A/N: It's heerre! Haha, I'm so bad, really really sorry. School started, and it's my freshman year, and it's preeetty rough. I haven't had time to write at all since it started, but to make up for your long wait I decided to upload an extra long chapter for you guys because you've been so patient with me 3 luv u guys. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Psst, follow me on tumblr (akihaotaku)
PoV of: The queen Sumireko
The clicks of our shoes were the only noise that occupied the quiet between us. I glanced frequently towards Mahiru's face. Each time my eyes would just gaze at her rough looking scar, and trace back up to her amethyst eyes. This time I glanced a bit too long, and Mahiru turned to look towards me. I noticed a small but noticeable pink blush greet her cheeks as she smiled at me. I smiled back, but this time she blush grew a little stronger and turned her head the other way to hide it out of embarrassment. I couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh at this display.
"Banba-san, you've changed a great deal, since I first met you." I mentioned aloud.
"A-ah, do you really think so?" She responded.
"Yes, very much so."
"I see..." She said back slowly, dragging out the words.
"Personally, I think it was because of what happened in Kurogumi. It made me realize that the world is so vast. I...shouldn't have let something like what happened when I was a child to control me as much as it did...to wish death upon others." Mahiru continued.
That's right. When we were still roommates, from what little words we had exchanged with each other, we began to understand that we were not too different from each other. We both knew. We both knew how tragic and cruel the world can sometimes be to its inhabitants, even to innocent souls such as us in our young ages, when we were mere children. I didn't know what happened to her, but I thought best to not prod around business that was not mine. As for me...I couldn't just stop trying. Trying to be stronger. I made a promise, I swore that I would be the strongest to my mother. I won't just break that promise so easily. However, Mahiru was not wrong. The world indeed is a very large place. It's full of many wonderful people, such as her. But equally as many selfish and corrupt individuals.
"Banba-sa-"
"Please, Hanabusa-san, you can just refer to me as Mahiru. I do not mind it."
"Ara? If that's the case, then you may also simply refer to me as Sumireko." Mahiru directed her gaze to the floor and seemingly smiled to herself.
"I always liked it." She said unexpectedly.
"Hmm? Liked what?" I inquired.
"Your name. Sumireko. It's beautiful and lovely, j-just like yourself." She answered. I was taken quite aback at this comment. It reminded me greatly of my mother. The memories of her voice that had always called me "Lovely" returned back to me, repeating itself over and over. The only time that she wouldn't call me that was when she upset at Father, and I tried to talk to her during their arguments, or when I had stolen some sweets from the kitchen and got caught. "Lovely" then would instead have been replaced with "Little Thief", but returned to "Lovely" nonetheless. I found my self letting out a small laugh, and a tear streaking down my cheek as I recalled those memories. I quickly wiped away the tear, hoping that Mahiru had not seen it, but to no avail.
"S-Sumireko? Did I offend you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean any-"
"No, no. You didn't offend me...I was just recollecting some old memories of mine." I said with a wistful tone that I did not mean to place there.
"I see..." She replied. Silence once again filled the air, other than the clicks of our shoes. I looked back up to the sky, only to find it no longer filled with the diamonds that once took place in the blanket of darkness. Instead, a very pale blue started to take over, along with a light orange that looked as if it were painted on the corner of the horizon.
"Ara, It seems like it has become dawn already. The time flied by us more swiftly than I expected."
"Sumireko, would you like to see the sunrise? I know a place very close by where we can watch it clearly together." Mahiru asked gently.
"Ah, yes, I'd like that very much. Thank you." I accepted.
Mahiru beamed back at me, looking delighted.
We climbed a surprisingly good amount of stairs, onto a cliff-like grassy area. Oak trees surrounded the sides of the area, except the front, where a fence occupied the space instead. I walked closed towards the fence to get a good look further. A soft calm breeze rolled across the area, shaking hands with my hair.
"The view is so beautiful, Mahiru! I can't believe I've never found this place before. You can clearly see the mountains, and the Sakura trees that pop out through the city." I gasped excitedly while holding onto the metal fence. Mahiru walked up next to me and gazed into the view with me.
"Look." I whispered. The orange ball started to peek up over the mountains. Its sunlight shone on us, sharing its warmth for us. I took a glance back to Mahiru's face, to investigate her sudden silence. She closed her eyes for a short while, and opened them back up, this time with a different aura that emitted from her. Not wanting to ruin the moment with a question I looked back over into the mountains, enjoying the slow rise of that star. The silence this time was calming, and very much welcomed. White cotton clouds began to roll in, covering bits of the morning sky. Eventually a wispy fluff covered the sun, hiding it from view. Slightly disappointed I took a look back to Banba. A new toothy grin and mischievous eyes now greeted her face.
"Heh, that was the first time I've ever seen the sunrise, ya know." The tone was undoubtedly recognizable. She raised her hand and made a circle with her index finger and thumb, while sticking up the other three fingers.
"Yo, long time no see there, Sumireko."
"I asked Mahiru if I could take over and watch. All I could ever watch was the sunsets. Even then, I couldn't watch it for long. It was pretty, but looking at it for a while would...take us back to unwanted memories." Shinya told me. We continued to walk to my house. It's not too far now.
"Just around the corner, Shinya-san. Left." We turned left together and walked down a few more steps until we approached my house gates that was connected to a high wall that surrounded my mansion.
"Wh...whoa..." She uttered under her breath.
"I knew that you were rich, Sumireko, but not..." She gestured at my house with both arms spread out.
"...This rich." She finished.
"Yes. It's not very convenient. There are robbers and burglars always trying to break in, and it's a hassle." I remarked. Shinya still gaped at my rather extravagant house with buggy eyes. I tried my hardest not to let out a laugh at the welcome sight. It was almost as if she were a small child.
"Shinya-san, over here." I motioned her over a part of a wall that was covered by a large tree from the inside. I waited until I knew that she could see me clearly before I did anything.
"What? What now?" She asked. I put a finger to my lips and gave a small wink. She raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously with questioning eyes. I lifted my hands up so my fingers hugged the upper corner of the wall, and planted my hands firmly onto it. With ease, I pushed myself up and swung my body over the wall, landing with my feet as inaudibly as possible onto the grass. I waited a few seconds for Shinya to do the same. After no sign of movement over the wall, I wondered if I had to call out to her to follow suit. There was a possibility that she could have simply just left. I turned around, deciding to wait a little longer for her. Perhaps she just couldn't lift herself over the wall? This was Shinya I was talking about, so there was no way that could happen. Just then, I heard a shuffle from over the wall, and looked back to see a rather ungraceful Shinya falling and planting her face into the grass of my yard with a loud thud and grunt. Instinctively I looked the other way, lightly slapping my hand against the front of my face and shaking my head out of displeasure, although a snicker escaped from my mouth.
"Hey! Quit laughing, you! That hurt ya know...owww..." Shinya complained. I checked back on her to see if she actually was hurt badly, such as a broken arm or wrist.
"Shinya-san, I thought that you were more skilled than that." I said with another small snicker.
"Shut up! I ain't used to using our body at this time 'a day! Plus, that Mahiru used some of our strength to beat up those douches, so I'm sorry if I'm a little sapped, okay? I'm a little shorter that you too. Anyways, if it's this easy to sneak into yer house grounds, it's no wonder that robbers keep tryin' to get in." She retorted. I rolled my eyes playfully and reached a hand down towards her. She grabbed hold of my hand gratefully and I lifted her up with ease. "Oh well, it's not like you can't handle some amateur robber on yer own. Yo, by the way, nice grip ya got there, princess." Shinya commented. Her grin now plastered back on her face, I suspected that she was all fine now.
"Y-yeah, thanks. Oh, and don't call me princess." Shinya shook her head with that grin still stuck on her face.
"Fine, fine. Whatever ya say."
"...You can call me 'Queen' though."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
She shrugged with her hands in the air, as if to say "I give up", and took a step forward out of the shade of the tree.
"Wait." I whispered harshly. Worried that she might step before she caught herself, I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
"Ow, hey. Your hand hurts. Whatzit made out of, rocks?" Shinya asked. I squinted at her, not exactly appreciating her comment. If she only knew.
"Never mind that. You almost got us caught. Look." I pointed to a nearby camera that was panning left and right slowly in our area.
"If that camera senses movement that's not from the gates, it'll set off an alarm from inside the house, and the police will be notified to get here asap."
"Wow, nice...Hey wait, why are even trying to sneak into yer own house?!"
"I'm not supposed to be outside of the house right now. My father is very strict about this type of thing, and if I get caught, he gets furious."
"Is that so? Heh, never really took you for a rebel, Sumireko. I like it." Choosing to ignore that comment, I kept an eye on the nearby camera until it panned away from our direction.
"Run that way." I pointed to the left. Shinya took orders well, and ran in that direction, with me tailing not too far behind. It was not the best idea to let Shinya run in front. She didn't know when to stop and didn't know if another camera was right around the corner. I did. She stepped forward a step too far and I had to hook my finger in the collar of her dress while she was in full speed. The front of the collar caught her neck, and an audible "guk" was heard from her mouth.
"I'm sorry, Shinya-san. Are you alright? If I didn't do that you might have gotten us caught. Again." A few coughs later, she finally got her breath to respond.
"No! Sumireko, are ya trying to kill me, ya friggin' sadist? Ya kinda just choked me just now!" Shinya harshly whispered.
"I said I'm sorry. Anyways, don't call me a sadist. Let me get in front. I know where all the cameras are, so stop when I stop, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, git to it already." I looked around the corner to locate the camera. It was in the middle of panning to the other direction, so it was now or never. I sprinted to the next corner of the house, with Shinya following behind. I stopped just at the corner, but Shinya didn't stop fast enough and bumped me out into view. The next camera was in pointed in my direction. I quickly pushed Shinya back and hid behind the corner again.
"Ow! Hey are you doing this on purpo-"
"SH!" I put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. I did not know that Shinya could be this talkative.
"The alarm may have gone off inside. I think it spotted me. Listen closely, and tell me if you hear it ringing inside." Any type of beeping that came from the house meant that we've been spotted. After a good minute, and no sound could be heard, I let go of my breath.
"That was close." Shinya chuckled nervously. I looked at her irritatedly, now questioning if this girl really is, or at least, was an assassin.
"You're not very good at this, are you, Shinya-san?"
"Hey, shut it. Whyda ya think I carry a hammer twice the size of your face around?! Discretion around wasn't really my strong point as an assassin, if ya didn't notice from the huge sledgehammer, detective!" I shook my head and rolled my eyes at the new nickname.
"Okay, whatever. The last camera we need to pass is up here. And don't call me detective."
"I'm pretty sure you asked me to walk you home, not go train to be in a ninja movie!" I considered how Mahiru is able to stand her alternate personality 24/7. To have this girl in your head all the time...wouldn't it get to you? So far she's called me "princess", "sadist", and "detective". I turned back around to look at her.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked.
"...Maybe let's stop with the nicknames unless I approve them." She shrugged her shoulders again.
"'Kay. Whatever ya want." I turned back around to check the camera. Once it turned the other way, I darted straight for the next corner to turn. I used my hand to hug the corner of the house to turn easier, but Shinya didn't. She crashed into a bush. I stopped to catch my breath, and to wait for Shinya. The window to my room was just up there. My silver-haired companion jumped out of the bush and walked up next to me while brushing off leaves from her dress.
"Are you sure that you were an assassin?" I mocked.
"Are ya sure that I won't come into your bedroom at night and dump a bucket of spiders on you?" I rolled my eyes once more and shuddered a little at the thought.
"Could you give me a boost, please, Shinya-san?" Shinya got the message and walked up to the wall of the house, squatting and interlocked her fingers together. I stepped on her hands and reached up to unlock the latch to my window, and pushed the doors open. Looking back down to assess on how Shinya was doing, I was unsure if she would be able to hold much longer. Surprisingly, her face showed no sign of fatigue or stress, and was holding me up quite well.
"Hey, speed it up there 'n quit lookin at my face. Yer kinda heavy ya know."
"Excuse me?"
"Nuthin', just hurry, won't they be coming to check on you or somethin'?"
"No, right now, it's still my sleeping hours."
"Sleeping hours?! How long do you sleep, ten hours?"
"Yes, actually."
"Yer kiddin' me. What are you, a sloth? Heh, explains why yer so hea-"
I didn't stand for the comments anymore. Using my foot, I lightly stepped on her head, pushing her head back.
"Hey! Whatzat for?!"
"Oops, my apologies. My foot seemed to have slipped."
"Like hell it did!" In the middle of our little tiff I heard a knock from my bedroom door through the window.
"My lady, are you awake yet?" That was the butler.
"Throw me up!" I hissed.
"Whaddaya, crazy?!"
"Just do it!"
"Fine!"
With one strong push up from Shinya, I was able to slip in through the window. However, this time it was I that landed on my face with a loud thud. Audible cackling from the girl below reached my ears.
"M-my lady, is everything alri-"
"Everything is fine. Please do not come in just yet." I said in my best normal voice as possible.
I looked back down out the window and waved to my helper.
"Thank you, Shinya-san. I appreciate all your help, Mahiru's too. And I'm sorry for doing those things to you."
"Heheh, don't mention it. Sorry for callin' ya names too. I guess I'll catch ya later!" She gave her signature circle and three fingers, along with that distinguishable grin. I smiled back at her and mouthed a "good-bye". For some reason, I didn't really want to leave her. When I pulled my gaze away from her, I kept wanting to look back.
"Oh, Sumireko, wait!" She shouted up. I whipped around and stuck my head back out the window with a raised eyebrow.
"By the way, nice panties!" I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen.
"Why, you-!"
"Gotta split! Later!" She dashed for the nearest wall and hopped it. She didn't mess up this time.
"I swear, when I see you again I'll make sure that-"
"My lady-" The butler interrupted.
"Y-yes! I will be there in a moment." I quickly straightened my hair and clothes, and threw my shoes back into my closet to put on my slippers. After making sure that I looked presentable and not suspicious, I swung the door open.
"There you are. Were you...talking to anyon-"
"No, I was not. What is it that you needed, Kaede?"
"Ah, yes, your father wanted to you to join him downstairs for breakfast."
"Is...that so?"