Chapter 1

Newcomer


Golden eyes look up at a familiar ceiling.

The meticulously crafted wood hung frozen high above. The clock, sitting above his desk and to his right softly clicked away, a constant reminder of his dwindling moments. He shifted his right foot to make it comfortable, hidden under smooth, scarlet sheets spun from the finest silk.

There was a time when such prosperity would have him in frozen awe. A time where his people would gaze on in wonder at the sight before them. A time where their simple minds could barely comprehend the luxury this room commanded.

But that time...was long ago.

Instead, a young man laid in his bed alone.

He turned his head to the left, facing the brightly lit view of the outside world. A statue, as ancient as the estate he's in, preserved exactly as it was when it was first sculpted. And from its jug, shot a fresh gleam of water. It was a frozen image of a beautiful and nude man, possessing a look that was indistinguishable from any angelic statue in Old Europe.

Beyond the stone visage lay a wide range of trees that stretched out to the horizon. To the left, a few miles up, a town, he imagined, buzzing with life. The broad open skies hung above, tinged with the mixtures of turquoises and blues. An imitation of Earth's skies.

All this, under the vast domains of the Sitris.

And for a moment, he enjoyed the fleeting peace—until the soft knocks from the entrance resounded through the air.

"Yes."

The doors to his room opened and a pair of oxford shoes stepped in. Its wearer was dressed in a clean cut uniform required from all butlers employed by his family.

"The preparations are complete, my lord," a soft, yet masculine voice spoke out.

A gentle smile graced the corners of the young lord's lips as aureus-colored eyes greeted the visitor with familiarity.

"Thank you, Kimaris, but please, how many times do I have to say it?" he insisted.

"Just call me Shirou."


It began with rumors of a transferee student from Tokyo. Of course, buzz like this caught on to the students of class 2-A, where expectations ranged from vaguely curious to excited.

"Is she cute?"

"Short?"

"Interesting?"

"Funny?"

"Wait, is it even a she?"

"I hope so. We can't have too many cute girls now."

"How about guys? We need more cute guys."

And though the questions were there, normal life marched on in Kuoh Academy. Lectures, studies, clubs, the students went about their days like any other. And so, the rumors quickly died down.

That was, until she came in.

"Alright, thank you for your introduction, Mizushima-san," said the homeroom teacher.

"...Mi-zu-shi-ma." Genshirou Saji repeated under his breathe.

She was a timeless beauty with porcelain white skin, short and pitch, black hair like the night; and eyes like pure amethyst. They were hidden behind violet, glass frames.

The most beautiful person he has ever seen.

That is, until he looked at her eyes.

"You can take...a...seat, hmm…" the teacher wondered, looking around the room.

"There!" she pointed at the empty seat to his left, snapping him out of his daze. "Next to Genshirou-san."

The transfer student gave a brief nod of acknowledgment before taking her first step forward.


"Are you really from Tokyo?"

"Do you wanna have lunch together?"

"Your purple eyes are sooo pretty!"

"So, uh, do you have a boyfriend…?"

"Boyfriend? What about a girlfriend?"

She sat still, her attention facing forward as she was peppered with questions by curious students all around her.

"Um, excuse me? Everyone?"

The students looked back and immediately silenced themselves at the sight of the girl who had just addressed them.

"Don't you think she feels a little smothered by all these questions?" she asked with a graceful smile.

"Ah!" one of the students realized, "I'm sorry, Mizushima-san!"

"Oh man, I'm sorry too," followed another.

Before a chorus of apologies could happen, the student of attention finally turned to the crowd.

"It's fine," the young woman replied, a neutral expression on her face. "There's nothing to apologize for."

They all looked at each other in a mixture of relief and embarrassment, not knowing what else to say.

Suddenly, a loud pop could be heard from behind them. "Ah, well," clapped the girl, who snapped them out of the awkward silence. "Let's all go on now and have our lunch before the bell rings," she smiled.

The room filled with mumbled disappointment and shame before they slowly dispersed.

They all went off in their own cliques while some looked back in curiosity at the new student.

She heard the footsteps of the girl who dispersed the crowd step up from her right.

"Hello Mizushima-san," she said with a slight bow. "I'm sorry for all the trouble just now. The school can be quite excited about new students," she smiled in amusement.

"It's alright," a soft voice answered.

"Well, without even saying much, you have the whole class buzzing, it seems," she giggled.

The sitting transfer student turned to her in silence.

But before the other girl can continue, realization struck her face. "Oh! I'm sorry! How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself!"

The girl straightened herself out before giving a proper bow.

"My name is–"

"–Sakura Shitori, president of the Student Council," the new student finished, her face as blank as ever.

Sakura Shitori blinked and looked up in surprise. "Ah," she said, bemused. "It looks like you already know me," she softly chuckled.

The other girl nodded.

"Then that makes things easier," Sakura smiled. "As Council president, it would have been my pleasure to take you on a guide of the academy, Mizushima-san, but unfortunately I just remembered that I have some business to attend too.

"Maybe we can do this at another time?" the Council president gave an apologetic look.

The new student slowly turned to and took in her features. A welcoming smile that graced her lips lies in contrast to her own, neutral expression. She was taller than she was, with her long, purple hair matching the color of her eyes.

Mizushima nodded in acknowledgment.

"If you have any questions," Sakura continued, "you can always find me in the Student Council room."

She gave a final bow, stepped back and left. The eyes of the purple haired beauty drifted to an eavesdropping boy before she vanished behind the door.


Guide? She said guide, right?

"–his weekend. Just make sure to bring–"

Now would be a perfect chance.

"Oi."

But how do I approach her?

"Oi!"

Genshirou Saji looked up. "Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me! Did you listen to a single word of what I just said?"

"Oh, yeah, of course I did, Touma," Saji blinked back.

His two classmates gave him a flat look.

"Dude, you've been spacing out since that new chick showed up," the other student noticed.

"I can't really blame him. Did you see how everyone rushed in to talk to her as soon as lunch started?" Touma said, turning to his other friend.

"Well, she is pretty cute."

"Cute?!" Exclaimed the young man, his dark, brown eyes narrowed at the other boy. "No, Toujou-chan is cute. Nimura-chan? Cute. No, Mizu-chan is beautiful. Like the mystical kind of beautiful. Not cute, or even hot, but beautiful in the purest sense, man. Almost like one of those characters from a Korean MMO."

"Can you be any louder, dude?" his friend leaned back in embarrassment. "If the whole class can hear you, so can she."

And really, Mizu-chan? He quietly thought to himself.

"Hey man, you can't blame someone for saying the truth," Touma proudly proclaimed, but slyly looked at where the girl of the hour was from the corner of his eye.

"You're lucky she's gone."

"Yeah, whatever, Hikaru. You agree with me, right Sa–"

Touma drifted, staring at an empty seat.

–ji?"

...

"The hell?! Where'd he go?!"


He found her just outside the doors of the Student Council room. When their eyes met she turned and walked the other way.

"Hey! Wait!" he yelled and caught up with her.

She turned to face the boy as he breathed heavily from his short sprint.

"I–I," he rasped out, catching his breath for a second.

"I heard you need ah–a guide."

She stayed silent, her violet orbs seemingly casting judgment on him.

"Um, I can…" he mumbled, settling his breathing, and nerves, out.

"...I can guide you around..." he looked away. "...if you want."

More moments went by with Saji's nerves growing raw with anticipation at every passing second.

Dammit, way to look like a stalker, Saji! He mentally berated himself, tightening his fist.

The boy finally summoned the courage to turn and face her only to see the back of her head as she walked away.

He mentally sighed. Smooth. She just ignored you and now probably thinks you're a creep.

He turned the opposite direction, a subdued sigh of defeat escaped his breath.

"Let's go."

He stopped. His eyes widened in bewilderment before he suddenly turned back around to face her.

She kept her stride, pausing to slightly turn and look back at him from the corner of her eye for a brief second before she faced forward once again.

Hesitation crossed Saji's mind before he followed, beaming from ear to ear.


The Student Council room was cleared of its usual inhabitants except for three other individuals waiting inside.

A pair of heterochromatic eyes, violet and light brown, greeted the fourth newcomer.

"Kaichou," her ever vigilant Queen nodded.

Sakura gave her a grateful smile back, "Tsubaki."

"Hello, Sakura," the girl who sat at the end of one of the side tables greeted.

"Rias, Akeno."

"Kaichou," Rias's Queen addressed back in a neutral tone.

Sakura took a seat at the other end, both their respective Queens standing behind them to their rights. A simple, yet elegant chessboard sat at the center of the table with black and red chess pieces.

And so, they began their weekly match, the two heiresses basking in the moment of comfortable silence.

"So how's our mysterious transfer student doing?" one of them finally asked, breaking the silence.

The purpled haired girl paused for a brief second, the black pawn chess piece held between her two fingers.

"Adjusting well, it seems. A bit too quiet for my taste though," she frowned, placing the chess piece down at its intended spot. "But it feels like I've met her before," she mumbled.

"Oh?" mused Rias, the Gremory heiress stared at the board in bemusement. "Familiar?"

The Sitri heiress didn't reply. A slight frown on her expression, her eyes holding a rare intensity.

"Sakura?"

"Huh?" she looked up in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry Rias. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Rias asked, a little worried.

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about," she smiled. "Anyways, it's your turn."

The Gremory heiress gave her a concerned look but decided to change the topic to more pressing matters.

"Well, there is that other matter we have to talk about," the Gremory heiress intoned as she plucked her red bishop up and moved it across the board.

Both Queens shifted, their expressions hardened.

"Ah, yes," Sakura's smile became slightly strained. "That."

Rias turned to peak at Akeno. The Queen stepped forward with her trademark smile in quiet acknowledgment before turning serious.

"As you may know, there have been eight disappearances ranging from a four-month time period. As of this moment, we have been unable to find any clues to their whereabouts, unfortunately. And although the mundane police are conducting an investigation of their own as we speak, Buchou and I believe that we've found a trail of disappearances leading to outside the local area."

Sakura eyed her pieces, thinking about what her friend's Queen has just reported. "A trail?"

"Yes. Although shaky, we believe we may have found similar cases going down South on a trail leading to Tokyo, then West, leading all the way to the city of Matsue in the Shimane Prefecture." Sakura's eyes slightly widened at the distance and scale.

"Outside Japan, however," Akeno frowned, "the trail becomes spotty."

"People go missing every day," Tsubaki spoke up. "How do you know those disappearances are related to the ones here?"

"We don't," Akeno admitted, facing the other Queen. "But marking the areas in the map and the relative times the disappearance happened between each other, we can make a good guesstimation that they may be related."

A soft clack hit the board, a black bishop overtaking the red knight. "So all we have is this single conjecture, eh?" the Council president whispered under her breath.

Rias sat in place, her hands resting on her lap. Eight people, all with hopes, dreams, and families–lost under her protection.

No. Her expression hardened. No, not lost. Just missing.

"Do you…" Akeno hesitated, "...do you think it's time we contact Lord Lucifer?" she suggested.

The Gremory heiress's eyes widened, a look of panic briefly ran through her face.

Before Rias can answer, however, another spoke up first.

"No, not yet." Purple eyes looked straight ahead, staring into the surprised Gremory.

"Lord Lucifer is a powerful man," she continued. "But he tends to overstep his actions if it concerns his sister. If something threatens her, he would respond with overwhelming force. Especially, in this case, sending a large number to investigate this matter as a response to a perceived threat to Rias may trigger a response from the opposing party. Not only that, if found out but her political opponents, it may negatively impact Rias' reputation, painting her as a weak leader."

Akeno's eyes narrowed. "People are disappearing as we speak, in which we don't even know if they're alive or not, and one of your concerning reasons is Rias' reputation? Lord Lucifer may be a siscon but he can be an effective leader when needed. Do you not think he has enough tact to handle this situation delicately?"

"Akeno." Her King stepped in, silencing the room.

"Ah," the Queen shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before she looked back at Sakura in a neutral expression. "Apologies, Kaichou, I didn't mean to fall out of line."

The purpled haired girl giggled and looked up towards the black haired beauty, "It's fine, Akeno. This case has been hard on us all.

"As for your question, however, I didn't mean to sound like I was doubting his abilities at all. It's just that, at the moment, I have one of my people investigating the matter itself as we speak. I just didn't get the chance to bring it up yet."

Rias perked up, "Oh! Is it your head butler, Kimaris?"

The Sitri heiress nodded, "Mhmm. He's a famous veteran of the Great War and an expert in tracking. In fact, I don't think I know anyone else with his level of tracking skills. But even with his abilities, he hasn't found anything we don't know, which is almost nothing. The only other option is to bring in more people, but that in itself would cause eyebrows to raise within the supernatural community. Something I believe Lord Lucifer with his keen awareness, understands."

"That and we may be provoking our unwanted guest," Rias inserted, bringing up Sakura's previous point. "As of this moment, we have no clue as to what their abilities and motives are. If they would find themselves threatened, they may take drastic actions that can endanger a large number of people."

"Or the two of you," Tsubaki added.

Rias sighed. "Yes, it's no coincidence that these string of disappearances have led them here. Towards the heiresses of two, powerful families of the Underworld." The Gremory princess picked up the red king, thoughtfully observing the chess piece. "And with my brother's hands tied, all we can do is increase the security of the school, look out for the students as best we can and watch out for anything suspicious."

Akeno gave a slight bow. "I understand, Buchou."

Rias smiled. "Speaking of families," she began, sensing that they were able to discuss as much as they can about the topic. "How's your brother doing, Sakura?"

"Ah, he's doing quite well," Sakura beamed. "His illness hasn't taken a turn for the worst and he hasn't had any bouts of coughing in a few days, so I can mark that as an improvement."

Tsubaki's expression softened at those words.

"That's good," Rias nodded. "Maybe we should pay him a visit? Maou only knows how long he's been needing to get some visitors."

"I–" the Sitri heiress's smile turned hollow, "maybe another time. I don't want to agitate his illness."

Rias's smile faded, her lips turning thin.


In the hallway, the scattered crowd of students split like the red sea at the approach of the pair.

One, a blond male. Enthusiasm in his grey eyes as he filled the air with his conversation.

The other, however, was what drew their attention.

She moved like a whisper in the wind. As eyes looked upon the two, most of their gazes focused on the girl with the violet eyes. People talked. Rumors would begin. Though one never noticed, engrossed in his role as a guide, the other did. She saw all their faces and honestly? She simply didn't care.

Let children be children.

"And this is the cafeteria!" Saji grinned, "the most important part of the Academy, in my opinion."

She turned her head, the same neutral face, taking in the view in silence. At this point, he didn't mind her lack of response. He simply assumed that that was how she was. A girl of few expressions.

"Gen-kun!" a girl with brown pigtails yelled out, waving them over.

"So anyways, moving on," he turned, walking away.

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME, IDIOT!" The girl shouted. She ran up to the pair, much to Saji's protest, and dragged the boy to her table.

"Geeze, Nimura-chan," Saji scowled. "We were doing perfectly fine until you had to come and ruin it."

"Yeah, well, you were being a rude little doo-doo head!"

"Stop trying to act cute! You're not five anymore, you know!"

With the two arguing, a blue-haired girl approached the newcomer.

"Sorry about that," she gave an apologetic smile as she clapped her hands together. "The name is Tsubasa Yura and the loud one over there," she pointed her thumb behind her, "That's Ruruko Nimura. And the one laughing? That's Momo Hanakai."

The silent girl turned to regard the arguing couple. An exasperated Saji with a glower that somehow suited the boy and the bouncing pigtails of the fuming shorter girl, then to the girl with the snow-white hair, laughing at their antics.

Tsubasa followed her gaze and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Don't mind them. They're always like this."

"So you say," Mizushima quietly added after a brief pause.

"So," Tsubasa smiled, "what's your name?"

She gave the blue-haired girl a look over, taking a moment before she introduced herself.

"My name is S–"

"Mizushima-san! Let's go before more of our time is wasted here!" Saji aggressively walked passed the group and grabbed the girl's hand, dragging her out the cafeteria.


"That guy's usually better at this. I didn't think a girl like her could get him to act so out of character," a white-haired Bishop remarked.

Tsubasa Yura sighed. Ruruko is usually better at conducting herself than this as well, but it looks like the sight of Genshirou Saji walking side by side with a cute girl like Mizushima-san triggered a response from the newest member of their group.

"Well, we can at least make a good guess at why though, Momo."

She couldn't deny her beauty. She had an almost ethereal quality to her that would almost distinguish her from any crowd. Even in an Academy like this, filled with all sorts of supernatural beauties, Mizushima had a quality all of her own. She turned her eyes at the white-haired Bishop, a thoughtful expression on her face.

At least, she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Still, he isn't the type to fall for some pretty face, no matter how beautiful," remarked Momo.

"She's not that pretty," mumbled an irate Ruruko.

Momo grinned. "Jealous."

"Would you stop saying that! Why would I be jealous of someone like dumb Saji!"

Tsubasa sighed in amusement at Momo's teasing. Turning her head, she eyed the only other member of the Student Council who has yet to speak.

"What do you think, Kusaka?"

Reya Kusaka sat alone at the lunch table, enjoying her bento with an elegance matched only by their president.

"Hm?" she wondered, looking up at her fellow Council member.

"About the transfer student."

"The transfer student...? She's…" Kusaka paused, a ball of rice held with her chopsticks hung in the air.

She watched as Ruruko dragged Saji to their table, a black-haired enigma walked in silence behind them. She saw her gaze slowly scan the room, a quiet observation that hid every thought behind a faceless expression. Yet, her body spoke otherwise. Every movement was measured. From her gait down to the way she blinked. A cautionary person of absolute self-control.

But it was her eyes that really caught her attention.

"...interesting."


Eventually, the tour had to conclude with the end of lunch. Thankfully, with Saji's quick pace despite the brief intermission, they were able to reach all the necessary places.

Classes went by as they always did, the buzz over the new student quieted down as the normality finally settled across the classroom.

Saji's grey eyes glanced at the girl in question, her chin resting on her hand. It went by like this throughout the rest of the day. Her violet orbs never left the board, while his attention never left hers.

Who, exactly, is she? He wondered, tearing his eyes away from her.

He remembered when she first appeared, taking his breath away at first sight. With porcelain skin and a gaze that could kill, it was her presence that drew him in initially. It was…surreal, he could say. Almost–

"...like a ghost," he mumbled.

"Like a what?"

He suddenly looked up, his two friends, Touma and Hikaru, were looking down on him.

"You've been pretty distracted all day, man," Touma said. "Class ended a minute ago and you didn't even notice."

"I–" He began before stopping himself, looking at the empty seat to his left.

"Looking for your girlfriend?" Hikaru snickered.

"What? No! I was just curious, that's all." He quickly stood up, about to leave.

"I wouldn't chase after her, if I were you, lover-boy."

"Oh god," Hikaru frowned, turning to the girl who has just entered the room. "It's you."

"Run, Saji! I'll hold the pervert back!" yelled Touma, putting himself between Saji and the newcomer.

"Ha ha. There's a reason why girls don't talk to you, Satou-kun," the girl teased, making Touma splutter as she walked passed him.

Saji frowned, ignoring his friend's antics. "What do you mean, Kiryuu-san?"

Kiryuu Aika gave him an amused smile. "What I mean is that don't go all stalkerish on her first day, Gen-kun.

"Rumors are already beginning to spread and I was curious, so I stopped by."

"I–I" The boy in question stuttered, "I wasn't gonna follow her! And what do you mean by rumors?"

"Rumors, like you asked her out on her first day here. Or that you're some kind of devious pimp planning to add her to your collection of women."

Genshirou Saji's grey eyes widened. "What!? You've gotta be kidding me. And besides, those are just rumors! There's nothing going on between us!" he asserted. "Besides, I heard from Shitori-san that she still needed a guide around the school and volunteered myself to show her around."

"He did?" mumbled Hikaru, his finger under his chin.

"Well, regardless of the truth. Rumors are already flying and her fan club is planning on confronting you about it," the girl gave an exaggerated shrug, her short, brown braids bouncing.

"F-fan club? She already has a fan club?" questioned Saji.

"Yup," smirked the infamous girl, adjusting her glasses. "The I Want Mizushima-sama to Step On Me fan club. Or the Mizu Fan Club for short. Apparently, that was the name they decided on because of how cold and scary she comes off."

"Wow, they work fast," nodded Touma and Hikaru.

Aika nodded in agreement. "So yeah, I would watch yourself, Gen-kun. Both for your sake and for your chances to get with her."

The boy in question turned red at those last set of words.

"Not that he doesn't appreciate the warning, but why are you helping him, Kiryuu-san?" inquired Hikaru, adjusting his frames.

Amber eyes drifted to questioning grey ones. A familiarity born from a past memory.

"I–"


A little girl squatted in the playground, rubbing tears from her eyes as a group of boys laughed at her, passing her glasses around like some unwanted toy.

"What a weird girl," mocked the tallest of the three. "This is what you get for acting creepy and trying to take our spot."

"Yeah! Weirdo!" taunted another with short hair.

"I–I, I just w–wanted to play with you g–guys," she whimpered.

"I heard that no one wants to play with you in school because you're so weird," the other boy with a red shirt laughed as he took her glasses from his friend and twirled it in his hand.

"If you want them b– hey!" the tallest shouted, a pebble hitting him in the back of the head.

"Leave her alone!" yelled a boy with blond hair and grey eyes. He came running behind them before tackling the leader of the group.

The little girl looked up from her cry to watch as they wrestled on the ground before her rescuer was able to finally drive them off.

He got up, dusting himself before carefully picking up the remains of her glasses.

"Here," he handed her broken frames back. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep them from breaking."

Slowly, her trembling and wet hands took the remains of her glasses from the bruised boy, wondering why he would do such a thing.

"W–why?" she asked.

"'Why' what?" a frown on his face.

"W–why d–did you help me?"

For a moment, he stared at her before smiling.

"I–"


"–just felt like it," she smiled before she turned and walked away. The boys watched, confusion etched on their faces.

.

.

.

"What a weird girl."


Originally posted 28/4/2018