[inuboku SS AU] tears of the phoenix

“Yachiyo, hurry up!”

“You’re the one who walk too fast, Mei Fan~ spare me, I’m pulling my luggage here~”

It’s one peaceful spring afternoon, there is no need to rush on anything, though maybe it is just Yachiyo’s vocabulary that said as such, not Liu Mei Fan’s.

Mei Fan did stop to wait for her after her plea, but she is standing so far away, a bit near to the actual entrance of the building, unlike her who’s in the middle of the pavement road greeted by cherry blossom trees and neat bushes.

Yachiyo took a glance to the scenery before her, to the place where she would live for the next three years until her high school graduation: Ayakashi-Kan.

Ayakashi-Kan—or as known to public eyes; Mansion de Ayakashi—is one huge apartment area situated in the midst of busy, upper class residential district. The ten-story building is inside after spacious yard tended by a number of gardeners. Rumors said that it requires a specific trait to be able to secure home in such luxurious place, like family fame, or never-ending wealth. Rumors will stay as rumors, Yachiyo thinks to herself, as the requirement to be able to rent a room in Ayakashi-Kan is nothing otherworldly.

Ayakashi-Kan is a special place made by a community of atavists, to house and to give protection to reincarnation of youkai and other supernatural derivatives. As the inherited blood and power getting even scarcer nowadays as the ‘Thousand-Years Sakura Tree’ - a tree of life to those of reincarnated lineage, is gradually losing its power.

When Yachiyo is catching up to Mei Fan, the cheerful China-born girl asked, “Did you specify your assigned SS?”

Yachiyo hummed. “Hmm, no? I think as long as they are not bugging me 24/7, I’m fine with it. SS are like, butlers, right?”

“To put it in a way, maybe yes and maybe no—they dressed as one, though,” Yachiyo spared a quirk on her eyebrow so Mei Fan will implore a bit more. “There are people who will think of an SS as their friend.”

“Friend, huh~ even though if they are older than us?”

Mei Fan nodded. “Just think of them as another housemates, at least that’s what I think of.”

Taking in the premonition of danger to pure-blooded youkais and other threats, Ayakashi-Kan also come with a service as to arm the atavists whom choosing to forge the contract, which is called ‘Secret Service’—or ‘SS’ to be short. This service is what made Ayakashi-Kan esteemed away from any other apartment complex, which becoming quite a talk to the normal humans. Since the service is mandatory, there is no room to decline the presence of the SS. If anyone would like to change or specify another person, they can do it within the range of forty days after room assignment.

As far as Yachiyo remembered when Mei Fan is the one who’s coming to help her with the moving, Mei Fan has been the one who’s hyped to get a new tenant by Ayakashi-Kan. ‘It is rare to see an atavist,’ so she said, though it’s not like Yachiyo wanted an exposure to the community of the reincarnated. She wanted a peaceful life and a space to be able to sort out her way of living – she took the chance to liberate herself by coming to Ayakashi-Kan.

“We will meet the leader of SS, Fumi-san. She is a descendant of Qinglong.”

Yachiyo widened her eyes, “Wha—Seiryuu? One of Four Constellations Symbol is a Secret Service Agent?”

“Ahaha, you are exaggerating, Yachiyo—well, I, too was surprised when I know about that …” Mei Fan scratched her cheek.

Mei Fan is the one who opened the big, mahogany double door for her and welcomed her inside the spacious lobby of Tokyo branch of Ayakashi-Kan. The front lobby consisted of expensive sofa set marred with a tint of gold. An empty counter with locker is sitting in silence by the left side of lobby, a cutout saying ‘RECEPTIONIST’ is visible to see. A translucent glass wall separated the lobby from the room behind her, a room that Yachiyo conjured as a cafeteria as there are a lot of square tables and wooden chairs.

A figure clad in suit with sage green-colored tie and dark grey shirt underneath walked up from the stairs above upon their entrance. Her long, lustrous golden hair swayed as she approached Mei Fan and Yachiyo.

“Welcome to the Ayakashi-Kan.” She bowed. One of her gloved hand on the front. “I’m the leader of Secret Service Agent by Tokyo branch, Yumeoji Fumi.”

Yachiyo noticed the sharpness on Fumi’s eyes, a sign of charisma. “So this is Tsuruhime Yachiyo-san, who will occupy the Room number 4, Mei Fan?”

“Yes, Fumi-san.” Mei Fan nodded in approval.

Fumi spared a quick glance to Yachiyo, her jade eyes narrowed. “Have you received the notice of your SS?”

“Huh? Hmm, no?” Yachiyo didn’t recall ever receiving any letter or mail, so it’s a no. She doesn’t really catch Fumi’s question about what kind of ‘notice’ she meant.

“I see, then I’ll introduce her right now,” Fumi tilted her head up to the second floor. “Your Master is here, Shiori.”

Mei Fan is more thrilled than Yachiyo, that’s for sure, as the purple-haired girl was beaming, eyes sparkling when another blonde—this time, shorter—coming down from the staircase.

“This is my younger sister, Yumeoji Shiori. She will be assigned to be your Secret Service Agent, Tsuruhime-san,”

As Shiori stood a step behind Fumi and bowed in a similar manner to the leader of the SS Agent, it is the first time for Yachiyo to see the SS Agent up close. The pinkette couldn’t help but to pause.

The shorter blonde tied her hair up in ponytail. Shiori didn’t wear a blazer, but a button-up vest over her white collared shirt and white cravat. Her eyes were framed with glasses, hiding her overall placid expression. The way she dressed in her pants and half gloves are similar to Fumi, but other than that, there is nothing that’s the same. There is no greeting smile, also unlike Fumi. There is no obligatory introduction coming from her, but Yachiyo stood still, ignoring the stone cold face shoved to her, the actual Master, and Mei Fan merry questions as to compliment Shiori.

[Why her chest felt tight out of sudden?]

“… You are crying.”

Huh?

Yachiyo blinked at the sudden spoken words. It was not coming from the sophisticated Fumi, nor from happy-go-lucky Mei Fan. The notice is there from the cold-looking SS Agent of hers. Her eyes stayed the same sad, uninterested as she fished a handkerchief from her pants pocket. Shiori then offered the handkerchief to Yachiyo, who’s looking squarely at her, confused.

The pinkette did touch her eyes in a late reflex, Shiori didn’t lie about her crying. Fresh tears are streaming, an involuntary movement she didn’t know is happening.

Just as Yachiyo received the handkerchief, Shiori withdrawn herself from the three, disappearing beyond the glass door, and the voices from Mei Fan and Fumi are back to grace her ears.

“Wait, Shiori! Where are you going? Shiori!”

.
.
.

{The handkerchief on her hand. It is warm.}


- - -


For the remainder of the night, Yachiyo didn’t show much interest as Mei Fan and Fumi showed her around the Ayakashi-Kan. Being her usual tired-looking, jabbing Mei Fan with a rain of teasing, Yachiyo finished the round of introduction and went to her room by the 4th floor. Her SS Agent is nowhere to be seen after the strange encounter, though Fumi said that SS room is not exactly far away from the Master’s assigned room.

Mei Fan was kind not to press Yachiyo about her sudden outburst earlier, which she still questioned in the back of her mind.

Why she cried? Why her chest is hurt? What—what happened? Is ‘Shiori’ someone related to her reincarnation?

Yachiyo is sitting on her bed, shaking her head.

For someone to be related to her in reincarnation way is impossible since she owned the blood of Amanojaku.

“Ahh, this is so unlike me to think deeply on stuffs~ I better take a bath and sleep~”

Yachiyo stretched herself. She has yet to tidy up her things from the cardboards, but she pushed the thought for another day, as she is busy on dealing with something that blooms in her out of sudden.

A thorn. A blade. An unknown misery.


- - -

Aside from personal shower room in respective rooms, Ayakashi-Kan also facilitated with a large indoor hot spring, located on the first floor. At first, Fumi said, it was designed to be an outdoor hot spring, but due to collective voting, the hot spring area is becoming the indoor one. Most facilities in Ayakashi-Kan are free to use at any time, perhaps an exception if it is being cleaned.

When Yachiyo arrived at the hot spring, she is by herself. Mei Fan said she will be out at the evening of some errands so she is not around. Fumi did notify Yachiyo about the other tenants has yet to come back to the Ayakashi-Kan because of their personal biddings, so it is given that Yachiyo is alone save from the working youkai maids, gardeners, chefs and house cleaners.

Clad in her blue pajama and hugging her favorite checkered stole, Yachiyo sighed for an umpteenth time of the day.

A thorn. A blade. An unknown misery. Her newly-assigned SS Agent, Yumeoji Shiori.

Yachiyo then remembered a policy of changing Secret Service Agent; she can file a complaint within forty days if she wanted to change her SS.

But wait, isn’t it for the best to have a Secret Service Agent who won’t bother her, only there as a shadow of a servant?

.

Yachiyo sit by outside the hot spring after she finished, bought a bottled milk and watched the lonely backyard at night. The doors are open a bit since Yachiyo asked for it to the passing gardeners. The spring air is a bit warm at night now, maybe it is a sign of summer coming by sooner or later.

The ruckus belonged to the gardeners tending to flower bed just ended a while ago. They said that they will return later to check the door, though Yachiyo said to them that she will be the one who close it later so that the gardeners don’t have to worry.

It has been only quiet sound of wind blows, shaking the trees to rustle nearby the yard, when Yachiyo picked up a screeching voice.

She turned to her left and right to find nothing at the staircase leading to the second floor, and no one is walking behind her to reach the entrance of the hot spring.

Just to be sure, Yachiyo stood up, wanting to check her surrounding, when a black, sharp armament is coming out from her shadows, flying straight to aim her head. The pinkette’s reflex allowed her to stop the needle at the cost of scarring her palm. Yachiyo then jumped back, avoiding where the mysterious shadow sprouting out and taking shape, holding her bleeding hand.

“Found you, Amanojaku!” the ominous voice echoed the room. The blob of shadow took form of a hooded man showcasing her shadow needles up on the air, pointing straight at Yachiyo. “Come quietly to us and you won’t suffer!”

“Heh. What if I refuse?”

The same screeching is there again. Yachiyo guessed that the attacker will melt to the shadow again and force their way to coerce her. She can make her way out from there and run to the garden, since taking stairs will only slow her down.

The pinkette made the run of it when the screeching stopped, changed to a scream of agony following a scent of something burning. The blob of shadows that once ready to transform slowly melted in a presence of unknown fire, swallowing the shadow being as a whole in an increasing volume of flame.

Yachiyo could only watch as the shadow figure continues to scream as they are burned alive, reducing them to nothing but ashes, ceasing them from existing. The smoke caused by the burn engulfed the room, Yachiyo couldn’t see the one who helped her out of the pinch until the emergency sprinkle reacted to the smoke, pouring down the water to the floor.

“Pardon me for my lateness, Hime-sama.”

Yachiyo held her breath. The pinkette looked up with a puzzled expression as her Secret Service Agent is there, while she is pooled to the floor after the shock of her adrenaline wears off. Her clothes and hair were wet because of the sprinkle, but she cared for nothing else as the blonde kneeled in front of Yachiyo, taking a look to her wounded hand.

She called her with ‘Hime’ – unknown as a reference to her name, or just a call of ‘princess’. If it is a reference of ‘princess’, how come she can call her so casually, while this is the first time they have met?

The eyes behind those glasses are kind, the coldness and unfriendliness are nowhere to be found. Yumeoji Shiori gazed at her with an utmost care, as if threading on a fragile glass. The vulnerable expression didn’t last, but Yachiyo was sure now that she doesn’t mean any harm.

Shiori raised the bleeding palm, Yachiyo watched as the SS Agent shed her tears upon the sight of wound. The pinkette flinched in pain, yet the prickling pain subsided as fast as how it comes, as the scab stopped bleeding and the wound is closed like there’s nothing have had happened.

Without word, Shiori retracted the hand, slow and careful, before she stood, guiding Yachiyo up with her.

Shiori has yet to introduce herself and her reincarnated blood, but Yachiyo mostly has figured it out. As her older sister is a reincarnated Seiryuu of Four Constellation Symbols, the younger sister shouldn’t be too far off the bat. Seeing the fire of purity and the healing abilities she demonstrated, there’s only one other Four Constellation Symbol came into mind.

Suzaku of the South—the Vermillion Bird.

“I’m sorry.”

Her SS Agent said it again.

“Why the need to?” Yachiyo tried to ask, hoping that Shiori won’t let go just yet. “You did nothing that’s worth a sorry, rather, you helped me.”

“It’s my job. I’m your SS Agent.” The stone cold face again. But the gloved hand – it is warm, just like how her handkerchief was, just like how the feelings linger after she healed her. “Let me help you to your room.”

As much as Yachiyo dislike to be seen as pathetic right now for taking in by a surprise attack, she didn’t mind to the least. The blonde SS Agent didn’t let go of their connected hands as they marched up the stairway.

“Thank you, Shiori.”

“You don’t need to speak such words to a lowlife like me.”

This, also maybe the first time Yachiyo heard her talking a bit long, with a low tone yet not menacing nor threatening.

“I’m the one who want to say it. Can’t I?” Yachiyo took back with a sing-song tone.

“As you wish.”