"Ruby? Where are you?" Dia looked around for her sister in the mansion. She hasn't found her in the last few minutes and it was her bedtime. In the hallway to the master bedroom, she heard her little sister's laugh. She sighed in relief knowing her sister is with their father.
Dia poked her head into the bedroom. She saw her father and stepmother playing with Ruby. Little toddler Ruby loves being with her father. "Hello father, Aiko-san. Hey there Ruby." Dia walked up to her family and she tickled Ruby a little.
"Dia-chan! I told you to call me mom." Dia tried her best to not let them see her cringe.
"I'm sorry… Mother…"
"Mama! Up!" Ruby lifted her arms waiting for her mom to hold her up. But instead, her dad lifted her.
"Come to papa!" Ruby laughed and smiled.
"Father, I'm here for Ruby. It's her bedtime." Ruby turned her head towards Dia and held out her arms to her.
"Alright, Alright my little girl." He gave her a kiss on the cheek as well as her mother. "I love you, my precious little girl. Good night." He smiled and gave her to Dia. Dia took her in her arms as Ruby yawned. She walks out while she rubs her back.
"Are you tired, Ruby?" Ruby nods with her eyes are half-open.
Dia entered Ruby's room and placed Ruby gently on her bed. She changed Ruby into her nightclothes and tucked her into bed. "You know what Ruby? I think you have been really good today so I'm going to read you a bedtime story." Dia smiled sitting at the edge of Ruby's bed.
Ruby's face lit up. She had the biggest smile ever. She was so happy that she couldn't say anything, only moving excitedly. "Alright, calm down. What book do you want me to read?" Ruby settled down, still having the biggest smile.
"I want this one!" Ruby held out her little hands towards the bookshelf. Her hands started to glow so did the book. The book started flowing in mid-air towards the sisters. Dia stood up in shock as the book reached Ruby. Dia stared at her in terror.
"Onee-chan? Wh-what's wrong? Did R-ruby do a bad?"
Dia quickly grabbed Ruby with her favorite blanket and ran out. "Kanan! Wolf now!" Dia cried out in the halls. Ruby was terrified and started to shake. As Dia ran, she put Ruby in a comfortable position in her arms to not let her see where they were going. Kanan quickly caught up to them and they ran out of the mansion.
This can't be happening please god no. Dia thought to herself as she ran to the guild. Ruby was crying that this point. Once they were there, Dia had to leave Ruby with Kanan for a moment. This isn't such a good idea since Ruby is terrified of dogs and Kanan just so happens to be a wolf about ten times her size.
"Ruby I need to speak to someone and I'm going to leave you with Kanan. Don't worry, she will turn back in a second. She just needs to check the area to make sure we weren't followed." Dia put Ruby down on the carpet on the floor and stayed there until Kanan came back. Once Kanan was back in human form, she started to play with Ruby to calm her down. Dia smiled at the sight of her sister's smile.
It quickly fated when she walked away. Dia entered the next room and looked around. "Hello? Anyone in here?" Dia yelled out in a panic to see the empty room save for all the books. Suddenly a pile of books fell over.
"Zura… That hurts…" Hanamaru stood up rubbing her head from the books falling on her head.
"Hanamaru-san! I need your help, please! It's Ruby!" Dia pleaded. Hanamaru looked at her concerned.
"What's wrong? Is she ill?"
"No, she is not but… I think she might be a… Oh god… A premature wizard." Hanamaru's face lit up.
"Little Ruby is a wizard?! A premature one at that?! That's so rare! Normally signs of a wizard aren't shown until the age of ten! Little Ruby is only three!" Hanamaru was so excited about the situation. She grabbed some books and used her magic to read the whole thing in a second. "Let me examine her. Once I get what kind of wizard she is, I can get her training in no time."
"What kind of… Wizard…?" Dia looked at her confused.
"Oh yeah! There are all sorts of different types! Like the basic magic, advanced magic, transformation magic, and elemental magic. There's also a legendary wizard that does all kinds of magic. I'm thinking that she is the legendary wizard since she's developing her powers now. There's only one that exists at a time since they are in a line of reincarnation. I can figure it out now and get her training started."
Dia suddenly got light-headed. Her sister could be the legendary wizard? This was too much for her to handle. Not only that, if she told her father about this, who knows what he would do. The Kurosawa family only has vampires or humans. "Alright, I-I'll get her." Dia walked out of the room to see Ruby fast asleep on Kanan. Kanan looked up in concern.
"Dia? What's wrong? You're paler than usual."
Dia picked up Ruby making sure she wasn't awake. "I'm scared for her." Dia walked back into the other room leaving Kanan out of the room. Hanamaru took Ruby and gently woke her up.
"Go home Dia-chan. This is a long process and you need to tell your father, zura. I know you don't want to but this is for Ruby's sake. I'm hoping she is the legendary wizard. If she is, she has to be partnered with the hybrid x13, You, to stop the Takami clan. It's the only way the humans wouldn't be in a world war against monsters and magical beings like us zura."
Dia's face fell. She doesn't have the heart to leave her but she trusts Hanamaru completely. She was more scared of her father's reaction to the situation. "I really can't stay?" Hanamaru shook her head. Ruby turned to her and yawned.
"Onee-chan," Ruby muttered in a yawn. Dia's heart felt like breaking.
"Ruby, I have to go." Ruby's eyes widened.
"No! No! Onee-chan! Don't leave me! I want to go home!" Ruby cried.
"I'm sorry Ruby, I need to go. I hate to do this." Ruby started to cry.
"Onee-chan! What did Ruby do? Ruby thought she was good!" Dia wiped off her now wet face.
"You did nothing wrong, Ruby. This is for your future. I love you." Dia hugged her. "I'll get you the first thing in the morning alright." Ruby nodded. Dia gave her a final wave before leaving.
Kanan rushed to Dia's side. "What happened? Where's Ruby?" Dia let out a sign. She started to walk out of the guild temple.
"She is with Hanamaru-san. She is testing her wizard ability."
"Ruby is a wizard?! Wow, I didn't know there was a wizard line in your family!" Dia looked down.
"No, there isn't. There was never a wizard in our family line. Only vampires and humans. I know my mother came from a line of wizards but there's no possible way Ruby is a wizard from her. She died over a hundred years ago… From birthing me..." Dia stayed silent.
Topics about her mother are a very sensitive topic to her. Dia knows nothing about her mother other than some small stories she heard from people in the guild. Kanan can tell that she is jealous that Ruby gets to be with her birth mother. "You're going to tell your dad about this?"
"I have no other choice. I'm just hoping he wouldn't do anything to Ruby… Or me..." Dia stayed quiet the rest of the way home.
Once they made it home, her father was waiting for her. "DIA!" Mr. Kurosawa yelled. "WHERE IS MY RUBY!" She forgot that her father likes to see her little sister sleep.
"F-father… Listen to me… Ruby is… A wizard…" Her father slowly walked to her and Dia walked backward.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER!"
His eyes were very dull but full of anger. "I'm surprised about this too… How about we sit down and talk about this- ah!" He grabbed her by her neck and pushed her against the wall. His grip was so strong that Dia was having a hard time breathing.
"I'm very disappointed in you. You weren't supposed to let this happen. Now the only way for you to not disappoint me further is to not let her near that mutt you found three years ago. Ever. She can go on with the training but NEVER let her near a battlefield."
Dia started to gasp for air desperately. That's when he finally let go and she started coughing. "I expect more from you, Dia. You may be good at business but you're the worst at caring for your sister. You've always disappointed me since the day you were born you fucking dyke. I know you like that fucking mutt. You're a fucking disgrace. Get the fuck out of my face you worthless piece of shit." He walked away leaving Dia in distress.
"Mistress? Dia! Can you hear me? Hello?" Kanan waved her hand in front of Dia's face.
"Huh? What? Kanan?" Dia opened her eyes to see her lover's face. Her head was down on her desk.
"Hey, you ok? You were crying in your sleep." Kanan started to wipe away her tears.
"I have? Oh… I-I don't remember the dream I had…" Kanan held Dia's hand. Dia sat up on her chair.
"You sure?" Dia nodded slightly through her lie but it was enough to convince Kanan otherwise. Kanan gave her a light kiss.
"Alright, you shouldn't stay up all night anymore. We got more attacks from the Takami clan as of lately."
"Has our spies found the Takami hideout?"
"I'm afraid not, mistress. Word of our plans reached them and all of our spies were found and killed on the spot." Suddenly the door opened.
"Onee-chan, the carriage is here for you." Dia and Kanan stood up.
"Thank you, Ruby. Inform father that I will be gone for a business meeting. I will return for dinner."
"Wait! Onee-chan! Are you going to Tsushima-san?" Dia sighed.
"I'm going to the guild, Kanan isn't. Don't you dare think about going with Kanan alright? You are to stay here and care for Aiko. That stomach virus is doing a serious number on her." Dia walked out before Ruby could respond.
Ruby was pissed. Everyone who has a say in her life controls her. The only freedom she has is training with Hanamaru. She doesn't know the full extent of the Takami clan had on the guild or how it all started. She's 23 and everyone treats her like an innocent little kid. She has sexual urges that she doesn't know how to deal with or even know how to ask about. She is more than capable of defending herself and making her own choices. She has no idea why this is even happening.
Ruby ran into her room and slammed the door. "I'm tired of everyone doing this to me. Why is everyone doing this?" She grabbed a cloak and planned to make her escape. Her room was in the back of the mansion on the top floor so it would be a long jump down. The front door was never an option since the maids and butlers were all working in the area. They would tell her father in a heartbeat.
The window was her best option in her opinion. She opened the window and looked around. The gardeners were tending the land and her father was outside in an outdoor business meeting. She tried to see if there was a way for no one to see her. The plan needs to be foolproof since the mansion was in the middle of the estate. She notices the animals that roam around and gets an idea.
She gets on the window then, using her wind magic, jumps to a nearby tree. She used her magic to transform into a squirrel. She mimicked the movement of a squirrel as she moved from tree to tree. "I see there are still woodland creatures roaming around your property, Mr. Kurosawa."
"I make sure that the mutt doesn't get to them." Ruby was confused. They didn't own a dog nor do the neighbors and the forest predators kept to themselves. Once she was satisfied that they believed she was a squirrel, she made her escape in the front of the property. Turning back to normal once she was in the clear.
Ruby made a run for it to try to catch up to Dia's carriage. With the help of her magic, she was able to catch up but keeps her distance so they don't see her. Kanan all the sudden sticks her head out the window. Unable to react quickly enough, Ruby was spotted. Kanan just casually waved at her then made a hand signal to stay there. Ruby was confused about whether she is trying to help her or not. Well if anyone knew her struggles, it was Kanan. She trusted her and stayed there but hid in the trees.
"Hey Dia, can I run? I'm in the mood to run." Kanan brought her head back inside. Dia sighed.
"Fine. Just don't be in wolf form, it's hunting season for the humans. Inform the driver to stop." But instead of stopping the carriage, Kanan jumped out the window.
"KANAN! YOU DON'T JUMP OUT OF A MOVING VEHICLE!" Dia yelled. Kanan ran the opposite way of the way she was supposed to go. She was so quick that Dia didn't even notice.
Kanan ran towards Ruby. Ruby was happy to see that Kanan didn't tell Dia. "Ruby! Do you want to come with me? Woah!" Ruby jumped into Kanan's arms.
"Take me with you! There's something about Tsushima-san I can't ignore!"
"You are the legendary wizard huh?"
They walked casually together in the woods. It was a rare moment for the two of them to be alone together. Ruby took this opportunity to ask questions but kinda wanted to know the relationship between Kanan and Dia. "Hey, Kanan-chan, are you and Onee-chan… Going out?" Ruby asked out of the blue.
Kanan chuckled. "I thought it was obvious! We have been together for almost a hundred years now! I want to marry her but your dad would kill me if I tried to. You know how he is with werewolves." Kanan looked off in disappointment.
"I-I don't know how my papa is around werewolves…" Ruby muttered. Kanan looked at her shocked.
"What?! Your dad hates werewolves! He always calls me a dirty mutt and sometimes makes me sleep outside on a leash." Ruby looked at her confused.
"Was that what Papa means when he says 'dirty mutt'? He's talking about you?"
"A thousand percent yes. I'm only here because of the tradition between our two families."
"Tradition? You weren't a stay the family took in?"
"Who told you that?! I was never a stray! I guess it's time for a story. I was born in the last litter of pups in the main bloodline of Matsuura's. I was the strongest in the litter so naturally, I was going to be given away first."
"Wait wait! What do you mean 'given away first'? You're not a dog!" Ruby interrupted.
Wow, she is more sheltered than I though. "Werewolves are often given away into powerful families if the pups are strong enough. They are personal bodyguards for whoever can afford to keep us around. Since my family is known to be strong, we go off to more wealthy families and Takami pups go off to mainly middle class. Matsuura's normally serve the guild or the military if they aren't given to a family or chooses not to. Since I'm the last litter to be born, I'm not the one that needs to continue the bloodline. I could if I wanted to but not to possibly give away."
Ruby has so many more questions about werewolf customs but she wants to hear Kanan's story. "C-can you continue what you were saying before?"
"Oh yeah right. So once I was around seven years old, I was sent to the Kurosawa family. I remember the day I was sent to your family. It feels like it was only yesterday..." Kanan looked down at her hands and made fists with her hands. She sighed and looked back up to watch where she is going.
"My dad was the one that took me to the mansion. He was telling me that I will make him proud. He didn't look like it but he was extremely old and weak. He looked very young like he wasn't a day over twenty. But in truth, he was in his last few years. Werewolves live to around three hundred years at most. He didn't have much time left, so that's why I was the last litter. My mom died two years before old age. Once we arrived, Mr. Kurosawa and Dia walked outside. Mr. Kurosawa was not happy with me nor my dad." "
Go on Kanan, this is going to be your home." Mr. Matsuura said to his daughter. Kanan ran over to Dia and went down on one knee.
"I promise to protect you and follow your every order. I vow to sacrifice my life for you." Little Dia blushed from the little Kanan looking adorable.
Mr. Kurosawa was so unamused. He rolled his eyes at the display he is seeing. "I can't stand you mutts at all."
"Oh lighten up! Look on the bright side, you are continuing the tradition after all the years of you abandoning me! It wasn't even a day you decided to leave me in a dog park on a leash."
"Yes, I remember. I'm only continuing this to my father's request before he went into war. The thing that surprises me is you wearing pants, to be honest." Mr. Matsuura looked down to see the only article of clothing.
"So I am. But trust me, this one is very smart and strong. I bet she will save your daughter's life on more than one occasion." Mr. Kurosawa rolled his eyes.
"Hold on, your dad was my papa's werewolf partner?!" Kanan nodded.
"Yeah, my dad used to be so strong that the Takami's were so scared of him. They weren't even much of a threat until Chika was a little kid."
"How did you and Onee-chan started dating? If that's not too much to ask…"
"I don't mind. It starts when Dia first started to trust me as her partner. It was about a few weeks since I've been given to Dia and I was forced to stay outside on a leash. Mr. Kurosawa refuses to let me inside after I was shown where all the rooms were. I couldn't pee in the bathroom either haha…"
"Why did you stay then?"
"This story is why. I was shivering outside on a cold night. I tried to fall asleep but I couldn't stop shaking. When I was about to give in, I heard Dia crying inside. At the time I didn't know what your father does to Dia so I was really worried. I broke free from the leash and climbed up to Dia's room. I gave her the biggest hug as she cried. I was probably the only person who cared about her. So I made it my mission to make sure she's ok."
"W-what does Papa do to Onee-chan?" Ruby never knew that Mr. Kurosawa was abusive to Dia and the evil things he does. It scared her to think about what he does to her.
"How we started dating resulted from the worst thing he has done to Dia. He drugged me and Dia during a business party in the mansion. I woke up in my wolf form tied down to cement blocks and a muzzle around my snout." Kanan's face looked terrified yet angry at the same time. Ruby looked over and saw her face then immediately looked away. Ruby was getting conflicted about her father. She loves him but she never knew he was a terrible man.
"When I finally got my vision back I saw Dia tied to a poll. A man was whipping her back for the sole purpose of causing the worst pain imaginable. There was so much blood everywhere and I knew it was Dia's. My wolf instincts kicked in and I aggressively broke my way free and killed anyone who dared tried to stop me. Once it was just the two of us, I freed her and treated her wounds."
Kanan stopped for a second. Tears were running down her face so she tried to wipe them away. Ruby grabbed one of her hands to comfort her. Kanan smiles at her. But it quickly faded away when she returned to tell the story.
"She was drugged bad and wasn't responding to me. She was awake but it seemed like she couldn't feel any pain or my touch. Dia was able to go back to her more normal self after a few months after. She was extremely depressed as a result. There are still scars all over her back to this day. Once she was more recovered, she kinda kissed me out of nowhere. I think that was her way of thanking me. I hadn't thought about actually dating her until she was insisting we do. Maybe us being together was a small rebellion in her eyes."
"Are you happy with her? It sounds forced…"
"Oh, I am! Our new relationship was in the works in the course of a few years. I had a puppy crush on her as a kid but we quickly found out that we both have feelings for each other. We've even tried to have kids at one point but Dia was scared so we stopped trying. I want kids and Dia does too… It's just Dia is too scared to go against her father."
Ruby wanted to know more. She wanted answers. "Well, we can continue this later. Right now, you need to talk to your new partner. You-chan! I'm here!" Kanan yelled.
But instead of You coming outside, Mari ran out. "Come in! You-chan is making food right now!"
"Mari-chan! Is Kanan-chan here?" You called from inside.
"Yeah! She brought over Ruby-chan too!" You quickly ran outside to Ruby. Ruby was a little startled by her rushing to her.
"H-hey there, Ruby-chan, I-I know we didn't meet under the right circumstances but you felt something when we met right? It's been a month since then but I can't stop thinking about that."
"I-I did, it's like we are connected somehow. But how?" The two of them looked at Kanan. She's the only one who is more than willing, to tell the truth.
"There's a link between the legendary wizard and the hybrid x13. We don't know why either, we don't know much about hybrid x13 clan since they keep their customs to themselves. All we know about them is them being a "failed" experiment to the humans for war."
"So I'm a man-made reject? And I'm the last one in existence? Great, love that."
"You think something happened that would make us connected?"
"Possibly but we'll never know."
"...Let's go inside ok? I made food for us…" They went inside and sat at the table. There were just enough chairs for all four of them.
"I hope you didn't expect to have vegetables or anything Ruby-chan, I only eat meat." She gave everyone their plate of food.
"O-oh it's fine, I don't eat a lot of meat but it's ok." Ruby looked nervously at her plate of food.
"You don't have to eat it, no one is going to force you and I won't get offended." You started to think she might not eat meat. She was just poking at it, not attempting to eat it. You went over to Kanan and whispered to her. "Is Ruby-chan a vegetarian?"
"Yeah, she is. She stopped eating meat 20 years ago." Mari heard this and immediately ran to the makeshift fridge. She made a vegan soup one day because she was craving it for some reason. She took the plate of food from Ruby and replaced it with the soup after heating it.
"It's vegan, don't worry. Enjoy." Mari smiles at her. Ruby ate a spoon full and fell in love with the flavor.
"T-this is so good! I never get to eat something this good at home!" Ruby continued to eat.
"Really? I would think that she would have nothing but the best at home." You looked at Kanan.
"You would think so right? But that's far from it, her father has been trying for years to get her to eat meat again so he makes the cook staff make her terrible tasting food. She eats it when she isn't scheduled to go to the guild. The guild makes her great food. Dia also makes her food when their father is away that's even better than what the guild makes."
"Seriously? That's messed up! There's plenty more if you want Ruby-chan!" Mari said to Ruby.
"Thank you, umm…"
"Oh! I never introduced myself! I'm Ohara Mari, You's fiancé! You can call me Mari!"
"Mari-san, thank you for the food." Ruby smiles at her. "It's very delicious."
"Alright," Kanan said when they all finished eating. "We got business to discuss." You cleared off the table. "We have no idea the next time the Takami clan is going to attack. All we know that they are stronger than ever. Now that we have You-chan and Ruby-chan together, we have a great chance to end this war." Kanan looked at the two. "You two are the only ones that can stop them."
"How are we the only ones? There are plenty of strong monsters and wizards that are more experienced than us. Isn't your family that strongest werewolf family?" You argued.
"Hybrid x13 is our strongest monsters. They can kill us all and take over if they so choose to."
"If that's so, then how was it possible that my clan was killed?" Yohane entered the house.
"Simple." Yohane walked over to the group. "Hybrid x13 are peaceful. They don't believe in violence hence why humans were quick to abandon them. Though the humans didn't give up on their experiments I heard. The Takami's who did the genocide knew what they were doing. They weren't stupid about how to kill them. Most of them are very heavy which makes them very slow. This probably means they were going to be used as a defense if I were to guess. Since there weren't too many of them around, to begin with, they were kinda just an easier yet hard target."
"Papa! Great timing!" Yohane stood next to You.
"I thought you were with Dia."
"I was until I figured you guys would talk about this." Yohane looked at Ruby. "The legendary wizard is the only one able to control them. Another reason as to why the humans abandoned them was them being uncontrollable. I don't even know why and I've studied them from afar. They should have gone after the legendary wizard if they had done their research. They are fools for that if they wanted to take over that badly."
"But why are the Takami clan even doing this, to begin with? There isn't much left of the family line, right? So there isn't much of a point anymore." Mari asked. Ruby nodded in agreement.
Monsters looked at each other. "Well, they wanted to end our customs at first. They believe it's slavery when it's by choice. But then, they started to get aggressive. It was like they didn't even care about that anymore. To take over is what we're guessing. We don't know their motives. And suddenly the ones that were against it were killing left and right."
You noticed a small tear from Kanan she said that. "Was Chika one of the ones that didn't want this to happen?"
Kanan looked more emotional by the second. "Yes… She was… Her father was the one that started all of this. If I were to guess, he's the clan's leader now. He didn't want her near the other werewolves but she sneaked off to find Dia and me one night during our walks. We use to play together all the time. She used to tell us that she wants to be like me, go into a family and protect them. She wanted to help and save people... Then one day… She killed my dad…" Kanan started to cry. "She is a different person now! That's not the Chika I know! She's even acting like we never met before! My Chika would never…"
You and Ruby looked at each other as Kanan's crying got worse.
"Maybe we can figure out why."
"You got an idea You-chan?" Mari asked.
"Yes, I do. All we need to do is find out where the Takami hideout is."
"Dia-chan, we don't have a choice. We need You-tan and Ruby-chan together, we can't sacrifice any more lives." Hanamaru said.
Dia paced around. "No! There's got to be another way! I'm not letting Ruby set foot on that battlefield!"
"We have no choice zura. There have been cases of humans getting killed by them recently. If the investigation keeps up, we will be found out and we will be at war. There's no way around it. It's about time for her to live her own life. She's 23, an adult. Treat her like one zura."
"Give me one more chance and then if that fails, you can let Ruby battle!" Dia angrily asked.
Hanamaru shook her head. "You said that last time. We can't waste any more time, zura. I will send a messenger bird to request her to come here." Hanamaru put her hands on Dia's shoulder. "I'm too old for this. I can't have you sheltering her anymore. Your mother would have wanted it that way zura."
Hanamaru got started on the letter. Dia stayed silent. But she was curious when she mentioned her mother. "Hey, Hanamaru-san, did you know my mother?"
"I do. I also know that Ruby's mother is her great-grandniece."