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"You may go."
Cold eyes the colour of molten steel simmered in their languid scrutiny of our uninvited guests, one pale cheek propped up by an arm balanced against the carved armrest of the ornate chair. It would not be too far a stretch to call it a throne, though it gleamed not in gold but in ebony, creeping vines of ivy spiralling up the wooden grain.
It set off the ash-white of the dress perfectly, ebony and ivory in harmony, topped off by curls of jet black framing a soft, almost childish face. The look in those eyes was not that of a child though, and the expression of disinterest shook the initial illusion one might have had of an adolescent girl hovering on the edge of adulthood. The overall effect was one of disjointment, a jarringly old soul residing in a girlish face and body. Which was as it should be...
"Is that wise, Sayashi-sama?"
A husky voice raised the question, and my eyes flicked over to my first and favoured child, her short hair styled roguishly to match the rebellious glint in her eyes. There was none of that swagger and attitude she usually bore though, in the face of her grand-sire. Though the words questioned, her tone was respectful and submissive, with an undercurrent of yearning -- a yearning that made the edges of my lips lift in amusement. Truly Kudou Haruka was a child of mine, wanting what she could not have.
"They bore me. If I let them go now, perhaps they may prove more amusing in the future."
Oh dear. Riho-chan was in one of those moods again. Withdrawn, sullen...boring. That really wouldn't do. Behind Haruka, our latest fledgling hissed almost inaudibly, her bloodshot eyes still unconsciously tracking the pair that had just stumbled out of the courtyard in terror for their lives. Oda-chan was always hungry now, which couldn't be helped. The young ones never could control themselves very well.
Haruka seemed to notice the minute flicker in my eyes, for she inclined her head ever so briefly, stepping back into line with Sakura and all but cuffing the bloodthirsty fledgling to discipline her. Such a good child, Haruka. Such similar tastes we share, for beautiful things, and people...
"Yasushi-saaaaaan~ Maachan wants to play with those people! Why did you let them goooo?"
Riho-chan was always surprisingly tolerant of the whims and fancies of our only justifiably insane fledgling. Then again, she had caught this one and turned her as a present for me, ostensibly for my amusement, but I wonder if it wasn't really because the child's madness amused her instead. To be honest, I never understood why Riho-chan kept such a loose cannon near her, considering how Maachan, apart from me, is one of those who actually try to kill her every once in a while. I had my reasons, of course, but Maachan seems to find it hilarious to try for the sake of trying. I could not understand the girl, nor did I want to. Was madness catching, I wonder?
"Maachan, we'll get you someone else to play with. Stop bothering Sayashi-san."
Ah, dear, sweet Ayumi-chan. Always so polite, so controlled, so false in her carefully constructed mask to hide her seething cauldron of emotions. She was one of Riho-chan's, but only because Riho-chan found her first and then refused to share. Why, if I had found her first, I probably wouldn't have either. So sweet and innocent she was...until my dear Riho-chan got to her first. Was I jealous, you ask? Maybe, I would say. Riho-chan did give me a bite though, but she did the rest herself in the end. I loved it best when Riho-chan gets all creative like that.
Such a contradictory bundle of emotions, is our dear Ayumi-chan. The carefully concealed loathing tied just as strongly to the magnetic charm that had first drawn that dear girl into Riho-chan's web in the first place whipped up a constant storm beneath that placid exterior. She carried it well though, doing as she was told and never letting her true feelings show through beyond the barest flicker of emotion in her eyes. Here was a fledgling who would cheerfully stab her sire to death had she the strength of will to actually carry it out. Such a beauty to watch, and even more beautiful to see the loathing she bore for my Riho-chan gain another level in intensity whenever she saw dear Haruka staring fixedly at the head of our exclusive court.
At Riho-chan's other side, Kanon-chan stepped up with a steaming goblet, watching Riho-chan calmly with only the mildest trace of concern. Kanon-chan...was an odd one. Among us, she was the least changed from her human self, or perhaps, the most changed. I remembered her, from back when we were all human, as Riho-chan's friend and confidant before the Change happened. She was...brighter then. Like the sun, but now as the sun rejects us, she has lost that golden smile and moves instead with the grace of the moon, a pale imitation of the sun's warmth. Out of all of us, perhaps only she bore pure intentions towards Riho-chan, a relic from their long forgotten humanity -- of that thing called friendship.
Try as I might, I could never sever it entirely, or even persuade Riho-chan to abandon her Kanon-chan like the way I drove a wedge between her and her precious cousin. So I tolerate her presence, knowing that at the very least, Riho-chan did not share the worst of her depravities with her once best friend. No, that part of Riho-chan is all mine, always and forever mine.
As if she had detected my thoughts, Riho-chan turned smoothly towards me, dark eyes calculating as she raked her gaze over me in that familiar, possessive way. I affected an air of detachment, knowing it would only fan the flames of her interest. Riho-chan was so very predictable sometimes. Even from before, and especially now, after we have been together for more than a century of existence.
"Mizuki."
That single word was thick with layers of meaning. I almost allowed myself a smile; how much could I push Riho-chan to awaken from her sullen withdrawal into her own mind? A part of me though, dimly remembered a time when she did not address me so, a time when we were both younger and smaller, where she'd leap into my arms and call me "Fukuchan!" in that piping little voice of hers as she nuzzled into my chest.
It was an oddly poignant memory to surface, and it gave me a moment's pause, a hesitation that must have shown in my posture, because Riho-chan retreated once more into her aloof manner, the cold gaze of a queen slamming shutters over her wild side. I almost wanted to scream in frustration. So close!
Riho-chan spoke now, addressing the rest of our family, the Garden Court.
"Go now then, and feed. The night is young."
Only, until the sun rises again.