The night was waneing, it would be dawn in about an hour, but it was not dawn yet.
As such, the gatekeeper of the Scarlet mansion was awake, and on full alert, as night is the time of youkai, after all, and any who would cause her mistress trouble would be most active now.
"Heeey China!" Rumia hollered as she flew over the Misty Lake towards the gatekeeper, with Wriggle by her side.
Meiling grinned to herself. She actually liked the group of childish youkai. They would play around the lake during the day, giving her something to focus on, and their pranks if she fell asleep would wake her up, usually before Sakuya found out. The job would be far more boring without them. However, it was not like them to bother her at night.
As Rumia and Wriggle approached closer, Meiling's face suddenly turned to shock when she saw what Rumia was holding. The pair of youkai landed in front of the gatekeeper, who folded her arms.
"Why do you have that? How did you even get that from Marisa?" Meiling says.
"What? This?" Wriggle says, pulling out the Mini-Hakkero, causing Meiling's jaw to drop.
"No... I mean the book... oh nevermind. The Mistress will want to see you two."
"We'll wait out here for her then." Rumia says. "We're not allowed in after all."
Meiling gave Rumia a look. Ten seconds of silence passed, before she gave up.
"I mean you two, come with me, INSIDE, and see her."
"Hong, you shall guard the gate, they shall come with me." A different voice says, before a maid in blue with silver hair appears out of the air.
"You're that Sakuya lady Cirno mentions!" Wriggle says.
"Sakuya?" Rumia asked.
"The crazy time-knife maid who's some kinda dog. And flat as me." Wriggle says, causing Meiling to have to hold Sakuya back from stabbing the firefly. Even Rumia understood why this made Sakuya mad, as Wriggle was completely flat. On account of being an insect. Which don't even have those parts. Rumia doubted Sakuya was *that* flat.
"Remember Remi wants to see her Sakuya! That means they have to be alive! Mistress wants them ALIVE!" Meiling says, before Sakuya calms down.
The maid adjusts her headband a little, before speaking calmly again.
"Follow me. Do not touch anything. Do not wander off." She commands. "If you do not do as I say, it will be painful. Hong will not be there to hold me back."
The inside of the mansion seemed larger than the outside. It was filled with red carpets and various drapings over the walls, as well as gargoyle-like statues of vampires, not just Remilia Scarlet, but others as well. Fairies, dressed in maid uniforms, buzzed around, although they did not seem very useful.
However, Sakuya did not divert from the main path through the entryway, towards a staircase, which lead to the top floor of the mansion. The two youkai followed the maid, before she stopped outside a pair of large, scarlet doors, with ornate handles, and a decoration on the door which looked like a pair of vampire wings.
Sakuya knocked the door.
"I understand it is almost morning, Remilia-sama, but two local youkai have found your tome." Sakuya says.
There are a few moments of quiet, before a voice responds.
"Let them in Sakuya. You remain outside. The matter is private, after all. What is contained in that book not even you or Patchouli know." Remilia says, as the maid opens the door.
"Go in." Sakuya says.
The two youkai looked at each other.
"I'm scared Wriggle." Rumia says.
"She's that scary vampire we see every now and then, right?" Wriggle says.
"The one who made that scarlet mist that caused Reimu to beat me up!" Rumia reminds Wriggle.
"She's really strong, right?" Wriggle says.
Sakuya sighed, and pushed the two youkai inside, before closing the door.
Remilia's room was large, and dark, not a single window to be seen. The only light was from flickering candles, which illuminated the young-looking vampire's face in a fashion which revealed her confident smirk, and a general air of looking down on the two youkai.
"So, you two retrieved my tome." Remilia says, holding out her hand, with her long claws visible. "Hand it over to me, if you would please. I am not inclined to believe you two would have succeeded otherwise."
Rumia moved towards the vampire nervously, before giving her the book. Remilia took it, and examined it.
"Hmm, it's been opened. Not by you two, I can tell that, but by a Tengu. Well then, I'll have to pay the Tengu village a visit tomorrow night and use some of Red Magic to erase the culprit's memories of what she read." Remilia says, before she puts the book down.
"So, you two are some of those local youkai, that live in the forest surrounding my mansion, am I correct?" the Scarlet Devil says.
"Y-y-y-es..." Rumia says, worried. She had never interacted with Remilia before, unlike Wriggle, who had fought her once [And lost horribly], but every youkai knew of the power of a vampire.
Remilia laughed. "Stop being so worried. You're not a human, and you're not my enemy. What do you take me for, a barbarian? Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I want to see something."
"See what?" Wriggle asks.
"I have the power to control fate. As such, I can also see fate to a degree. I wish to see something of yours. As far as I am concerned, it may not co-incidence that you two achieved this, but instead, fate."
Remilia's eyes glowed a little, as she looked at Wriggle.
"Hmm, doesn't seem anything special. Just a Firefly youkai." She says. "Nothing special, nothing in the thread that signifies greatness or anything..."
She then turned her eyes to Rumia, and looked far longer, before her face fell.
"That incident Yukari told me about... it can't be." She says quietly. "This means I'll have to talk to that hag again at some point..."
"What is it?" Rumia asked innocently, getting a look from Remilia.
"You don't know what it is? Wait, no, one cannot know their fate, and if Yukari... yes, I remember now."
Remilia thinks for a few moments, before she calls for Sakuya to bring her some tea.
"I would offer you two some, however, the tea served here is a very special blend, that would not agree with anyone but a vampire." She states, before the two youkai could ask. Following this, she stands up.
"You are a youkai of darkness, correct?" Remilia says, looking at Rumia.
"Yeah." Rumia answers.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Wriggle asks.
"Quiet, Firefly!" Remilia snaps, before she turns back to Rumia. "You are a youkai of darkness, and I am a vampire, Queen of the Night, the Scarlet Devil. Sunlight is my enemy, and you can make darkness. It is in my interest that we form a friendship."
Rumia blinks a few times, before answering; "Is that so~?"
"Yes, it is so. With your help it would be a lot easier for me to go out during the day, and besides, you did me a good deed, so I shall in kind reward you with my alliance." Remilia says, grinning.
"I'm not sure Rumia." Wriggle says. "She musta seen something to not dismiss you like me."
"She makes sense though, and besides, she does owe us for helpin' her." Rumia says.
At this point, Sakuya opens the door, and comes in.
"Sakuya, inform Meiling that these two youkai, as well as that Night Sparrow friend of theirs, can visit the mansion as they please." Remilia says. "They are allies of the mansion."
"What about their fairy friends, Remilia-sama?" Sakuya asks.
"Fairies cause too much trouble, they'd break everything, they can't come in, unless they want to be my maids, of course." Remilia says.
"You hear that Wriggle, you and Mysti can come too!" Rumia says.
"I guess so..." Wriggle says, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it's OK!"
"There are three rules, however." Remilia says. "The first, is that you must not annoy either Sakuya, or Patchouli, who is a witch who lives in the library. That is for your own safety. The second rule is you must not, under any circumstances, head into the basement. The basement is locked, but do not try and enter. Again, this is for your own safety. Thirdly, do not enter my room during the day, unless Sakuya gives you permission. I am a Vampire, after all, I am nocturnal."
A few moments passed, before Rumia and Wriggle nodded.
"Very well. Now then, if you would take your leave, it is almost down, and I wish for my rest." Remilia says, turning away from the two youkai and Sakuya.
"Sakuya, you are also to take your leave. I wish for privacy. Guard the bottom of the stairwell, I want no-one to be near my room."
Sakuya nods, before ushering the two youkai out of the room, and closing the door.
The Scarlet Devil sighs, and looks at a particularly dark corner of the room. "I am the species of youkai most accustomed to the dark. I can see you there Yukari, no-matter how many borders you bend to make that corner more dark."
The corner became the same shade of darkness as the room, and, sure enough, Yukari walked out of the shadows.
"Old hag. How cruel Miss Scarlet." Yukari complains, pouting.
"Put a lid on it, Gap Hag. I know you're behind this, and plotting something." The vampire said harshly.
Yukari pulled out a fan, and put it over her mouth. "Oh my, whatever would make you think that I'm planning something?" she said, in an innocent tone.
"Firstly, because you're Yukari Yakumo. Secondly, because you always do that fan thing when you have something to hide. And thirdly... because you're the only one besides me would could have entered the basement where the book was and got out without serious injuries. Marisa found the book in Patchouli's library, so stole it, but you moved it from the basement, with Flandre, didn't you?"
"Oh my, I always forget how you're a lot smarter than your physical appearance suggests." Yukari says.
"This has something to do with that darkness youkai, doesn't it? And that event you told me about 100 years ago."
Yukari moves her fan and smiles. "Perhaps, but do you think I manipulated Reimu into meeting Rumia?"
Remilia smirks back. "No, I do not. But I find it a little convenient that the shut-in Tengu happened to go out, find Marisa, and know what she had stolen, before stealing it herself."
"Perhaps it was. Perhaps it wasn't. Was it fate, or was it my manipulation? You're the best one of figure that one out, are you not?" Yukari says.
Remilia scowls at the gap youkai. "I hate you so much."
Yukari walked back two steps, back into her corner, before a gap opened behind her.
"I don't do my job to be liked by people Remilia. If I'm hated, it's usually a sign I'm doing things right..." Yukari said, before she vanished.
"... What is that gap hag hiding..." Remilia said to herself.