AN- Happy New Year! Have a gay fairy tale. Taking a break from princess stories, to of course, write one based around my own personal favorite fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. I don't actually know why it's my favorite, but so it is- probably because there's a lot one can do with the setting if one really wishes to. There's one more fairy tale left, and I'm pretty sure by now everyone has guessed, at the very least, what pairing it will be!
Look forward to it, and don't forget to leave a review! Until next time!
Little Red
Characters: Sonoko Suzuki, Sera Masumi, Amuro Tooru
Ever since she was young, her mother only ever had one thing to say about the forest that separated her home from that of her great uncles- to not trust the wolves that lived in it. They could be many things, she told her, but the one thing they are above all else, are liars. Those who listen to their words are often never seen again, either eaten or spirited away to some corner of the forest not reachable by mere humans.
And ever since she was young, Suzuki Sonoko had always doubted her mother's words. For as much as she insisted that there were wolves in the forest, she had never once seen one, even though she had gone through it many times before. She was pretty certain the only reason her mother ever told her that in the first place was because she wanted to make sure that she didn't stray from the path, trying to scare her into compliance by making up a silly tale about talking wolves.
Even at a young age, even as she believed in fairies, unicorns, and magical genies living in bottles that could grant almost any wish, she thought the notion of talking wolves was absurd. Animals simply didn't talk, and they certainly didn't try and trick people. Wolves were something to be feared, for sure, but not for their trickery, but rather for their large teeth and powerful claws. When she had told her friends the story that her mother had told her, one had laughed it off as nonsense, the same as she had, while the other clung to her shirt sleeve and made her promise to never go against her mother's words. But both of them claimed to have never heard such a story before- as she had thought, it was purely something of her mother's own invention.
Besides, there was no way her mother would send her out alone on repeated trips through the forest if there really were wolves in there. Granted, she never understood why her mother always made her bring things to Uncle Jirokichi by herself in the first place, seeing as they had any number of servants who could do very much the same thing. Nevermind the fact that her great uncle, advanced in age though he was, was very capable of coming and getting these things himself, and carrying them back himself- he was in very good health, all things considered. Perhaps it was all a scheme to get her to spend some time with him every now and again. She had long since stopped letting it bother her, and had instead resigned herself to making periodic trips through the forest.
"Now remember, Sonoko-"
"Yes, yes, I know, I know." Sonoko said with a long sigh, quirking a brow as she looked up at her mother. "Don't step off the path, and don't listen to any of the wolves in the forest." Planting her hands on her hips, she cast a skeptical look up at the woman, wondering what the point of this was anymore. "I'm not a little girl anymore, mom, I'm seventeen years old. You don't need to keep telling me pretend stories about talking wolves to convince me to be a good girl."
"Ah, yes well..." Trailing off a little as if she hadn't been expecting to be called out this way, her mother cleared her throat, a sharp look crossing her face. As always, she recovered remarkably well. "Do be sure to follow my instructions anyways, Sonoko, and always stay on the path. You might not be able to see them from there, but there are dangerous things living within the forest."
"Yes, yes, I'll take your word for it." Sonoko said simply. "If you're so worried about me though, why not send out one of the bodyguards with me?"
"Something like that won't be necessary so long as you heed my words." Her mother told her again, causing Sonoko to let out another long sigh- one that earned her a very stern look for her troubles. "Now, go on. Your uncle is expecting those books. And no snacking on the bread until you get there. He told me last time that he never got the cookies that I sent with you."
"W-well, I wonder what happened to those..." Realizing that she had been caught, Sonoko averted her gaze from her mother, letting out a loud, awkward laugh. "W-well then, I'll be going now! I'll be home a little before sunset, as always!"
With a wave of her hand, Sonoko headed outside, taking in a breath of cool, fresh air. Shivering a little in the late autumn air, she quickly pulled up the hood of her red parka, feeling a little bit warmer once she had done so. The faster she set out, the faster she would get back home- she didn't mind going to Uncle Jirokichi's place if that phantom thief in white were involved, but frankly, she would rather not spend too much time with him on her own. It wasn't that they didn't get along- but quite honestly, he was someone that she could only tolerate in small doses.
Although if she could manage to be even half as active as he was once she finally reached that age, she would probably become a little bit grateful for having such genes in her family.
The path that she took the forest was the usual one, passing through the shopping street. For a moment, she considered dropping in on Ran, to invite her come along with her, until she recalled that she already had plans today with Shinichi. With a sly grin on her face, Sonoko passed the detective agency by that her father worked in, hardly wanting to disturb the two unaware lovebirds. Probably nothing would come out of their time today, and were that the case, she was starting to debate if she should start taking some measures to push the two of them together a bit more.
Ran being unaware of Shinichi's feelings for her was fine, she supposed, but honestly- that Shinichi was supposed to be a detective! A rather sorry excuse for one, clearly, if he couldn't even detect the feelings that his own childhood friend had for him. There were limits to how dense one could be!
Perhaps a bit of her frustration rooted in the fact that she, as of yet, had not managed to find anyone like that in her life. Oh to be sure, she had a few crushes here and there, and goodness, was she ever fond of that mysterious Kaito Kid- but those feelings weren't quite the same as love, and on some level, she fully realized this. It wasn't that she hadn't been looking, of course she had- but most of her dates ended in some kind of disaster, ranging from finding out that he was only interested in her because of her family's money, or someone being murdered.
Sometimes both. She blamed Shinichi.
At the very least, there were no bodies to be found on the path to Uncle Jirokichi's house. She would quite honestly appreciate if Shinichi didn't try and rub off whatever kind of corpse magnet powers he had on everyone else around him. He could quite honestly keep that sort of thing to himself. Some people had other things to do than be caught up in murder investigations left and right.
For that matter, it wasn't all that often that she ran into other people on the path through the forest at all. So as she took her first steps out onto the path, with it's well worn brick, she couldn't help but be a little bit surprised as she saw someone pass her by. As strange an occasion as it was, she couldn't help but notice how rather handsome he was- it wasn't every day that one saw someone that attractive wandering around here. She surely would have noticed someone with dark skin and pale blonde hair, that looked to be his natural color, judging from his eyebrows, in town before. He carried a guitar case over one shoulder, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was a musician of some sort.
Still, there was something about the look in his eyes that she didn't quite like. Something a bit hard, something that made her bite her tongue and keep her head down as she passed by him, both rather uncharacteristic actions for her. The man himself, a stranger indeed, had no way of knowing that of course, and passed by her likewise without so much as a second glance.
She wasn't certain if the sight of a handsome man at the start of her trip was a sign of good fortune, or if the hard look in his eyes were an ill omen for today's trip. Perhaps it would be best to follow her mother's words to the letter today, and stick to the path as she had been told. She didn't always quite listen to her, of course- though she had never really strayed that far from the path, always keeping it in view. She was far more worried about losing her way than she was about the threat of likely nonexistent talking wolves.
With birds twittering overhead, making a pleasant sound in spite of the approaching winter, any lingering concerns she might have had about the stranger slowly disappeared as she wound her way through the forest, carefully following the well worn brick path. The chill of morning soon gave way to a slightly warmer afternoon, enough so that she lowered the hood of her red parka, taking in a deep breath of air. If there was one thing that she liked about being made to do this, it was how fresh the air was here- even though she wasn't that far from the city in which she lived. It was always pleasant here- to the point where she couldn't even imagine what the dangerous creatures her mother spoke of were.
"Oh? Something smells rather good."
It must have been quite the day, to run into two strangers on her way to her great uncle's place, Sonoko though, turning on her heel to see who it was that called out to her. Not only that, but two rather handsome people in a row. This stranger had a different sort of attractiveness to them than the one she had seen just as entered, with short, black hair, a hat worn low over their brow, and features that made it hard to determine their gender. What was easy to tell was the fact that her heart fluttered at the sight of them, mentally thanking the powers that be for her good luck today.
"That would probably be the bread." Sonoko said, lifting up her basket with a quick smile. This one was far easier to talk to than the blonde man she from earlier, not having that hard look in their eyes. "I'm afraid that I can't share any though. My mother would get angry at me if I didn't properly bring it to my uncle this time."
"Well, we can't have that." With a quick grin crossing their features, they took a step forward. "Your uncle lives in this forest? He must live in the large manor towards it's end then, if I'm not mistaken."
"Ah, yes, he does." Sonoko said, nodding her head. "I'm Suzuki Sonoko. What's your name? I've never seen you here before, but from the sound of it, you seem pretty familiar with the forest."
"Well of course. I make my home here. As for the matter of my name, it's Masumi. Sera Masumi." The one named Sera told her, her smile only growing as she stuck out her hand. "And for the record, I'm a girl."
"Ah, I see." Blinking a little, half wondering what had brought that on- perhaps that sort of mistake was often made about them, Sonoko nevertheless took the girl's hand, giving it a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you, Sera-san! But you live here? I didn't know that anyone else other than my uncle did."
"There's a few people living here. Or at the very least, there used to be." Sera told her. "There were more in the past, but now, it's mostly my mother and I. I have two older brothers, but they've since left."
"Heh, is that so?" Sonoko blinked, tilting her head. "I've come through this forest many times since I was a child, but I never noticed. Well, I never strayed very far from the path, though."
"We do live quite a ways off of the path. But it's easy to find your way around when you've grown up here." Sera told her. "Ah, but I shouldn't keep you for very long if you've got somewhere to be. Forgive me for calling out to you like this- I've noticed you on this path before, and I thought that one day I should speak with you when I had the chance."
"A-ah, is that so?" Feeling her cheeks heat up in spite of herself, Sonoko let out a nervous laugh. Nobody had ever given her that sort of line before- it managed to make her heart race. She almost didn't want to part from this person, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't stay. "Then, maybe I'll see you some other time, if that's the case, Sera-san."
"Nothing would please me more." Sera told her. "Have a safe trip, Suzuki-san."
"Just Sonoko is fine!" Sonoko said quickly, briefly wondering what brought that on. "You don't need to be so formal with me. We're the same age, after all, from the looks of things."
"That's true!" With a quick nod, Sera's smile grew all the brighter. "Then, it's Sonoko-chan, right? You can call me Sera-chan, if you want. Everyone used to call me that when I was younger."
"Ah, yes!" With a quick nod of her head, Sonoko felt her cheeks turn a shade deeper. "Sera-chan! I'll remember it!"
With those words, the two of them parted ways. She must have left quite the deep impression on her, for when Sonoko finally arrived at her uncle's house, he asked her in a somewhat concerned tone if she had a fever. Rather than tell him about the stranger that she had spoken with in the forest, her mother's words briefly echoing in her head, knowing that she would never hear the end of it if she heard that she had spoken to anyone in the forest, even if they weren't a wolf, she laughed her flustered cheeks off as due to the weather.
Well, if someone like Sera was a wolf, perhaps she wouldn't mind letting her eat her up. Such a thought only deepened her blush- what was she even thinking?
It wasn't the last time that she ran into Sera either. Almost as if she were intent on keeping her word, the very next time Sonoko made her way through the forest to visit her uncle, she was there. They spoke a bit on the way, having a rather pleasant chat, before Sera excused herself, parting ways with Sonoko. There were many times after that as well, and before she knew it, Sonoko began to look forward to the times when her mother asked her to go visit her great uncle.
As the weather turned worse outside, as winter descended upon him, she replaced her red parka with a heavier red coat, keeping it's warm hood drawn around her head. Sera never seemed all that bothered by the winter winds herself, and when Sonoko had asked her about it, she had just laughed it off, claiming that it was because of her warm personality, of course.
It wasn't only just Sera that she saw more often either- the young man with the guitar case crossed paths with her many times, always with the same hard look in his eyes. After awhile, Sonoko began to slowly recognize it as frustration- perhaps his career as a musician wasn't going well. He, she never called out to, never so much as got his name.
She couldn't help but notice that on days in which she met him inside of the forest itself, she didn't meet Sera. It was only on days when she either didn't run into him, or when he was just leaving, that she crossed paths with her new friend- and the person who made her heart leap in her chest, singing to her whispers that perhaps there was something good to come in the future.
Once, after thinking about it long and hard, Sera invited Sonoko to her own home, for a spot of tea, as she was returning home from her uncle's house. Even in the fading sunlight, she guided her carefully to a rather charming little house in the forest, one she would have never been able to find on her own, judging by all the twists and turns that they had taken to get there. It was almost as if they didn't want to be found, and that was the very same feeling that she got when she met Sera's mother- a feeling that she wasn't wanted here. Still, after a few minutes, the feeling seemed to relent.
In her mother, she could see where Sera got her good looks from. The coloring, she assumed, must have been from her father. She never did ask about him- when Sera spoke of her family, she only ever mentioned her mother, or her two older brothers, never her father. If there was one thing that dealing with high society had told her, it was when not to ask certain questions.
Even in the darkness, with no moon to light their path back, only the stars faintly glimmering overhead through the gaps in the trees, Sera lead Sonoko back to the path once the tea had been finished. Her mother was quite angry at her for coming back home far later than she had told her she would, and she had made Ran lie for her sake, claiming that she had stopped by her place. When she asked why later, Sonoko only told her that she had been with someone that had been filling her thoughts lately- and with an understanding look, she quickly told her that she would cover for her whenever she needed.
The next time she headed to her uncle's house, she was stopped by the very one she had been avoiding speaking with.
"You come through this forest quite a bit, miss."
"Well, my uncle does live towards the end of it." Sonoko told him, giving him a small smile. It was better to not be rude. "My mother is always having me bring things out to him. Besides, I could say the same for you, mister. I see you here a lot these days. Do you live on the other side?"
"Something like that, yes." The young man told her after a moment, a considering look on his face. "Have you ever met anyone else here, on this path?"
"No." She didn't know why she withheld the truth, especially when it seemed to be an innocent enough question on the surface. Something in the back of her mind recalled the hard look in his eyes, and silenced her. "Not really. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." The young man said, giving her a smile which complimented his handsome face rather well- even as it sent a slight chill down her spine. "I was only just curious. Some relatives of an old friend of mine were supposed to live in this forest, but I can never manage to find them."
"Is that so?" Sonoko asked, keeping her tone level. "Well, I hope that you can find them someday. I never really leave the path though, so I'm afraid I can't really help you. Well then, I have to get going."
With a curt bow, Sonoko quickly turned on her heel, trying not to look too much like she was hurrying down the path, trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. He was certainly handsome- but there was something about them that she didn't quite trust. What that was, she couldn't quite say. It was just something that was carried within his smile, within his eyes, that gave her a bad feeling.
In the back of her mind, her mother's warning bubbled to the surface once more.
She didn't see Sera on that day, nor during the next few times that she visited. Just when she was starting to worry that she might never see her again, she once more crossed paths with her. She had been away for awhile, she had told her, although there was a slightly strained expression on her face as she spoke. At first, Sonoko almost wanted to leave it at that, to let it go, but...
"I ran into a strange man the other day, at the entrance to the forest." Sonoko said after a moment. "He claimed that the family of an old friend of his lived here. Ah, I didn't say anything about you or your mother, though." She wasn't quite sure what had prompted her to add that afterthought on, but seeing the relief that washed over Sera's face told her it was the right choice.
"You should be careful of him if you meet him again, Sonoko." Sera told her, a grave expression in her eyes. "That man is a hunter. It's best to avoid him, if you can."
"Is what he said true?" Sonoko asked. There were more questions that lingered in her mind, chief among them being the question of what it was, exactly, that the young man was hunting. "About knowing one of your brothers?"
It was the concern in her voice that eventually made Sera speak again, nodding her head. "His name is Amuro Tooru, I believe. I believe he was once acquainted with my eldest brother, but I wouldn't have called them friends. They used to work together, that's all. I think he's under the impression that my eldest brother betrayed him at some point, though I don't know what it could be that he wants from us. He's the one who betrayed my eldest brother himself."
"Betrayed?" Sonoko asked, blinking slightly. "What do you mean by that, Sera-chan? Did something happen?"
"Ah... no, it's nothing." Sera said, shaking her head, giving her a smile. "It's not really a fun topic to discuss. More importantly, from the smell of it, it would be a waste if you didn't bring those cookies to your grandfather while they were still hot. You had better hurry, Sonoko."
"Y-yeah..." Slowly nodding her head, an unconvinced expression on her face, Sonoko opened her mouth to say something, before quickly stopping herself. Taking in and letting out a breath, she gave Sera a bright smile of her own this time. "Then, I'll see you next time, Sera-chan! Maybe I'll bring something for you and your mother to enjoy for once. I still haven't repaid you for the tea and scones that we had the other day."
"You don't have to repay me for something like that." Sera told her, her usual smile surfacing on her face once more, as she shook her head. "But I'll look forward to it."
With those words exchanged, Sonoko once more made her way down to the forest path, to her uncle's house, her conversation with Sera troubling her all the while. Once more, unbidden, her mother's words of warning floated to the surface. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken them so literally.
Wolves could be many things, but above all others, they were always liars.
She couldn't help but wonder if that in and of itself, were a lie.
It wasn't the only time that she ran into the young man, however, and every time she did from then on, without fail, he would ask her if she met anyone in the forest. She wasn't sure if he had bought her lies, or if he was seeing right through her- but either way, she wasn't going to give him anything. On the days that he spoke to her, she wouldn't get to see Sera, something that dampened even the joy that the coming spring brought, as flowers bloomed, and baby birds could be heard joining their parents in song. It was no longer cold enough to need a jacket, but it was the perfect season for the rather cute red beret she had bought the other day.
Finally, when her curiosity got the best of her, Sonoko asked Sera the question that had been on her mind ever since the man had spoken to her the first time. "Did something happen to your eldest brother?"
With a sad smile, it almost seemed as if Sera wasn't going to answer her for a few moments- before she closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. "He passed away." She told her simply. "For the longest time, I couldn't believe it myself. I thought he was still out there somewhere, alive and well. But in the end, I had to come and accept the truth that he wasn't going to come back home again. I think mother took it harder than I did, even though she had seemed to resign herself to the chance that it might happen one of these days long ago."
"I'm sorry." The apology was the first thing off of Sonoko's lips, a deep drown set on her features. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It was just a accident." Sera said after a moment. "Or at the very least, that's what everyone says. I don't know about that myself. My brother was a hunter, you see, just like that Amuro-san. One day, when they were searching for a wolf that had been causing problems in a forest far distant from this one, Amuro-san's weapon discharged by mistake, killing him. I never believed it, though."
"That's horrible!" Sonoko gasped, her eyes going wide, even as the mention of wolves tingled in the back of her mind. "But why would Amuro-san do such a thing?" Pausing for a moment, she shuffled her feet slightly. "At least, from the way you put it, you made it sound like you think it was done on purpose."
"I can't say." Sera said, shaking her head, a hard look of her own surfacing in her eyes. It wasn't off putting, not like the look that she saw in Amuro's own. "Although I have some theories." There was a pause there, the hard look giving way to a considering one, as if there was something she was debating saying. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you all this time, Sonoko."
"If it's what I think it is, there's no need to tell me something like that." Sonoko said simply, not halting her stride, nor glancing back at the one behind her. "I've already figured something like that out a long time ago. But Sera-chan is Sera-chan, right?" She asked, finally turning around on her heel, flashing her a wide grin. "That's why it doesn't matter to me."
"Sonoko..." Sera blinked a little, before a bright smile crossed her face, hurrying her own pace so that she caught up with her. "What's with that? You make me feel like I've been worrying all this time for nothing. I didn't realize that you were that kind of girl!"
"There's plenty of things that you don't know about me!" Sonoko stated plainly, firmly nodding her head, her basket shifting on her arm as she planted her hands on her hips. "What of your family?"
"All of us, except for mother. The gene was from our father." Sera said, shaking her head. "We've lived here in the forest for as long as I can remember, alongside my middle brother. My eldest brother had already left to explore the world when I was born, so I only got to see him every now and again. There used to be a lot more of us here back then. They've since moved to other places, for one reason or another. Those like us who just wanted to live in peace."
"I see." Sonoko said simply, nodding her head. "Do you think Amuro-san killed your brother because he found out? He is a hunter, after all." She asked.
"I don't know. I have several theories, and that's certainly one of them, but I wonder if that really would be enough. I only know that my eldest brother wouldn't have been killed that easily. There might be other circumstances behind it, for all I know." Sera said, shaking her head. "He wasn't that sort of person, after all. He was amazing, you know! I really looked up to him when I was a child. I still do, really."
Once she got to speaking properly about her eldest brother, it seemed that the fountain of words wouldn't stop- not that Sonoko minded all that much. In the past, Sera had never spoken of herself all that much, beyond a few vague mentions of things here and there, so having her open up to her like this was both refreshing and interesting. And the expression her face took on as she spoke on him- it was one that she hadn't seen before, and it made her heart dance all the more.
Perhaps this was what her mother had meant by spiriting away. Somewhere along the line, perhaps even at the very start, Sera had taken her heart away somewhere. She certainly didn't mind though- she could do whatever it was that she wanted with it. She doubted that any harm would come to it, so long as it was in her hands. If one day the day came that she realized what it was that she held, then...
Well, if even she didn't realize it on her own, Sonoko would make her realize it. If there was one thing that she had learned from her own friends, it was the fact that even the brightest of people could be amazingly dense about certain things.
"I'm amazed that you haven't tried to confront him, though." Sonoko observed after a moment. "He might have killed your brother, right? If that's the case, he has to get what's coming to him! That's murder, murder!"
"Well, that's true." Sera said after a moment. "But there's something that's always been troubling me, since the very start. It's made him difficult to approach. Something in his scent..."
When she inquired as to what that could be, Sera had merely shaken her head, apologizing to her, for she didn't have the answer to that. With such thoughts still fresh in her mind, she wound her way back down the path from her uncle's house, stopping in her tracks the moment she caught a figure illuminated by the lamplight. She had run into him many times when she headed into the forest, but never when she came back from it, and yet, here he was.
Honestly, it almost seemed as if he had been waiting for her.
"So then, young miss," Amuro began, that same cold smile on his lips as he always wore- but there was something else to the glint of his eyes underneath the moonlight. She didn't like it either. "...did you perhaps run into anyone on your walk today?"
"No, not today either." Sonoko said simply, shaking her head. "Other than you, of course. Perhaps your old friend's family has already moved on, otherwise I'm sure you would have found them by now."
"No, they're still here." Amuro said simply, taking a step forward, shifting the bag that he wore slung over one arm. "I know that much. And I know that you know where they are, don't you?"
"I'm afraid that I have no idea what it is that you mean." Sonoko said simply, taking two steps forward, narrowing her eyes when he blocked her path without so much of a word. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wish that Ran were here, even as she drew out what courage she had- using bravado to fill in where she was lacking in it. "Will you please excuse me? I've dealt with your strange questions thus far without complainant, but you're being quite rude!"
"Do pardon me. I hate to be rude." Although he smiled at her, he didn't move an inch from where he was. "But I've put up with your lies until now. This is exactly why you shouldn't hang around that type, young miss. You'll pick up their habit of lying before you know it. You can't trust anything that they tell you."
"And couldn't the same be said of you?" Sonoko asked, sending a rather sharp gaze up towards him, even as her grip on her now empty basket tightened. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"If I'm anything like they are, I was only made so against my will." Casting aside any illusion of pleasantries, Amuro's voice took on a sharp tone, that cold gaze surfacing once more in his eyes. "I'll ask you one more time, young miss. Have you met anyone else while in these woods?"
"And I'll say it again." Sonoko said sharply, gathering up all of her courage for everything it was worth. "No."
For a long, tense moment, Sonoko felt as if she were about to find out firsthand what it actually was that he was carrying within that guitar case. But after the moment passed, Amuro took a step back, letting out a long sigh. Whatever deep grudge he had against Sera's eldest brother, one that extended even to her family, it wasn't one that he wanted to get normal people mixed up in. Wordlessly, he stepped aside, letting her go.
After that night, she only saw Sera once more. With an apology that she had ended up getting so involved, Sera told her that she and her mother would be leaving the forest soon. As much as she wanted to plead with her to stay, to not go away from her, she knew that couldn't say something that selfish. Instead, she only asked her to contact her when she found a new place to stay.
With a promise on her lips that she would, Sera disappeared once more into the forest.
As late spring gave way into summer, Sonoko couldn't help but check the mail every day for any sign of a letter from her. As the days passed, and the seasons changed once more, there was the smallest part of her that began to wonder if her mother wasn't right- if wolves really were liars after all. Still, in spite of such feelings, she decided to put her faith in the promise that she had made with one, and wait.
When the chill of late fall came once more, there it was. Tucked inside a bright red envelope, was a single letter, with no return address on it. She had never seen Sera's writing before, and yet she felt she knew it at once, as she carefully accepted the letter from her mother, who cast a curious look upon her as she saw the overjoyed expression that crossed her own face.
Clutching the letter tight to her chest, Sonoko wasted no time in dating upstairs to her room, closing the door behind her, before she opened it up. It somehow had the same aroma as freshly baked bread, she couldn't help but think to herself, a soft smile crossing her face as she opened up the letter, eyes scanning the very first line.
To a certain little red riding hood.