Nicolas Notes: I'm grounded... And I bled like no tomorrow while typing. DOn't ask why, I"m just glad a new chapter's been posted before the end of the month. I have to thank Wolfsbane for Pre-reading! I can't thank you enough!

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MEMORY CHAPTER 4: The Lunar Lea

Year: 1505

Date: November 4

3:45 Anti-meridian

England, Crimson Mansion, the Outside

One of the few things that Corvice hated about when being with nobles is that you were obliged to have proper mannerisms, good posture, trivial knowledge about tea, and suits. It was mainly because of the suits. The human could easily act as he likes in the presence of Clark however being the presence of Clark's wife required him to act differently lest he wished to see another sunrise once more. Clark's past stories about his wife did not help either, and the state on whenever the elder vampire went to the construction site was no laughing matter. He could still remember the deep cuts on Clark's cheery face just last week.

Corvice enjoyed the bath and the architectural structure of the mansion impressed him. The mansion was similar to that of Greek design, or the architect of this household was of Greek descent that on top of every pillar, the image of the Goddess of the Moon; Artemis was present. The builder must also have been an avid fan of the goddess. Now this gave Corvice something to think about. Silver was often identified with the goddess due to the color of the moon. And this was a vampire household, so silver must hurt vampires in a way for it is considered holy and sacred. So why would vampire have objects and images of a few of the things that can hurt them?

Unless they were completely immune to what the stories say are their weaknesses.

Corvice stood before the one and only mirror a person could find within the domain of a vampire. Surprisingly enough, it was a tall mirror. The human had just finished fixing his cuffs before surveying his appearance in the mirror. Over his white long sleeved shirt was a bottle green coat made of some of the finest silk in Asia (or so Clark had said) which somehow managed to complement the auburn trousers he had on his lower portion. His black boots were comfortable to wear seeing as they were wrought from soft leather, so no complaints there.

The only thing that was bothering his was his blasted coat. Yes it looked good on him, Corvice himself could agree with that, however he can barely rotate his arms around and that his movements were limited. Not to mention the long sleeves were tight and hot.

Sadly, it seemed like that he just had to endure it. Dawn will arrive in a few hours and he planned to return home once his meeting was done.

A loud knocking noise sounded from the door just as Corvice was about to fix his hair. Not even waiting for the human's reply, Clark's head peered in and anxiously says, "She's getting impatient, hurry up you slow turtle!"

"I'm going as fast as I can," replies Corvice for the fifteenth time (yes, the vampire has done this fourteen times already)

"Well go faster!" urges Clark a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"You're not the only one who's nervous!" hisses Corvice as a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek.

The vampire rolled his eyes before drawing his head out and shutting the door. Not a few moments later, another knock came from the door.

Irritated by the constant knocking, Corvice approaches the door with an angry expression and pulled it open, expecting to see Clark standing there to meet him. "The next time you try and annoy me, I am tossing you out of this building! Are we clear?!"

The human did not even bother to continue as he and Remilia stared into each other eye to eye, the latter having hers filled with tears.

"Um, I'm sorry!" but too late, the door slammed directly in front of the boy, hitting his nose in the process. Cursing once, the door suddenly opens once more, this time with Clark present to see what had happened.

"What did you do now?" he asks.

"I didn't do anything," replies Corvice in a muffled voice as he continued to clutch his nose.

"That's it, you better get going before this whole place burns to the ground," declares Clark, grabbing Corvice by his collar like that of a kitten. The boy could only groan in pain as the vampire carried him to the dining room.

The loud sound of tapping of feet echoed throughout the deserted corridor as both vampire and human made their way through it, with the latter having his arms crossed on his chest while appearing deep in thought. There were so many things that he wanted answered, such as this family's abilities, their plans, and their personal agendas. Were there more vampires with similar abilities as Clark's and Flandre? What about Remilia and this so called 'Madame Scarlet', what abilities might they possess? What sort of power do they have?

Looking back, the vampire child's power was enough to completely erase all traces of the wolf's existence during the battle. Corvice should have felt the beast's dying essence before it disappeared, yet the problem was that it did not have any left after the moment it exploded.

The human gazed at the vampire beside him from the very edge of his vision.

The truth… With knowledge alone, the elder vampire beside him can spark a war between two nations without ever breaking a sweat. To see the truth in peoples' hearts and mind, such a terrifying ability. Although this household has two war potential weapons at the palm of its hand, it has not made a single step towards what Corvice would expect of a vampire family. Vampires usually demand power and blood, going as far as to use anything to attain whatever they wanted, but this family… This family was different in a way. Could they be planning something? There must be a deeper reason as to why they have not acted yet.

"Just a few more corridors, I must apologize for placing you in a room so far from our destination," says Clark in his usual manner of speaking, casual and light hearted.

"I don't mind, it gives me enough time to admire the way that this mansion was built," replies Corvice, though it was obvious that he was half lying. The human's eyes widened at the realization, however the vampire seemed to choose to ignore the slip.

Lying would be no use here… thought the human.

"You are… Curious?" asks Clark with a serene smile on his face, passing by a beautiful painting of a flower within its vase.

Wonderful, he just read the truth again….

"Well, 'curious' would be the cautious way to put it, rather than of something offensive such as 'suspicious'," continues Clark as he glanced at the human's face with an amused expression, "What I can tell you is that my wife will be able to answer your questions, so I suggest that you save them for later and choose the right words."

"Very well," says the human as he releases a heavy sigh from his lips before suddenly thinking of something, "The children are they fine now?"

"Oh yes, Flandre managed to escape with little more than a few shallow cuts that she could easily heal on her own thanks to your efforts. If you haven't defended her all throughout the trip then I say that I would be grieving right now for a lost daughter," replies the vampire gratefully, "Flandre and Remilia are both precious to me, if anything were to happen to them I may not forgive myself for not being there to aid them."

Clark turned his head to face Corvice before saying, "You did well tonight"

The human on the other hand did not seem to feel comfortable with the praise. This greatly puzzled the vampire.

"You have taken down four full grown werewolves all by yourself, but correct me if I'm wrong, but you feel guilty for taking their lives away even if they were intent on ending yours?"

"That's the very reason why I settled down to lead a peaceful life; I don't want to end lives. I know that those werewolves had the intent to kill me and your daughter, but what choice did I have? I had to kill them to defend myself," the boy pauses before going on, "There was no reasoning with them. I understand why they attacked us, they wanted their pride back. They wanted to prove they weren't weak, that they were worthy to return to their tribes with the life of a vampire within their hands."

"So basically you're telling me that I must understand them so that I may see your point of view," concludes Clark.

The human was silent for a few moments as they walked. He was not certain that as much as Clark was a good person so far, the vampire would probably disagree with his opinion. After short yet heavy silence the vampire begun to speak once more.

"It was inevitable and there was simply nothing you can do for them," says Clark, readjusting his glasses with gloved hand, "I find it amusing, a human like you who has lived for so long can still think that way after all that you have been through. Though I ask you to remember this, my dear friend; no matter how hard we try to do good in the world, we can never resist succumbing to evil. Sometimes evil is a must if you want to do well. But as much as possible, avoid the red path."

"I'll be honest with you, good sir. I myself have killed more lives than I should have," replies Corvice with a half-hearted chuckle, "Blood was never foreign with me these past two hundred years. Every corner of my life back then, it was always there."

"The past is a nice place to visit, though it is never the right place for one to dwell in for a long time," responds Clark, cracking a smile upon his lips, "Sometimes you just have to learn to let go. Act your age and move on."

Corvice stops on his tracks at that. Move….On?

"We're here," announces Clark as he and the human come to a halt before two large wooden doors made out of oak.

Great, now we just wasted one-thousand, seven hundred twenty's worth of words just to get here… thought Corvice as he examines the doors with unimpressed eyes, I could see that the door's sturdy enough to last a couple more of centuries, but I could probably have done better. Once I return back home and reward myself with some well deserved rest, I'll have to find myself some sturdier wood. Would chestnut do or willow?

"She's in there, isn't she?" asks Corvice, freeing himself from his stream of thoughts.

"Yes, yes. Best not to stare at her too much, you wouldn't want yourself to be…..skewered," warns Clark in a nervous tone as if he has felt the sensation on a daily basis.

"I'll keep that in mind," replies Corvice, dusting off his coat for the final time. He could only hope that it will not be stained in blood an hour later.

The doors opening before him, Corvice then catches the sight of a dimly lit room with only the silver rays of moonlight providing illumination. For a dining room within a mansion it was sure a simple one. The windows were covered by four purple curtains which seemed to billow about as the cool evening air blew in. The chandeliers lay dark and cold, though the silver-like metal in which they were wrought seemed to shine as it reflected what little light it received from the moon rays.

The room was occupied by a long table, enough for four people to sit on as it rested near the windows giving the diners a good view of the wide plains outside. At the opposite a side of the table, a large painting of a happy family of four hung on the wall as it was kept within a decorated frame. There were no table wares on the table save for an elegant white cloth lying across its polished surface at the very center.

A lone woman sat at the very head of the table while sipping what looked like a cup of tea within her delicate looking fingers. Corvice simply lost his breath the moment he set his eyes upon the woman for the amount of beauty she possessed was simply beyond words. Her lush light blue hair flowed over the shoulders of her dark blue dress complimenting nicely with the faint glow of her scarlet eyes. She appeared to be a woman of royalty, about to reach her third decade though as always looks can be deceiving for her real age is still unknown and asking about it will earn Corvice a punishment worse than death or torture.

In a calm melodic tone, the woman greets the boy and gestures him to take a seat. "A pleasure to meet you at last Mr. Mason, Clark has told me a lot about you and so has Flandre"

The human's limbs were stiff in shock at being addressed by such beauty; however Corvice forced himself to remain composed and walk towards the far end of the table where he took his seat. His mind was a haze and the only thing that was clear in his vision was the woman's face.

"Don't look at her directly, keep your eyes averted," reminds Clark as he passes by Corvice's chair before coming to a halt beside his wife. Taking in the vampire's advice, the human drops his gaze to the table before him. He was under a charm and he barely recognized the sensation. Cursing himself internally, Corvice decided to imitate Clark's attitude, a smile on his face and a light toned voice.

"Likewise Madame Scarlet," says the human, completely different from his usual replies, "But I'm afraid that we have not met each other formally, no? My name is… Corvice, Corvice Samuel Mason, it is an honor to meet you Lady…?"

"Natalie," answers the woman beside Clark, "Natalie Rosella Scarlet, the last living survivor of the Tepes family"

A cold sensation spread throughout the human's arms as he heard that family's name. But it seemed impossible for the whole clan was said to have perished at the fall of Vlad twenty nine years ago. This family seemed to be getting dangerous by the second. No matter, he had to remain composed. It was obvious that this woman was baiting him, trying to see how he would react with that information.

"Well that is… interesting to hear. To be in the presence of a powerful entity as yourself, milady. At least now I know where I stand," replies Corvice, choosing his words with utmost care. One wrong move and he was dead…

"You are an obedient little monkey aren't you now?" says Natalie, amused at the human's suppressed alarm, "Well, if you would ask me, I would like to request you to lighten up. Act as you normally do whenever you are around my husband. There is no need for formalities after saving my own daughter tonight."

"Really? I don't think that what I did tonight will be enough to earn me such privilege, but if you insist," says Corvice, releasing a puff of air from his nose, "Well it seems like since we're here, Lady Natalie wouldn't mind this lowly builder to ask a few questions to pass the time, hm?"

A smile curling upon her lips, Natalie responds, "very well, it seems to be more than enough as an exchange for the feat that you have done"

Clark glanced at his wife with an eyebrow raised before turning his head to face Corvice once more with an expressionless face. Natalie crossing her arms on her chest appearing interested on what the human has to say while Corvice begun his opening question.

"Now where to begin? Ah yes, this family's powers… Its origins and your future plans for it," asks the human, all traces of fear void from his voice.

"I knew you'd say that," replies Natalie with a sly smile on her face, "Why of course any normal human would think for the betterment of his own race seeing that beings that possess god-like powers are sitting just before him. But enough of that, I will entertain your questions to the best that I can."

This woman… I don't like her… thought Corvice, earning him a sideways tilt of the head from the male vampire beside the female.

"You're probably wondering about my half-brother, Vlad and his disappearance twenty-nine years ago. Hmph, it seems like I already caught you attention the moment I mentioned the name 'Tepes'," resumes Natalie as a strange aura of smugness surrounded her, "It seems like you've met him, no?"

"I…seem to have provided him and his lackeys with spare metals during the Van Helsing incident," replies Corvice while averting his gaze, "But other than that, I have no other contact with him or any of his associates. The last that I've heard of him was that he was assassinated while heading back towards his make-shift camp. He was at a pathetic state from what the rumors say, though the amount of man power he possessed back then will make quite an adversary for a single assassin. Unless…"

"It seemed that you have got yourself your answer," says Natalie, "Yes, I was the assassin. Believe it or not it was for his own good."

"How so?"

"The fool was experimenting in dark magic, and Vlad was putting the entire Kingdom at risk with his foolish act. Yes, even before his third reign, he was already a vampire. As he was travelling from Oratia to Visegrád, a member of our Clan, presumably a fanatic of his cruel acts decided to awaken his bloodline once more after his cleansing during the Van Helsing incident," explains Natalie, calmly placing her words for the human to hear, "There he bided his time and waited for ten long years until he has devised a perfect plan for his comeback."

"None of these were ever recorded in general history," states Corvice, his brows joining together in confusion.

"It is because the church desired it to be kept a secret," clarifies the vampiric beauty, "It also for the sake of humans no longer needing to fear every night of monsters lurking about. By keeping a major secret such as that under a thick blanket of lies, they would be one step closer to denying the supernatural. But I digress, to put it to simpler terms, I killed Vlad before he can create further damage to our family's name, and hand his head to his very own rival. Of course the act that I had committed was frowned upon, so I left and with my fiancé Clark over here and ran off with him."

Natalie glanced over her shoulder while giving her husband a sweet smile. Clark responded by having his whole body turn rigid for a moment as he gives his wife a stiff smile on his face, relaxing only when the deceiving beauty beside him looked back at Corvice.

"It's not that simple… To kill a powerful vampire as Dracula, one would not be able to defeat him with crosses and silver alone. He or she would require possessing a great amount of strength and skill in the art of vanquishing of the Damned in order to succeed in slaying him. If Vlad has indeed experimented with magic to increase his power, then I don't see how a simple pure-blood could overpower him on a fair duel."

The sound wood breaking was heard all over the room, before a sudden cracking noise marked the appearance of a five feet tall metal spike erupting from the silk carpeted floor. The jet black spike was merely two feet away from impaling itself directly below from where Corvice was sitting. Slowly turning his head to his right, the human gazed at the spike with suppressed shock and fear.

What was this cold feeling he was feeling at the pit of his stomach?

"Natalie!" calls Clark, but the woman silences him with a raise of her hand.

"It's best you watch your tongue, human," warns Natalie in a deadly tone, "For the sake of your good deed tonight I shall spare you. But if you ever insult me or question my way of fighting, I may actually consider ending you right now."

"You took his power," declares Corvice, his tone firm and unwavering, "You drank another vampire's blood into absorbing its ability along with its soul. Vlad Tepes lives and he's inside you. Holding more than one ability is too much for a single pure-blood, so how are you maintaining your sanity until now? The requirement to hold such power would be increasing the amount of blood you consume, yet how do you keep control? Wouldn't that be much more of a question?"

"I don't," answers Natalie, sinking back into her chair.

"What?" asks Corvice in surprise.

"Vlad Tepes is no longer within me. His soul was shattered through time (not that he had any in the first place), though his power remained within me, however his essence is another thing," replies Natalie, her eyes half closed as she gazed at the smooth surface of the long table.

Corvice was not satisfied with her answer and was about to demand for more, when to his greater surprise Clark spoke in his wife's stead.

"This brings us to another matter that we wanted to discuss with you…" says Clark in a heavy voice in contrast with his usual way of speech.

Biting back a curse, Corvice then asks, "And what would that be…?"

"It is about the mansion you are building and about our daughter," continues Clark, his red eyes fixed upon the lone human before him.

"Which one? And what about the mansion?"

"The younger one. But we would like to discuss about the mansion first before that of our daughter," says Clark over Natalie's heavy silence. Now this was interesting, though it did set Corvice's mind off the matter of Natalie's answer for a moment he was not quite done with it just yet, but why would the vampires worry about both the mansion and their daughter?

"I'm all ears," replies Corvice.

"If possible, we would like you to complete at least the underground section of the mansion by the end of this winter," says Natalie, breaking her silence, "If you're wondering why, it is because we're making necessary precautions."

"This should be the part where I say 'for what?' however I think it is better for me to leave things as it is," says Corvice with a slightly disappointed gaze, "If it is really that important, you would have told me."

"But wouldn't leaving it as it is be going against your own words?" says Clark with his usual smile back on his lips, "What ever happened to 'Everything I build has a purpose' policy?"

"Dear, this is not the time for that," reprimands Natalie while rubbing her temples. Setting her hand aside, Natalie stared at the human with narrow eyes "The basement's completion will lead us to the more pressing matter at hand. It's about Flandre. A while earlier, I mentioned that Vlad's essence is no longer within me yet his power remains."

Corvice did not seem to be fond of the image that was forming within his mind.

"It took me and Clark a good fifteen years to realize," continues Natalie, "It turned out that the essence of the most notorious vampire in all of Europe was passed on to my youngest child, Flandre Scarlet. The essence of a madman lies within that girl and she is completely unaware of it, much more oblivious than knowing the full extent of her power."

"Is that the reason why she was so strong? She obliterated a full grown werewolf by just clenching her fist!"

"We thought it was impossible at first, Flandre was born a good sixteen years before I set out to kill Vlad, but for some reason we have found traces of his aura on our daughter. We then theorized that the black magic Vlad was using had a little side effect that will act as a mechanism for him to continue to exist. Proof of this is that his power is left behind and that it resides within me, but the question is that if his power is stored inside me, then what in the world could be possibly stored within that girl?"

It seemed to be too far-fetched to believe but Corvice could not help but accept the woman's words as true. To sum it all up, this family was more dangerous than he thought it would be, being somehow related to a scourge of the countryside for decades.

"So this is what you meant by that 'precaution'," says Corvice after a long pause, "Then what are you going to do about it?"

"We will do our best to keep her safe and to keep others safe from her," replies Clark, "And we were considering of one more 'precaution' to ensure her security."

"And that is?" asks Corvice, curious on how far will these two will go for their daughter.

"You… For the remainder of your services to us and until the mansion is complete, you have the choice of being Flandre's personal guardian," answers Natalie with finality in her voice. Stating it more as a command than a request, "Oh and we will double the price for your wages."

"WHAT?!"

Year: 1505

Date: November 4

1:20 Post-meridian

England, the village of Carmine, the Outside

He had to make a decision, whether he like it or not. It was a gray November afternoon in the village with a light shower falling from the sky above. The air was cool and the ground was muddy, wheels from the passing carriages occasionally splashing water at the passing people. Five scuffles have already broken out during the day. Other than that, the village was peaceful as everyone went about their normal businesses. Though the air around Corvice was filled with nothing but frustration and confusion as if he were a bomb that could go off at any moment.

The human was glad to be back in his usual attire which greatly helped him keep his cool as he forced himself to remain calm. Corvice had his back against the pure white wall near the entrance of the herald's office while he kept his gray gaze at two armored men chatting to themselves in the middle of the drizzle. A brown gloved hand reaching deep into his pant pocket, the human glances down as he draws out an envelope. Closing his eyes, he went off to think. It was now or never.

"Mr. Mason," calls a woman's voice.

The human's footsteps come to a halt within the empty entrance hall of the Crimson Mansion. Sighing heavily through his nose, Corvice turns around to face Natalie with a serious expression on her face. He already had enough for one night and this woman seemed to have no plan for him to rest even when she and her husband already bade him goodbye.

"Is there anything more you'd like to tell me?" asks Corvice.

"Yes. I know that we are asking very much from you by looking after our daughter and that gold will not be enough to repay you when you agreed to our terms," replies Natalie with the same resolute tone she has been speaking with earlier, "So if you must, it is your decision whether you will report this to the church or not."

The human gives her no reply, but continues to stare at her with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, you won't? Wouldn't this be the chance for you to actually do something productive than playing with rocks?" asks Natalie with an amused expression on her face, "Just remember, it is your decision. And Clark and I have already known this from the start since we both agreed on getting a human worker for us. Fate really is hard to understand with its whims."

"I don't know why you people trust me to this extent, going as far as telling me to do something like that," replies Corvice, "I just don't understand why. What's the point? For what purpose? Just what are you planning to do?"

Natalie gave the boy a genuine smile before saying, "Fate's gears have begun to spin; someone will be waiting for you at the Plain of the White Flowers. If you truly accept your fate then you will go there"

Corvice never really understood what Natalie said. The woman was as if she were speaking in riddles. Fate's gears…. what could they mean? And the Plain of the White Flowers, could she mean at THAT place? Villagers and travelers alike tend to avoid the area at all cost. They say that it is one of the gateways of the supernatural.

"To convey a message that will be enough to destroy a peaceful family," whispers the human to himself, voicing out his thoughts, "Or to keep a secret and risk the chance of all of Europe to be engulfed in flames. It would be my fault then…. What do I do?"

Corvice clenched his left hand tight as his right pulled the letter he made from his pocket. He began to walk across the wet mud spattered street, approaching the guards on the other side. When he was close enough to earshot, Corvice kept his mouth shut and did not set a word as he continued his way. Crushing the letter in his hands, he quickly drops on wet ground. He had made his decision.

{GOOD GAUGE INCREASED}

"Ah, I'm sorry, I was just passing by," apologizes the human as he felt someone collide against him. The first thing that caught his eyes was the silver cross upon the man's chest, before gazing directly at the man's face as he uttered his apology. The man of all people was a priest.

"No worries my dear friend, it was just the accident," says the brown bearded man, "May the lord guide you on your way."

"Thank you father," replies Corvice, before giving the priest a smile and heading off on his way.

The priest watched the young man walk off to the bar before kneeling down to the crumpled letter on his feet. Opening the envelope without the slightest trace of haste, the priest began to read its contents before the paper suddenly sparked with pure white electricity and vanishing from the face of the Earth.

The letter contained almost nothing but a small message.

A family of four threatens the crown.

Year: 1505

Date: November 4

11:40 Anti-meridian

England, Plain of the White Flowers, the Outside

The sound of a bag full of items falling was merely a whisper over the wind that blew across the grasslands. Corvice stood at the summit of a small hill, giving him a good view o his surroundings which consisted of mostly nothing but hills, hill, and more hills. But what intrigued him was the small white patch he saw just below him. It seemed like that garden was his destination.

It was good idea for the human to have brought his cloak with him, however he felt like an idiot for wearing a sleeveless shirt, rendering his arms exposed all over except for a couple of gloves on his hands. The gray clouds that have parked themselves near the plains earlier this day were nowhere to be seen, which gave way to a clear starry night with the moon preparing for another cycle.

It was near winter and the human felt like he was going to catch a cold sooner or later; however there was no backing out now. Corvice had finally reached the garden which was full of white flowers, their petals flying around as the wind blew by. He was all alone, there was no other living being in sight save for a couple of dead leafless trees, though they did not seem to count as 'living' anymore.

Corvice turned around thinking someone had just whispered into his ear. More flowers met his gaze as he searched for the presence. A strong gust blew by behind him, causing more flower petals to take flight. With the petals slowly floating their way back to the soil, the human closed his eyes to focus. His ears strained to hear anything out of the usual. The wind howling once more, Corvice opened his eyes and spun right as a red blur collided with him causing him to fall flat on his back while a familiar weight was on his stomach.

"You again?" growls the human as he stares directly at two cherry red eyes above him.

"Yay, you remembered me!" giggles Flandre in glee. Corvice let out a snort before gently shoving the child vampire to his side.

"I know that I'm repeating this for quite a number of times now, but what are you doing here?" asks the human as he stood up.

"Eh? Mister still doesn't get it? Flandre was the one who brought you here!" replies Flandre, throwing her small arms into the air before falling with her back on the grass. Her leathery wings flapping playfully as the plants tickled them.

Fate's gears have begun to spin; someone will be waiting for you at the Plain of the White Flowers. If you truly accept your fate then you will go there, Natalie's words echoed within Corvice's mind making him shake his head in annoyance. "That's just typical of her and I should've known this… What next, Clark dancing in a loincloth?"

"What are you muttering about, Mister?" asks Flandre.

"Uh, nothing," lies Corvice before turning his head back at the vampire, "Okay, I understand that it was you who brought me here, but allow me to ask, why? What do you want?"

Flandre rolled on the grass so that she was face down on it. She was hiding her face? Maybe the child was just feeling a bit bashful.

"I uh, Flandre may have been a bit mean to you last night and didn't even bother to thank Mister….." the girl pauses for a moment before continuing, "So, Flandre wanted to 'thank' you!"

Ten seconds came and gone before Corvice forced out a reply, "Is that all?"

Seeing the vigorous nod from the vampire caused him to sigh heavily. Yup, he should have seen this coming. With what this family he has encountered for the past few days have shown him, he could have at least expected the worst. Resting his eyes at Flandre for a moment made him think that things could have been worse. The amount of trouble this girl had caused him last night was uncountable. Just this morning he had received a letter from the northern Lycan tribes requesting his presence. And that was all before he planned to go to the herald's office that afternoon.

"I see…" went on Corvice, "Well; I don't suppose that you can keep me company for awhile now that I'm here." The human fell on the grass at Flandre's side.

"Would you like to play a game?" asks the vampire but was met with a shake of the head from the human.

"Like I said, I don't play games. How about a story?" suggests Corvice, "Tell me about your parents, yourself, your sister, anything that you want. Go on, knock yourself out, and keep me interested."

Flandre fixed her cherry red eyes on the grassy floor as she begun to think. One by one, the white flowers begun to glow like stars. Corvice stood up on instinct at the strange phenomenon around him yet Flandre remained seated to where she was. Magic? But that was….Impossible. Not since the time he has settled down in this area did the flowers suddenly…. Light up. What was the meaning of—?

"Once upon a time, there was a girl name Flandre," begins the vampire, referring to herself. When the human looked at her she just sat there, non-threatening and seemingly peaceful. "Flandre was… a bad girl and yet Mama and Papa loved her. Flandre loved them and Remi. She liked making friends and she made a lot of them when she was still little."

The girl pauses, which prompted Corvice to ask, "What happened?"

Flandre lifted her head up to face the human and stare at him with a sad expression, accompanied by a tired tone very unlike her. "Like all humans do…. They left her," she continues. The petals floating around glowing as they travelled in a swirl. The white flowers at the command of the wind. "Mama told Flandre that the humans went to sleep under ground in pretty boats. Mama told Flandre that they'll never wake up again. Flandre was so sad that Remilia couldn't even cheer her up."

'Remilia'? And not 'Remi'? echoes Corvice's mind. True that the scenery around him was breathtaking, though the girl's tale caught most of his attention, detaching him from reality as she went on.

"Don't you find it sad? That you live on knowing that the people around you, your friends that you knew and lived alongside with wither up and die?" Flandre turned her gaze directly to Corvice's eyes, "You've experienced this haven't you? You understand how I feel now, don't you? Papa told me that me and Remilia were different…. Were special, yet why? Why do I feel so sad? I should be happy, right? Being immortal, being the center of attention, isn't that what all humans crave? Desire? Flandre decided to make new friends but people only looked at her weird and so she ran. She wasn't human, she didn't want attention, immortality; she just wanted someone other than Remilia and her parents to be with her…."

The clouds above part, causing the descent of moonlight rays.

"Flandre….is a very good actress, right Mister?" she laughs in a bland tone.

The human sighed heavily before crossing his arms as he replies, "Well then, I do bid you good luck on finding that person."

Something inside the girl has shattered. Her face white with shock at the young man's answer. This, she did not expect. Papa told her that this person, the very same human that saved her, could help her somehow to interact, to meet new people. Her father told her that this person could be trusted and yet even after her story was told he seemed so….disinterested.

As Flandre's heart sank lower and lower, Corvice knelt down to pick up and examine a glowing flower before saying, "You know what? You're a very strong girl, setting your supernatural ability aside. Despite all of the things this cold ball of a world we have has thrown at you, you endured, which is good since it's the first step to being immortal. But I would like you to think back, have you ever made those friends of your happy to their dying day?"

Flandre seemed to have lost her voice and only replied with a nod.

"Then there's no need to worry, sheesh," says Corvice with one eye open as he lifts his head up, "What's important is that, well, you lived with them, played a role in their lives. They were your friends and you helped shape them as a person. True that their gone, dead, kicked the bucket, and yet (damn how many times has this line been repeated?) their memories remain. You're still here in this world, right? So that means that you have the chance to be part of the lives of a thousand. Meeting people after people is tiring, that fact I could give you, but as long as you remember and reflect back on the things that you've done before, you'll somehow manage ehehe. Lives may disappear and wink out of existence, yet their memories, the memories that they left behind will remain, aye?"

Silence crept across the garden as the glowing flowers sway while their petals fluttered about. It was only then Flandre's childish giggle that broke the quiet atmosphere. Good, seeing the girl rant about like a world weary adult left a bad taste in Corvice's mouth. Maybe telling someone that story of hers did help her lighten up. Corvice was not exactly good with children from the start, but somehow interacting with this girl sitting on the grass has unlocked a good part in him.

Those two…They planned this haven't they? Well, all I can say it's working….

Truth, fate, and the past…. What could it all mean? Has he finally fallen into the vampires' play? Moving on…Should he really forget about his maker and proceed?

A memory flashed before him showing the silhouettes of the two women that cursed him. Gritting his teeth for a few seconds, he decided to let it pass. No, he will never forget them, and he will make sure of that. For now, he will just tuck them away in the shelves of his mind, waiting to be rediscovered until his task was done. Maybe, if he did help this girl, he will finally learn something he has not for the past centuries. Well it is a 'maybe' so anything is possible.

"Get up," he says while offering Flandre his hand. The vampire stood yet the human did not let go, instead he proceeded to shake it with a smile on his face. "Let me try this again, hi there! My name is Corvice Samuel Mason, builder hired by the Scarlets and your temporary guardian! Nice to meet you!"

Flandre's eyes widened, apparently taken aback by the gesture yet returned the gesture anyway, "I'm Flandre Scarlet! We're going to be the best of friends!"

The human could not help but produce a sweat drop at that. Why did I feel a sense of wrongness there? Did she just declare something I didn't agree to?

"R-right!" chuckles Corvice nervously, still shaking the vampire's hand however she seems to have no intention of letting go. Being a vampire's nanny while still being one-hundred percent human, sure why not?

It is truly hopeless for this human. Clueless of the happenings at that very moment, he has no idea how many threads have latched themselves to his….

The scene slowly turns to static, leaving behind the burning image of two newly made friends bathed in the moonlight as strange glowing flowers surrounded them.

Year: 2005 (The Present)

Date: July 28

11:20 Anti-meridian

The Cliff's of the Oni, Gensokyo

It was cold… Yet it did not matter, his gloves and coat took care of that matter for him. The skies were gray; perhaps they wished to witness his homecoming. Standing tall just above the cliff face, Rook's gaze remained fixed upon the lake. Remilia could not help but starting an incident the moment she arrives, does she? At the very pit of his heart, Rook felt happiness. He almost thought that Yukari forgot her end of the deal. His powers have not yet returned, yet it was enough, enough for another assault.

Gensokyo…. He was back in his new home and his old home just lay before him in the middle of the lake. His gloved right hand sparked sapphire blue electricity for a moment, the human gives the land before him a wide smile.

"I'm back~"

Nicolas Notes: Yes, I'm grounded but that doesn't freaking mean I'm not gonna write this damned story! NO, I"m finishing this! I really hped you guys enjoyed this because this is the final memory chapter for now! WOOT! WE'RE BACK IN THE PRESENT BABY!

Damn adrenaline's kicking in. R&R REVIEW PEOPLE! EEN IF YOU'RE AN ANON, I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS!