Disclaimer: I do not own Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and I have intention of profiting from this story
Bloodstained Rose – A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover
Chapter Three - Deviations
"So, Triela-san, you say that the next class is now going to be taught by your uncle?" asked Toko Matsudaira, the girl who Triela was rapidly beginning to dislike. It wasn't that she was annoying per se, she had actually been helpful several times during the morning classes, but she hadn't let Triela out of her sight since she had walked into the classroom. Triela had done plenty of stalking during her time with the SWA, but Toko could give even her a run for her money as far as persistence went.
"Yes. My uncle is the new European History teacher. He's taught at several schools back in Italy. He's really a first rate teacher," replied Triela, doing her best to help smooth Hilshire's insertion. She had revealed Hilshire's position to the class this morning, and the bizarrely effective Lillian School rumor mill had kicked into high gear and the news spread almost immediately. They had discussed it beforehand and had decided that it was necessary to set it up their relationship as soon as possible. It was best to have the school become used to seeing them together so that they could operate with the greatest efficiency, as well as to put a stop to rumors. Or at least control them.
"I see. Where did he get his degree from?" Matsudaira asked curiously.
The girl was really far too curious for her own good. "The University of Berlin. He majored in Criminal Justice and History. He's been working on his Master's, which is part of the reason we moved here to Japan." The beginning part was actually true; Triela had been somewhat surprised to find out. Hilshire's cover for the mission was less of a series of lies and more of a series of truths. He was using his real name and almost all of his background from before he had joined the SWA, which had struck her as peculiar. Hilshire never talked about the past if he could avoid it. She had learned more about Hilshire's past during the briefing for the mission that she had from the entire time they had worked together.
"Then I look forward to being taught by him. If he is anything like you, Triela-san, I'm sure he will make things…interesting." Matsudaira said, perhaps meaning some kind of subtle insult, or perhaps not. Triela still didn't quite know what to make of her, or of the entire situation at Lillian. As soon as she had entered the building (well, tripped into the building. The skirts had gotten her again), girls had descended upon her with more questions about her relationship with Yumi Fukuzawa. And even more had asked her about the reason for her trip to the Rose Mansion. How did all of them know about her visit? And more importantly, why the hell did they care? She just really didn't get high school girls. Criminals were easier to understand.
Hilshire entered the classroom almost casually, not even looking in her direction. The girls who had gotten up during the class change made their way back to their seats almost immediately, and quiet descended upon the room as the girls observed their new teacher. Triela did her best to look bright and attentive, but observed the rest of the room as carefully as they were examining Hilshire. She saw several of the girls look between him and her, obviously attempting to find some similarities between the two. Triela wished them luck, they wouldn't find anything. There was a good reason that they were posing as uncle and niece, rather than father and daughter.
"Good afternoon, class. I am Mr. Hartmann, the new European History teacher. I understand Yamashita-sensei contracted cancer about a month ago and retired as a result. I will do my best to take up where she left off, and maybe take this class in a new direction as well. However, you should be warned that my Japanese is not as good as it should be," he smiled somewhat guiltily, "I spent most of last night practicing this speak, so this is why I sound so clear. I ask for your patience and goodwill. I'm not like my cute niece Triela, who learn most of the language in a month."
Triela instantly felt all of the eyes in the room shift from Hilshire to herself, and barely restrained herself from flinching. Hilshire was NOT following the script for how this initial class was supposed to go. She didn't need any more attention. She was getting far too much as it was.
"I'm so happy to hear that she's become so popular already. I've had so many questions about her from all of my classes today. It's wonderful that you are all so accepting and friendly!" Hilshire said with a smile. Triela could feel her face growing red from all of the stares, though she did see some guilty looks from a few of the girls who had been less than friendly with their questioning. Hilshire was NOT helping any. They were going to have a chat when she got home today, "Though I do admit, some of the questions were quite personal. Please, do me a favor and give Triela space and support, would you? If something should happen to my darling niece, I'm sure my brother and his wife, may their souls rest in peace, would haunt me forever!"
Now Hilshire was just acting silly. But at his words, Triela could feel the mood in the room shift a little bit. Children without parents always were pitied, after all. She could see what Hilshire was trying to do now, though she wished he had told her in advance what he was going to do. Though, she supposed he was only acting on what he knew of the situation. They hadn't expected the sort of attention that she had somehow attracted. Stupid girls and their bloody rumor mills. Why couldn't they gossip about boys the way that she heard normal girls were supposed to?
"Now, moving on to actual class work. I understand Yamashita-sensei had just finished covering what we know as the Dark Ages and was moving on to the origins of the Renaissance. Now if we're going to talk about the Renaissance, we must talk about the city of Venice…"
"So how was your second day at Lillian?" asked Yumi Fukuzawa with a gentle smile. The girl had stopped by the room to pick up and escort her to the Rose mansion for some reason. Of course, Matsudaira had joined them, as well as the tall girl who had been a part of the ruckus yesterday at the mansion. Judging by their reactions, Fukuzawa picking up the girls was a common occurrence, so she really didn't think too much of it. Both of her peers were still giving her their oddly confrontational glares, however.
"Other than my uncle being a little bit more friendly than I wanted, it was fine," Triela said, somewhat grumpily. She had to admit that his tactic had worked. The class had cut down on the awkward questions, and had even blocked some from the other outside, but she was still irritated.
Fukuzawa laughed and Triela gave her an odd look. She gestured for a moment while trying to get her breath back until she could finally speak again. "Be happy he cares that much. I think it says a lot of nice things about him…Even if I did hear that he called you a lot of cute pet names."
Triela couldn't contain her blush. Hilshire had deviated considerably from their script, and had tortured her with embarrassing names the entire class period. From beginning till the end she had had to put up with "my cute niece," "my darling Triela," and worst of all "Princess." She hated that name with a passion. He knew that she hated it. He would pay for that one when she got home. Dearly.
"Yumi-sama! My day was enjoyable as well. How was yours?" Matsudaira injected, somewhat rudely.
Fukuzawa gave her a long look, before she suddenly stepped behind Matsudaira and wrapped her in an intimate hug. The girl squealed in anger and attempted to struggle out Fukuzawa's grip, muttering protests the entire time. However, Triela noticed with a practiced eye that the girl didn't protest too hard, and that her struggles were weak at best. Fukuzawa seemed to be aware of it as well, Triela noticed with some amusement. That shed some light on Matsudaira's…jealousy, perhaps?
"That's so sweet of you for asking, Touko! My day was fine." Fukuzawa replied, snuggling the girl a little closer. By this time, Matsudaira's face was almost completely red, and the girl looked as if she was close to hyperventilating. Fukuzawa slowly released her grip on the girl, running her hands lightly through the girl's hair, and strode ahead of her with a small smile.
Triela was impressed with Fukuzawa's handling of Matsudaira. She obviously knew at least a little about manipulating and controlling others. However, Triela was less impressed and somewhat more disturbed when she felt the girl's arms surround herself. She stiffened almost automatically, and did her best to not elbow the girl in the stomach. Or break her wrists. She was not comfortable with people being close. Not at all. That was a basic thing for all the girls of the SWA. She felt Fukuzawa's head rest on her shoulder, and she realized she could smell her shampoo. Some sort of flowery scent. Lavender, probably. It suited the girl perfectly.
"Don't worry, Triela-chan, I'm sure Mr. Hartmann meant well. Give yourself a few days to get used to the school. I'm sure your uncle is nervous as well. Give him a few days," her voice was suddenly filled with laughter," though I'm not sure if the names won't stick, Triela-hime." She let go suddenly, and skipped ahead, laughing, leaving Triela feeling quite uneasy.
The girl who was known as Rosa Chinesis en bouton was much more devious than she first appeared. When they had been in the Rose Mansion, she had come across as some kind of a joke. Ogasawara had not hesitated to make fun of her, despite Fukuzawa being her 'soeur', whatever that meant, as had the rest of the girls in the room. This was a remarkable contrast to the awe that the students at the gate had shown her. Some of them seemed to practically worship the ground she walked on. That left Triela with two entirely contrasting views of the girl and no real solid opinion upon which to base an opinion. Though, she had noticed that Ogasawara attracted the same sort of attention. The girls here must really be repressed to be all over these girls.
She studied Fukuzawa carefully as she chatted happily with the other girl who had accompanied them, Kanako something-or-other. She needed to figure out the girl's connection with her target. They were close, but how close? They had some sort of formal relationship; she had picked up that much. The soeur thing. But what did that say about their real relationship. Were they friends? Family? Perhaps even lovers like some of the rumors she had picked up around the class? How close should she try to get in order to get close to Ogasawara? Would she have to pull them apart in order to accomplish her objectives?
All too soon, as far as Triela was concerned, the group reached the Rose Mansion, and were climbing the stairs to the meeting room. The small group stopped before the door for a moment when they heard conversation from inside, but Fukuzawa opened the door and herded them through. Inside, Triela saw Ogasawara, the pale, ponytailed girl from the day before, and three girls that she had not met. One was an extremely tall mannish-looking brunette who sat at one end of the table, while the other girl that was seated at the other end was a remarkably beautiful brunette. The other unknown, this one with black hair, stood behind the brunette. Triela assumed that at least one, if not two of the three were the other officers she had not met.
"Ah, Yumi, Rosa Chinesis was telling me you have added another one to your growing harem. I'm glad you brought her. We need all the help with can get with the school festival approaching," said the tall one with a smile. The pony-tailed girl sitting next to her giggled into her hands.
Unlike the day before, however, Fukuzawa wasn't so quiet and meek. She merely blushed slightly, met the other girl's eyes, and put her hands on her hips. "Rosa Foetida! I am not building a harem! Collecting beautiful girls was more Sei-sama's style, not mine. I am merely…uh…guiding them. Any girl who wants to be involved in the Yamiyurikai should be allowed, too. Soeur or not. " She nodded decisively, and then took her spot in the chair beside Ogasawara.
As soon as she was seated, Ogasawara turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yumi dear,while that sentiment is good, just remember you will eventually need to decide. You have a responsibility, remember?" Yumi's blush returned full force, and she hung her head in a limp nod, all fire extinguished. Ogasawara turned to address Triela's group, "Excuse our words, we mean no offense. Please be seated so that we may begin."
Triela felt a moment of shared awkwardness with both Matsudaira and the Kanako girl as they exchanged nervous glances between each other before moving to sit in the remaining chairs. Matsudaira hurried to the one next to Fukuzawa, with the Kanako girl looking on with something like a mix between jealously and disdain. She picked the seat next to the black haired girl. Triela, with a shrug, took the seat next to the pony-tailed girl. She noted that there were exactly nine seats. So three officers, three assistants…and their assisstant's assistants, maybe? Was that what the soeur thing about? But there had been other people talking about their soeurs in class, so it couldn't be limited just to the officers.
Interrupting her thoughts, Ogasawara opened the meeting, "We have several things to get done today, so I'd like to keep this meeting short. But first, could everyone report on their tasks? Yumi, if you please?"
Fukuzawa had apparently been thinking about something else, because she had jumped when Ogasawara addressed her, to the amusement of all the older students at the table. "Uh…Umm…Oh, yes. Yuuki says that the Hanadera's Student Council is willing to help in anyway they can, thanks to the success of their festival this year. I brought up the idea of another play to him, and he seemed pretty receptive as long as we provided the costumes like last year. If that's so, I think we should go for that option if we can find a good play that can use most of their council and us. It'd be a pity if we couldn't involve all of them. Yuuki says they were all jealous that only Kashiwagi-san was permitted to attend last year. "
The rest of the girls muttered affirmatives and there was some discussion of possible options for plays which ended up going pretty much nowhere. Triela proceeded then to tune much of the rest of the meeting out. Administrative things were not her style. Action was. And it wasn't as if any of the information being discussed was all that important to her anyway. She found herself yawning as their voices droned on. Hopefully, if things went well on Henrietta and Jose's front, they could be out of here in a week. Triela yawned, again. Or a month at most. Certainly no…more…than…that…
She was woken some time later by a light tap on her shoulder, that sent her instantly into action without thinking. She rolled out of her chair and under the table in one smooth motion, and attempted to draw a nonexistent gun from a nonexistent holster before she even fully recognized where she was. The utter silence that filled the room, clued her into what exactly she had done, even before Fukuzawa had knelt worriedly at the edge of the table to check on her.
"Triela-hime? Is…something the matter?" she asked in a small, worried voice.
"Umm…Ahh…Err…" Triela stammered, attempted to control her blush, facial expression, and voice at the same time with little success on all three fronts. Diving under the table was not the reaction of a high school student to being poked awake. It was not the reaction of any sort of normal person. She had been careless, again. If she kept making these stupid mistakes, she'd be found out in no time.
"Well, we certainly know why her uncle seems so over protective of her, don't we? She jumps at the slightest touch." Said the ponytailed girl sitting next to where she had been sitting. There was silence for a moment before the rest of the girls giggled nervously. Triela did her best not to embarrass herself any further, crawling slowly out from the table. When she finally was completely out from under the table, she attempted to straighten herself gracefully. However, she had failed to notice that she had stepped on her skirt while shuffling, resulting in her falling ungracefully once again.
The room was silent for a moment once again, before the girl's began laughing in earnest. Triela gave up trying to control her blush, and simply got to her feet, and refused to look at any of them. Why did it have to be skirts? Hadn't the Japanese every heard of girls wearing pants?
"Well, she certainly seems to possess Yumi's natural gift for comedy," said Rosa Foetida between laughs, which set off the entire room once again.
Ears and face burning, Triela didn't know quite what to do. Few of her experiences in undercover operations had involved girls of her own age. She didn't know quite how to respond. She knew how'd she'd react with Henrietta or Claes, but here she wasn't so sure. Social manners were taught at the SWA, not how to be social. It wasn't required for their line of work. She wasn't used to being made fun of and being confused. It made her nervous and jumpy. She wanted to leave. She could feel their eyes on her. They could expose her. She wanted to go back home to the SWA away from these strange people and this strange place to missions that made –
Suddenly, she heard Fukuzawa shout, "Please leave Triela alone, onee-samas! It's her first week, and you are not making a good impression. Please give her a break!"
The room quieted almost instantly, as the girls composed themselves with remarkable speed. Triela suddenly found herself breathing easier without really any knowledge that she had been breathing hard at all. The world slowly seemed to right itself and stop shaking, and the black and red that had been creeping into her vision retreated. She took a deep breath, and sat hard on the hardwood floor with an unladylike thump.
"Are you okay, Triela-hime?" Fukuzawa asked, worriedly, kneeling down next to her. The girls behind her now had worried looks on their faces rather than laughter. Triela took another deep breath. The girls were definitely not out to get her. She had no reason to freak out. They were normal people who simply were having a little fun at her expense. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"I…I'm fine. Just a little…nervous…" she managed, doing her best to shrug off Fukuzawa's concern and get back to her feet.
Fukuzawa gave her a worried look, then turned to face the rest of the room and put her hands on her hips, "Shame on you all! Triela-hime has just transferred to a school in a country she's never been too. She's in an unfamiliar place, around unfamiliar people. It's no wonder she's so jumpy and nervous! Please be a little more forgiving!" Even Ogasawara had a guilty face after that short lecture, and the rest of the room offered gracious apologies. And they were even serious. She would never understand these girls.
There was a moment of awkward silence while the girls shuffled their feet and stared anywhere than at Triela before Rosa Foetida coughed into her hands, and began speaking, "…Well then, we should probably get back to business. Yumi, can you and your gaggle of girls handle talking with the Handicrafts, Newspaper, and Judo clubs? They're the only ones who haven't submitted their festival ideas yet. Yoshino, Noriko, can you talk with Dance club and Theatre club about possible play ideas?" The two girl's whose names she didn't know nodded, "Rosa Chinesis, Rosa Gigantea, and I will handle the budget meeting with the principal. Any questions? No? Alright, let's get to work!"
The girl's around the table let out a small, ragged cheer, and separated into their designated groups. Triela kept close to Fukuzawa, not quite having the courage to mingle after her small incident. Which was fine because the older girl quickly rounded up her three underclassmen and ushered them out the door and down the stairs. She instructed them on their tasks as they descended. "Kanako, can you handle the Handicrafts Club? And Touko, can you visit the Newspaper Club? I'll take Triela with me to the Judo Club. That way we can get this done quickly and see if the others need help."
The Kanako girl just nodded gracefully, but Matsudaira, of course, raised a fuss, "Why does she get to go with you Yumi-sama?"
Fukuzawa reached ahead and pinched the girl lightly on the cheek. "Because I know you can handle the Newspaper Club by yourself. I wouldn't want to send Triela-hime there, Minako-san would eat her right up. Captain Ayako of the Judo club is the least frightening out of the three she'd have to meet. Plus, she's new here, Touko. Someone has to show her around. If I told her to go find the Judo club by herself, she'd likely spend hours trying to find it." Matsudaira looked both very pleased by the compliment and disappointed that she hadn't gotten her way. The girl was worse at concealing her feelings that Fukuzawa.
At the door, they split up after a polite farewell and headed their separate ways. Triela found herself alone with Fukuzawa walking the tree lined path toward what she assumed were some sort of athletic buildings. She stole a brief glance at her, again attempting to figure the girl out. She seemed to have considerable influence, was well liked, and was a close something-or-other to her target. And she had instantly leapt to the defense of a girl who seemed to be causing her some sort of trouble. She was-
"Are you feeling better now?" Fukuzawa asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Ahh…Yes, Fukuzawa-san, I-" Triela began, but was cut off.
"Yumi is fine. Yumi-sama is proper, I suppose, when around the others, but addressing others by their first names is the way it is at Lillian," Fukuzawa instructed with a small smile.
That made things simpler. She wasn't used to calling people by their last names to their faces anyway. "Then, Yumi-sama, could you tell me…umm…what exactly is going on? People are telling really strange rumours about us, and I'm not quite sure why," she couldn't help but blush, "Some of them are quite…uhh…improper."
Fukuzawa blushed slightly as well, "I don't suppose you know what a soeur is do you?"
"It means sister in French…but that doesn't mean much at a Japanese boarding school." Triela said with a bit of her usual edge. The proper atmosphere of the school couldn't drain it all out of her.
Fukuzawa giggled a bit, "I guess it doesn't, does it? It's a bit like a mentor partnership. The upperclassman takes care of the underclassman, and in return the underclassman works for the upperclassman and helps her out. It's a tradition here at Lillian."
Triela thought about that for a few moments, letting a few of her assumptions, guesses, and questions fall by the wayside. It was pretty much as expected from what she had observed. Not that she had believed any of the rumors that it might mean lovers… "If it's a tradition, why are they making a big deal out of me?"
Fukuzawa sighed and was silent for a moment. When she finally spoke, she sounded a little tired, "Because I'm Rosa Chinesis en bouton and I don't have a soeur. The girls here love to gossip about the Yamayurikai, and this is about the juiciest topic they've had in months. Not to mention that Onee-sama has publically made it quite clear that she expects me to make a choice soon."
Triela suddenly understood, "And…Touko-san and Kanako-san are the possible choices, right? And they both seem to want it," she thought a little bit more, "…And they think I'm a new competitor right? That I might get the position. That's why Touko-san keeps complaining and following me around. She's afraid I'm going to steal you."
Fukuzawa nodded. "That's about the whole of it," she put her arm around Triela's shoulder and pulled her close in a conciliatory hug. Triela managed not to flinch for the first time. She was surprised how warm the other girl felt. "I'm sorry that we've caused you all this trouble. If I were a new student I know I wouldn't want that sort of attention. No wonder you almost fainted when everyone started laughing at you." She released her, and they walked in silence for a few minutes.
All of a sudden, Yumi began giggling. As Triela watched in confusion, the giggling became all out laughter, that eventually forced the girls to stop. After another minute of laughter, Yumi calmed down enough to explain herself, "It's a bit ironic, I suppose. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much you are like me, Triela-hime. When Sachiko-sama chose me, it was like I was thrown into the spotlight. No, that's exactly what it was. One day, I was just your average girl, the next I was walking and talking with the most respected people on campus. No wonder Tsutako keeps bugging me about you."
Triela sensed an opening to learn more about Ogasawara as well as about Yumi, but just as she opened her mouth to probe further on the matter, she felt a hand touch her shoulder from behind. Realizing it wasn't Yumi, she reacted instinctively; pivoting slightly, grabbing the offending arm, and throwing the person behind with all of her might over her shoulder and onto the ground in front of her. Yumi let out a muffled gasp, but Triela paid her no attention. Hunter's vision had descended, and there was only the assailant in front of her.
It was female, roughly 17 or 18 years of age, short hair, average height for a Japanese woman, slim but not overly thin. The target's expression, was one of surprise, but strangely also of delight. Triela filed that thought away, but pushed it to the back of her mind. The female seemed alright. More than alright, actually. She didn't even seem winded by the fall. She had compensated in some fashion and had landed favorably somehow. Trained? Was it an assassin? Or just cannon fodder? Her head quickly came up slightly to scan the area, though she kept one eye on her captive. No other approaching assailaints. Had only this one-
"Captain Ayako! Are you okay?" Yumi's worried shout cut through the red, and brought her back to reality. The girl sitting in front of her was wearing a Lillian uniform. She had just attacked a student. Was she paying any attention at all? Why was she this jittery?
"Never mind that, Yumi-san," the girl said dismissively, "Tell me that you were bringing this gem of a girl to me. I haven't been thrown that cleanly since districts last year. You brought her to join the Judo club, right?"
Triela looked down at the girl. She had a feeling something completely beyond her control was about to happen.
Triela stumbled into their small apartment, and collapsed on their couch. She could hear Hilshire in the kitchen, and could smell some delicious from the oven. Hilshire, as it turned out, wasn't that bad of a cook. She supposed that it had come from years of living on his own.
He stuck his head into the living room, "Anything to report, Triela?"
She frowned at him, "I still haven't forgiven you for this morning, Hilshire."
He didn't look at all cowed. He didn't even look apologetic. Not that she really expected him to. Instead he shrugged "It helped, didn't it? Now you're someone for your class to watch out for, and I'm the slightly eccentric, but approachable history teacher. You'll get over it."
She sighed and brooded quietly for a moment, before beginning her report, "I learned a little bit about the relationship between Ogasawara and Yu…Fukuzawa, as well as why I've been in so many rumours. Oh, and I apparently have joined the Judo club."
Hilshire gave her a strange look, that looked like some strange cross between confusion, amusement, and something like pride. "That's not in our mission profile, how'd that happen?" He wandered back towards the kitchen, and she heard him rummaging around in the cabinets for something.
Triela sighed and shifted to get more comfortable on the couch, "Yumi-san and I had gone to visit the Judo club to collect some paperwork for the Student Council. The captain snuck up on me and well…I reacted badly and threw her. She was apparently really impressed by my technique. Impressed enough that she refused to hand over the paperwork until I agreed to join," she massaged her temples, "She was really persistent. We were there for two hours."
She heard Hilshire laugh from the kitchen, "Look at the bright side, at least you'll be able to keep in shape a bit. It'll firm up your cover a bit, too."
She rolled her eyes, even though Hilshire couldn't see, "I'm glad you're taking so much pleasure in my suffering. How am I supposed to complete the mission with so many extra things to do?"
Wow, it's been a long time. I apologize everybody. I've been up to my ears in school work. Senior year of college = not fun. And even less time to write. My writing time is the two hours a week I spend in the laundry room with no internet to do actual work. Oh well.
This chapter is waaaay longer than I intended it. I was hoping this story would end up smaller than my others, so I could do updates quicker, but that seems to be a failure. Couple notes. One, I know my use of honorifics is inconsistent in this chapter. I generally try to cut out as much of them as possible, because I think it makes it flow better, but with Maria-sama, they are kind of necessary. I'll try something else next chapter. Also, Triela's breakdown scene was a pain to write, and I'm still terribly displeased with it, but unless I expand it to a huge piece of writing, I don't think it'd be good no matter I did with it. And finally, Yumi is terribly OC. Gah, but darnit, I need a mover for the story, because Triela's not nearly motivated enough to do it herself.
Next chapter will hopefully progress into darker material as (again hopefully) more elements of GG come in. However, next chapter of Something first. Or maybe a Higurashi shot. Whatever strikes me. Hopefully will get a good bit of writing done over Thanksgiving break. Til next time!