants like?" Mahiru asked and Kuro shrugged nonchalantly.
"The Alicein is the kind of family you'll find in picture frames and they consider the servants a part of that family. We're all very close. Mikado is the master of the house and he has a son, Misono. But his wife died when a burglar tried to rob them so you might want to keep your stunt from last night between us."
"It must've been hard for him." Mahiru's voice was filled with sympathy.
"It occurred before I was hired but it seemed like everyone adjusted. The rules are pretty relaxed and you can do what you want as long as you get your work done. There is one rule you can't break though." Kuro placed his fork down and his voice became serious. "We're forbidden to enter the east wing."
"The east wing? What's there?" Kuro only answered him with a shrug. Honestly, Kuro didn't know what was in the east wing and he could only guess. The only thing he knew for certain was that the other servants whispered about it with an ominous secrecy. He asked Lily about it once but he only said that there were important documents there and were confidential. Kuro knew he was lying but didn't press for the truth.
"Just don't go there." Kuro advised. If Lily felt the need to lie about the east wing, Kuro knew that it was for an important reason. "Anyways, you don't need to worry about it since all the heirlooms are kept in the attic. I'll show you where it is after breakfast."
"I need to talk to Lily about the family ledger first. That ledger should have a list of the family's purchases that I can use to categorize and organize the heirlooms. Do you think Lily can have a room set aside for me to work in because I doubt the attic will have proper lighting?"
"I'll talk to him about it." Mahiru smiled as he thanked him and Kuro turned away for a moment. The soft smile surprised him since Mahiru looked so serious while they were speaking earlier. But Kuro had to admit that he liked this expression better than the others he saw before.
"Here's the ledger and you can use the private office in the library. Just be careful about locking the door after you leave." Lily handed Mahiru a thick tome and a key. The book was so thick that Mahiru had to hold it with both of his hands. "If you need any help carrying the heirlooms, ask Tetsu. He's the strongest servant we have and he's always happy to help."
"I think Kuro and I will be fine by ourselves for now. We're not planning to move them all down at once. I want to make a catalogue of everything first and that could take all day so we won't be going to the attic until tomorrow. May I work here in the library?" Mahiru walked to the nearest desk and set the ledger down. His eyes drifted to the piano in the corner and had to ask.
"Does anyone here play the piano? It would be nice to listen to music while I work." Mahiru tried to keep his voice casual. Licht told him that he would often play the piano in the library while the others worked. When Lily answered, he watched his expression carefully.
"… We had someone that played the piano but he's not with us right now."
"Did he find another job?" By some miracle, Mahiru was able to keep his bitterness and anger from his voice. He knew that Lily was only trying to be polite by avoiding the issue but Mahiru wanted to push him for an answer. "Was he talented?"
"Licht was a very talented pianist." Lily's smile was strained. "I didn't want to tell you because you're just settling in but you're going to hear about him eventually. Last week, he jumped off the cliff."
Bullshit, Mahiru wanted to scream but said instead, "I think I read about that in the paper. They didn't find his body so how can you be certain that he jumped? Did someone see him?"
Mahiru held his breath, a little afraid that Lily would see through his lie. There hadn't been any article about Licht written. The only reason he knew was because the police informed Licht's family and friends about his death. The fact that the Alicein kept his death from being publicized only irked Mahiru more.
"Yes, Yuri did. Poor girl is only twelve and she had to witness that. She tried to stop him too. We allowed her to return home so she could be with her family." Lily told him, sadly. His voice seemed honest and Mahiru wanted to believe him. But his faith in Licht was greater and he wished that he could ask the girl about that night. "It's just a shame what happened to Licht."
"It is…" Mahiru looked down at the ledger to hide the hurt in his eyes from Lily and Kuro. No matter how difficult it would be, he was determined to find the truth. "I should get started on making that list now."
Mahiru gave Lily a strained smile before turning back to the desk. He heard Lily leave and placed his head on the desk. Soft piano notes began to fill the room and Mahiru turned to the piano quickly. To his shock, Kuro was playing a lulling tune. Kuro didn't turn to face him but said, "You said that you wanted to listen to the piano while you worked."
"I didn't know you played." From the corner of Kuro's eyes, he could see Mahiru's expression soften. Throughout his entire conversations with Lily, Mahiru's expression looked tense. He didn't know why but it affected him more than it should and he wanted to do something to make him smile again.
"You'll think a man with such a unique name would be easier to find." Hyde sighed as he stared at his laptop screen. He tried to search for any hint of who Licht was by searching for his name and picture. But every attempt he made was a failure. Licht didn't have any identification on him when he fell either.
Hyde considered taking Licht back to the cliff to see if the location would trigger any memories but he decided against it. Someone tried to kill him there and going back could put their lives in danger if the person was still there. He was beginning to wonder if it would be better to go to the police and have them protect Licht.
"Hey, Shit rat." Hyde felt the world spin when someone turned his chair abruptly. He came face to face with Licht and he could only stare at him for a moment before Licht threw a jacket over his face. When he pulled off his jacket, Hyde noticed that Licht had borrowed his old black hoodie. It was a little big for him but Hyde had to admit that it suited him.
"Did you enjoyed playing dress up with my closet?" Hyde teased but Licht only clicked his tongue at him.
"If I had another choice, I would wear anything else. But this should do for now. We're going out and you're going to take me to the cliff." Licht's tone told him that it was an order rather than a request and Hyde quickly tried to stop him.
"Are you serious? You can't go out! Those bandages around your stomach are there because someone stabbed you. We don't know who that is and he could attack you again. He probably thinks you're dead so you're safe here. I didn't drag you out and treated your wounds for you to just run off into danger."
"I didn't ask for your help then. But I'm asking for it now." Licht might not have his memories but something in him knew that he didn't want to depend on others. "I can't take not knowing who I am. So, help me get my memories back. I'm not going to get them back while I'm here."
Hyde could see how determined Licht was and sighed. He knew that Licht would only leave by himself if he said no so Hyde put on his jacket. "Fine. We'll go around town and see if anything triggers a memory but I'm not taking you back to the cliff."
"Let's go then. Hurry up!" Licht was already walking out the door and Hyde could only follow him.
I'm having writer's block on my other projects so I'm writing the next chapter just to help me get into the flow of writing
