Chapter I – Suspicion
"Welcome to my castle, shorty." The Count said, grinning.
"Ah, Hiruma, he's a guest! You should be more respectful…" Kurita said softly.
"Shut up, you fuckin' porker! You were fucking LATE!" Hiruma snarled in return, pulling out the most advanced rifle Sena had ever seen and firing it haphazardly in the general direction of Kurita. Sena ducked, covering his head and wondering what on Earth he'd gotten himself into.
"Che. Did you bring everything you need, damn shorty?" The Count asked, turning to Sena.
"Y….yes." Sena nodded, slowly coming out of his protective position. Looking at the count, he was certainly… startled. The taller man certainly didn't look like a noble. Or at least any of the nobles that Sena had met.
He was tall, and rather lanky. He had a narrow face, made narrower by large, angular eyes and high pointed ears. His teeth probably startled Sena the worst of all – they were long and pointed, like some sort of carnivorous beast.
He grinned viciously, "Excellent. Let's have some dinner and then you can go to bed." Turning on his heel, he strode back into the castle, calling over his shoulder "Hey, porker! Bring the shrimp's luggage!"
"Sena-kun, if you would." Kurita asked kindly, holding his hands out for the bags.
"Ah, thank you." Sena stammered, handing it over before heading after the Count.
Upon entering the castle, the first thing Sena noticed – that anyone would notice, he thought idly – were the bats. The entire entry hall was packed with them – and not just any regular bat, either. They were great, swollen red bats that looked like they'd been born straight from the depths of hell. They flapped around idly in the rafters, calling to one another. Ya-Ha…Ya-ha…
"Do… do bats normally call to each other?" Sena asked his host hesitantly.
"Nope." His host replied easily, chewing on his gum (1) and blowing a bubble. "Just mine." He offered no further explanation.
"I see." An awkward silence fell upon the pair – Kurita had disappeared at some point during their trek through the castle. "Ah… you speak very well. I was expecting more of an accent."
"Tch. It's no big deal. It's interesting, that's all."
"I see." Silence fell again.
"We're here, shorty." The Count said, swinging open a door to reveal a lavish dining room, with a small meal already set up. "Sit down and eat."
"Ah, certainly." Sena quickly sat down, finally realizing just how hungry he was – he hadn't eaten since he'd left Zokugaku that morning. The Count, rather than sitting at the table, opted for a chair near the fire, cracking open a book and proceeding to read.
"Ah… excuse me? Are you not going to eat?" Sena asked hesitantly.
"Nope." He replied, flipping a page idly, "I ate before you came. Feel free to stuff yourself though, fucking shorty." He blew another bubble. "Then you should get your ass in bed. You're tired, aren't you?" He flashed Sena a look that said 'Either you're tired or bad things happen.'
"Ah…alright then. Thank you."
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In his room, Sena sighed. It was a fine room, comfortable but stark at the same time. Enough that he'd be willing to stay, but wouldn't intend to stick around.
Finding his luggage sitting on the bed, he rifled through it until he found his bedtime necessities. As he began settle in for the night, he pondered on his position.
He'd arrived, so – when one thought on it – all he had to do was give the Count the necessary papers, and he could be on his way. However, there were all the legal matters that would probably need clarification for the Count and would most likely require his sticking around.
And then there was the Count himself. He was most certainly the strangest individual he'd ever met. Violent to an extreme – after Sena hesitantly suggested that he stay to aid the Count with the papers, should he have any questions, he'd brought out a weapon unlike any Sena had ever seen, firing it haphazardly in the general direction of the roof, successfully shooting out a chandelier and two wall sconces.
He sighed despairingly. Why did he get himself into these things?
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The next morning, Sena woke late – some time in the early afternoon. He woke groggily, wondering when Suzuna or Mamori hadn't woken him, before remembering where he was and why. Shuffling out of bed, he wearily went through his bag before he found his morning tool – toothbrush, paste, mirror, brush. No need for a razor, of course… he scowled at that.
When he had finished – he'd attempted to comb his hair into some semblance of order, however that proved impossible, as always – he made his way back to the hall he'd been in last night, in hopes of encountering the Count again and getting this whole ordeal over and done with.
He popped his head into the room, but saw no one – no great set back; there was really no reason to believe that the Count would even be there – however the table was once again laden with a variety of luncheon materials, with a small notice on the side closest to Sena.
Eat!
Grimacing, he placed the note back on the table, debating whether or not to follow the Count's advice. Something seemed very suspicious about that…
In the end, however, he decided to sit down to the fine meal, deciding that if the Count wanted to kill him he'd had amble opportunities, what with all those weapons…
Glancing around as he finished, he saw that there were no servants to take his dishes.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any servants at all.
Huh. Suspicious.
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After the meal, Sena had decided to continue his search for the Count. He wandered about the castle for the majority of the afternoon, and well into the evening. Despite this, he got very little done – every door he encountered outside of the initial hall was locked.
"Looking for someone, fucking shorty?" The Count said evilly, looming behind the smaller man.
"Ah-Y-yes!" Sena said, trying to keep his innards in order – he could swear his stomach had moved. "I was looking for you. Did you figure out the papers alright?"
"Hm? Oh, those. I finished them last night." The Count replied, disinterested.
"I… I see."
"But listen here, shorty." The Count continued, pointing a small handgun at the other man, "You're my honored guest here," He grinned viciously – almost predatorily, Sena thought, "And I don't give a damn if you wander through my castle. Just stay out of the rooms that are locked. Otherwise…" He paused, "I can't guarantee your safety."
He turned on his heel, and walked away, his laughter echoing through the halls.
Sena frowned. This place was certainly... suspicious.
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End Chapter 1
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(1)Historical inaccuracies? Whatever do you mean? -Shifty eyes-
Closing Notes: I fail to understand why this fic is so popular. It boggles the mind.
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