A/N: Sorry I was so long, I got grounded during the Christmas break. *Sighs*
This chapter isn't exactly great quality and is the shortest by far, but it jut starts off the problems in the next! The real action starts next chapter in 'The Chocolate Battle!' *ahem* I'll shut up now. Enjoy! -.~
A limousine pulled to a stop in front of a long, dimly lighted long, tan-ish, orange vacation house. Two silent raven perched themselves on the roof, keeping out of sight but keeping the sleepy group that was pulled out of the car by the chauffer in sight. Both of them had a weary journey, and their shining ebony wings ached and smarted. But the larger one, after a few moments, seemed to sigh, nod at the smaller once, and flew off again.
It flew and flew, over the half-asleep city until it spotted a stately mansion with a fair kept garden. Then, it started to dive, enjoying the sensation of the wind whipping through its feather. It dived, and dived and dived….
The raven skidded to a stop so that the beak was only inches away from crashing into the wall. Apparently, it had enjoyed the dive too much and dozed off.
It ruffled its wings and flew around, peering into the windows, trying to find whomever it was going to find. Finally, it let out a soft caw when finding the right window. The raven put it's beak to the windowsill and softly tapped it three times. The window slowly creaked open and it was free to go in. Lowering its wing's flutter into a silent hum, it flew in and sat on the table, beneath the high, porcelain Victorian lamp, beside the bed, where someone laid asleep. The raven came to this person specifically for a reason, because her mistress needed and she was here. It had took her long enough to decide to come, but assumingly this was the perfect time because everything was now peaceful, sort of.
The black bird nodded to itself, closed its eyes, and then in an instant, snapped them open. Now, it cooed softly, mostly in satisfaction of itself on getting the job done so easily. With the spread of the wings, it flew out, going back to the house.
*~*
"Now Uraline, the best attack method is to not send a monster by monster to suck out the energy but to have a surprise attack with quality and quantity." Lady Akhile said knowledgably, making her comrade go into more fits of anger.
"Besides," Akhile continued slowly and calmly, "We should enjoy the treats of the earth while we can." Uraline stopped growling and stared at her mistress suspiciously and strangely.
"Here." Akhile pulled out a white paper box from her back and opened it. She literally shoved it into Uraline's face with an eager grin placed on her pale face. Uraline winced at the little brown cubes that sat in perfect rows and columns.
"And this is?" she asked sourly.
Akhile cleared her throat, threw her silver hair back and smiled smugly. Then, melodramatically, she declared, "It's chocolate. And this country called Bel-g-eam is famous for it!" Uraline looked stupidly at the box of chocolate and raised a cynical eyebrow at her estranged mistress.
"Don't you mean 'Belgium'?" Uraline asked.
"Uh…yeah…" Lady Akhile chuckled nervously, "Belgium. But try it, it is so heavenly!"
Everything sweet was so heavenly to her mistress that this wasn't anything new to Uraline. Just her luck to be stuck with a strange, perky, sugar loving mistress of evil. But all the same, she was her master. Against her own, stubborn will Uraline took a small cube and bit into it. Ooh, was it tasty! It wasn't a sugary sweet, but creamy and irresistibly delicious! Uraline had never tasted anything like it and was so entranced by it. She didn't even take the second bite but threw the whole thing into her mouth and chewed on it happily and giggling. Now it was Akhile's turn to lift her eyebrows and think weird of her general.
"Um…" Uraline mumbled while Uraline proceeded now onto her 6th cube, "I should've never."
"Plan an early attack on the sweet stores too!" Uraline announced with a mouthful of chocolate, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Lady Akhile sweat dropped and stared at the chocolate.
"They must've put something in the chocolate."
*~*
Ugh, it was morning, time to wake up Raye!
Raye snapped her eyes open, blinked a couple of times for adjustment and yawned. She sat up slowly and went through a series of stretches while moaning drowsily. The room was so unfamiliar, the smell wasn't, but the room did. She didn't remember how she got in the bed, or where the hell was she. So for a couple a minutes, she sat and thought. It came to her after awhile, that she was probably carried in the house. Hold that thought…the house, not the shrine back in Japan, but here. Oh, shit, my father…
Raye felt now fully awake and stumbled off the bed and scrambled up clumsily to the door. How can she be so thick and dumb?! Pulling the door open, she ran out of the room just so she can crash into someone. What wrong with you? Keep your cool! It's only your father!
She looked up to apologize but didn't when she discover it was none other then the blond, Serena.
"Serena!" she growled, "What are you doing?"
"Walking," Serena answered innocently, "Not like you crashing into people."
"Oh shut up meatball head," Raye half-taunted and picked herself up from the ground.
"Oh you're awake," said a sweet voice from left of them, "That's good, breakfast gets cold very quickly."
"Oh we mustn't let that happen!" Serena exclaimed at the word of food, "I'm hungry!"
The speaker was teenaged girl, her height almost the same as Raye, but a tad bit shorter. She had pure black hair that fell messily down to her elbow with pale skin as if she had rarely been outside. It was her eyes that shocked the both of them. Plainly speaking they didn't seem…real…and had no pupils, or irises or anything normal, even black eyes, should show. Serena seemed freaked but Raye just smiled. Now why the hell would she forget that?
"You've definitely grown Aiko, I'm surprised." Raye commented teasingly.
"And you haven't grown a bit," Aiko replied roguishly, "You're brain I mean."
"And you have?" Raye challenged, half-smiling and playfully smirking.
"Who's your friend?" Aiko suddenly changed the subject, "She seems really hungry."
Raye glanced over at Serena who was clutching her stomach that growled like hell. They hadn't had a proper dinner and those airplane foods wasn't exactly the best, maybe accept the peanuts and water.
"Oh, yeah, this is Serena, a friend, and Serena, Aiko. My cousin." Raye introduced quickly, "Don't worry Serena, Aiko's blind and the eyes are not real."
"I've noticed," Serena said dryly, "Now the breakfast?"
"Oh yes, the smell of the brioche and croissants are calling to you aren't they?" Aiko said sweetly, " They're just down the hall, wash up first!" Serena nodded enthusiastically and rush off to the bathroom, wherever she thinks that might be while yelling, "Nice to meet you!"
"You're unusually sweet," Raye remarked. Aiko shrugged.
"I've grown remember? Like you said," Aiko pointed out, "Besides, now, I go for first impressions." Then she giggled excitedly and pulled Raye (catching her in the first place by pure luck) and hugged her tight. "RAYE! GOD, I missed you so!"
Raye blushed a bit and smiled. "Yeah, I have to admit, I missed you too." Aiko loosened her hug and took a step back, while smiling broadly.
"Yeah, well, living with your father and my sister isn't exactly heaven," Aiko started slowly, "Even Jeremy was a bit of entertainment."
"I can imagine," said Raye shaking his head, "What does my father have up his sleeve this time?"
"I'm not supposed to tell you," Aiko mumbled and sigh.
"So there is something?" Raye asked in surprise. Aiko looked mad at herself but nodded.
"Yeah…. but I have to be truthful with ya though, just don't tell I told you 'kay?"
"Just tell me!"
"Wish your anger wouldn't grow with you."
"Yea well, I plan to keep my anger."
"Okay," Aiko took a long sigh, "You father might get married to this one lady he is dating. They seemed to have a pretty good time here; she's not as pretty as your mother, like Jeremy and the rest of the staff says but she's okay, though I hate her choice perfumes. And, if you don't careful Raye, you might be engaged to someone since you are the heir, if you keep in your father's good favor!"
"Engage me?" Raye breathed menacingly, "To whom?!"
"To this guy named…. I forget his name…"
"Aiko, you're not a very good liar!"
"Yeah, my charm is wearing off isn't it? His names is Ichiro Anami, they're a rich family I heard," Aiko answered rapidly, "Now, don't go telling your father 'cause he'll ask who told you and he'll know its me and…and…just don't tell him!"
Raye glared at Aiko for a while before sighing and rubbing her forehead. "I knew he was up to something…"
"Yeah, your father always had a selfish reason when being nice," Aiko agreed, "Well now, those brioches, coffee and croissants are waiting!"
*~*
It was later in the afternoon the girls did some introduction and exploring. For dinner, Mr. Hino was coming home early from work (not that anyone was actually really excited.). Amy discovered a large private library, which has become her current favorite place to go. Mina preferred the indoor pool and spa, along with Lita who had taken to love the workout gym, kitchen and the pools. For Serena, this was a heavenly vacation. The food was super, the sun was kind, and the pool was fun. Raye seemed to be to the only who wouldn't relax. She kept on thinking about Ichiro Anami. She did not want to even meet him much less marry him. Okay, so, she had never met him before but her future husband, no way, not the one her father chooses. Thank god she was turning 17 and not 18 so he couldn't illegally marry her.
Tension was building up in her around the start of dinner. They sat around the table, tempted by the warm, delicious looking food in front of them, waiting for the door to open and the father to come home. Around 7, he came, causing Raye to let slip the glass she was holding and spill on the ground. It was cleaned up really quickly.
She asked the maid where her father sat and sat right across from; she didn't want to sit next to him but she still wanted to face him.
Raye resembled him a little. He was very, menacing, tensed looking with the same wine-colored hair but pure black eyes, cold too. He sat down, smiled around at them and grunted, "Hello, you all must be Raye's friends." It was actually a stupid thing to say at least. But Mina smiled and warmly continued the conversation.
"Yep," she said brightly, "Nice to meet you. I'm Mina Aino. Great house by the way."
"Ah, I recognize your name," Mr. Hino stated, "Thank you." Just then, there was a clatter of fallen spoon and glass. Aiko had accidentally knocked down her spoon and spilled her glass of coke that was now slowly bleeding the red silk tablecloth dark red. Everyone turned their head to her while she stammered a 'Sorry.' Mitsuko slightly scoffed and shook her head. The maids rushed foreword to clean, while it seemed Mr. Hino was just about ready to yell.
"AIKO YOU BLUNDERING LITTLE OAF!" he thundered at her, "CAN'T WE EAT PROPERLY?!"
"Um, y-y-yes…s-sorry…"Aiko whimpered, though her eyes were wide in surprised, then in a second or so, she lowered her head and nodded, "I should've waited…"
Amy, Lita, Mina and Serena stared incredulously at the father who had his hair now slightly a mess and face red and swollen with anger. But Raye had just enough of it. She stood up, pounding her fist on the table and holding a fiery fire in her eyes that equaled her father.
"She's blind, don't expect her to eat normally!" she screamed, "It isn't her fault that she's blind!"
"YOU'RE RIGHT!" her father agreed, hoarsely yelling it, to everyone's surprise. Even Mitsuko furrowed her eyebrows confusingly at her uncle. He continued, "THAT'S VERY MATURE OF YOU TO ADMIT THAT IT WAS YOUR FAULT AND NOT HERS!"
Raye's mouth was slightly ajar from unbelieving and a bit of scoff. "My fault, you just brought me here to blame me on everything didn't you?!"
"Everything you've—"
"STOP IT!" Aiko suddenly shouted, "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, EVERYONE!" Everyone now looked at her in amazement. She was holding her head was growling and half-sobbing. "NO MORE FIGHTING! IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT!! OKAY?!" More quietly, though coarsely from yelling too much she continued, "Okay? Can't we just be happy to see each other after 5 YEARS OF SEPERATION?! Maybe, just pretend…? At least that would be an improvement…"
"Well, that breaks this dinner up…" Raye said curtly, "I'm not hungry." She took a sip of water and left the dinner table and out the dining room. Everyone was frozen and silent, slightly shocked by the sudden outburst. The servants had predicted this but were shocked and silent all the same. Everyone in the household knew the situation, except the 4 very confused girls.
"Uh, I'm afraid I don't know what's going on." Amy said quietly, "Anyways, I'm not hungry either, I'm have…to study…" She pushed her plate foreword and quickly walked out of the room while mouthing at her friends to do the same.
"Um...yeah, me too!" Mina exclaimed, following the same suit as Amy.
"Me three! I really need to uh…catch up!"
"Me four!"
Both Serena and Lita pushed their plates and quickly, and almost sprinted out of the room. After awhile they were gone, Mitsuko left, shaking her head and grumbling something like 'damn it' and 'idiots' under her breath.
Aiko, who seemed to be glued to her seat, bit into her lips and slightly shrugged. "I guess, we can go to the mall tomorrow, I'll call Jeremy to accompany us…"
"You do that," Mr. Hino said forebodingly, "But I don't want you to poison her mind with anything else, hear me?"
"Yes sir."
*~*
"Wage the battle of Chocolate!"