~Author's Note~

For the prompt "beginnings", I wrote something about Sakuya and the many possible beginnings she could have experienced. Can you spot all the references?

~What are Little Girls Maid Of?~

"Did you really think I wouldn't find her?"

"Ngh… I-I won't let you…" Remilia's lungs burned with every word she forced out, but the memory of the girl's pleading eyes drove her on. "You won't take her! Not in a million years!"

"And who's going to stop me? You?" The hunter's grip was like iron, his sneer very much like a sneer. "I'm going to kill you, then her, then your wretched little sister. It's what you deserve."

In the back of the cabin, the silver-haired girl was gripped by panic. She couldn't move, she could barely think, her heart felt like it was about to burst. The only person who had ever shown her kindness was slipping away.

"Please…" The girl's trembling voice was little more than a whisper. "Do what you want with me, but spare her! Sh-she didn't do anything!"

The hunter gave her a withering look. "Oh, I think not. Sheltering a demon girl with unspeakable powers? Murdering the guards who came for her and drinking their blood? I see no reason to spare this Scarlet Devil."

"S-Sakuya… Listen to me!" gasped Remilia. "You have to… Get out… And n-never stop fighting until… You're… Free…"

"Fight? B-but I can't…" The silver-haired girl shrank back against the wall.

"You can! I-I know… You have the power…"

"Power…?" A glint on the floor caught Sakuya's eye. The hunter's knife, lying nonchalantly between his feet.

"Do whatever you want. I'll still wipe you from the face of the earth eventually." The hunter raised his axe over Remilia's head. "Say your final prayer, rat!"

"NO!"

It was as if a bolt of lightning had torn through the room. In an instant, Sakuya and the knife were gone.

"What in the name of…?" The hunter cast his gaze downwards. A wooden handle, worn smooth by years of handling, was sticking out of his chest. He went pale when he saw the warm, dark liquid soaking through his kimono.

The hunter's grip loosened, allowing Remilia to drop to the floor and scurry away. "That was amazing! I knew you could do it!" she cried, grabbing Gungnir from the umbrella stand. She caught sight of Sakuya's dress through the open door and ran towards her, vaulting over the dying hunter.

"I don't even know what I did…" breathed Sakuya.

"You froze time! And you did it beautifully!" Remilia wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I knew you could do it from the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Can I just stop you there, Flandre?"

"Huh? Why?!"

"Well, for starters, none of this ever happened. One idiot with an axe could never have bested me," said Remilia heavily. "And Sakuya wasn't anywhere close to that timid when she was a child."

"What was she like, then?" asked Alice.

"Um…" Remilia frowned. "Come to think of it, I don't know. I don't remember her ever being young. I don't… Was there ever a time when she wasn't the way she is now?"

"Well… There has to have been, doesn't there? Everyone has to be born, be a child, do the growing and things, right?" said Flandre contemplatively.

"Only if we view time in a linear sense." Alice uncrossed her legs, leaned forwards and crossed them over the other way. "Sakuya doesn't need to do that, does she? Maybe her life never 'began' in the way we would think of it."

"Who are we talking about?" From out of nowhere, Sakuya was standing on top of the coffee table.

"OH, MY GODS!" screamed Alice, leaping back in her chair hard enough to overturn it.

"We were just wondering," said Remilia levelly, "where exactly you came from?"

Sakuya blinked. "Why, I thought you would remember, seeing as you were there when it all went down."

"Went…?" Remilia numbly repeated.

"…Down?" said Flandre, dumbstruck.

"Don't you remember?"

Remilia and Flandre shook their heads.

"Well, then, I suppose I shall have to give you both an in-depth retelling of my entire backstory," said Sakuya resignedly. "Ms Margatroid as well, since she's here. Are you all ready?"

Flandre's face lit up. "As I've ever been!"

"It is about time we heard it," agreed Remilia.

"Then I'll tell you." Sakuya hopped down from the table and took a seat.

"Let's see, now, it all started when my mother was visited by a strange, silver-haired maiden who claimed to be from…"

"…and my sandals as well, but still the cat spoke to me and urged me to take up the Luna Dial. That morning, I decided I would try…"

"…but when I looked over my shoulder, he was still gaining on me. Trapped between a painful death from plummeting into the Grand Canyon and the greater pain of disappointing my parents, all I could think to do was pretend that…"

"…And what, I hear you ask, did I hope to find in the jungle? To tell you the truth, I had no idea, but a large pink flower caught my eye. As soon as I touched it, however, thick vines bedecked with sharp thorns ruptured into the tunnel…"

"…nothing I could do, and to make matters worse, her fate was entirely my fault. As I watched helplessly, the life drained from my master's face. All the twins left behind was a cracked grey statue. Later that day, it was decided that we would…"

"…my own uncle! While I could scarcely believe it, my dearly departed father's words brooked no disbelief, and I soon saw the truth for what it was. Without a moment's hesitation, I slew my uncle and eloped with Ophelia. During our honeymoon, however, events took a highly unusual turn…"

"…not one, not two, but three of the foul bronze vessels materialised before us in a shower of golden sparks. I could see the fear in my co-pilot's eyes. Just one bronze craft had been enough to…"

"…like shimmering rubies! And her arms, so strong, like the boughs of an oak tree! My sweet Meiling, how I had longed for her touch-"

"Sakuya, for pity's sake, skip ahead!"

"Oh, all right."

"…The room did not, however, contain anything close to what I expected. The men and their gorilla had set up a printing press and were churning out bank notes by the dozen. I shivered in my kilt. What could I hope to…"

"…was the first to arrive, and as you might expect, I had done things properly. A second-hand Triumph Dolomite 2000, as reliable as ever a car was forged, sold for fewer pounds than its number! As per the producers' orders, I awaited Captain Slow and the Hamster at…"

"…only to find that there was not an ancient horn but a message, instructing me to meet my contact at the inn. With no more encouraging clues to go on, I took a short nap and headed back to…"

"…I found my friends gathered around the picnic tables as usual, but it soon became apparent that something was wrong. Instead of the celebration I was expecting, 'Spring Cleaning Day' had been declared. So I stabbed Rabbit and went out to buy some Easter eggs…"

"…but just then, when I thought all hope was lost, the former slaves rallied around me. 'I am Sakuya!' 'No, I am!' 'I'm Sakuya and so's my wife!', they chorused. I could hardly hold back my tears of…"

"…clean over his head and onto the giant axe! It struck the bridge with a terrible force, sending my ancient foe tumbling into his own moat of lava. My work was not yet done, though, so I rushed into the castle and…"

"…And found myself here, in this room, recounting my history to you. While every word I have spoken was true, I cannot promise all of it happened in the same timeline, nor the same universe, nor about the same iteration of Sakuya."

"Wh… WHAT?!" Remilia leapt to her feet in what would have been a towering rage if she was more that four foot nothing. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Nobody asked." Sakuya winked and flashed her listeners a dazzling smile. "Now, Alice, I believe you mentioned an egg custard tart with plum jam."