Part II : The First Bit of Red

  "Does our beginning decide our end?"

  That annoying girl...

  The girl with dark hair mumbled as she rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes, the blankets pooling on her lap provided a warmth that makes anyone unlikely to get up immediately.

  She had dreamt about the events from yesterday, the girl she met named Weiss. An odd girl that has weird features that father clearly has a favoritism for.

  I don't get it.. What's so special about her?

  —Thump

  Someone had knocked on the door, Yui immediately responded to its call.

  "Coming.."

  She grumbled under her breath, her small feet dashed quickly to the door despite her annoyance. Once at the door she got on her tiptoes to reach the doorknob, opening it.

  In front of her there lies a woman that's towering over her, almost double her height.

  "Sister Dahlia..?!"

  Sister let out an amused hum and smirks.

  "Morning Yui, you know what t'day is?" An expectant gaze appears on her eyes looking down at Yui.

  She sighed as she got dragged away in the halls by sister.

  The other kids looked on in curiosity, amusement.. Mockery... Ridicule.

  "Why always me?" She grumbled as she swept the small room with a broom that towers her size. Sister Dahlia chuckled, her voice full of warmth.

  "Why not? Besides, spending time with me is nice right?"

  Yeah right. I'd rather be with that Weiss—

  The thought cut short before she admitted something embarrassing in her head with no audience to acknowledge.

  They went about every empty room in the church, cleaning them thoroughly one by one until noon comes.

  The kids lined up in a line as the sisters handed out the meal box at the canteen. The line was long but it quickly dwindled.

  The canteen filled with laughter and chatter as one by one the kids took their place on the tables.

  Like always, Yui took her share and exited the line. Passing through the other kids without much thought, sitting in the stairs beside the storage room, a place of her solace—

  Thump

  Someone sat beside her.

  "Screw off—" She cut her hostility short as she saw those big red eyes and sharp ears.

  Yui's eyes widened, pupils dilated, her presence was unexpected. A dumbfounded look appeared on her face.

  "W-what are you doing here?" She enquired, skeptical but curious nonetheless.

  The red orbs dilate and the lights swirl as Weiss looked at her like a puppy.

  Gulps

  The voice is hesitant but there's a lingering excitement beneath the waters. "Can I... Eat with you?"

  At first her instincts pushed her back to reject it, but nobody could resist those eyes.

  "Whatever.." A stern facade to hide the swirling thoughts, anyone would notice but not the girl in front of her.

  A small shriek comes in response, however her eyes had turned away in fear of the effects of her presence.

  As both were seated on the stairs, they opened their mealbox to reveal a lump of white rice with shredded fish meat and a thin slice of lettuce. The fish is grilled and seasoned with salt, though it's not enough to cover the earthy and dry texture, the rice is fresh from the cooking pot and still soft and plump.

  "Woah, fish!" Weiss' excitement met with a dumbfounded look on Yui's face, a clear disdain for the specific meal.

  Yui takes the large piece of the sliced lettuce, putting it in her left hand. Then she carefully mashes the rice to flatten it on the lettuce, quickly she grabs the shredded fish it's texture like a dry sand on her skin, the fish sprinkled on the rice and for the final ministration she wraps everything up in a ball.

  "Wow..!" Weiss gasped in awe at her creation.

  A well of pride filled Yui's chest at Weiss' reaction.

  "Cool, right?"

  Weiss nods frantically "Teach me!"

  With a stern tone like a military officer commanding his troops, Yui instructs her on the knows and hows on her majestic rice ball.

  A few moments passed as they finished the ball they had made.

  Weiss looks at Yui with scrutiny, once again her curiosity is unmatched. It's a miracle that a girl like Yui hadn't gotten sick of her yet.

  "Why are you here alone?"

  The box suddenly drops from Yui's hand tumbling down the stairs they are sitting on, the sound of the plastic box falling down against each of the wooden steps.

  When the box finally hits the lower level, the sound echoed loudly.

  "..."

  Did I... Say something wrong?

  The silence spanned for a few seconds.

  Finally, a scoffed escapes her lips, the arrogant tone returning.

  "Because I want to, duh."

  It came out a bit forced, her eyes refusing to meet with hers.

  "You like being alone?" Seemingly not picking up on her reactions, Weiss pushed through.

  "Yeah, I don't like being bothered." She spoke as she stood up and go down the stairs to pick up the box.

  "Besides, the other kids are all dumb and annoying."

  She continued to go down to the lower floor, the stairs got darker as she stepped down.

  "I see.."

  She got to the final steps down the stairs and knelt to grab the box on the floor—

  "Why did you eat with me, then?"

  Her head snapped back at Weiss, looking up the flight of stairs where Weiss sat on top.

  The lights above shine on her.

  No words came out her throat, at least for a few seconds.

  "Dunno, felt like it." Words came out a bit strained, her fists grip tightly.

  Weiss' lips widened, its edge tilting upwards.

  "Then, can we eat together again?"

  "Sure..."

  °

  The sun reaches it's dawn giving rise to the evening sun, a warm orange light casts on the church. People chattering and running in the halls filled the air.

  Yui walks toward Sister Dahlia's room to borrow some books, it's what she does frequently once every few weeks. Her mind filled with excitement to read the continuation of a book she was looking forward to. Sister Dahlia promised her she'd get it if she helped with chores.

  While on her way there, she passed by those same stairs she and Weiss had spent their lunch at, though she went there many more times than she can count. She had never gone down to the floor below.

  For some reason, the lights were on.

  Curiosity pushed her legs to move, stepping down the flight of stairs.

  Gulps

  A sense of uneasiness filled her.

  Once she got down, her head turned to the left, a long hallway with a dimmed light.

  Clunk

  Her head snapped back to see a broom that fell to the ground, the sound too loud for anyone not to notice.

  The door from the room at the end of the hallway opened—

  A man came out to check the sound only to find a fallen broom.

  "Huh."

  Yui hid in the small gaps in the wall, holding her hand up to her mouth to cover any sounds that might leak out.

  The man approaches the broom to pick it up and inspect it. Before turning their head suddenly—

  Yui ducked in response hoping the man wouldn't see her in the dark.

  After a few seconds, the man simply walked back to the room.

  Yui lets out a breath that her subconscious was holding.

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  Breathe in, breathe out..

  Gathering her resolve she got out of her hiding spot walking towards the room.

  Faint voices can be heard inside the room, through the blurry glass window she can see a few figures surrounding a table.

  A voice she recognized all too well perked her ears.

  It was father's.

  What is he doing there?

  She tiptoe to the foggy window and wiped it in a circular motion to get a clearer view—

  Lying there Weiss.

  Her face contorted and twisted in pain as the people there drew her blood.

  W-why are they doing that—

  Suddenly, she was reminded of Weiss' words that morning.

  She couldn't fathom why father would do such a thing.

  Her eyelids closed shut, yet the faint grunts and whimpers can be heard, causing a pit to be formed in her stomach—she opened her eyes once more to check, a sight she wanted to forget.

  An overwhelming instinct caused by her emotions drove her to run—

  Is it fear?

  Not even she understands.

  No longer caring about the noise, she ran as fast as she could.

  Thud thud thud!

  The noise grabbed the attention of one of the figures as he went outside to check, catching a glimpse of a girl running to the stairs.

  He wanted to pursue her but Father's hand on his shoulders stopped him.

  She ran across the hall bumping and knocking down some stuff and pushing away a boy in front of her.

  As quickly as she opened the door to her room she shut it tight.

  She leaned on the door, letting herself fall down on the floor.

  She thought the feeling would've disappeared by now but it's still there.

  Is it fear instilled by the sight? Or perhaps shame?

  Right now she couldn't do anything.

  Just some weak and powerless little girl, like she always had been.

  Her heartbeat makes things worse, her chest tightens and it's hard to breathe.

  Coughs

  Not now..

  The coughing continues, each breath she takes causing a pain in her chest, her hands covering her mouth to keep it down.

  Eventually, it slowly resided.

  Pulling the hands away, a stain of blood left on her hand.

  An all too familiar sight.

  Her head felt like it's twisting around in the air, a sense of dizziness and sickness filled her.

  Mustering enough strength, she got up and opened the door to get some water—

  The world around her distorts and blurs until her legs give out falling down on the floor.

  Her palms pushing against the floor to lift herself up but her consciousness slowly drifts away into a sea of sleep—

  A fragment of a memory painted her slumber.

  That day, where the girl had taken shelter under the church

  Her memories are hazy, not knowing how she ended up there.

  But she had ended up wandering the forest and arriving at the church.

  It was raining, the path ahead unclear as there's no light to illuminate it.

  Until a thunder struck.

  CRACKK!

  The light from it, illuminating a church. A brief shadow casts over the forests as the thunder struck behind it.

  The cold rain against her skin makes her shiver at every drop, the wet and muddy path dirtying her skirt— she approaches the church.

  Upon the large door, she knocked.

  Thud thud thud

  No one answered.

  She looked around for other ways in, yet it's futile.

  Then a bench upon the terrace of the church caught her eye.

  Without hesitation she sat on it, not a care in the world if her wet clothes would dirty it.

  The bench is quite comfortable.

  She laid her body down on it.

  Immediately her limbs felt heavy, a surge of need for rest came upon her.. Her eyelids fluttered shut.

  "Was it you who knocked?"

  A man's voice causes her to jolt upwards and straighten her body up.

  A man dawned in black religious robes and a white shirt underneath. His voice was calm and composed but not in indifference.

  She nodded.

  The man's mouth opened uttering some words that was vague in her memories, the rain, the thunder and his voice blurring together—

  It was cut short by her inability to recall what happened.

  Her eyelids opened slightly, it felt heavy.

  It appears that she had been back in her room, now laid and tucked under the sheets.

  Her head turns to the side to see Weiss sitting besides her dozing off with Sister Dahlia preparing tea on the cabinet.

  "Ehem.."

  Weiss' head snapped to the sound. And Sister serves the tea on the cupboard beside the bed. "You okay?!" Weiss took her hand in hers.

  "I'm fine." Her response is a bit too quick.

  "What happened?" Yui's voice is still a bit drowsy.

  Sister Dahlia spoke in response "Weiss found you lying on the floor so she quickly called me."

  Then she handed a vial to Yui, which she took without a thought and drank it.

  Her tongue protrudes out at the iron taste of the vial.

  "Ugh, what's this?"

  "I don't know, ask her. She gave it to me insisting that it'll help." Sister pointed at Weiss while rolling her eyes.

  "Sister!" A yell from outside caught her attention and she quickly went to it.

  "I'll leave you two to it."

  Finally, they're both alone. A perfect opportunity for Weiss to tell about the mysterious concoction.

  "It's made from my blood! I asked father for it."

  "You're joking." Her tone full of disbelief, and a sense of disgust twisting at her stomach formed.

  "No, I'm not lying!"

  Hearing that Yui felt like she's gonna throw her guts out at that.

  "Are you okay?!"

  She covered her mouth and brushed it off.

  "You sure?" Her words are full of worry.

  "Yes, can you.. Give me some space?"

  Weiss nodded without question and quickly stormed off the room while waving her hand.

  Can't believe she did that...

  Her body felt more energized than usual but it did nothing to quench the sense of disgust in her.

  The thing that she's feeling right now... Is it guilt? Frustration? Anger? Emotions and thoughts swirled but at last she brushed it off knowing that there's something she needed to do to make herself feel less bad about it.

  °

  Weiss yawns as she prepared herself to enjoy a good night's sleep, getting into her nightwear and—

  Thump thump!

  Someone knocked at the door.

  "Hey! Open the door!"

  Yui's bratty voice can be heard outside, a bit impatient.

  Weiss opens the door to see her holding a plush and a book.

  "What are you doing here...?" Weiss' words slurred and rubbed her eyes.

  Yui shoves a book at her and quickly welcomes herself inside.

  Although confused Weiss quickly went along and closed the door.

  Sitting on the bed, Yui pats the spot beside her.

  "C'mere, I'm gonna read you a story."

  "Kay.." Another yawn escapes her mouth.

  The bed rustles under their weight. Weiss, feeling sleepy, leaned her head on Yui's shoulder after handing her the book back.

  Her breath hitched slightly and looked at Weiss in a baffled expression before letting a sigh. Too tired to argue further.

  "What with this all of the sudden..?"

  "I want to repay my debts."

  "???"

  "Just let me read."

  Both are now looking at the book, on the cover there's a picture of a fairy with little wings and purple dress and a knight in shining armor.

  The Gift of Fairies : II

  "What's it called?"

  "You can't read?" She asked almost accusingly.

  "No.." Weiss looked down in shame.

  "...it's called The Gift of Fairies.. Two."

  "Two..?"

  "It's a sequel, it's hard to get ya know! I had to ask sister for a favour." She bragged.

  Weiss gasps in awe, the tone almost sarcastic.

  Yui glared at her, her gaze almost piercing.

  "Just be quick, or else I'm going to fall asleep.."

  "You have no patience."

  "Like, Yui have patience either!"

  Yui stared blankly at her awful use of her name for a joke.

  "Really? That's stupid." Clearly not pleased.

  "I'm sorry.."

  "Since this is a sequel, I'll fill you in some stuff."

  She took a deep breath.

  "Basically, there's a fairy that can give people gifts based on what they need or want."

  Weiss waited for a few seconds for her to continue.

  "That's all?"

  "That's all that you need to know."

  The story continues with the fairy providing the people of the kingdom with lots of gives. After all, that's what she was born for.

  But, one day she encountered a knight who was injured near her abode.

  She nursed him back to health by giving him medicine and a place to live, and soon after spending time together they fell in love.

  The knight admired her for her kindness and gentle nature, and came to visit her everyday. They formed a bond over their circumstances, eventually they lived together.

  However, throughout their time together the knight never once accepted any gifts from the fairy.

  One day, a beast attacked the kingdom, destroying everything in its path. The king begged the knight to fight it.

  The knight valiantly accepted. The fairy offered him a gift to help him in his battle but he refused. In the end, he charged towards the beast with courage and hope. Slaying it at the cost of his life.

  The fairy is deeply saddened by his death and loses her ability to give to the people of the kingdom.

  Days passed since then, less and less people came to her abode and eventually everyone left her alone in the forest with nothing but the painful ache of her loss.

  Yui stopped herself from reading and stared at the final page. Processing what had happened.

  "WHAT THE HECK?!" A sense of frustration filled her heart, the long awaited sequel to her favorite book ended the way she hadn't expected, not in a good way in her mind.

  "That's so stupid!! What are they think—"

  As she looked to Weiss for reassurance on her stance she only found a sleeping girl on her shoulders.

  Ugh, I was being nice but she left me hanging like this...

  She was about to leave but after seeing Weiss sleeping so soundly, she decided otherwise. Instead, lend her shoulders for her to sleep.

  "Goodnight."