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Tᴏᴍᴏᴇ

Walking, walking, walking, walking.

Oh, how I adore the scent of the petrichor, the imperfectly tarnishing mud on my boots, and the dapper azure skies. Well, the stars were quite beautiful as well last night, but I'm not as obsessed with those.

On another note, Haruka seemed to have a third eye on me, since with every unexpected movemnt I made, she seemed to only grow more focused. I'd call it eerie if I wasn't as used to people watching me.

Anyway, as I let my mind wander to these things, Haru and I had walked near the main gates to the Von Faecero manor. We were well away from entering, hiding behind a gathering of trees, since the measly duo have to spend so much time flirting. At least, I actually hoped it wasn't flirting..

To my absolute surprise, Haruka began to start a conversation with me:

"Please describe the setting," Haru said with a courteous tone.

With a hearty laugh, I hastily responded, "Von Faecero- a reputable aristocratic family with a cocky attitude. The head of the family is Duke Maxwell Quinn Von Faecero, and he has two daughters, Maeko and Roka. They're all suck-ups, so if they see someone such as myself, they're sure to provide some clues on the whereabouts of that chaos.." Peculiarly, Haruka listened intently. Hah, and I thought rambling was a disliked quality of a certain horned-freak. "I must warn, that they aren't fond of magic. The gates repel it, actually. You'll be fine, they might actually admire you," I continued. "It'll be quite the sight if that demon gets electrocuted as he approaches the gates."

"I see,"

Quite the silent one, was she. At long last, I've found someone who has the decency to be quiet in my presence.

In contrast to that, she then asked, "What are your personal opinions on the.. 'Von Faecero' family?"

I scoffed, and wrapped my fingers around the handle of my blade, just for a reassurance that I could. "Maeko's insincere with the servants and Roka's always sickly. I don't think-" Against my will, my voice stiffened as I said, "-Sora doesn't like them either."

Haruka didn't respond after that, and the flirtatious duo is still on their way- Finally, time to myself.

I dusted off my regal tailcoat prior to leaning against a nearby tree and closing my eyes, treading my hand through my honeyed blond hair, silently wishing for a bobby pin...

Hibiki and Sora. I didn't like seeing them together. Not one bit. It didn't seem natural, and went against my morals. I had been eavesdropping on some of their conversations, and all I knew was that Sora wasn't as human as I thought she was, and that she's tied to the freak with some sort of witchcraft. This better not interfere with how we used to be together, though it's hard to confess, I'll miss the extra attention she gave me. Thankfully, I still had Haruka, even if my charisma hasn't proven to bend her to my will. Yet.

I sighed, but was interrupted by Sora, who poked my cheek, before the corner of her mouth lifted. This was exactly what I didn't want to loose.

"Guess who's mansion it is~!?" she exclaimed in a singsong manner, definitely trying to tease at my hatred for the Von Faeceros.

"I know who's it is."

"Say it out loud!" she continued while twiddling her thumbs.

"No."

"Please?"

"I don't like the-" I responded harshly, interrupted by the silhouette of the demon behind her. Blood-stained eyes, that gave me chills. I would never admit that, though.

"Von Faecero, isn't that right? They were at the wedding," Akki Shadou said, in a 'matter-of-fact' tone

Haruka paraded over to the gates as I argued, "Yes, they were. Thank you for stating the obvious."

"Aren't they one of those, anti-reality cult families?"

I scoffed twice, before I was able to react. "They're not in a cult! They're against beings like you."

Astonishingly, Sora's 'inner-genius' came through then as she twirled her hair and mumbled, "Hibiki-kun needs a way to get through the gates, since they'd repel him instantaneously,"

"He should just walk through. I want to see an electrocution."

"You're an incredibly ill-mannered prince, you know that?" he yelled back.

"At least I have an excuse. You were born to be heinous."

"You ill-bred cretin!" Hibiki's hand shifted into a talon.

Haruka stepped between us, immediately silencing the quarrel. Short, peach-pink hair and flawless, olive skin. She was such a doll, but I didn't expect her to intervene, of all people.

"Hibiki.. Tomoe.." she started, looking at the two of us as she said our name. "Please halt your violent intentions. I do not wish to have to clean up corpses, and you're traumatizing Miss Fox."

I burst into laughter at that nickname from the lips of dear Haru, and I persisted a chuckle at the sight of Sora's discomfort. Hibiki beamed with satisfaction, retracting whatever curse he was about to put on me.

"I-I wasn't bothered by anything!" Sora said, cheeks reddened.

"I should mention, I seemed to have set off some kind of detection device," Haruka chimed in.

That's when I noticed a figure, staring at us from a window of the manor and a the faint ringing of a bell. Alarmed, I ducked down, pulling Haruka with me and tried to assess the situation, thought running wildly through my head once more. Okay, if they saw me and I didn't confront them, they'd immediately contact Ryuk, my royal advisor, or an irrelevant aunt. Hibiki and Sora seemed to have caught the message, both hiding as well.

"Someone will find us soon," whispered Haru.

"Hibiki, you either need to stay behind or mask that magic of yours," murmured Sora, with a hint of disappointment. Pah, whiny Sora didn't want to leave the side of the maniac. I could argue that I was more psychotic then him.

My breath became unsteady at the anxiety of approaching the two Von Faecero sisters after that mess of a wedding. 'How would I explain Haruka to them?', I thought to myself. Though, Hibiki's response to everything is what intrigued yet bothered me the most.

"The solution is simple. I'll just sneak in with the android."

Before anyone could pose any further questions, Hibiki changed form into a shadowed silhouette, much like his 'claw' before, and disappeared. Haruka's silver eyes flashed red, like a device in the middle of rebooting itself, and I was able to catch her before she collapsed. Sora looked as uncomfortable as she seemed while I fought with Akki Shadou.

"This isn't what I was expecting,"

"I must wearily agree," I muttered with confusion. Though my head was muddled from what I had just witnessed, I had no time to process the situation due to a familiar voice that called out to me. I quickly stood, lifted Haruka in my arms, and gave Sora a cautious glance before my eyes settled on none other then the Von Faecero butler, on the other side of the now opened gates.

I never could remember his first name, but I recall always calling him Silas. He dressed as a butler would, a debonair suit and tie. He was rather young for a butler, perhaps no more then a decade older then myself, and he showed it by with the locks of hair that were swept onto his face. The Von Faecero sisters, Maeko and Roka, always thought it was a sign of rebellion. There's nothing else that stood out about him, except his copper, down-turned eyes.

"Prince Tomoe," he greeted monotonously. "I trust you escaped the attack at the wedding unharmed."

"Well, that's obvious," I barked back.

"Who is that?"

I peered at Haru, who lied lifelessly in my arms. "She's.." I panicked for a moment, feeling sweat trickling down my back. The butler knew everyone who attended the wedding, and every servant in the palace. I couldn't think of a good excuse, other than "..Sora's friend,"

To be clear, I have no idea what Sora's actual friends are like.

Unless the girls ordered him to research on Sora's history, which is a hard thing to do (trust me, I've tried), he shouldn't know anything about her. I don't even know Sora's other friends.

"The bride's acquaintance? What's wrong with her?"

"She fainted, due to a loud noise. You know damsels and all, right?" I said with an uneasy tone. Sora kept a 'pokerface' on- she was always better at lying then I was.

"Miss Maeko requests your presence. I would not advise on declining, she can be.. insincere. Roka's been bedridden since we arrived, and Master Quinn is out with a search party, looking to secure your safety to the public. What shall I tell him when he returns?"

"Tell him I'm off looking for my dignity. I don't know, make something up."

I noticed a faint curve to the lips. "Are you suggesting I lie?"

"Well, I could go off and tell Maeko that you've upset me," I threatened, with a purposefully haughty tone.

He winced, "I'll see what I can do. Now, please follow me, Miss gets quite impatient." Silas then turned around and started walking on the stone-path, towards the entrance to the mansion.

I ruffled my hair, trying to seem more well-dressed for an audience, and I looked back to Sora again. She seemed to have been putting up well, but with an easily noticeable, nervous grip, she stood out more then she should have. Well, that could be an understatement, seeing that she had lavender-colored hair. She's only met them once with her father, I think, so maybe she wouldn't be the focus of attention.

Sora and I quickly trailed behind the butler, Haruka still showing no signs of life whatsoever. We entered the mansion, and I saw the familiar household that I had always visited. Nothing had changed.

Two spiraled staircases, each with a hallway on one side, and a grand door in the middle on both the first and second floor. The ceiling had a crown moulding, and a familiar lion-fur rug as soon as you enter. The walls were a cliche 'fleur de lis' design, and a plain silver chandelier was above, in the middle where there was a gap between the staircases. Scenic paintings littered the walls, and the occasional small table, vase, potted plant, or bookshelf could be seen all around, including the entire mansion, if I remember correctly. Two more double doors were on my left and right side, and the last thing I could note is the distinct scent of cinnamon. Yep, same old Von Faecero mansion.

"Miss Maeko will be down any second now, I'll help you with her friend.." Silas said, taking Haruka from my arms.

Sora began to follow him, after saying "Tomoe, I think it's best if I go with Haruka and Silas.

"I understand," I mumbled posthaste.

A tan-skinned, mocha-haired girl darted through the left-sided hall on the second floor, sliding down the railing on the stairs. She wore a red, frilly yet casual gown with long sleeves and a corset on the outside. Aged-golden eyes complimented her appearance, but a well known scar trailed from the corner of her mouth, to her jaw, which she never dared speak of. Glee was spread across her face. It was none other then Maeko Von Faecero.

"Tomoe-kun!" she babbled. She was a few months younger then Sora, who was fifteen, but she kept a girly facade at all times.

Sora slowly crept over to Silas, whispering something to him. My eyes were locked on Maeko, who ran over for a hug. She smelled like an overuse of rich spices that didn't mix, and I urged back a gag.

"H-How have you been.. uh, Maeko-chan?" I said, trying to play along.

"The real question is, how have you been?! What happened to you after the wedding?"

"I escaped with Sora, we met up with a friend of hers, and.." I put on my most dashing masquerade, the kind that earned me a fanclub, as I said, "..I decided to come here, knowing you'd take such dear care of me. I mean, we are best friends, aren't we, Maeko?"

Her eyes glistened with joy. "I knew you'd say that! Oh, we'll have so much fun!"

"Of course," I said with a lighthearted smirk. "Is Roka alright?"

"Oh, she's fine, but she'd love to see Sora. They get along fairly, sometimes. Like a love/hate relationship, in a way," Her tone dramatically changed when she said, "Where is that bride of yours, anyway?"

"She's gone to the guest rooms with Silas and an unconscious friend of hers, to get some rest and see to it that her acquaintance is alright."

"Hmm, that's alright I suppose. Come with me!" she grabbed my wrist and dragged me with her after returning to her exuberant expression.

I was then pulled away to Maeko's balcony, where she already had tea prepared. Though we spoke, I had other things on my mind.

I hoped Sora was in good hands. I worried for Haruka. If that demon harmed Haru in any way, there won't be anything that's holding me back from killing him, as I should have done when we met.