It was dark out. The Sun had recently set, so this was abnormal. A young girl, no older than eight, stood in her kitchen, horrified of what she saw.
"M...Mom? Dad?" She cried, shifting her gaze between the two corpses on the room floor, floating in their blood. "...Come on. Wake up...this isn't a funny joke, Mom." Crawling over to her dead mother, the girl shook the corpse, still in denial.
"Mom... Mom! Wake up! Please, Mommy!" Looking over at her dead father, she began to cry. "Dad... no, please, don't leave me..."
A light flashed behind her. When it faded, two figures, one a tall man and the other a little girl, appeared, both having red hair.
"Good evening, Yukiko. Where are your- Oh, dear Maou." the man said, covering his mouth. The little girl, now known as Yukiko, turned to the two new people, still crying.
"What? What's wro-" the little girl stopped, spying the bodies. She looked up to the man. "I-is it too late, brother? Can we save them?" She asked. The man shook his head solemnly. "We were too late this time, Rias. Even if we weren't, that isn't what they'd want, anyway," he answered, shocking his sister. She motioned to the other girl, her blue hair covering the majority of her face.
"We can't just leave her like this!" Rias argued. "She's one of my best friends, Sirzechs! That wouldn't be fair to her or her parents!" Sirzechs rested his hand on Rias' shoulder. "It's alright though; In Thomas' will Father is to adopt little Yukiko in the event of their untimely demise. Most likely he already has the papers filled out." Hearing this, Rias calmed down, regaining her noble demeanor. "So... I'm going to be her... sister?" Rias muttered.
"However, such a young girl shouldn't be burdened with such memories," Sirzechs said, walking closer to the little girl. Yukiko looked up at Sirzechs, her blue eyes on the verge of tears.
"*Hic* Sirzechs *Hic* my parents... are they..?" Sirzechs shook his head once more, causing the girl to cry virtual buckets. Sirzechs knelt to the girl's height, wrapping her in his arms. "It's alright. You're going to be alright, Yukiko." His right hand became enveloped in a pinkish light. In seconds, Yukiko stopped crying, her breathing calming down in tandem. Sirzechs lifted the girl in his arms, turning back to Rias. "She's coming with us for the night. I'll seal her memories of her parents when we get home." Rias nodded, agreeing with the plan. Taking hold of Yukiko's hand, she smiled, shedding a single tear.
"Welcome to the family, Yukiko." she said as they disappeared in a flash of light.
Six Years Later...
"Waaaaa!" Waking with a start, a sky blue-haired girl sat up in her bed, her violet eyes frantic. Looking around, she sighed.
"That dream again, huh?" She muttered, leaving her bed. Walking over to her closet, she pulled out Kuoh Academy's- her new school- uniform. Pulling her socks on, she heard a knock on her door. "Come in." She said, and the culprit, a crimson-haired girl, opened the door, walking in.
"Good morning, Yukiko. Are you ready for school yet?" She asked, a regal smile portrayed on her face. The other girl, presumably Yukiko, shook her head. "Not yet, Rias. I just have to brush my hair. But don't let me slow you down. I'll catch up with you, Koneko, and Akeno on the way."
"Alright then." Rias started to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorway. "Oh, one more thing." She turned towards Yukiko. "Happy Birthday, little sister."
Yukiko blushed, a faint smile forming on her face. "Thank you, Rias." She returned.
It took fifteen minutes, but Yukiko got her severe case of bedhead in control, having styled her shoulder-length hair into a bob. Leaving her room, she ran into two crimson-haired men in the hallway.
"G-good morning, Sirzechs, Father." She called out, bowing in their presence. Turning towards her, Sirzechs smiled.
"Good morning and happy birthday to you, Yukiko." He returned. "Are you ready for your first day of high school?"
"Of course! I wish to make a lot of new friends this year, and the best way to do that is to go to school! Plus, Rias promised me that she'll show me around today." Yukiko answered, her eyes displaying her determination.
"I see... Well then, we shouldn't keep you any longer, should we? Go ahead to your classes, Yukiko." Zeoticus motioned for her to head on to school. Yukiko ran to the door, putting her shoes on. Opening the front door, she looked back at her father and older brother. Running, she hugged Zeoticus, earning a hand being placed on her head.
"Happy birthday, Yukiko," Zeoticus said, petting the girl.
"Thank you, Father." Yukiko returned, releasing the man. "Now I've really got to leave. Tell Mother I said goodbye!" She called, running off through the front door.
Ten minutes later...
"I...hah...told you...whew...I'll catch up with you..." Yukiko wheezed out, stopping to breathe.
Rias nodded, acknowledging her loss. "Yes, you did. I shouldn't have doubted you." Yukiko perked up at that.
"Oh? Has little Yu forgotten about us, Koneko?" another voice asked. Yukiko looked at the owner of said voice, smiling sheepishly.
"S-sorry, Akeno, Koneko. Good morning." Yukiko greeted the two girls with her sister. Akeno smiled, apparently satisfied with the apology, while Koneko nodded sagely, chewing whatever she was snacking on this morning.
"...Morning, Yukiko." the white-haired girl said, swallowing her... cookie? It wasn't important.
"Rias, are we still on for lunch today?" Yukiko asked, looking up to her sister. "I mean, if we can't it's okay. I could go hang out with Ren and Jamie today-"
"No! We'll have lunch today! Ren's not good enough for you!" Much to everyone's surprise, Rias pulled Yukiko into a hug, making the younger girl blush. Akeno and Koneko smiled at the display of familial affection.
"...Am I interrupting something?" a male voice asked, stopping everyone present. Yukiko separated from Rias and ran to the new group member, Kiba Yuuto.
"G-good morning, Yuuto." Yukiko greeted the boy, her cheeks still red. Yuuto smiled, placing his hand on Yukiko's head.
"Good morning, everyone. And happy birthday Yukiko."
'He knows it's my birthday. He knows it's my birthday!' Yukiko thought, smiling. "Th-thank you, Yuuto." she returned, a large grin on her face. "Actually, tonight Father promised me-"
"Get back here, Hyoudou!" Someone shouted from ahead of the group. Looking forward, Rias spotted a brown-haired boy being chased by three girls in their kendo uniforms with wooden swords.
"I'm not going back there! If I do, you'll kill me for something I didn't do!" the boy, presumably Hyoudou, shouted back, continuing to run from the Kendo girls.
"Ugh! Isn't that Issei Hyoudou, a member of the Perverted Trio?" Yukiko asked, a disgusted look on her face. "I'm glad I'm not in his class."
"...Issei Hyoudou is the enemy of all women." Koneko stated flatly. Rias sighed. "I don't know. He's kind of... cute, right?" Rias asked the others, earning a deadpan glare from her sister. "...You like the weirdest of people, Rias." Yukiko said, shocking Rias.
"Now, now. He might not be a bad person, aside from his perversion." Akeno countered. Koneko shook her head. "Issei's an idiot." She returned, her expression never changing. It was then that the school bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.
"That's our cue! Come on, Koneko!" Yukiko called out, grabbing Koneko's hand. Before the loli could resist, Yukiko took off, Koneko flying behind her. "Bye, guys! See you after class!"
After Classes...
"Why did Ms. Watson have to be so strict?" Yukiko complained, walking in the halls with Koneko after classes finished. Koneko nodded. "...Pay attention sometimes. She's not a bad teacher, you're a bad student."
"And there we have it: Koneko agrees with everyone else." Yukiko sighed dejectedly. "Anyway, we should hurry. Rias brought my favorite lunch with her today, and I want to eat it while it's-"
"Damn it, Hyoudou! Why can't you just be like Kiba!?" a female cried out as the brown-haired boy in question ran down the hall, bumping into Yukiko, nearly knocking her down.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, Hyou-" Yukiko clutched her chest, stopping mid-sentence. Doubling over, Yukiko leaned on the wall to keep from hitting the floor. Koneko looked over at her friend, a worried expression on her face. Her gaze shifted from Yukiko to Issei, whom she glared at.
"...Your stupidity probably gave her a heart attack." Koneko accused the brunette, who sweatdropped.
"I don't think that's possible, but I'll help carry her to the nurse's office. Come on, Miss-" Issei stopped, taking in Yukiko's beauty. 'Is she new here?' He thought, still staring. 'If so, great! I might have a chance with her!'
"Don't even try to get in her pants, Hyoudou. I'd kill you before you had a chance." Koneko warned the boy. Issei fell to his knees, crying rivers. 'Father, Mother, I tried to give you grandchildren. I really did...' he thought. Shaking it off, he rose to his feet and offered a hand to Yukiko. "Can you stand?"
"I'm fine, no thanks to you- Ugh!" Yukiko smacked Issei's hand away, clutching her chest once more. 'Dammit!' she thought. 'What's with this feeling...'
"You don't have to be so harsh..." Issei said gloomily. Sulking, he began to walk away, that is, until-
"We finally found you, Hyoudou!"
"Crap! Forgot about them!" Issei took off down the hallway, two girls chasing him. Koneko sighed. "Well, at least that's the last time we'll see him for today." Yukiko stated, earning a nod from Koneko. "Let's keep going to the club room."
Approximately Five Minutes Later...
"No way! Rias did what!? I can't believe it!" Yukiko cried, laughing uncontrollably. Koneko smiled at the blue-haired girl, pleased with the response. "... even Rias is clumsy." she added, nodding. The two students were approaching the old school building as the Sun began setting. Yukiko suddenly stopped laughing, looking over to Koneko.
"Let's hurry to the room. Everyone's waiting for us." Yukiko said, walking off ahead. Opening the door to the building, she was surprised to see a large table with an equally large cake on it, whilst hanging above it was a banner which read "Happy Birthday, Yu!" in bold black font.
"Surprise! Happy birthday, Yukiko!" Rias popped out from under her desk, followed by Akeno and Yuuto coming out of the closet. Rias walked up to Yukiko and hugged the girl, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Let's go blow out the candles, Yu. Then we could start with your presents." Rias stated, allowing Koneko and Yukiko to enter the room.
"Wow, guys. I thought we were doing this at home?" Yukiko stated, looking between the others for answers.
Rias fidgeted nervously while Yuuto and Koneko averted their gazes. Finally Akeno decided to speak up.
"Rias decided to have it early because she couldn't wait to give you her gift any longer!" she blurted out, earning a glare from her best friend.
"Akeno! Geez..." The redhead blushed, hiding behind the stack of papers on her desk. Yuuto smiled, resting his arm on Yukiko's shoulder. "You should've seen her earlier, running around, mumbling things like 'I hope she likes my present!' and 'Why won't the day be over already so I can give it to her?' It was a spectacle to see." the knight only embarrassed Rias further. Yukiko looked over to her sister, noticing the increasing blush on her cheeks. Sighing, she gave Rias a hug.
"You know, you could've pulled me aside in the halls between classes to give me your gift, right?" She said.
"Glad I want the only one who thought that." Koneko said, moving to the couch.
"Yes I could've, but the longer the wait, the better the reward." Rias answered, nuzzling her sister's hair.
-Clap Clap-
Everyone looked in the doorway spotting the figures, two red-haired men and one female brunette. Everyone bowed besides Rias and Yukiko, who hugged the two men.
"Good evening, Sirzechs/Brother, Father." the two said, releasing the older men. Yukiko turned towards the woman, bowing. "Good evening, mother." she said, causing the older woman to shake her head slowly. "Raise your head, Yu. You're a Gremory, after all." Venelana said, lifting the girl's head to her height.
"Glad we didn't miss blowing out the candles, or giving out the presents." Zeoticus said, revealing a small box in his hands.
"Father! You d-didn't have to get me anything!" Yukiko stammered, waving her hands in front of her.
"Yes, Father. You shouldn't have. Besides," Sirzechs revealed a box double the size of Zeoticus's, "You can't really compete with me."
The two men smiled maliciously at each other, their power radiating off of them.
"Seriously, why don't you let Yukiko decide which gift she likes best." Venelana sighed, causing Rias to smile. "Mother is right, you two. You're just adding extra pressure to the poor girl. To be frank, it makes you both look bad." She added, causing both men to flinch.
"R-Rias actually scolded me..." Sirzechs mumbled, his mood darkening. Zeoticus coughed into his hand. "Right you are, Rias. Now, let's cut the cake, shall we?" he stated, clapping.
Yuuto summoned a dagger to cut the cake with, but just as he reached the cake-
"Wait! I have to blow out the candle first." Yukiko stopped him. The knight backed away, allowing the girl to move to the cake. Looking around her, she noticed how everyone was watching her with a smile on her face, except for Sirzechs, who was recording this from a camera he got from God knows where.
"Go ahead, Yu, make a wish." Venelana ushered, still smiling at the girl. Nodding, Yukiko turned back towards the cake and blew out it's candles. It was at this time a party horn sounded. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound: Sirzechs.
"Brother/Son, stop wasting magic on such trivial things." Both Rias and her father scolded the Maou. Dropping to his knees, Sirzechs looked as if someone killed his puppy, then kicked the corpse. "To be scolded by Father is one thing, but Rias, as well..?" He mumbled.
Akeno clapped her hands, returning attention to the event. "Now Yukiko will open her gifts, and the cake will be served." she announced. Everyone surrounded the girl, holding out gift wrapped boxes of varying colors, stacking them in her arms.
Placing the boxes down, Yukiko blushed. "Um, th-thank you, everyone for coming, and for the gifts, it is very appreciated." she said while grabbing the closest box to her, the gift from Zeoticus. Opening it, she gasped at the sight of the items, three small red vials shaped like tears.
"Father! A set of Phoenix Tears... you really didn't have to get me these! They must've cost you a lot of money!" Yukiko stammered, nearly dropping the expensive items. "It was nothing. Lord Phenex just happened to owe me from our last wager." Zeoticus explained, grinning haughtly.
Yukiko reached for her next gift, the one from Rias. Opening the box, she pulled out the present: a silver heart shaped locket. "Rias, I love it!" she exclaimed, grinning widely. Rias smiled back. "It's not done yet. Open it!" the redhead said, causing Yukiko to did just that. The locket opened, revealing a picture of Yukiko and Rias, the former wrapped in the latter's arms.
Yukiko shed a tear. "You still had this picture, after all these years?" the girl asked, embracing her sister. Rias patted her head. "Of course. It's one of my favorites." she explained. After another minute, the two separated, allowing Yukiko to open Sirzechs' gift:
a Miracle Levia-tan costume, along with a card that read "Happy birthday, Yu-chan! With love and smile, Levia-tan"
"Sirzechs, you got me... an autographed card and costume... from Levia-tan herself? So cool! Thanks, Sirzechs!" Yukiko said, her eyes filed with stars as she gazed at the costume, an idea filling her head. "Or should I say, Sirzechs-chan!" In a matter of seconds, Yukiko had changed from her school uniform into the pink and white costume, striking the signature pose of Levia-tan, her fingers in a "v" over her eye. Sirzechs pulled out his camera again and began taking pictures of Yukiko. "Best. Idea. Ever." Those words were all that was heard from the Maou as his camera flashed. Everyone clapped at the level of expertise Yukiko displayed, being able to copy Levia-tan's pose almost perfectly.
"...My turn." The sudden sound from Koneko startled all, except Sirzechs, still taking pictures. Holding out a tub of ice cream, Koneko handed Yukiko a spoon. "You didn't have to, Koneko, but thank you." Yukiko said, to which Koneko nodded. Opening the tub with a smile, Yukiko wad surprised to see-
"Koneko, where's the ice cream?"
There was nothing in the container. Koneko shrugged. "It probably just melted into nothing." she said. In that moment, her stomach growled, revealing the location of the ice cream while making the loli blush. Yukiko patted her friends head. "It's okay, Koneko. It's the thought that counts." she reassured her friend.
After opening the final gifts from her family -A katana from Yuuto and a book on advanced magic from Akeno- everyone had a slice of cake and conversed, laughed, and overall celebrated Yukiko's birthday. The sun had set an hour earlier, so Rias' peerage began to leave for home, leaving Sirzechs, Zeoticus, and Venelana enjoying the last of Akeno's tea. After gathering their things, Rias turned to Yukiko.
"Yu, what did you wish for anyway?" she asked, earning the attention of Sirzechs and Venelana.
"O-oh, don't worry about that. I-it's not important." Yukiko stammered out, thinking about her wish. Sirzechs walked over to Yukiko, his trademark smile on his face. "Nonsense! If it's within our power, we should at least attempt to make it come true." He said to her. Yukiko sighed, giving in. "I... I want to join... Rias' peerage." She finally announced, twiddling her thumbs. The sudden announcement caused Venelana and Zeoticus to do a spit-take.
"Yukiko! Such a decision is very important! Are you certain about this?" Venelana asked the girl, causing Rias to nod in agreement. "Mother's right, Yu. This is a very important decision to make. Plus, that would mean you give up on being human. Is that really something you want to do?"
"I understand the consequences I face giving up my humanity, and I've already accepted them." Yukiko answered honestly. Both Sirzechs and Rias nodded after hearing this. "The final decision on this matter is if Rias accepts or not. Rias?" Sirzechs motioned to his younger sister, who stepped forward. "If you really want to, then it would be my pleasure to welcome you into my peerage, Yukiko." she spoke, these words bringing Yukiko to tears.
"Well, I, for one, am ready to leave. We can settle this matter in the manor. Rias, if you may." Zeoticus motioned to his daughter, who nodded in understanding. Using her magic, Rias created a magic circle to bring everyone home, which they all walked onto. A minute later, everyone appeared in the main entryway of the Gremory's estate.
"I'll speak with Father about how to go about your reincarnation, Yu, so you can take your bath first." Rias informed Yukiko. Nodding, Yukiko raised her wand. "Then to the baths I go!" she declared, already pumped for her future. She ran ahead, causing Sirzechs to chuckle.
"She can be so serious one minute, then childish the next." he said, walking off. "Rias, I'll need something of Yu's to identify which piece would be best suited for her, so if you will, please bring something of hers to my study."
"Yes, Brother." Rias replied, heading towards Yukiko's room. Venelana smiled. "Our kids grow up so fast, huh?" she asked Zeoticus, who nodded in agreement. "They seem more capable than a certain pair of teenagers were back then, if I do say so myself." he continued, earning a playful shove from his wife.The duo walked into the house continuing their conversation.
In a matter of minutes, Rias and Sirzechs stood in the latter's study, unsure of what they were looking at.
"This is incredible. She had the latent magic talent to be a Queen. She may even be on par with Akeno!" Sirzechs stated, causing Rias to agree. "I-I don't have enough pieces to compensate for her power. I could use all of my Pawns, but then I wouldn't be able to have any more members in my peerage..."
"Why not talk to Father about trading for his Rook? It's a Mutation Piece, so it should work. If you explain the situation, he may accept." Sirzechs suggested. Rias agreed with the idea. Her father didn't use his Evil Pieces, so it works out for them both in the end.
"No need to ask me. It's all yours, Rias. I shouldn't expect any less from the daughter of the Black Sorcerer himself." Zeoticus suddenly appeared in the doorway, holding his set of Evil Pieces. Rias bowed to her father. "Thank you, Father, for this favor." she said, replacing her father's Rook with hers. "But the Black Sorcerer? Wasn't he-"
"Yes, and he is indeed Yukiko's father. just don't mention this to her. It could cause her memories to become unsealed, and I'd rather not risk whether she'd be able to cope with her parent's death." Zeoticus explained, causing both of his children to bow.
"If you think this is the best for her, Father." Rias said.
Meanwhile, in the baths, Yukiko was drying off, getting ready to go to bed. 'My new life starts tomorrow. I can't wait!' she thought.
[A/N: Hey there! Thank you for giving this story a chance! I'd like to say that this is the longest chapter I've posted on this site, and to please leave a like and a review! I actually take your comments into account, depending on whether or not they're just baseless slander. Anyway, see you in the next chapter, which may or may not be ready by next week! This is LevyTaine, signing off!]