Work Text:
Hijiribe Ruri
I have a question.
Hijiribe Ruri sent Invitation.pdf
Hirijibe Ruri
Are you responsible for this?
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Most curious.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
“If you wish to know about what you are come to these coordinates.” In English, even.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Which correspond to a place in Germany, but I figured you already knew that.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
To answer your question, no. This was not my doing.
Hijiribe Ruri
I see. Do you have any information about this place?
Tsukumoya Shinichi
My information is lacking about areas outside of Ikebukuro, but it seems like it is a property of the Mars family… hold on for a minute. I have someone who might be able to give you more information about it.
Hackey Mouse returns to life!
Hackey Mouse
well paint me red an’ call me a tomato, i never thought u’d drag me here lmao
Hackey Mouse
hey that rhymed, eyyyyyyy
Tsukumoya Shinichi
I have a client here, behave.
Hackey Mouse
or what, ya’ll spank me?
Tsukumoya Shinichi
I have a professional question for you. I’ll send you a message my client received.
Tsukumoya Shinichi sent Invitation.pdf
Hackey Mouse
oh
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Any knowledge about this?
Hackey Mouse
nah. and if you want info, i gotta kno who ur client is. u gotta understand
Hijiribe Ruri
It is me.
Hackey Mouse
oh!!! hijiribe huh?
Hackey Mouse
mmmkay. u plannin’ to go there?
Tsukumoya Shinichi
The question is, is it safe for her to do so?
Hackey Mouse
yea
Hackey Mouse
the person who lives there would not be hostile, and i think she’ll be even helpful, yanno. and if there are others, she could keep ‘em in check
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Thank you, QAWSED. Talk to you later.
Hackey Mouse was confirmed dead!
Hijiribe Ruri
Who was he? Didn’t seem particularly knowledgable
Tsukumoya Shinichi
He gives off a dense aura indeed, but in this specific area he is a lot more knowledgable than I am. He likes to play practical jokes, and he is definitely obnoxious most of the time, but you can go after his information.
Hijiribe Ruri
“In this specific area”? And that is…?
Tsukumoya Shinichi
I do not believe I am the person to answer that to you, but I believe if you were to accept that invitation, you would find your answers in that place.
-
“I am going to Germany.”
Kasuka just looked at her while she was packing.
“I already said so to the agency, I’m taking some time off. I believe they are making preparations so the paparazzi will not know what plane will I board. I believe they will be using decoys… whoever this person or people I go to meet is, Tsukumoya said I’m probably better off not being hoarded by the press all the way through. It’ll be easier in Germany, I’m not that popular overseas.”
“...what is it that you hope to know from this person?”
There was no judgement or harshness in Kasuka’s tone - it was just a simple, logical question, but it made Ruri stop for a few moments, and Kasuka continued.
“If you feel like you have to go, then go. I will not stop you. But I think you should know the question you are looking for, before you go searching for an answer.”
Ruri continued moving, and just closed her suitcase, before looking at Kasuka.
“There are many questions, that I have. The name Hijiribe seemed to be familiar to that informant Tsukumoya called in, and I don’t think it was because of my fame. Maybe this person would give me some leads about my grandmother, and why is my family the way it is. Why did they did what they do to me. Why was Nebula after me. All these questions… but I think most of them can be traced back to the biggest question that was even there in the invitation.”
She stepped forward, looking into Kasuka’s eyes.
“...what am I?”
There was silence for a few moments, before Ruri continued.
“...you may not care about that. And I am grateful. But I have to know the answer.”
“...I understand. I hope you’ll find what you are looking for.”
-
Hackey Mouse
kickin’ me out? ‘twas rude, yanno
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Oh, please. Like you are not used to it.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Anyways. Do you know what is this about?
Hackey Mouse
………..there is maybe some small fuckling of a chance yes
Tsukumoya Shinichi
QAWSED.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
I did tell my client you can be trusted with information.
Hackey Mouse
wowza, untwist ur panties, no need for cross tone
Hackey Mouse
i do think she should go. and before you ask, no this ain’t one of my pranks. Romy is nice, and knows her stuff ‘bout clans. she can help her
Hackey Mouse
that said…
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Yes?
Hackey Mouse
there is someone else there where i’m curious ‘bout how will that go
Hackey Mouse
worry not tho. Romy would keep him in check either way. I’m p sure Ruri will be a’right.
-
The mansion Ruri had arrived to was huge, imposing, and way beyond the gates. She followed the GPS in her hand with the coordinates. For a while she thought, she would have to go one of the other buildings… but no. The one that she stopped in front of seemed to be the central building. So Ruri stepped forward, and to her surprise found a tiny, but modern doorbell with a speaker attached. Practical sure, but not really fitting to the general aesthetic of the area.
But she pressed the doorbell either way.
A few moments passed, before the speaker buzzed to life, and a man’s voice was heard, in german, she assumed, so she decided to try replying in English.
“Good evening. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I believe I have an invitation.”
There was static, and then silence, but a few moments later the front door opened, and a man - a butler, judging by his clothes stood there, goggles covering his eyes.
“Hmpf. Just a plebian? Why would you eve---”
“Jodo! Please don’t!”
Suddenly there was a young woman, storming forward, pushing the man out of the door - the rest of the conversation switching to rapid German which Ruri could not follow.
Then the woman - or girl? It was hard to tell - sighed, and looked at Ruri with a polite smile. She was beautiful - silver hair, and gentle face. Her clothes on the other hand didn’t seem to fit in this aestheic either. That said, she could have fit into Ikebukuro’s streets easily. Or in one of Kasuka’s goofier movies.
“Sorry for this. Jodo told me you had an invitation? I’m afraid I know nothing about that.”
“Yes… here it is.”
She showed the printed note to the woman, who hummed, while reading it over.
“And I suppose these coordinates point here, huh? I’m terribly sorry, but I really don’t know anything about this. Oh I’m sorry where are my manners?! I’m Romy. Romy Mars, I own this area. And you are?”
“My name is Hi… Ruri. Ruri Hijiribe.”
That caused Romy’s eyes to widen, and she squealed, grabbed Ruri’s hand, pulling her inside.
“Oh gosh! That’s so surprising! I never thought…! I thought all Hijiribes disappeared!”
Ruri was confused, but she couldn’t find any words to get in, and her eyes caught another figure on the stairs.
He was a boy - he was also young, with long, black hair in a ponytail, his fashion sense more fitting to a castle like this, with a black and white gothic outfit. His face was even deadly pale, dark circles under his eyes - if Romy’s fashion was reminiscent of something out of Carmilla Saizou, then this young man looked more like a tortured young man from a gothic romance story.
The man stopped, his eyes fixed on Ruri - she was used to a lot of different looks. Adoration, envy, greed, lust, even hatred - or whatever the group had on their faces, when they drank her blood. So she just stood there, and waited for the young man to say anything. Romy realised she stopped, so she followed her line of sight.
“Oh, Rudi. We have a guest! She’s…”
“...a dhampyr.”
The young man (Rudi, apparently) interrupted her, and finally turned his gaze over from Ruri. There was some weird expression on his face - anger? No, not that strong. Bitterness?
Just… resignation?
“Oh? Well, that explains… either way I’m so happy to meet someone wearing the Hijiribe name! I never could actually meet anyone of your family, though.”
“I’m sorry but…” Ruri interrupted her, looking between Romy and Rudi. “...what do you mean by I’m a dhampyr?”
-
So Ruri listened Romy explaining it all, while sitting in her living room. And Romy talked a lot, even drawing things on paper - and then made the paper stand up. It was confusing. Romy was flustered a little, smiled and said that “Gerhardt can explain this better”, and tried again.
Vampires.
After everything in Ikebukuro, and especially after meeting someone like Celty Sturluson… and after seeing what happened to Ruri herself, it wasn’t even that hard to believe. Hearing it was more weird, but Romy raised a hand and made a bat fly around. “Aiji can do this better though!” Romy said giggling, after making the bat disappear again. “My telekinesis is better.”
Not only that, Romy told her about clans - and after talking over Ruri’s memories, and Romy’s knowledge, the two of them came to the conclusion that it had to be Ruri’s grandmother who was a vampire.
A Hijiribe - possibly one of the last “true” vampires of the Hijiribe clan.
“Which means you are about one quarter vampire… huh. That’s interesting.”
“...what is? Dhampyrs are rare?”
“Not as rare as you think” Romy shrugged it off. “It’s just… dhampyrs are not as special as the movies would let you believe, you won’t find a dhampyr like that comic book hero Blade. So for Rudi to sense you as vampiric… huh.”
Ruri thought of the young man referred to as Rudi - with his pale skin and gothic clothes, he actually looked a lot more like a vampire than Romy did in front of Ruri. Romy looked like someone dressing up as a vampire, while Rudi looked like one of the main characters in vampire romance stories.
“Is he a vam…”
“Oh no! No!” Romy squeaked, looking around. “And please… don’t tell him you thought that. He wouldn’t react well.”
“So who… or what is he…?”
“...I’m sorry, Ruri, but I don’t think that is my story to tell” Romy looked geniunely apologetic. “Hey, how about we have a rest? The sun is going to be up soon, and I bet you are tired too after all the travelling! There is a lot more I could tell you, if you’d stay a while…”
So Ruri did.
-
So Romy told her a lot more. More about the Clans, and about the Organization, and the difference between the two. Told her that there were countless of other beings (not like Ruri was surprised about that), and showed Ruri her videogame collection.
Which was actually pretty impressive.
They often played, the two of them - fighting games, strategy games, racing games, Romy had them all, and she was a fun partner to play with. She even invited her to one of the Organization game nights, which made Ruri finish in one of the last places, but it was still fun.
“Yes, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry I… I will tell you about this after I get back home okay? This shouldn’t be told over the phone.”
Kasuka understood, because of course he did.
How could she even begin to explain all of it to him? Ruri knew he wouldn’t mind, even if she’d keep it a secret. He’d just say, that she shouldn’t feel pressured to tell her anything just because of their relationship.
Which is exactly why Ruri wanted to tell him even more.
“Do you think your family was happy?”
The question was sudden, and Ruri looked behind herself - and saw Rudi standing in the doorway.
She didn’t see him for the past few days, the mansion was big enough for Rudi to disappear into places where Ruri couldn’t find him. Not that she looked for him, and Romy avoided the topic of him deliberately, or so it seemed, so Ruri did not pry.
But now Rudi was there, his eyes fixed on Ruri.
“When you say my family you mean…”
“Your parents. The dhampyr and the human. Your grandparents. The human and the vampire” Rudi clicked with his tongue. “Were they happy? Where are they now?”
“...that’s kind of personal don’t you think?”
“Obviously they can’t be still around” Rudi continued on, without aknowledging Ruri’s question. “Otherwise you’d ask them about what you are. So something must have gone wrong.”
It was quiet for a little.
“I don’t know. The one I knew the most was my father, and he was human. He never told me anything that would have meant he was not happy. Why are you that interested?”
The young man frowned, shaking his head.
“I don’t get it, that’s all.”
And then he was gone, and by the time Ruri stepped out after him to the corridor, she couldn’t see him anywhere.
-
She gave in to her curiousity, and decided to look for him. Of course, first she asked Romy about this.
“Oh, Rudi…” Romy sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know how much good would it do, but… I don’t think his situation could get a lot worse either. You can usually find him in one of the libraries if he has nothing to do.”
Which was easy to say, but harder to actually do, as the mansion had countless rooms that could be counted as a library. Even though most of them was full with strategy guides for video games. Or novelizations of video games. Occasionally actual books about actual vampires. Research books? Or fiction that vampires wrote? Ruri had no idea.
And in one of the more… sensible rooms, she found Rudi.
She wasn’t sure what she expected of him, but he looked normal, sitting in an armchair, flipping through a book, taking notes.
“How could you tell what I was?”
Rudi glanced up, didn’t answer, so Ruri continued.
“Not even I knew what I was, I only knew I was different. Yet I walked in, you looked at me, and immediately knew. How?”
“So I guess our host did not tell you what am I, huh?”
“She told me that’s not her story to tell.”
The answer was a derisive snort, and Rudi just closed his book.
“I could tell, because I sensed you had something vampiric in you, but not strong enough to be a full vampire. Thus, dhampyr.”
“How could you sense that?”
“I’m an Eater” Rudi hesitated for a few seconds. “Or I guess, I was. Not like I could continue doing that now.”
“...what does that mean?”
“Why don’t you ask our hostess?”
Ruri frowned.
“I do not appreciate being sent from one of you to another. Please, answer.”
Rudi shrugged.
“Eater. Simply said, Eaters devour flesh of vampires to grow stronger. I used to use that strength I had to follow the Organization’s orders to hunt vampires they put us… me against. I overexterted myself, so I’m mostly useless. Or at least not as useful as I used to be. Now that I told you that I have a question too.”
Her head was still spinning, but then Rudi stood up, walking close to Ruri, eyes fixed on her.
“If you are just one quarter vampire, how come your vampire presence is that strong?”
Ruri took a few steps back and Rudi followed, smirking.
“What have you done? It’s not unheard of of dhampyrs deliberately using their abilities more, getting stronger. Becoming more vampiric… just like you are.”
“I…”
Ruri couldn’t finish it, because Rudi’s hand darted out, taking hold of Ruri’s wrist, quick like a viper, his grip strong on her wrist.
“You just play innocent and clueless don’t you? Your kind always does… all of you.”
She didn’t remember how she got out, she just remembered her palm colliding with Rudi’s chest, making him straggle backwards, and then Ruri ran.
-
Romy found her on the roof, and Ruri didn’t even remember how she got out there.
“The view is nice from here isn’t it?”
Ruri nodded, and didn’t turn away, and Romy sat down next to her.
“I killed people, Romy.”
There was no answer, so Ruri continued.
“I killed them. I killed them so horribly I got infamous as a serial killer back home, but most people don’t know it’s me. They…”
“Does that have anything to do with your stronger vampiric presence?”
Silence for a few moments, and Ruri slowly nodded.
“I… think so.”
“Why did you kill them? Pleasure? Fun?”
“...revenge.”
“Oh.”
After a small silence, Romy stood up, extending a hand.
“Come on Ruri, let’s go. Let’s talk. Let’s all talk.”
-
She took her to Rudi of course, who now was standing in front of a map.
“Alright. I do think you two could get a bit understanding towards each other.”
“I don’t see a point” Rudi said simply, not turning around. “She’ll leave soon either way.”
“You wanted an answer to her vampiric presence either way didn’t you?”
“I can draw my own conclusions.”
“Well, Rudi, we all know you can be wrong with your assumptions, can’t you?”
Romy’s voice was suddenly much less nice, and much more sharp, and Rudi looked like she had hit him.
“...go on, then.”
Ruri looked at Romy, who looked back at her, and just nodded.
So Ruri told everything.
About Yodogiri.
About her father.
About the rituals.
About finding out the truth from Tsukumoya.
About becoming Hollywood.
After she finished, there was an eerie silence - somewhere during her story, Rudi turned around, and looked at her, his confused expression transferring into something much more visceral, like he was about to throw up.
Somehow Ruri had the feeling that someone who used to devour the flesh of vampires wasn’t feeling sick because of the brutality of Ruri’s crimes.
“...did you feel better?”
“...huh?”
“After killing the ones who killed your father and tortured you. Did you feel better?”
Ruri looked down, unsure how to reply.
“I was never that good with emotions. I could’t go on without punishing them, but I also feel the weight of what I’ve done. Maybe one day, I will be able to give you a better answer, if you are really that interested. But why…”
Rudi turned away, and Romy touched Ruri’s shoulder gently.
“Because like you, he also lost everything that once mattered to him. And he didn’t become what he became without reason either.”
“You shut up” Rudi hissed, suddenly turning his head back, eyes hardening, his previous expression disappearing, giving way to anger. “Who was the one ultimately at fault for what happened?”
Total silence again, and Romy’s face hardened as well.
“You are justified at hating the Organization.”
“You don’t say” Rudi’s face was full of disgust now, his face ridiculously expressive. “But I’m stuck with you all now either way.”
There was no way to get anything out of Rudi that night.
-
In these days Ruri had to adjust to sleeping during the day - but she had trouble with it, and then it was hard to sleep when someone knocked on the door.
In the daylight Rudi’s paleness was even more pronounced - something was definitely off here. There was definitely a sickness in his complexion, more easy to see in the daylight that came in from the corridor.
And Rudi started to talk.
He told Ruri everything. About meeting Theo, about what happened. About Theresia and him meeting Melhilm, about becoming Eaters, turning into dogs of the Organization. About going to Groweth, and finding out so many other things. About Elsa, and what Theresia did to her. What happened to Theresia, and Rudi being dragged back. What he found out.
It was a long story, and Rudi said it almost mechanically.
In the middle of it, Ruri reached out, took Rudi’s wrist pulling him inside, so they could sit down.
Then they just sat there.
“So that’s why I asked. Were you satisfied after finishing your revenge? Would me killing Theo… make me feel better?”
Ruri had problems finding words to that.
“I don’t think I felt so much better. Killing them did not bring my father back, or undid what they did to me. I was permanently changed. But…”
“...but?”
“...I could not have moved on. I had to do something. If I could start over, I would’t know what else to do, so I think I might do it all over again. Because… when I went into their rooms, when I killed them, I was the one with the power, unlike those times when they had me tied down.”
Rudi tilted his head back, and looked up to the ceiling, without a word, losing himself in his thoughts.
Ruri didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke up, she was in her bed, covered with a sheet, and Rudi was nowhere to be seen.
What woke her up though, was shouting, and crashing.
-
She followed the voices, and she found Romy and Rudi in a room, and few crashed items around Rudi. It was impossible to tell what broke, and Romy was sighing.
“Rudi…”
“No, no you don’t. You don’t get to calm me down. You Organization, you… you knew. You people knew who Theo was, where he was, and you are responsible for him.”
“...Melhilm said you weren’t blaming the Organization.”
“I had time to think. Think. Because what else is to do? Can’t exactly go out to fight to stop myself from thinking right? For years it was simple. Be an obedient dog, follow the orders, and then you can get what you want. No real thinking needed. But now? I’m just sitting around, thinking.”
Rudi walked forward, and now, he really did look like an angry dog, almost baring his teeth, but Romy did not move from where she stood.
“And the Organization… didn’t they deliberately look for Theo to turn him? And then abandoned him. They knew he was unstable and abandoned him.”
“You can certainly blame the Organization, yes.”
“Oh, not just them” Rudi grinned, a twisted, self-deprecating grin. “I blame myself for being an idiot. I’m… I’m also mad at Elsa for not telling me she was alive after she took Theo, but I can’t ask her why did she did what she had done, because my best friend killed her, and the coffin has no memories. And then she lied to me about it, never telling me so. I have many people to blame for what happened, and I have time to think and list them all.”
Romy’s face turned almost unreadable, like a marble statue.
“I will not defend what Melhilm and Caldimir had done.”
“You are still part of the Organization” Rudi spat in disgust.
“If you think I knew anything, or most of us did, you are wrong” Romy’s voice was chilling, it was nothing like her usual, cheerful, nice attitude. “Most of us joined because we agreed with Gerhardt. Not with them.”
“Like I care. You are as bad as them either way, you are all still associated with them.”
“How do you think how did I became the last of the Mars clan?”
Romy’s voice was sharp and sudden like a whip, and Rudi stepped back instinctively.
“It wasn’t vampires. It was humans. It was humans who hurt Ruri too. You don’t see me blaming you for what those humans did, did you?”
“Well, good for you” Rudi spat. “Good for you to being able to move on.”
“I’m not telling you to move on” Romy said simply. “But you already burnt yourself jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts didn’t you? Maybe don’t make that mistake again.”
-
They didn’t talk about anything like that again, but Rudi was around more.
Even joined Romy and Ruri in their games.
Turned out, Rudi was surprisingly good at racing games, but sucked at fighting games, and Romy found this surprisingly funny.
And Ruri was sure that sometimes, Rudi had a shadow of a honest smile on his face.
-
Of course, Ruri did have to go back. She got a lot of information, and the agents were calling her, there was only so far Kasuka and her agent could stall them.
She had things to do, so she was putting things into her suitcase, when she heard a knock on her doorframe.
“So. I’m not sure if we’ll meet again.”
Ruri looked at him, and slowly shook her head.
“You can’t know that.”
“I can’t exactly go to Japan. Not like I’ll probably ever sent there.”
Well, that was true. Rudi was still strong, true, but probably more unstable than most Eaters they had. He was left behind at Romy’s mansion to keep out of trouble, like being put up to the shelf like an unused weapon.
Or a dog sent away when got too weak.
“I… hope you will find your peace. Whether it’s killing Theo or moving on.”
Rudi slowly nodded, and then suddenly there was a third voice.
“Actually, Rudi, you should pack too.”
They both turned towards the voice, and on the corridor, there was Romy, with a small smile.
“...what?”
“As an Organization officer, I’m giving you an assignment to accompany Ruri Hijiribe into Japan, and keep her safe as her bodyguard.”
Total silence, neither of them finding the words.
“But…”
“Look, Rudi” Romy interrupted him, shaking her head. “You need some time away from here. You do. You said it yourself, here all you can do is think, and have all those wounds fester. Ruri isn’t part of the Organization. You can be a bit distanced, and figure your next steps out. Of course, if Ruri has no problem with it.”
They looked at each other, and Rudi asked another question before Ruri could say anything.
“What about Garde?”
“Garde left you under my supervision. I’m sure I can convince them.”
Rudi slowly turned towards Ruri, and Ruri slowly nodded.
“I think you’ll fit in to Ikebukuro well enough.”
-
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Is there any particular reason you had an Eater come to my city?
Hackey Mouse
i did no such thing wow
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Please, don’t play stupid. I know that somewhere beyond that dense attitude, what you are capable of.
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Besides, I tried to track the invitation Miss Hijiribe got. I couldn’t follow it through all the derails and proxies. There’s only one being capable of hiding something from me.
Hackey Mouse
wowza im gonna save this that u admitted i cld trick ya lmao
Tsukumoya Shinichi
Care to answer my original question?
Hackey Mouse
a lot of reasons yanno. rudi was a headache tbh. doubs and i had a bet on how a meeting would go between the two revenge R-s yanno.
Hackey Mouse
also Romy had mentioned she didnt kno what to do w rudi sulking around her house so i was like eyyyy y not
Tsukumoya Shinichi
This would have gone horribly, so I can list a few reasons why not.
Hackey Mouse
but it didn’t! we could get them matching t-shirts! like Team Rocket shirts! bc R squad! they r all bros
Tsukumoya Shinichi
...are they really though?
Hackey Mouse
...close ‘nough. ‘sides u can look after them now, ‘cause u r not letting me into ur city sooooo~
Tsukumoya Shinichi
You are such a scheming little nuisance aren’t you?
Hackey Mouse
u say such nice things <3
-
They couldn’t hide from the press on the way back, and there were paparazzi taking pictures of Ruri walking through the airport, Rudi following swift on track, easily taking on the role of a bodyguard.
After getting to the back of the car, Ruri looked at Rudi with a small smile, seeing his face be full of nervousness.
“Welcome to Ikebukuro.”