She should have seen this coming.
Remilia Scarlet should have known from the moment he asked about Flandre, she should have just nipped it in the bud right there. She thought she could just let him forget about it, she thought that if she just left well-enough alone and ignored him, he'd move on and accept that he'd never meet Flandre Scarlet.
Yet there he was, in Flandre's room, making her cry out for him and express her pathetic love. It absolutely infuriated her. He belonged to her, he was her slave, he even admit it himself. However, here he was betraying her by taking Flandre's heart. How long had they been seeing each other? Days? Weeks? Months? It did not matter, she needed to do something.
But how did Sakuya not notice? Hell, how did that stupid lizard go three hours without mentioning it to anyone? If they'd been doing this multiple times how did it not show-
She remembered Adam discussing his strange feelings that vaguely reminded Remilia of her first crush. She grit her teeth, reprimanding herself for how foolish she'd been. So woefully oblivious to what was going on. Flandre was stealing from her, like she always tried, she was trying to get back at her for taking Adam to begin with. The damn brat couldn't leave well-enough alone, she couldn't just accept who was in charge and fall in line like everyone else.
No, Flandre had to go behind her back and lure that big stupid oaf to her chambers, she had to trick him with slander regarding how much of a liar and an overall terrible person her older sister was, no doubt. Remilia had plans though, she was going to make it better!
It was too late now, Flandre struck first. What could she do? She couldn't control Adam like everyone else, and if he was in Flandre's life, Remilia could no longer moderate her sister like she could in the past. So long as Adam emulated Yukari and did as he pleased, Remilia could no longer control what absolutely must remain under her dominion.
He had to go.
No! No she didn't need to do that! She just needed to talk to him, explain-
Explain?! Flandre's been feeding him all manner of lies! Explaining will accomplish nothing! She's turned him!
Remilia shook her head, pressing it against the wall. This wasn't her, she had more tact than this. Talk to Sakuya, ask her what to-
There is not enough time! A decision has to be made! He needs to die!
But how? She'd run him through, he'd been nigh obliterated, he'd exploded from the inside out, he couldn't just die and get out of her hair for good.
Patchouli had to know how to kill him. She helped make him, surely if things went wrong, her and Alice had the foresight to create some kind of failsafe, an Achilles Heel they could call on if he became dangerous, right?
Why was she thinking about this? She could fix this without killing anyone. Give him back to Alice, he just didn't need to be here! He hated being here, it would make sense!
So Flandre can run after him and leave you like the rest of your family?
Remilia found all the reason she needed.
=][=
Life was cruel.
Life was suffering.
Yet, for this moment in the eternity that was Adam's allowance, life was everything and more. He never realized what he had lost until Flandre said those three words to him. The saying seemed to be true, you don't realize you have something until it's gone, but Adam had failed to realize he lost anything at all until he found it again. That feeling of being loved, the euphoria of holding someone in your arms, to be reminded that there is someone out there who loves you and needs you to be a part of their life.
Adam had thought he lost this someone. His own mother could not see him like she used to, Patchouli was far too distant, and Sakuya found him a nuisance. However, in the shower of Flandre's kisses Adam found the one who could be that person again, someone to give him that spark his life had lacked for so long. Someone he could be close to, someone he could let in.
And who better than Flandre Scarlet? Someone who had been abused just as much as he, who understood his plights and turmoil, someone who was honest with him above all else. He really felt like there were no secrets, he and Flandre could be an open book to each other, as it should be, he thought.
"I love you..."
Adam was brought out of his revere by the soft coo of the small vampire snuggled against his chest. His abdominal scales were wet from her tears, although as much as it broke his heart to see, he was told they were happy tears. He reached down and lifted Flandre's chin, peering into her red eyes. "They still bother me," he told her frankly.
Flandre pulled his hand away from her chin, clasping it tightly in hers, "I'll cry for real when you have to leave in the morning," she told him, "I don't want to go through the day without you."
Adam frowned, "I'm sorry," he offered plaintively, "if things could be different-" his voice hitched immediately, his heart twisting and wrenching itself at those familiar words.
If things were different.
He had come to hate those words so much, and now he was so callously using them. He hugged the vampire close to his chest and he sucked in a shaky breath as his heart punished him for daring to say such a monstrous thing.
Flandre's hands found their way to Adam's cheeks, and her lips followed suit by giving him a gentle kiss. "I know," she said, "I know if you could do something you would, but I want you to know I'll never think less of you for being unable to."
The homonculus couldn't help kissing her back, "I wish I could accept that as easily as you."
The moment Flandre's lips were free she spoke, "I know this is happening so fast, but it feels so right," she said, kissing Adam once more, "and I'll get to feel this way forever."
"I don't want to go," Adam mumbled weakly.
"I'll see you tonight," Flandre said, standing up and hugging him close, pressing his ear against her beating heart, "I'll see you every night, okay?"
Adam let out a pathetic whimper, snuggling deeper into Flandre's chest.
He never wanted this to end, but life had other plans. He stayed in Flandre's arms as long as he could, even when she told him he had to go before everyone started waking up, he absolutely could not leave. For the first time in a long while, he wasn't worrying, he wasn't angry, he was so happy he never wanted to let it go.
Eventually, however, Flandre's begging managed to get through to him. Adam ever so hesitantly retreated from her. The vampire offered him one last parting kiss, "I love you, and I'll see you tonight, okay?"
Adam nodded as he forced himself to turn away, "and not a second later," he responded, unlocking Flandre's door. He looked over his shoulder, one last glance at happiness, "I'm happy I met you."
The vampire's wings chimed happily as she wiped her eyes with her blouse, "go, before I cry for real."
Adam nodded pathetically, stepping through the open doorway and closing it behind him. He lingered a moment, just enough to hear a sad sniffle from Flandre. He wanted to rush back in there, damn Remilia and damn everyone else, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he saw her again. He just needed to be patient-
Adam smacked the side of his head as he strode through the dark halls, he just remembered Yukari, he just remembered leaving. Now that he thought about it, though, he couldn't help noting how this recent visit changed things. What was more important? A better home or suffering this accursed mansion just to see Flandre every night?
He needed advice, perhaps it would be a good idea to ask Yukari herself, or Patchouli-
"You will not take her from me!"
The world went dark.
=][=
Patchouli never subscribed to the whole sleep thing the same way Alice did. When everyone went to bed, she remained up and about long into the morning either studying, taking notes, or making chocolate pudding.
She was under no obligation to tell anyone she knew how to make chocolate pudding.
So when the door to the library, the one she just had fixed, exploded in a violent shower of splinters, Patchouli cast an illusion over the pudding bowl, making it appear empty. "I just had that door fixed," she called over her shoulder, trying to sound irritated.
A weak grunt answered her first. Curious, Patchouli turned around, spotting Remilia dragging in the limp heap of Adam, Gungnir driven into his skull. Patchouli stared at the comatose homonculus, expecting him to get up, but he never did. "What did he do?"
The question flipped a switch on Remilia. "You should have heard them," she snarled, "slobbering all over each other like animals, it was sickening to hear, I couldn't stand to let him just take Flandre from me."
"Wait, they were..." Patchouli paused, staring at Adam, whose eyes were screwed shut. She couldn't imagine him kissing anyone, not with those teeth. "You're sure of this?"
"I'm pretty sure they weren't just having a nice, friendly dinner as they casually expressed their love as loudly as possible," Remilia retorted tartly.
The pale magician really couldn't believe the accusation. According to Sakuya, they'd only seen each other twice, thrice including tonight. Was that really enough time for a romance to blossom? Patchouli looked over her shoulder, spotting Koakuma reading a trashy romance novel.
Perhaps even the most horrid of fiction was based in such reality.
Still, it was quite a tall tale as far as the magician was concerned. Patchouli was under the impression Adam was more attracted to mature women. Girls like Sakuya, she thought sardonically. Flandre was childish, she didn't have a bust to speak of -given how Adam kept asking about Koakuma's-, and she certainly didn't have any motherly qualities to entice him with.
Freud would have a field-day with him.
Patchouli let out an exasperated sigh. She needed to hear this from the defendant before she made any judgements. "I'll talk to him-"
"No more talking!" the Scarlet Devil snapped, "I want him out! You will tell me how to kill this freak of nature!"
"Do you have any idea what you're saying?" Patchouli hissed, "do you forget who his mother is? I shouldn't have to remind you who she's friends with!"
Remilia clenched her teeth at the mere implication, "I will not have him endangering Flandre! You're going to help me get rid of him, Patchouli!"
"He's not just a toy, we can't throw him away like you keep doing to my doors!" Patchouli shouted back, "listen to yourself! Why can't we just give him back to Alice?"
"So long as he lives, Flandre will want to see him! I will not allow her to daydream about this reptilian demon! I will not allow her to value a filthy construct over real people!"
Patchouli felt a very angry lump rising in her throat, but swallowed it. "Before we continue, let me tell you this clearly, because it seems you forgot: Adam isn't capable of dying. The moment you pull Gungnir out of his head he'll be getting up and acting like nothing happened."
"You helped make him, you have to know something!" Remilia protested, jabbing Patcohuli in the chest with a sharp nail, "there has to be a way, you two didn't put in anything if he got out of control?"
"He met Flandre and they hit it off," Patchouli retorted flatly, returning the accusatory jab in earnest, "and as far as I can recall you never told him to avoid the basement," the Scarlet Devil visibly deflated, much to Patchouli's satisfaction, "and if you want to ask Alice if there's a way to kill her precious son," the pale magician continued, "by all means, I'd love to see what happens."
"You don't know?" the vampire hissed.
"I helped make him the same way you "help" Sakuya clean," Patchouli answered.
"Well as long as you live under my roof you're going to help me get rid of him!" Remilia snapped, "I don't know how he's poisoned you, but this ends now!"
Patchouli felt like a vessel in her head was about to pop. She pursed her lips, gathering her thoughts. Remilia was not going to shut up about this, that was for certain, and as it stood Adam had just conjured a storm that would only grow in ferocity until Flandre and Remilia inevitably came to blows.
Or worse, Reimu and Marisa would come kicking down their door at Alice's behest.
Reaching out to Yukari in light of all this would surely seal her own fate, and Patchouli very much enjoyed living. She had to think of an alternative, she had to find a way to convince Remilia he was effectively dead, but still have a shot at retrieving him in secret.
Such a place came to Patchouli's mind. It was risky, it relied on so many variables that she couldn't even fathom, but she was trapped, and this was her best shot.
"There is a place he can go," Patchouli said, her mind drifting to her first days in Gensokyo, "a place, they say, that none can return from once they fall. If we take him there, he will never trouble you again."
Remilia quirked a brow, but seemed satisfied with the idea, "tell me more," she ordered.
Patchouli glanced back at Adam's limp form. She wasn't even sure if the plan she had just formulated would work, but it was better than any alternative. "The Sanzu," the pale magician said, "drown him in the Sanzu, and I guarantee he will never emerge from the waves."
The magician hoped to heaven and hell she was wrong.
=][=
The trip to the Sanzu river was going great.
"I'm getting sick of this," Meiling snarled, "why am I the one who has to carry a giant lizard out into the freezing cold? When did I suddenly become everyone's errand girl? I thought that was what that brick wall Sakuya was for!"
Patchouli did her best to ignore the gatekeeper's whining, she tried to just focus on getting this grim task done, but that itself was so trivial she kept thinking about the whole mess they, along with Alice, had created. Just make Flandre a friend, hell, they did just that and that brat Remilia had to screw it all up!
Patchouli shook her head, trying to dismiss any undue feelings. There was far too little that could be done at this point. Just put him in the river, and then get him later when everything blows over. It was simple, it was easy.
Then why did it feel like this was a horrible mistake?
Barring Meiling's whining, the trip was silent, and Patchouli felt appropriately solemn. Every time she heard a bat screech, she knew Remilia was watching. She could barely make out the beady red eyes in the midst of the fog, darting through the trees and keenly observing to ensure Patchouli's task was being carried out.
After all, somebody with a reputation as wicked yet grandiose as hers wouldn't dare carry out her own dirty work. Yet, of course, she was so justifiably paranoid that she found herself needing to be present.
Which is precisely why Patchouli didn't indulge Meiling's whining.
When they cleared the unnaturally thick mist, Patchouli couldn't help turning on her heel and inspecting the edge of the imposing white wall. She almost jerked back when it visibly contorted in front of her. Mist doesn't do that, it doesn't move so fluidly, so organically.
She needed to speak to Marisa about this, she was more in tune with recent goings-on in Gensokyo.
Patchouli saw a familiar pair of red eyes sweep through the fog, and with nothing else to note for now -aside from her growing paranoia-, she turned and watched a little bat with a bow on its head flutter into the trees. She narrowed her eyes and turned around, barely catching a glimpse of those red eyes before they faded away. The pale magician felt a lump forming in her throat as she turned back to look at Remilia, whose eyes were decidedly not bright enough to pierce the fog.
"Keep moving China," Patchouli said grimly.
The gatekeeper blinked, "excuse me?"
"I said move faster, we need to get this done."
As the duo plus luggage drew closer, sickly green shafts began to bloom between the trees, belying their sinister nature. The wood on the trees was now sickly and gray, and the leaves were dried out and lifeless. Strangely, not a single leaf littered the ground, like the trees were just alive enough to still bear them, but no more.
They came upon a fog, but this one was far more inviting than the mist that followed them doggedly. The green shafts were much brighter now, carving through the weakest layers of fog and dispersing it, however briefly. Patchouli and Meiling exchanged looks, exchanged a knowing nod, and then pressed forward through the sinister vapor, this is it, Patchouli thought, we're here.
"By my ancestors!" Meiling gagged as they came upon the roaring river, "what is that stench?!"
The Sanzu river defied classification. At a glance it may have looked like a river, but once Patchouli got a good look she knew its contents was not water. She pulled out a handkerchief and held it over her nose as the rancid smell of decay hit her full-force. The rushing liquids carried with them an oily sheen and emit a sickly green glow, on occasion a bloated corpse could be seen briefly surfacing before raging spirits drug the body back down.
It seems Patchouli wasn't as original with her plan as she had thought.
"Blegh!" Meiling gagged again, "this is the Sanzu?! I've never seen such a toxic place!" the gatekeeper set the sleeping Adam down to cover her mouth and nose with her arm, trying not to vomit.
"I didn't expect it to be so vile," Patchouli said from behind her handkerchief, "let's just toss him in and head home. I think I need a four-hour bath just standing near this place."
With as much fuss as possible, Meiling hoisted Adam back over her shoulder and followed Patchouli down to the riverbank. The soil was dusty and dried out, bones were sticking out of the ground, and all-around rotting algae and waterlogged corpses lined the riverside. The gatekeeper dropped Adam again just so she could double over and spew her breakfast.
Which, oddly enough, smelled much more pleasant.
"China, if you can do this I'll never ask you to do anything again," Patchouli said, keeping the vice of her handkerchief over her mouth and nose.
After she was done vomiting, Meiling put on a determined face and nodded. She turned to pick up Adam, and immediately reeled.
The beast had begun to stir.
"Cold..." the homonculus mumbled, groping the air as if in search of a blanket, "so cold..."
"Your charm's wearing off!" Meiling warned.
Patchouli sucked in a breath, stowing her handkerchief and rubbing her hands together as she hurried over, "not now, please not now!" she cried desperately, placing her hands on Adam's chest, which began to glow softly. "You're fine," she said softly, pressing her palms firmly against him, "you're warm."
Adam's stirring dulled, and his brow relaxed, "warm..." he murmured.
The pale magician let out a soft sigh, pulling her hands away, "like a bandage," she said to Meiling.
The chinawoman muttered to herself as she dropped to a knee to scoop the groggy homonculus into her arms. "I'm sorry I'm doing this," she said as she lifted him, "this is a despicable thing to do, I expect to hear about this when I'm judged."
Patchouli tensed as she watched Meiling stop at the waterline, trying to get a read on the gatekeeper's face. They stood for several minutes, and the magician was growing more anxious with every silent moment. He was waking up, just throw him!
Adam grumbled, his head rolling toward the waves of the Sanzu as his eyes began to part open. "What... is this...?"
"Death," Meiling answered.
She dropped Adam into the water, and watched as it visibly lurched, hundreds of hands erupting from beneath the waves and snatching the homonculus, dragging him beneath the waves before he had time to react to anything, much less wake up.
Her fists trembling, Meiling stalked away from the waters. "How many times have I sinned for you?" she demanded, "I force an innocent life into slavery, and now I condemn him to this rancid hell. This is something monsters do, Patchouli!"
"We had no choice," the pale magician said, her voice barely audible, "we had to."
Out from the waves exploded a familiar obsidian hulk, enraged spirits clinging to him and struggling to weigh him down, screaming desperately as their efforts were ignored by the homonculus. The waves of the Sanzu began to roar and batter against him as he tried to return to the shoreline. He looked at the bewildered Patchouli, then Meiling, his face going from confusion to utter rage in one blink. The waters receded briefly, and for a moment the whole plan seemed to have failed.
The Sanzu lurched, and like a great predator swallowed Adam whole, forcing him back beneath the waves, plucked from this earth and drug down to a crushing darkness only the dead could describe.
Patchouli and Meiling stood by, half-expecting the black beast to rise once more. Seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes turned into an hour, with no sign of him rising prematurely. Patchouli, the picture of frustrated and regretful, lifted off of the ground. "Come on China," she growled, casting a venomous look at a familiar bat, "we're done here."
=][=
Alice woke up today feeling sick.
The whole morning she had felt wrong, her stomach kept twisting and her mind was in a flurry, worst of all she couldn't figure out why. Shanghai seemed less animated than usual, looking rather solemn.
"I was going to go see Adam today," Alice said, her voice cracking when she said his name. She cleared her throat, feeling a bit anxious, "did you want to come with me? He'd love to see you again."
Shanghai stared at the floor, thoughtful. "Forgot, most likely," she said quietly, "prefer to stay here."
"You sound like me," Alice huffed, "come on, it'll be good for you. I'm sure seeing your baby brother again will cheer you up!" she reached down and ruffled the doll's hair.
The little doll's frown remained, her gaze still locked on the floor. She looked hesitant, unwilling to speak her mind for what seemed like minutes. However, one look at Alice's face broke her resolve. "Okay..." she said quietly.
That sick feeling began to fade.
Together, Alice and Shanghai made a quick detour to the human village before heading for the Scarlet Mansion. Alice insisted on buying Adam a gift, but all Shanghai could do was wonder what he would do with a locket with nothing in it.
The doll found her foot in her mouth when she was immediately drug to a camera shop to get their picture taken. Then, with some patented magical trickery, the locket now had a picture of Alice and Shanghai.
"Oh he'll love it!" the Romanian cried excitedly, bouncing in place, "now he'll always have something to remind him of his family!"
Shanghai tried to look disinterested, but Alice's glee was somewhat infectious.
The time just kept flying by, Alice was so excited to see her child again. After the whole Sakuya incident, Shanghai's presence would certainly cheer him up.
Alice was somewhat shocked when she returned to the Scarlet Mansion, and that thick white fog was no longer occupying the area. It was clearly a blessing, as most of the plant life looked like it was starting to die. Just how long had that mist been there?
Stowing that thought away for the time being, Alice and Shanghai descended to the gates to greet Meiling, who was napping against the wall, as was the norm. Alice rolled her eyes, moving over and prodding the Chinawoman with a finger.
Meiling let out a loud snort as she was started awake, "h-huh?" she blinked a few times, her gaze falling on Alice. "Oh hey," she said groggily, her eyes drifting to Shanghai, who was floating around in the background, "I didn't know you had another kid."
"Oh this is Shanghai," Alice said, "Adam's big sister," she looked at the doll expectantly, "say hello to Meiling, she doesn't bite."
The doll waved shyly, "hello," she mumbled.
Meiling mumbled to herself, waving halfheartedly. "I'm sure Patchouli's expecting you after yesterday," she yawned and moved to open the gate, then she paused.
What did she do yesterday? Oh right.
"A-actually I just remembered something!" Meiling said as she clumsily held the gate shut, "Adam's been acting up again lately, he tried getting it on with Koakuma again!"
Alice frowned, rubbing her temples, "oh I knew this would come back up. I'll try talking to him, I want to nip this in the bud myself."
"That's not necessary!" Meiling said hastily, the old iron gates squealing loudly as the woman's tense grip began to warp the metal. "Sakuya's got it under control!"
The magician was starting to understand why she was feeling sick this morning. "I thought Adam was still upset with Sakuya," she countered.
The bars that Meiling was clinging to were snapped, and the gate rolled open on its own. "I-I mean Patchouli's dealing with it! Yeah she's got it covered, I'll let them know you stopped by!"
Alice sucked in a deep breath, her heart starting to race, "you will tell me what you did to my boy."
"I didn't do anything!" Meiling cried, "I just stand here and pretend to do my job!"
"Then let me see Adam," Alice snarled.
"I can't!"
The Romanian's hand went to her belt, and the black book clipped to it, "let me through," she said flatly, "now."
Meiling closed her eyes, "I can't."
Alice held her hand out, "then I'm going to do what I should have done to begin with."
Meiling opened one eye, and instantly regretting it the moment she locked eyes with Alice, "what's that?"
The wind fell silent, and the woman was hit by a powerful concussive blast, sending her flying off and crashing through the front door of the mansion. "I'm taking my son home," Alice answered. She peered over her shoulder, Shanghai was looking especially distressed, "stay close to me."
When Alice entered, she took an extra step and weaved an illusion spell over Meiling's mind. She didn't need the gatekeeper trying to stop her again, who knows how long it would take to find Adam and bring him home. Then she made course for the one person who knew where Adam was at all times: Patchouli. Some fairies flew past her and Shanghai, probably to investigate the disagreement at the front door, which meant that Sakuya would inevitably-
"Alice?"
The Romanian paused, her grip on her sealed book tightening and distressing the leather cover. "Sakuya," she said curtly, "how are you?"
"Fine," the maid answered in a similar tone, "I hope China didn't insult you too horribly."
"Where is Adam?" Alice asked, "why did Meiling want to keep me from seeing him?"
The maid paused, "he's with Remilia, they haven't even gotten out of bed yet."
"Check."
Sakuya nodded dutifully, Alice blinked, and the maid now wore a concerned frown. "He's not with Remilia," she noted, "I checked the rest of the mansion, I don't think he's here."
"Which is why I need to find Patchouli," Alice responded, "please let me know if you find him," she blinked again and Sakuya was gone. Did Adam get out again? Maybe that was what this was all about, they lost him and were panicking. Alice felt herself beginning to relax when she got to the library. "Don't touch anything, Shanghai, even if it is an ungodly mess. Patchouli's idea of neatness is organized chaos." She tried pushing open the door, but it was locked. "Patchouli!" she roared, "open the door!"
There was no response, so Alice did the next best thing. "I am not going to let anyone stop me!" she snapped, holding her hand out to the door. Within seconds the wood began to rot, drying out and breaking into dust. With another obstacle taken care of, Alice stomped into the library, spotting a familiar redhead. "Koakuma! Where's Patchouli?!"
"Oh she's taking a bath," the devil responded nonchalantly, pulling a few books from a shelf, "she should be back any-"
"What happened to my door?!"
Then Patchouli, clad in nothing but a bathrobe, stormed onto the scene. She gawked at Alice, "you of all people should know to knock!" she snapped. When Alice whipped around, the pale magician could see the hell in her eyes, making her step back. "A-Alice," she gasped, "look I know why, you're here, if you let me explain-"
"I just want the truth, Patchouli, where is Adam?" she asked, trying to keep herself calm, "look if he got out again I'll help find him, it's not the first time."
"He didn't get out," Patchouli responded, "we took him out."
Alice blinked, "what?"
"Remilia wanted him gone," the pale magician said, wringing her hands nervously, "I needed somewhere to hide him, but Remilia followed us the whole way so I had to make it convincing."
Alice felt her lips curl into a snarl. After everything he's been through, after all the turmoil and heartbreak, just like that he was to be disposed of like some worthless trash. "Where is my baby?" she asked through grit teeth.
"Don't panic, b-but we took him to the Sanzu. I know it's a risk but-" she froze when Alice unclipped the book hanging from her belt, "Alice we can still get him back. You know what he can go through," she took a step back when the Romanian opened the book, "he's still alive, I'm sure of it!"
"Y-you took him to the one place I'll never find him," Alice began, voice quavering as she held her grimoire in front of her.
"We can get that ferrywoman to help us! It's not the first time she's fished up someone out of pity!"
"Komachi helps those that are already dead!" the Romanian snapped, "Adam isn't dead, and he never will be!" her tears began to stain the pages, "the spirits of the Sanzu will hold him down in its blackest depths for eternity, and it's all because of you!"
Patchouli felt every muscle in her body clench painfully, her heart was struggling to beat, and her lungs refused to take more than short breaths. She tried to move, she felt so weak she had to sit down, but she remained rigid where she stood.
Alice, sorrowful and enraged, clenched the muscles in her hand and began to work her fingers like she was playing an organ. Patchouli, much to her horror, was forced to her knees. "I'm a failure," she muttered, "I grew to love him as my own child, but I tried to remember our deal, that he would make a little girl very happy. When it was deemed otherwise, I thought I could take him home."
Patchouli tried to retort, but her mouth was clenched shut. She managed to peer to the left, spotting Koakuma trying to sneak up on the Romanian. She looked back to Alice, whose puffy red eyes had followed the pale magician's gaze. Before Koakuma could even act, Alice made a yanking motion, and the devil was pulled by some unseen force in front of the grieving woman.
"T-two," Alice said, "there's enough b-bodies in this mansion," she was visibly failing to keep composed, "I-I could make a... there's enough to make another one," she let out a shaky breath, "I could have my baby back!"
A pair of small hands found their way on Alice's forearm. She gasped, staring down at Shanghai. "This is wrong," the doll said, a stern look on her face, "Adam wouldn't like seeing you this way."
"Adam didn't deserve the Sanzu!" Alice snapped, wrenching her arm away, "I will not allow this to go unanswered!"
"Please," Shanghai insisted, grabbing Alice's sleeve, "this won't bring him back."
Alice stared at the pathetic sight of the helpless Patchouli and Koakuma, "where is she?" the Romanian snarled, "where is Flandre?"
Before Patchouli could think of a response, she was forced to her feet with a mere gesture from Alice.
"You will take me to her."
=][=
Sakuya made her way back to the library, having unsuccessfully combed the surrounding woods for the wayward homonculus. She wanted to regroup with Alice and Patchouli and discuss organizing a hunt, but what she found in the library was a very disturbing thing.
New Koakuma was the only one in the library, on her hands and knees, her body trembling as she'd occasionally spit up blood.
The maid rushed to the devil's side, "what happened? Where is everyone?"
"A-Alice," Koakuma croaked, spitting up some more blood, "she has some sick magic in that book of hers! I still can't move the rest of my body!"
"Why would Alice do this? What happened?" Sakuya pressed.
"Remilia had Patchouli... I don't know it sounded like they drowned him in some place called the Sanzu," Koakuma answered.
She wasn't expecting that answer, and with everything going on she couldn't follow it. She took a few breaths and collected what frantic thoughts she could, trying to figure out what to do next. "Where is Alice and Patchouli?"
Koakuma spit out another bloody loogie, "she wants to see Flandre," she said, trying to get the taste out of her mouth.
"That's... that's really bad," Sakuya immediately winced at the gravity of her understatement. No this was horrible, this was the last thing anyone needed. If Flandre found out Adam was gone, at Remilia's behest no less...
Sakuya didn't think she could handle moving.
"I need to warn the mistress."
"Listen, Sakuya, I barely know anyone here, but I can tell you that this is going to be catastrophic no matter how you spin it. I knew the big guy was a ticking bomb the moment I noticed how Patchouli acts around him," Koakuma said, "there's a fear in everything she does, awkward and paranoid. He wasn't always so docile, was he?"
"He's had... moments," Sakuya said vaguely, "I need to go, will you be okay on your own?"
"Yeah, blood's stopped coming out. Filthy magic that girl has, old and evil, borderline necromancy," the devil let out a tired sigh, "I'll be okay, go play damage control."
Sakuya left Koakuma to her own devices, her thoughts lingering on that last comment. It made sense, she thought, Adam couldn't die because he was never alive to begin with. It certainly sounded like the best explanation.
However, as she willed time to a halt and raced for Remilia's room, she couldn't help feeling uncertain about it. Most undead weren't complex enough for the physical and emotional troubles Adam had been going through.
She shook her head, trying to dismiss any lingering thoughts of him. He was gone, for good, she needed to focus on figuring out what Alice was going to do when she got to Flandre, and make sure Remilia was safe above all-else.
Sakuya wasn't sure what to expect when she barged into Remilia's room, but she didn't expect the mistress to be dressed, absently peering out of the window. She hated dressing herself, something was off. "M-my lady-!" Sakuya sputtered.
"Did you see that, Sakuya?" Remilia snickered, "Alice put that stupid redhead through the front door faster than I could blink. I wish I could go back in time and watch it again," the vampire let out a sigh, "oh, I need a drink."
"Mistress what is going on? Where's Adam?" Sakuya tried not to sound demanding, but she needed to hear it from Remilia herself. They'd been through so much, she had to hear a reason, there had to be something about this that wasn't hopelessly cruel.
Remilia waved her off, "he just needed to go," she said nonchalantly, "once Alice rubs two brain cells together she'll go home and sulk-"
"You know how I feel about interrupting, but she's going to see Flandre!"
Remilia grit her teeth so hard she chipped a fang.
Next thing Sakuya knew she was back to running through the mansion, desperately trying to keep up with the enraged vampire. "Mistress what is going on?" she called. She felt a mounting frustration when Remilia ignored her, rushing toward the basement. He could feel something twisting in her gut, similar to when Adam declined her hand.
The last she saw of him, he wouldn't even look at her. She'd never be able to reconcile, she'd never see him again...
Not now, Sakuya, she told herself, blinking away the welling in her eyes, this is not the time.
=][=
"This is it?" Alice gestured to the ornate door in front of her.
"Th-this is it," Patchouli said, spitting out some blood, "now free me from these sickening bonds! Such cruelty should be beyond you!"
"I should be telling you that!" the Romanian snapped, swinging her arm in Patchouli's direction. The pale magician was flung into the stone wall behind them, bouncing off and hitting the ground pathetically. Alice clenched her fist and brought it in front of her chest, and Patchouli was forced off of the ground, dragging herself back to Alice's side. "I want to speak to the only person involved who may be innocent in all of this."
Unlike her entrance to the library, Alice took the knob and pushed open the door to Flandre's room. She wasn't sure what to expect. A dungeon with chains and half-eaten corpses, a wreck that once could be described as a child's room, an empty purgatory even. After all the nasty things Remilia had regaled, she did not expect such a tidy room. She scanned the floor, scrutinizing the scraps of paper littering it, each with a unique drawing. Most of them were of a young blonde girl playing with animals, but then she saw a messy pile of drawings. One had that girl (presumably Flandre) with a looming black figure, another had that same figure with several hearts drawn around him, and one had Flandre kissing the black giant on the cheek.
If Alice had any suspicions that Flandre was involved in Adam's demise, they were effectively dashed by that drawing.
Then she saw the pile of chewed up bones. All things considered, it was hardly offensive, given Adam's appetite.
"Hello?" Alice called, "Flandre? Are you in here?"
"Y-yeah," a voice floated from behind a dresser. Carefully, a little blonde girl peered out, her ruby eyes locked with Alice's, "who are you?"
She looked terrified. Alice glanced at Patchouli, who looked like she could pass out at any second. "My name is Alice," she said, waving her hand and allowing Patchouli to finally fall to the ground in an unconscious heap, "I'm Adam's mother."
"Adam's mommy?" Flandre asked, stepping out from behind the dresser, "I thought Patchy made him."
"She helped," Alice answered, glaring at the magician behind her.
Flandre followed her gaze, "what did you do to her?"
"Punished her," the magician said. She could feel Shanghai's disapproving gaze boring into the back of her skull, threatening to burst from between her eyes, "she did something bad."
Flandre's first instinct was to summon her spear, but Adam would never forgive her if she hurt his mommy. You never did that to somebody you loved without good reason, "why?" she prodded, "what did Patchy do?"
Alice found her lips curling into a snarl, "your sister had Patchouli and Meiling drown him," she angrily spat out the words, it was hard enough to think about, "they took Adam from me... from us."
Flandre's thoughts started to grow frantic. She knew it was bad, she could feel her stomach twisting at the knowledge of something bad happening to Adam. They had only now gotten close, there was so much she wanted to do! Yet... here was the person claiming to be his mom, telling her that he was gone, and as much as she tried to deny it, the words rang true. "He's... where is he?"
"The river Sanzu," Alice answered, her words quavering, "he might as well be dead."
"H-he'll come back!" Flandre retorted, "he promised! He's been really good about that, really punctual too! W-we can just wait until tonight, he'll be here, I promise!"
Alice stepped forward, her gaze blurred from tears desperate to be freed. She reached out and gently pet the younger vampire, "I'm so sorry I'm the one telling you this, Flandre," Alice let out a shaky breath, "he's not coming tonight."
Flandre shook her head and swat Alice's hand away, "that's not true! He'll come back! I know he will! He promised me! He keeps his promises!" she could feel the lump in her throat getting bigger, and the knot in her stomach tightened like a noose, "why are you saying such mean things about your son?" she whined, "why don't you believe in him?!"
"If it was within his power, he would," Alice said, "I know he would come back, but the place he was sent never lets go."
"Liar! He's okay! You're just trying to take him from me!" the younger Scarlet summoned her spear, Lævateinn, to her side, "stop trying to trick me! He's coming back!"
Alice took a step back, "Flandre I-"
"You!"
Remilia and Sakuya had arrived on the scene, the Scarlet Devil herself brandishing her crackling crimson lance, "I want you out of my house!"
"Not until I punish you!" Alice whipped around and held her hand out. The two went rigid, and were forcefully drug before the Alice and the stupefied Flandre.
"Wh-what the hell is this?!" the Scarlet Devil shrieked, absolutely red in the face, "do you know who I am?!" If she was struggling, Alice's twisted magic made it hard to tell.
"My puppet, as of now," Alice retorted coolly, "now kneel," she knew this would be the ultimate slap in the face, she knew that Remilia submitting, even under duress, was something she would never forget.
Alice wanted that poison to fester in her, so she understood on the slightest level what she was feeling having learned Adam's fate.
The younger Scarlet felt no love for her sister after recent events, but even she didn't understand what was happening. It was all going too fast, she was still coming to grips with all the horrible things Alice was telling her. She just watched this all happen, unable to take a side. Remilia was demanding that Flandre help her, but the vampire felt no inclination to do so. She was getting her just desserts, Flandre could have told her it was a long time coming as far as she was concerned.
However, as much as she enjoyed watching Remilia suffer and squirm, she knew the best person to tell her what happened to Adam was her sister.
"I want to know," Flandre told Alice, "make her tell me what happened to Adam."
Alice looked at Remilia and snapped her fingers. The Scarlet Devil retched violently, convulsing as the answer was physically ripped from her, "th-the Sanzu!" the vampire's spittle flew through the air, "the one place he couldn't escape!"
"Patchouli?" Alice made a motion for the comatose heap of a magician to rise..
The pale magician let out a grunt, suddenly reanimating at Alice's behest, "d-don't waste your time struggling, Remilia," her head was forcibly wrenched in Flandre's direction, "the Sanzu river is the Gensokyo equivalent of the Styx, once you fall beneath the waves, you are lost."
Flandre quivered, like a cold breeze had embraced her being as she stared at Patchouli, her eyes growing glassy, "why?!" she shrieked, stamping her foot violently, "what did he do to any of you?!"
Patchouli remained silent, knowing her reasoning was simply faulty. Go figure, she thought, the one time I make a play on hope alone and I lose.
"It's because of me, isn't it?!" Flandre shouted, her attention switching to her sister, "you can't stand me being happy! You can't stand me having something that doesn't have your hooks in it!" she finally conjured her spear and slapped it against the floor, searing the pristine rug, "no more! You took the person I love from me, this time I take something from you!"
Alice quirked a brow at the younger Scarlet as she paced in front of Remilia, who was still snarling bitterly. "Get up!" Flandre snapped, "get up!" her head snapped in Alice's direction, the bones in her neck popping loudly, "let her go, now! This has been a long time coming."
Alice couldn't feel apprehensive, but the fire in Flandre's eyes convinced her. Her hand dropped to her side and she flexed her fingers, freeing Remilia from her bonds.
"I've never been so thoroughly humiliated in all my life," the Scarlet Devil spat as she rose to her feet, "danmaku is too good for you," with an expert flick of the wrist Gungnir was summoned in her waiting hand, "I'll give you one chance to-" she gasped when a wad of spit slapped her cheek. Hand trembling, Remilia ripped off her hat and wiped the mess off of her face, "just for that, I'm not getting you a present for Christmas."
Flandre screamed and charged her sister, tackling her through the door. She wrapped her arms around Remilia's abdomen and flapped her wings, driving her sister into the stone wall just beyond. The Scarlet Devil grabbed her sister's pigtail and yanked on it, forcing Flandre to release her, then Flandre bit Remilia's arm and started yanking on her hair.
"Why do you hate me so much?!" Flandre shrieked, headbutting the Scarlet Devil and bloodying her nose. While her sister was stunned, the blonde vampire grabbed her foe by the ankles and threw her down the dark catacombs, "what did I do?!"
"You think you're so innocent!" Remilia shouted, willing Gungnir to her side, "I bet you can't even remember all the things you did—why we had to keep moving all over Europe!" the vampire hunkered down, leveled Gungnir, and charged. Flandre met her halfway, Lævateinn at the ready. Both lances hit their mark, nailing each sister in the gut and knocking them to the ground.
Flandre ripped Gungnir out of her gut and hopped to her feet. Seeing that Remilia had mirrored her move, she grabbed the spear with both hands and swung as hard as she could. The Scarlet Devil used Lævateinn to meet this strike, and when the two weapons clashed together, wicked sparks and flame burst from the point of contact, lighting up the stone halls in a fantastic display of color. "Let me tell you something!" Remilia shouted over the chaos, "you're the reason we're here at all! Our last refuge, because you kept ruining every other chance we had!"
"Liar!" the younger Scarlet shrieked, parrying and sweeping her wings into Remilia's legs, kicking them out from under her, "I've been in this stupid dungeon as long as I can remember!"
"Whose fault is that?!" Remilia tucked her legs and kicked her sister in the face, "if you think I'm the deluded one, I guess it runs in the family!" She landed on her feet and slapped Gungnir against the ground, creating an intense flash.
The battle raged and the mansion shook, but down below all was morose and silent.
Patchouli felt the rigidity of her body fade, and collapsed to her knees. She was surprised when she caught herself, and immediately looked upon Alice. That woman, so full of rage, had visibly slumped, the indignation and fury replaced with sorrow. The pale magician's eyes darted to Sakuya, who was also free, but she had simply taken a seat on Flandre's bed. Patchouli returned her attention to the bitter woman in front of her, "Alice," she started.
"I don't want to hear it, Patchouli," came the response, almost a wisp of wind from how quiet and resigned it was, relying on the stale air to carry the meager words. She opened her mouth several more times, but nothing passed her lips, her mind just hazed every time she tried speaking.
"I cannot understand," Sakuya said mutely, "she couldn't even place a reason for doing something so horrible, she just did it," the maid found herself wringing her slender hands, "I didn't get to make things right, I didn't get to say anything to him, he was just-..." she felt a hand place itself on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Alice. If there was anything I could do, I would!"
"You did nothing wrong, Sakuya," Alice said, "there is no nice way of rejecting someone." The mansion shook violently once more, teasing a sigh from the Romanian, "I'm leaving," she said, "you will not hear from me again."
"I miscalculated," Patchouli said, "I do not expect you to forgive me, but if I did not send him there Remilia would have on her own. I thought I would have at least had a chance-"
"There's no room for what-ifs anymore," Alice said, grabbing Shanghai and making for the exit, "there's no room for anything else."
Back above, the Scarlet sisters were making an absolute mess of their home. The conflict had left the confined spaces of the basement, and had moved to the open foyer.
Remilia conjured red chains that snaked for Flandre, coiling around one of her legs as she tried to take off. She swung Lævateinn, cleaving through them like they were immaterial as her sister made her next move. Remilia snapped Gungnir in two and tossed the pieces into the air. Those pieces multiplied and multiplied above her, creating one hundred sparking red lances. "I hope you enjoyed yourself, you unrepentant brat!"
Before Flandre could even think about retorting the crackling javelin storm hurled forth. She parried one, another bored into her shoulder. Her arm snapped up only to be impaled by another, and another. She was against the wall now, ten of the hundred spears effectively nailing her to the mansion's walls. The younger vampire could feel the blood building in her mouth, and took great care to spit it in her sister's direction.
Smugly, Remilia let the bloody spitball fall a tad short as she made her way over. She picked up one of the Gungnir copies, and then she picked up Lævateinn, which sat below Flandre's feet. "I guess it's true what they say about discipline, sometimes the dead horse needs a good beating," with a flap of her wings she lifted off to reach Flandre's level, who refused to make any eye contact. "I take no pleasure in this, I assure you, but I have every intention of finishing this little spat you started!"
"I started... I started nothing!" Flandre screamed, the gems on her wings flashing brightly. The lances impaling her faded into nothing, and she launched off of the wall, tackling Remilia to the ground. "All you care about is your reputation, all you cling to is a nobility that doesn't matter!" she grabbed Gungnir and Lævateinn, ripping them out of her sister's hands, "well hear this!" she drove both lances through Remilia and deep into the ground, "my name is Flandre Scarlet, and I am not your slave!"
For good measure, she wrenched both blades deeper into her sister, splitting the pristine marble floors. Remilia's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her face fell as her body went limp. The younger Scarlet looked down at her hands, immediately wrenching them away from Lævateinn and Gungnir in disgust. She shuddered as she beheld her work, backing into the wall she was just impaled on moments prior.
When Alice arrived on the scene, Flandre expected something, anything, but instead the Romanian and her doll hurried through the giant hole where the front door used to be, past the unconscious China. "W-wait!" Flandre called, following Alice out, "where are you going?"
"Home," Alice said flatly, "there's nothing for me here."
"I don't have anything either!" Flandre said, stopping on the porch as Alice lifted off of the ground and into the sunlight. "Let me go with you!"
She got no response.
Flandre's wings went limp as Alice's form shrunk further and further away. She was alone again. She tried to understand the woman, she was greiving, she probably didn't want anyone with her right now.
Her thoughts drifted to Adam. All of this over one of the few people to offer her real kindness, that took the time to understand her, to trust her. She gave him her heart, and she wouldn't just abandon him like everyone else seemed happy to. She just needed to find this Sanzu river. She just had to go there and get him! That would be easy, she could swim just fine! Everyone said he couldn't die, he's probably down there waiting to be rescued! Flandre scanned the ruined floor of the foyer, spotting coats, hats, and her quarry, a white parasol. She quickly nicked it and stepped out of the mansion she called home for what felt like the last time.
She would find Adam, and she wouldn't let anything get in her way.
I was just really petering out by the end here. I have so much more to write, I need a fresh chapter to recollect myself.
So close, gotta finish this.
I should have known it would be a fool's errand to try and force the story to end at a certain point, you can see shreds of it hither and thither. The story ends when it wills it.
See you all for the last, last chapter.