Time of Dying
A Hagi story based off the song "Time of Dying" by Three Days Grace
Aldedron: I'm back again!! I wrote this chapter in English class
Serin: … ENGLISH? You can't be serious…
Saya: I know! She keeps using Japanese phrases—
Aldedron: The most awesome part is who my teachers are.
Saya: *pissed* She just cut me off
Aldedron: Sensei for Japanese has a very American name while my English teacher has a Japanese name. Awesome, isn't it?? You KNOW you want awesome teachers like mine…
Serin: This girl is a FREAK. She LIKES school
Aldedron: Why can't I!? Last year was just a waste of time. The only class I learned a single thing in was Algebra. This year, I'm in Geometry, but I'm also in Honors World Studies and Honors English. Plus, I'm in Japanese and Advanced Orchestra. I'm already learning in more than math and we're only on the third week!!
Serin: Shouldn't you address the reviews you got while on hiatus??
Aldedron: Oh yeah!! About the Euros… A reviewer informed me that they didn't have Euros in France in the eighteen eighties… I apologize… I know near nothing about money, really, in any country outside America. Forgive my small mindedness
Serin: That's a good girl!! *angry* Now apologize for going on hiatus!!
Aldedron: This chapter is my apology!! It's funny *cough* unlike its predecessors *cough* … *smile*
Serin: *frown* …
Over the next few weeks, Hagi fully accepted his new predicament. Saya wasn't waking up anytime soon. They placed Saya in a secret room underneath the mansion. Joel II and Hagi were the only ones with a key for access. Everyone else left to return to their own lives and secretly recruit new members. Overall, though, Red Shield's plans were put on hold since their main fighting force was either sleeping or refused to leave the sleeping warrior. Joel II finally hired new staff and then fired them seven years later because they began to take notice of Hagi's exception to time. Joel II is slowly hiring a new staff, one person at a time...
"Alright, Miss Aiya. You'll be Goldschmidt Manor's new maid. And about Hagi…" Joel II hesitated. "Just leave him alone."
"Sumimasen, Goldschmidt-sama, but… Hagi desu?" the girl inquired.
"Hai. He's always in black, so it'll be pretty easy to recognize him when you see him. But don't expect to see him. I hardly do even once a month." He sounded very annoyed.
"Hai…"
"Sayonara," he said, waving for her to leave.
Aiya quickly complied and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Aiya was a small French girl whose hair was a dirty blonde, which she kept in a thick braid that reached her waist. Her face was pale from working inside cleaning all the time, but she possessed eyes of a striking emerald green that caught any man's gaze. She now wore a standard black and white maid's uniform that stopped just before reaching the floor so it wouldn't drag. In her hand was a paper with her schedule written in graceful penmanship. She didn't know how to read.
She walked the halls aimlessly. Already, she would be fired. And her mother and sister needed money for food. Mother was in a wheelchair, unable to work, and her sister was but a baby. Father had died three months ago in a fire at his work and she was the only one left to support the family.
A long, low note reached her ears, making her stop in her tracks in shock. She had never heard such a sad melody before. Goldschmidt-sama had told her she was the first member of the new staff, so there was no one who could be playing other than Goldschmidt-sama or Master Hagi. And she clearly heard the music coming from the opposite end of the mansion than where Goldschmidt-sama's office lay. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Master Hagi was the source of this song.
She quickened her pace, following the sound of the melody. The volume slowly increased, or maybe it was just the forte which her ears were unable to recognize. Iie, it was definitely getting louder. She was practically running now. The melody was getting louder and faster, yet more sullen and depressing with each passing second. Her interest was captured entirely. She had to see this Master Hagi in person. She had to see what kind of person could produce such a melody. What instrument could play such a song.
Finally, she stood before a tall door with intricately carved vines and flowers along the edges. It was halfway open, so she peered inside cautiously. At first, she saw no one. All she could see was the towering shelves lined with book after book after book which she could never hope to read. The curtains were pulled back from the tall windows and rich, golden sunlight poured in, lighting the room elegantly (think Beauty and the Beast). It was then that her gaze rested on the player… the source of this melody. He wasn't facing her, but turned towards the windows, so she could only see his profile against the light. One thing was for certain, though… he was wearing black. She could also see black hair that flowed gently onto his shoulders. But what mostly caught her gaze was the giant, wooden instrument in his lap.
The melody came to a close and he turned to look at her, his face shrouded in shadows. It was obvious he knew she was there, even though she ducked behind the door.
"Dare ga?" he asked curiously. This was an unfamiliar presence, so he knew it wasn't Joel II. Perhaps a new servant? Joel II had just fired everyone. "Dare ga?" he repeated, his voice still revealing his genuine curiosity. There was no order within his words, only a request for her to reveal herself.
Aiya tentatively stepped out from behind the door, looking at her shoes. "Hajimemashite," she whispered nervously. Was she in trouble? He didn't sound mad, but still… "Aiya desu." (Serin: You wrote it backwards, dumbass…)
He stood, holding the instrument's neck in one hand as he introduced himself. "Hagi desu. Hajimemashite." He recognized her outfit to be that of a maid. But she seemed a bit young… He also noted the paper clutched in her hand. She had it in a death grip. "You are the new maid?" He was just trying to lead the conversation to why she held the paper so tightly.
"Hai," she answered quickly. "Could you please direct me to the servants' quarters? I'm a bit lost…" She'd play dumb for now. He might be mad, but she couldn't see his face which was still shrouded in shadows, so she was unable to tell.
Hagi narrowed his eyes, using his superior vision to take a closer look at the paper crumbled in her hand. There was a map clearly drawn on the back. Perhaps she couldn't read? This answered his question. He walked forward slowly and she tensed instinctively. "There should be a map on the back of that paper you're holding," he smiled. She could hear him smiling, but was still too scared to look up. He held out his hand for the paper which she quickly gave him. "Could it be that you can't read?"
Her shouldered stiffened immediately at that. "Iie, de wa ari masen."
He smiled again. "You don't have to deny it. I didn't learn until I was twelve." He turned the page over to the map and pointed to a small section. "These are the servants' quarters," he explained patiently. He pointed to a different room, on the complete opposite side of the map. "We're here."
She didn't pay much attention as he explained the different rooms on the map. She was still pondering over what he had said earlier. He hadn't learned until he was twelve? Master Hagi appeared to be in his early twenties, but Goldschmidt-sama also seemed to think highly of him, although he also seemed jealous about it. It was obvious he wasn't any normal person, yet he hadn't learned to read until he was twelve? Aristocrats learned at a young age so they could take over their families' fortune when they grew up. This was very strange…
"Aiya-san?" he called, waving a hand in front of her eyes. She quickly snapped out of her reverie.
"Hai?" she breathed fearfully. She'd been ignoring him! Would he be angry?
"Is there any particular reason you didn't want Joel II to know you can't read?" He was still only curious. This was something new in the past seven years. Never before had a servant pretended to be literate when they weren't.
"Joel II desu?" she repeated with confusion. Hagi noted the change in topic. She quickly clamped her mouth shut. How could she be so rude to speak out like that!!? It was out of line for a servant to question their superior and as far as she was concerned, Master Hagi was her superior. (Damn the eighteen hundreds' sexism!!)
"Gomene… I knew his father, so I call him Joel II for simplicity's sake."
"Joel Goldschmidt senior-sama?" she inquired with surprise.
She quickly shut her mouth again. How could she be so rude!!? But she felt that could speak freely in Master Hagi's presence. He didn't seem to judge her with every word out of her mouth. But what confused her was how Master Hagi knew Goldschmidt senior-sama. He had died seven years ago. She'd heard the paper boys screaming about it for over a week thereafter. It seemed like so long ago… She'd been but a child. And… based on the timeline… if her math was correct, Master Hagi would've been fifteen and he'd said he learned how to read when he was twelve… That meant he learned while with Goldschmidt senior-sama. And he was also here with Goldschmidt Junior-sama. How close was he to these people!? He definitely didn't fit the profile of a typical aristocrat at all and both Goldschmidts were well known for being extremely reclusive yet Master Hagi knew them well enough to call the current Goldschmidt-sama "Joel II". And he was still but twenty one or twenty two (he was twenty two when he fell off the cliff, by the way).
"Hai. I guess it was all in the papers," he sighed.
Wait… Could it be that he was one of the two survivors!!? She had heard that two people survived, but went missing again only days after. It was often suspected that Joel Goldschmidt senior-sama's son had taken them in, but servants working at the household failed to gossip of any extra residents moving into the mansion. But… Goldschmidt-sama had just fired all of his staff at once. Could the same have happened seven years ago to avoid the gossip from spreading about the pair!!?
She had to speak up. Her curiosity was too strong. "Are you one of the two survivors?" she whispered timidly.
He seemed surprised. "I heard there weren't any survivors." It was obvious he was lying. He'd never been very good at it.
She looked at him desperately. "Do you know who killed my uncle that night?"
He bowed his head sadly. "I'm afraid I don't know much, Aiya-san. By the time I came to, everyone was already dead."
"What about the second survivor?" she asked desperately.
She had chosen this household just to get some answers as to her uncle's death. When he had died, almost half her family's income was cut. Then, not long after, her mother had fallen ill. And now her father was dead. All this misfortune began with her uncle's death. She needed to know… who killed her uncle. Her family would never have peace until then.
"She is not well."
Aiya was surprised by this. 'She'? Goldschmidt-sama had never mentioned anyone else, now that she thought of it…
"Who?" He didn't answer. "Sumimasen. Please forgive my rudeness."
"No, it's fine," he said softly. He flipped the paper over. "This is probably key to your schedule. I hope you have a good memory."
She nodded her head quickly. She had a very good memory. She never forgot a face and was very skilled at taking orders at a small restaurant she once worked at as a child. He read her the schedule and the note at the bottom explaining how her job would officially begin in the morning. She could settle into her new home for tonight.
But before she left, she tentatively asked," What was that song you were playing?"
"Prelude by Bach," he answered with a small smile (this may seem OCC, but Hagi seriously did smile before the whole Vietnam incident… Just watch episode 24. Or was it 25…? Maybe it was 27… You get the point!!)
She didn't have the slightest clue what that was and it was obvious by the expression on her face. This was going to be an interesting occupation…
Aldedron: Oh! Oh! I translated this whole document… It's totally awesome…
Serin: What do you mean?
Aldedron: Using this translating button option thingy, I translated everything into kanji!! This is the kanji for Hagi's name: 萩
Serin: *disappointed sigh* And I see you've written it all over your binder, too…
Saya: Oh… She DIDN'T—
Aldedron: I got your name, too, Saya!! 沙耶
Saya: …
Serin: Freak
Aldedron: Cool! I'm a freak!! Oh yeah!! Since I went through the trouble of translating the whole document and all that, I'm gonna post it separately on Fan Fiction! I think it's a cool idea
Serin: Whatever helps you sleep at night…
Aldedron: *frown*