Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 7

After school, Balam faced the proverbial music and told the others everything that had transpired. Kalego was so angry, he had surpassed yelling and hit a cold calm, but his initial reaction still echoed loudly in Balam's ears. Shichiro had explained to the best of his ability and now he was waiting for his friend to at least look at him again. In the meantime, Opera watched them both keenly.

Sullivan was in a meeting. He had called upon Azazel Henri to bolster their forces. The fact that Victoria had somehow possessed a student would not go unchallenged and now they had Robin to worry about, too. While they talked in the chair demon's office, the trio of old schoolmates sat in uncomfortable silence in another room.

Kalego was speechless, highly unusual for the man who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He rested his head in his hand, internally grumbling. How could Balam have been so reckless? He knew the answer, of course, but that didn't excuse his actions.

Opera eyed them both carefully. "I'm sure Shichiro-kun has a very good reason", they offered, trying to restore peace. Kalego looked at them in irritation. "There is never a good reason to make a deal with her", he stated darkly. Opera's cat ears laid flat in response. "You made a deal with Victoria once, yourself", they reminded. Kalego glared. Inadvertently touching the mark over his heart, his rage faltered as he looked away. "Tch." His senpai was right, though he hated to admit it.

Balam looked to his friend with soft eyes, recalling it all. "I'm sorry", he said meekly. It was sincere, but not asking forgiveness. He had no qualms about trading his freedom for Pandora's. Kalego sighed, caught in the example of his own past.

"Has she contacted you again yet?", he asked, a little calmer. Balam shook his head. "Not yet", he replied. "Victoria may be having second thoughts", ventured Opera, thinking aloud. "Or she's trying to figure out a way to keep them both", said Kalego grimly. After a pause of collective silence, he smirked.

"You have a plan?", asked Balam, knowing that look. Kalego had a glint in his eye. "She never breaks an agreement", he began. Opera and Balam exchanged glances, knowing a demon's word was everything. Surely he wasn't suggesting they break theirs. "But she also never refuses a good deal", smirked Kalego.

"What are you scheming, Kalego-kun?", asked Opera, interested. Naberius grinned. "When we meet for the exchange, we'll offer her what she wants most", he stated. Balam's eyes grew wide. "You can't!", he panicked. Kalego grinned at him, looking him in the eye for the first time since the news of a deal. Now he knew the feeling.

"Relax, Shichiro. I'm sure his plan gets better… It has to", ventured Opera, keenly eying his kouhai. "Hmph", huffed Kalego, "Just listen."

"When we meet up, she'll be expecting the two of us. She wants a big show of getting her claws on you", he explained, speaking directly to his friend. "We'll give her the spectacle she wants and when you start toward her side, I'll call out a 'last minute' change. I'll offer myself in exchange for the two of you." Balam stared, waiting for the twist.

"I see. Victoria will be delighted by the turn of events", said Opera, following along. "That will distract her just long enough for you to get Pandora to safety", stated Kalego, turning his attention to his senpai. Balam was impressed. "She'll never expect Opera-senpai to be there", he uttered, thinking aloud. "Exactly", smirked Kalego.

They all thought it over. "It's a good plan, but there's a lot that could go wrong", stated Opera. Kalego crossed his arms as he assured, "I'll ensure she removes Pandora's curses before I fully accept the offer." Balam didn't like the plan. It was too risky, but he wasn't in a position to argue, considering his previous actions.

As if on cue, his phone rang. No number showed; It had to be Victoria. With a nod from his friends, he answered. "Hello?... Yes. I understand… We'll be there." The call was brief and to the point. Meeting the gazes awaiting information, he nodded in confirmation. "It was one of her agents. The exchange is set."

Before he could go into details, Henri and Robin exited the principal's office, into their room. Azazel looked over them, clearly concerned, but said nothing. He simply left with Robin close behind, looking a little guilty. Opera excused themselves to check in with Sullivan, leaving Kalego and Balam alone.

After a moment of quiet, Shichiro spoke up. "Are you still angry with me?", he asked, already knowing the answer. "Of course I am", replied Kalego a little harshly. Softening his tone, he added, "But I understand your motive."

"I know it doesn't excuse anything", uttered Balam glumly. Looking toward his friend, he was surprised by the kind expression awaiting him. "Shichiro, will you be alright to go through with this?", he inquired with concern. Balam nodded. "Will you?", he asked in return. Kalego smirked in response.

They were both eager to see Pandora again after so long, but there was no guarantee who she was now. There were no doubts of the depths of Victoria's deranged amusements. Surely, the girl they lost was now a fractured woman. Beyond that, both wondered about Robin's words, "She looked...different." Victoria's cruel grin also permeated Balam's mind. "I had to do something about that pretty face of hers", echoed.

"Don't let her get to you", offered Kalego, as if reading Shichiro's thoughts. Balam looked up with quivering eyes, grateful to be understood so well. "I have no doubt that Victoria has done some awful things to her, but the Pandora we knew was strong", he said with kindness. "She'll be alright", he stated with an assuring grin. Balam smiled faintly. "Right", he ceded. He knew that what Kalego meant was "knew and loved", but couldn't quite manage the words.

The three of them had a complex relationship in their youth, but it was full of love among peers, much like Iruma and his friends. The only difference was that at one point or another, both Kalego and Shichiro had harbored romantic feelings for Pandora. Kalego was too entrenched in his studies to chase such things and besides that, he truly thought Balam was a better match for her and accepted the possibility of their happiness over his own. His life had been planned from birth. There was no need trying to change it.

Elsewhere, Victoria was in a rare good mood. She looked forward to the prisoner exchange. She had little interest in Balam aside from him being a tool to use against Kalego. It was the same reason she had targeted Pandora. At first, she only wanted to hurt Kalego, thinking he had an interest in the girl, but then it dawned on her. Why not make three souls suffer and enjoy the delicious lamentations from all sides.

First, the slaughter. She had ordered the deaths of everyone in the house with a single exception. A girl of similar build and coloring was brought in as a decoy. She made sure the face couldn't be identified from severe injury and made quite the scene with the corpse, showing off her hatred for the supposed target. She had really outdone herself with the display of gore.

Second, ensure there were no witnesses and leave her mark prominently displayed. She wanted Kalego to know it was her doing. She wanted him to suffer, knowing that the brutalities visited upon those souls was all his fault for not heeding her warning. Watching Shichiro fall apart was just a bonus to her. She smiled with a wicked blush as she remembered watching them both try to put each other back together, all while knowing she had one more toy to torment.

Victoria had made it very clear to her captive that everyone thought she was dead. Every day, she told Pandora that any hope or thoughts of escape were useless, and any attempt was harshly punished. Over the course of breaking the girl's spirit, she had woven several curses. Not only did Pandora have five of her marks on her face, a blatant reminder each time she saw her reflection, but extra spells had been woven to keep her sharp mind in check.

Pandora was under the delusion that her friends had full, happy lives without her. Even though she was glad they had supposedly moved on, she wondered what their families were like. She knew they were alive if only to serve Victoria's amusement, yet that wasn't enough for her captor.

Victoria constantly plagued the poor girl with nightmarish visions of her friends being killed in all sorts of horrible ways. She always maintained their youth in the hallucinations, careful that Pandora would be unlikely to recognize them should one of her escapes succeed.

After the third attempt, Victoria broke both of Pandora's legs. Despite having a talented healer, she only allowed the bones to be set and let them slowly heal naturally. The chains were never removed during her recovery. Still, Victoria had wanted a personal servant, so she left her favorite toy with basic mobility. Only her wings had been permanently damaged.

Victoria smirked to herself as she watched Pandora clean the floor. "I knew there was a reason I kept you alive all these years", she said smugly. Pandora knew better than to meet her gaze, so she kept scrubbing. "Soon I'll have the missing chess piece and Naberius will be mine in no time", she crowed. That name caused her slave to hesitate.

Striding toward her, Victoria sneered in triumph. "That's right. Kalego-kun will be joining my collection and taking your place soon enough, then I can discard you like the trash you are", she said. Pandora chanced a glare. Her pink eyes were vivid even in the low light. Victoria chuckled, amused at her hatred. "Be a good girl and finish your chores. Then maybe I'll consider letting you see your precious Balam before I kill him."

She laughed as she left the shaken servant behind, writhing at her burning curse marks, a quick reminder of who was in charge. Pandora was shaking as tears formed. Was this all really happening? She wondered how handsome her beloved companions had grown to be and she mourned for their coming distress. If she could save them, she would lay down her life in an instant. After all, to the outside world, she was already dead. Those two precious smiles she held deep in her heart, she wanted them to live freely. She had no idea what Victoria had planned, but it she would find out soon enough.

To be continued...