Disclaimer: I don't own Akuma no Riddle. This universe and all characters not found in the original series are mine.

[Lyrics] taken from chirigirl13 on tumblr.

Of Tokaku's birth, Hitsugi's oath and a fated meeting.

The Azuma Clan: part I

Hitsugi of Azuma was just about one hundred and twenty years when she was first faced with the ugly truth of life. Being a child member of the vampire royalty in times of peace and prosperity, no one she knew had crossed paths with the Shinigami. But when her mother, Crown Princess Karami, gave birth to the little sister she'd been impatiently waiting for with her childlike innocence, death stepped into the imperial palace for the first time in her short life.

Hearing from her father about her mother's delicate health broke the girl's heart, and she could only look at her feet tearfully as he quietly led her into the room where Karami had given birth. She was in bed, still sweaty and pale, but she had a calm expression as she looked at the quiet bundle in her arms. She raised her gaze to see her husband and firstborn at the door, and called for the soon to be Crown Princess in a soft voice.

Hitsugi felt torn as she climbed into bed and scooted closer, not noticing as her father left the room. On one hand, she desperately wanted her mother to be well and was already starting to feel some sort of resentment against her little sister. On the other, she knew it wasn't her sister's fault that their mother was dying.

But then Karami shuffled the bundle in her arms so that she could see, and all her inner conflict was smashed to pieces.

"Meet your sister, Hitsugi" she said softly. "Her name is Tokaku."

That was the name her grandmother had wanted for the baby, she realized. The old habit of their house of names having a K somewhere showed glaringly, and had this been another situation she would've wondered (not for the first time) what had happened with her and the few relatives whose names didn't display the letter.

The baby yawned and brought her tiny fists up, her eyes fluttering open and revealing themselves to be the same striking blue as their mother's. And even minutes after being born, the small tuft of hair on top of her head was hinting itself to be also blue. Her skin was already pale, and it would surely stay as smooth as it was now – she was, after all, a princess. Hitsugi unconsciously reached closer, and was startled as her sister's tiny fists closed around her index finger in a grip that was somehow too strong for a newborn (although, it was possibly only her feeling weak).

"Hitsugi" called Karami, shaking the girl out of her musing.

"Yes, mother?"

"Take care of her" her expression darkened. "The imperial family is always at risk, remember that. I want you to promise me that you won't let anyone, and especially not one of those filthy lycan rebels, ever touch her."

Hitsugi's golden eyes, trait common in the Inukai and Kirigaya families her father was son of, returned to the sleepily curious form of her sister, who seemed marveled with her finger.

Karami hadn't needed to ask. Hitsugi had already mentally promised her sister that she would look out for her, as a proper older sister should. She did so anyways, only to receive the baby from her mother's arms and a warm glance from the blue eyes she so much loved.

"Thank you... Hitsugi."

With that, she exhaled her last breath, with no one in the room to witness her final moment save her daughters, one of which was much too young to realize what was happening but nevertheless started crying as Karami's hand dropped from its place in Hitsugi's shoulder.

Crown Princess Hitsugi could only look down at her crying sister and rock her softly as she mumbled sweet nonsense. There was no place now for her to let out her sorrow.

She had two new duties now, but there was no doubt in her heart and her mind which was the most important to her.

–o–

It was roughly forty years later when she first met the one that would bring forth her doom.

The sun was high up, warm yet not stiffingly so, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The grass was cut short, the bushes perfectly trimmed, the lake's surface shining like a polished diamond, the trees gave a generous shade and it smelled... fresh. All in all, it was a perfect day, and it was even better because the first and second princesses were in the middle of a peaceful picnic.

Tokaku was a calm child, yet one who enjoyed pointy things and especially when she could throw them around (if her target was moving, then all the better), which was not surprising considering she hailed from what was probably the most sanguinary vampire House alive at the time. She loved her sister to death and admired her greatly, soaking up on her words as if she was a sponge and following her around like a loyal puppy with short legs. She was smart, innocent and cute, if quite tomboyish, and the Empire adored her.

Hitsugi had grown up to be a proper young vampire lady, more inclined to the subtle art of poisons than the equally precise of weaponry. She loved her sister to death and doted on her as if there was no tomorrow, and was the kind of young lady who killed first and asked questions later when it came to her sister's safety, always with an eye on her and never leaving her behind. She was smart, sensible and beautiful, every bit as femenine as the younger sister was a tomboy, and the Empire loved her.

Ocassionally, Hitsugi would ask permission from her grandmother to take Tokaku somewhere farther than the gardens of the imperial palace, and many times the answer would be affirmative... under condition that she take the bodyguards with her and both girls were armed at all times. This time was no different.

At one point after eating, a lizard hurried by and Tokaku followed it with a gaze that was too intense for a small child such as herself, and Hitsugi smiled down at her before patting her head and taking Tokaku's set of training knives out of the basket, happy only with the way her sister's eyes lit up at the offer.

"See if you can hit it" Hitsugi dared playfully, knowing full well that she would impale the unsuspecting thing. Tokaku's aim was honestly frightening at times, something that hinted a bright future in the vampire military even in times of peace.

The little girl quickly strapped the pouch belt around her waist, resting on her lower back, and shot out of the blanket they'd been having lunch on, her demeanor changing from excited to calculating in the blink of an eye as she crouched with her eyes fixated upon her prey. Her hands took a knife each and she handled them expertly, bright blue following the lizard's path in search of a pattern.

A swift sound of metal cutting through air was heard, along with a thump when the first knife buried its tip against the tree the lizard had been climbing. The prey's movements had no chance of altering, as a second knife quickly followed and buried close to the first.

Tokaku jogged forward and stood in the tips of her toes, a satisfied smile on her face as she carefully gathered the dead animal on a handkerchief to bring it to her sister.

"Look, ane-ue!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Only two this time, and I hit twice!"

"You're getting better" praised the teen vampire, looking at the lizard in her sister's cupped hands. "Keep up the good work, Tokaku."

The girl smiled brightly and nodded, before jogging away to retrieve her knives and clean off the blood in them and her hands. Hitsugi looked at the lizard in front of her one last time before closing the cloth, sure that her grandmother would be interested with this.

The first knife grazed the thing's neck. The second went right through its spine. Not bad for a little girl, that's for sure.

"Are you sure you should encourage your brother to attack living things?" asked a voice from behind her.

Hitsugi smiled and answered without turning around nor bothering to correct about her sister's gender. "Who knows? So long as no one gets truly hurt, I see no reason to forbid such practices. Moreover, should you be telling people how to raise their siblings, stranger?"

The newcomer came into her range of vision, and she did a double take.

[From the moment I first saw you
Things began to go into disarray]

The stranger was a young woman who looked to be around eighteen years, probably nineteen, with short red hair pulled back and warm red eyes, dressed in dark blue hakama, and gave off an odd aura that could've fooled Hitsugi into thinking her a man had it not been for the clearly femenine chest. Given that she hadn't recognized her, she could only guess she was neither vampire, human servant nor lycan slave.

"Maybe not" she admitted. "But it concerns me when I see young children playing with dangerous weapons."

"Oh?" Hitsugi tilted her head. "You must be new to the area, then. It is more common to see a child fighting than playing around here... although many of them see these practises as games. Thus my lack of concern."

"I see. I forgot this town was caught in the crossfire of the last war. I understand now why no one here seems to care, but I must admit I am still concerned. Children should not prepare for war."

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum" said Hitsugi smoothly, gaining a surprised look she paid no heed to. Tokaku was now busy trying to get her knife through a butterfly, under the watchful eye of the (hidden) bodyguards, and she smiled at her sister's frustration when the small thing moved in the last second. "It is never farfetched to prepare for the worst, stranger. Some people have more need of it than others."

"And you would be of those in need?" asked the woman.

Hitsugi smiled at her. "Would you like to take a seat?" she offered, without answering.

The woman raised an eyebrow, but composed herself quickly and accepted graciously. "My name is Chitaru. Pleased to meet you" she introduced herself, tending her hand out.

The Crown Princess smiled and took the other's hand, tensing for a moment when a sudden breeze allowed her to take a good sniff at her smell. Ah, so this was a lycan. A free one at that. It would be a very bad idea to say who she truly was, then, for the very high risk of her being of the rebel group.

"I'm Hitsugi. Likewise."

[That day I followed the wrong path]

That was the moment Tokaku chose to return to the shade of the tree, a knife still in hand and a wide grin as she presented her new prize: a dead butterfly with the upper part of its left wing gone and its head chopped off.

"Ane-ue, I did it. Sixth try" she announced breathlessly, plopping down at her other side (being, of course, careful not to wrinkle her hakama too much). She gave a look to the stranger with her sister and immediately narrowed her eyes.

"Tokaku, meet Chitaru-san. Chitaru-san, this is my younger sister" she introduced, emphasising the femenine. The lycan was not the first to mistake the child as a boy, but it was always such an amusing sight when they stared at the second princess of the vampires with impossibly wide eyes... "Tokaku, why don't you put the knife away and I will give you some tea?"

The girl's eyes lit up as she forgot all about the red-haired woman in favor of the promised beverage. She was quick to stuff the blade back inside her pouch and the butterfly in another handkerchief to show her grandmother later, bouncing in place until her sister placed a small cup with ginger tea in her hands with a slight scolding to stay quiet (not that the cold tea could possibly hurt her, but grandmother would be extremely displeased if she stained her clothes for her lack of ability to stay still again).

"Would you like some too, Chitaru-san?" she asked, still with her smile on though alert to every movement. Only because this woman didn't seem like the kind to attack outright, she was not about to get her guard down. Especially now that Tokaku was so close to her.

"I'm alright, thank you."

Hitsugi gave her a polite nod, smile unwavering, and turned her head to her sister. Her hand subconsciously rose to get Tokaku's hair in place, receiving a scrunched up nose in response.

"Ane-ue" complained the little girl. Hitsugi was sure she would've squirmed away had it not been for the cup of cold tea in her hands.

The older vampire smiled endearingly, and the lycan couldn't help a smile towards the sisters.

That was the first of a series of meetings, along the following two years, that led to the doom of Crown Princess Hitsugi of Azuma.