A/N.: I am trying to fight against this urge of creating new fanfics because I should focus on other things like the unfinished ones… yet I always lose the battle (-_-)
Which is why, hello everyone!
This is a new fanfic, it's a few shorts one-shots chapters concerning the bonds between the Hiiragi sisters, something that really struck me in the light novel and recent manga chapters.
It will not follow a chronological story order so be careful for the ones who don't know the spoilers.
I hope that you will come to enjoy it, and please leave a review!
"—A younger sister?"
"Y-Yes, Mahiru-sama's younger sister has been born recently."
An indifferent childish voice of a girl who had yet reached her teens and the trembling voice of a grown woman.
Mahiru kept looking at the scenery through the window in front of her, her elbows on the edge of it and her hands on her face.
The maid who usually came to silently clean her room suddenly started to talk to her and announced the news.
'I was wondering what she wanted, talking to me all of the sudden but to think it was just that.' Mahiru wasn't even interested enough to turn around and look at her and only focused half of her mind on the conversation.
Well this woman wasn't physically nor mentally trained, she was just an ordinary woman who happened to gain her life by cleaning the estate of such an horrifying family of all things (Mahiru herself didn't even get why she ended up here of all place) so she paused no threat and couldn't defend herself.
No matter who, the members of the Hiiragi family were respected, worshipped and feared by all so the fact that this maid, who was terrified of a little girl that turned 8 only a few months ago despite being more than twice her age was the proof of it.
'...No… not everyone is scared of the Hiiragis.'
The memory of a boy of her age with black hair and purple eyes came to her mind and Mahiru's expression softened, her heart being filled by a comfortable warmth.
"—I-Is Mahiru-sama curious about her younger sister?"
"—"
'...Ah, that's right. I completely forgot about her.' Mahiru forgot that she was in the middle of a conversation, albeit one-sided, still a conversation.
Besides, the maid seems to have misunderstood her reaction and continued to speak, "F-From what I have heard, it is a little girl that looks really like Mahiru-sama! S-So… Erm…"
"It's fine. You can go back."
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Upon hearing Mahiru's permission, the maid bowed hurriedly before exiting the room through the door, the relieved sigh that she gave just before she closed the door didn't go unnoticed by Mahiru.
Mahiru wasn't upset by this reaction nor did she considered her own attitude towards her as impolite; after all it was something normal in the Hiiragi Clan, she was already used to it since a long time ago.
It was more of a wonder about how this ordinary woman managed to find her way to work for this family, her meek and submissive attitude would only serve her to get bullied by the members of the upper hierarchy. She may even get killed on a whim, after all the Hiiragi Clan was quite unfair, wherever it is in terms of raw power or their methods.
And Mahiru herself being a member of that same family, as much as she hated it, has no concern what kind of fate may eventually befall or not befall on her.
If all she wanted was money, there were many options instead of being a maid at an estate of the Hiiragi Clan. Yes, there were many options of job and employers, employers who will treat her more kindly, for example…
"Ichinose…"
The clan that has been oppressed by the Hiiragi since many generations ago in history because of a some stupid tragic love story. No matter how strong they become, no matter how many talented children they spawn, they cannot rebel and overthrow the dictators they are facing.
'But because they are weak… Guren is so kind…' Now that she was all alone in her room, Mahiru finally allowed the loving smile she always wore when she thought about the boy she met when she was 5 years old, to spread on her face.
Weaklings couldn't win against the strong if they don't rely on their peers, this is probably why the Ichinose and the branch clans serving them are so close-knitted. Guren himself mentioned that he played with kids of other clans in the past.
Though it was considered a weakness that was heavily criticized by everyone around her, she felt envious about it. Genuine kindness and concern that nobody gave her, not as a Hiiragi heir but only as Mahiru, until she met him.
Shy, blunt, not honest and clumsy… yet kind, gentle and caring Guren.
Even though their separation was the worst possible, remembering him always cheered her up, she read shoujo mangas about love but always thought that the described symptoms were too exaggerated… until she felt them herself and it was pretty accurate, the authors must have felt love themselves.
With this emotion, she can become an ordinary girl.
She considered herself pretty lucky to have experienced it, otherwise she may have turned like her other family members. From her perspective, the Hiiragi lacked this wonderful emotion and prioritized absolute strength, otherwise they would never have turned this bad.
Even though it brings her comfort, it is also accompanied with some pain, the pain of being separated from Guren, of not being able to see him anymore.
It's already been nearly 3 years since the last time they met. Despite this Mahiru's smile didn't disappear… The look on Guren's face when they were torn apart… wasn't one of a person who gave up, but the inverse of it.
'If we could both become strong enough to overcome everything… then maybe…'
They have yet reached two digits of age, they still have time. Guren must be working hard like he always does, so she too…
"...I never thought I would actually say that, but I need to get Guren a bit out of my head." Massaging her flushed cheeks, Mahiru turned around and was about to exit her room, wondering what she should do on her day now that her training menu of the day has been accomplished.
Just when her fingertip was about to touch the doorknob, she was reminded of something, "...Should I try and go visit her? That supposed 'little sister'."
Mahiru's opinion of her family is bad, very bad.
She hates her cruel father and doesn't have a good relationship with her aloof older half-brother, nor did she care about her arrogant younger half-brother. She also heard about a future adopted son in the family or something but she wasn't interested at all.
From what she had seen in outside families, siblings sometimes fight with each other but always reconcilie in the end and laugh together again. It's surely because they never have to fight to the death against each other.
Mahiru never smiled around her family, she never smiled around anyone, Guren was the only exception and Mahiru was grateful that he wasn't a family member, so she couldn't understand the feeling of familial love despite having experienced romantic affection.
She did remember having a mother, but she lost her early and the faint memories of her were already buried beneath all the coldness of the Hiiragi Clan. And now, a new family member was added to the list, another girl for a change.
She arrived in front of the medical room and opened the door without knocking, and…
"Gah! Who is it?! Haven't you ever heard of knocking before entering?! We're in the middle of something important right now!"
She was greeted with the sight of some lab coat-wearing people surrounding the baby cradle. But when the man turned around and saw her he gasped and his face paled to an incredible degree.
"M-Mahiru-sama?!"
Mahiru wasn't surprised by this reaction and asked, "...Oh my, I am sorry. Did I disturbed you?"
It was clear that she wasn't sorry at all for what she had done but the man bowed hurriedly in apology, "N-No, we are the one who greatly apologize for our disrespect, we thought that it was one of our colleagues and… S-Still if only you have announced your presence to us, then…"
"Then what? Or were you doing something that I shouldn't know?"
"N-No, such a thing… We were just giving Shinoa-sama a checkup and..."
Mahiru narrowed her eyes in wariness, his genuine panicked reactions were definitely suspicious and so were the ones of the people around him. She then switched her attention towards the cradle, she could barely make out a tiny small human form inside of it.
"...Is her name Shinoa?"
"Eh? ...Ah! Y-Yes, please excuse me. Yes, her name is Hiiragi Shinoa-sama."
"How do you write her name?"
"It is written in katakana letters."
Even though all her other siblings, and herself, have names with proper kanjis, only this child had her name in katakana. Was Hiiragi Tenri finally tired of thinking up names only after 4 children?
"What about her mother?"
"Ah, her? She died from childbirth."
"..."
The man answered with a smile, as if he was announcing the weather, his earlier nervosity nowhere to be seen. ...It seems that the Hiiragi mentality was even spread to them to announce the death of her sister's mother like that, even though they properly address a baby with the suffix "sama".
It's surely because she wasn't of Hiiragi blood or someone who just happened to catch her father's eyes once only to get thrown away and kept alive just because she was bearing a "Hiiragi". ...Just like her own mother.
Mahiru briefly remembered her maid, will she one day end up adopting that way of thinking too?
"...Could you leave us alone?"
"Eh? But…"
"I wish to see her alone, go away."
"U-Understood…" All the people in the room bowed to her before forming a line and exiting one by one through the door.
Even if the other party was a child, as long as it was Hiiragi they cannot disobey. This must be the reason for why Seishirou grew up into such a spoiled brat, nobody dared to scold him… and she was pretty much sure that he wouldn't change for the better even if he was scolded.
When the last person closed the door behind, Mahiru finally walked towards the cradle. Once she reached her destination, she finally got to take a proper look at her newborn sister.
A little baby with a tuft of ashen hair and snoring softly in a plain cradle completely devoid of any toy, was a baby wrapped inside a tiny hospital gown…
Mahiru frowned slightly at the image, despite the way they respectfully address her it seems that she wasn't treated affectionately, as expected of the for Hiiragi… or so should she say, but even that was too curt to her taste, she didn't remembered having received such a treatment herself as a young child.
'...I was told that we looked alike, but… isn't it just our hair color that is similar? If it's just that then I share the same colors as Father...' Mahiru thought dryly, staring at the color of the few hairs the baby had.
Of course she didn't expect her carbon copy, still she couldn't help but feel disappointed as everything the maid mentioned wasn't as amazing as she hoped.
"Still… you are sleeping so peacefully." Mahiru murmured, watching the baby's peaceful sleep, extending a finger towards those plump cheeks full of baby fat.
Did she even have such a look on her face? She could hardly imagine it, being born in this family and she couldn't even check it herself. She was envious of the child in front of her, if only she could go back to the time where she didn't have to worry about anything…
However, this would be the same as denying her meeting with Guren, and this was something she definitely refused to do.
'But does Guren regret meeting me?' Mahiru's hand stopped before reaching Shinoa's cheek.
After all because she kept visiting him persistently, he often got beaten up violently by the Hiiragi Clan's subordinates and more than anything, she was part of the family of oppressors that made his life difficult.
Guren was kind to her at the beginning because he didn't know her real identity and because he wasn't aware of the hierarchy between Hiiragi and Ichinose yet. However, now that he knows about it…
'...What should I do… if Guren comes to hate me…?' Mahiru couldn't repress a shudder at the simple thought of it, it was more terrifying than any hardship she went through during her harsh training, more than any punishment her horrifying father may give her.
After overcoming all of that, she never thought that a thought like that would terrorize her more than anything up until now.
She wanted to know, but she was also afraid to know. She didn't want to cause any further trouble for Guren yet couldn't resist the desire to see him again despite her best efforts. 'Would Guren be happier if he never met me…?'
"Aaa~"
"...?!" Before she could further dwell into such despairing thoughts, a small yet warm touch brought her consciousness back to reality.
Mahiru blinked in surprise before looking down, seeing that her finger was held by a tiny hand. Little Shinoa was holding Mahiru's finger that didn't reach her cheek, her eyes faintly opened as she let out some ununderstandable baby sounds.
Mahiru could make out just the same amber-colored eyes as her through the miniscule gap between the eyelids… Yet it didn't last long as Shinoa immediately closed her eyes afterward. However, the grap she had on Mahiru's finger wasn't released, so she didn't let go of Mahiru...
"..." Mahiru's eyes were wide open, she couldn't even blink in surprise. Just this instant was enough to wash away the freezing sensation she felt and instead replace it with a gentle warmth.
'For the first time, someone other than Guren grasped the hand I extended…'
Nobody dared to touch her before, nobody even tried to get closer to her before… It may be an instinctive reaction from the baby, maybe it didn't even hold any special meaning, but it was an action that definitely touched Mahiru's heart.
The child in front of her is a newborn who has yet been corrupted by the darkness of the Hiiragi. A child who wouldn't be looked after by her parents, who wouldn't be cared for by her brothers, wouldn't it be fine if at least she were by her side?
'Not being able to see Guren is hard, so I should at least find a way to spend time until I get to see him again.' Despite her supposedly manipulative thoughts, there was a very gentle and soft smile on Mahiru's face.
A similar smile than the one she had when she thought of Guren, but still carrying a different emotion, even if she had yet noticed it herself.
"It's nice to meet you from now on, Shinoa."
This day, this same moment, would mark the beginning of the bonds between the two Hiiragi sisters.
A/N.: This is how I envisioned the "first meeting" between Mahiru and Shinoa, I hope that she didn't seem too OOC. This is also the time when Mahiru discovered her first ally within the Hiiragi family.
The next chapter would be from a different POV and a little before this chapter, please look forward to it!