The steps on the long stairway didn't make a single sound as Yukari walked down. Despite the age of the mansion, it had held up pretty well; wood was replaced by cement and marble, candles and lamps replaced by lights and chandeliers, and various other improvements. Despite the Sarashiki's being a so called traditionalist family, they also couldn't stop the technological renaissance that came from the IS.
Yukari sighed, wearily and long. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. Every time she tried she would wake up only to find that only a quarter of an hour passed. It had been going on for a while now and she didn't know why. It wasn't like she was sick or anything, and it wasn't as if she drank coffee 24/7 like a hyperactive chipmunk on a high. So why couldn't she get that nagging feeling out of her head?
Actually, she did have a faint suspicion of what was bothering her. but she couldn't be sure. She was sure she'd had these worries before, but they never got to the point that it stopped her from sleeping or focusing on what she needed to. The maid was probably going soft, much to her displeasure.
And so she found herself here, wandering around her master's (though they actually felt like an extended family) mansion with nary a thought. Perhaps she was hoping to tire herself out till she simply fainted from exhaustion (and what a sight that would have been for some of the other maid's), or perhaps she just wanted to do something and distract the restlessness that stirred within her. Either way she was here now.
"...Cold." She shivered slightly as she felt a gust of cold wind blow past her. She partially blamed her choice of underwear; a loose sweater and a pair of short cotton shorts. Comfortable for sleeping, not so much for exploring dark mansions in the middle of the night. The fact that the entire house had air-conditioning certainly didn't help things or improve her mood.
Speaking of which, the mansion's current abandoned state was also a mystery to her. Even in the middle of the night servants and other individuals usually walked around the mansion, ensuring that not even for one second was the house ever quiet. But now it was almost empty, devoid of all life. It honestly creeped her out a bit how different the mansion felt without its usual patterns.
Unconsciously she found herself gravitating to the dining room. It was routine; she always waited there since the entire family tended to converge at the area briefly before doing their own thing. Ichika with his IS research, Kanzashi with Sarashiki business, Aria with her training, and Saito with his....projects. It was comforting in a way to see them not be completely distant. Saito once told her that he envied her family because while they couldn't spend every day together they made their time count.
It was only a couple of minutes till she found the large wooden door leading to the room. They never actually ate there, except for some rare events. Saito and Aria ate at their designated room/wing with Saito's cooking, Ichika felt more at comfort eating in eateries and various low key restaurants, and Kanzashi was usually so busy that she had meals in her room. The room served more of a decorative purpose than anything.
She opened the door quietly and tiptoed inside, sighing in relief at the warmer temperature inside. This was her safety room, at least at times when she was really stressed with the days events. No one ever came here, apart from the stray maid or two who cleaned the room, and so it was essentially another world. In here she was alone, and in here she could just calm down and think about her problems. She didn't have to worry about being judged or watched.
Until today, that is. So relaxed was she that she didn't notice the figure taking a seat across the chair she sat on till it was too late.
"...Yukari...?"
Both of her eyes opened immediately and focused on the source of the voice. She couldn't make out much in the darkness, but she could recognize that figure from anywhere, "Saito-sama, is that you?" She called out carefully.
A nod, barely seen in the darkness, "...Yeah.......it's me...."
Neither of them spoke. While her mind was going into overdrive and trying to find an explanation, any explanation, to give as to why she was here the figure across from her simply stood up from the seat and made his way to the lamp on the wall; an old accessory from an even older time. With some slight hesitation, he grabbed the match situated next to it and placed it against the candle.
Instantly, a bright yellow flame burst, covering a small part of the huge room in its golden light. Yukari blinked twice to adjust herself to the sudden change from darkness before a redness started to spread through her cheeks; Saito was unclothed, at least from the waist up. Through the dim light she could see parts of his torso arms covered in a thin sheet of bandages, most of which were sloppily put on and messy. He at least had the decency to put on a pair of loose pants to cover his lower half and some socks in place of slippers.
With that done, the bluenette sat back down in the seat across from her. Neither of them spoke a word, not wanting to be the first to interrupt the awkward silence. Eventually after a few minutes, Saito spoke the question that had flitted onto his mind since he saw her.
"....What are you doing here?" Saito grimaced as he heard the words come out of his mouth. Not exactly how he wanted to phrase it, but it would do, "I mean.....I thought you were asleep." He added lamely.
"I...I could say the same of you...." She replied back, somewhat accusatory, "Didn't Kanzashi-sama say to stay in your room till you recovered? Your injuries haven't been fully healed yet." Not that she knew exactly what his injuries were, but she imagined it would be the same as all the other times.
Neither of them were supposed to be here, and both of them knew it. Wordlessly they stared at one another before a quick understanding dawned between them. He wouldn't say anything if she didn't.
Yukari could feel another cold breeze pass through and tucked her legs into the chair, making sure to keep her knees level under her head to ensure that she stayed warm. Saito idly glanced at her before turning away, a slight redness tinging his pale cheeks at the sight of her bare legs. Usually she was a uniform that covered most of her body, and seeing her like this made him feel odd.
"Saito-sama, could you please tell me what you're doing here?"
Saito hesitated. Should he lie? It was doubtful it was going to work; he could lie a serial killer right to their face, but his friends and family could always see through his bluffs, "I was......looking up something......about that shipping manifest I found," He turned away from the disapproving stare she gave him, "....It's about slave trading.....listing people and those who.....bought them..." He defended feebly.
Yukari gave a "tsk" and sighed, already feeling a headache start to come on, "Saito-sama, I understand your concerns, but why not simply let Kanzashi-sama and Aria-sama handle this for now? You're injured and you need to wait till all your wounds heal."
Saito didn't reply, because he knew she was right. He was almost fanatically averse to asking others for help, preferring to do things by himself with no help or assistance. Aria and his mother already were in fact doing the search but he, with all his pride, refused to believe they could find everything, and that he could find something they couldn't. He hated that part of himself.
".....I know that.....I know..." A sigh and the sounds of a stack of paper falling haphazardly on the wooden table resounded over the small room, "I just....don't know what to do. .....I feel useless....I just screwed everything up."
"Saito-sama-"
"No....don't try to say I'm just blaming myself again," He grabbed his head with both hands and sighed, "I killed....the only person who could've led me to these people.....or I might as well have since he's practically a vegetable now....."
"That's not your fault," She said on instinct, "You tried your best and you saved the lives of those who were going to be sold. You're a hero."
"I'm not...." A bitter laugh echoed from his mouth, "I'm just a stupid kid who's in over his head. .....I tried to play hero....and I screwed everything up. If we can't find these people...it'll be on my head."
She wanted to tell him he was being silly, and that he was being an egotistical jackass if he thought his actions and his actions alone were the catalyst for everything. Instead she stayed silent, just letting him talk till the frustration finally left his system.
"Saito-sama, we should go back soon," She gently urged him, "Once your wounds recover you can help Aria-sama and the others in finding the missing people."
"Recover? ....That's impossible." An ironic smile grazed his lips, "It's probably karma..."
"What are you-" He held out his left hand on the table weakly, keeping it as straight as possible. Yukari wondered what he was trying to say before she saw it.
His left ring finger was missing, cut off in the middle and wrapped in a hasty bandage. Traces of blood still streaked the dull white cloth and the fingers on his hand still twitched, as if remembering what happened. She stopped and felt her throat constrict at the sight; she'd seen cuts and bruises on him before, even deep wounds at certain points, but never had she seen him actually lose anything that couldn't come back with a few weeks of healing.
"He cut it off...." He didn't elaborate on who exactly 'he' was, but Yukari didn't care, "We were playing a poker game....and he figured out it was me partway through...." He closed his eyes tightly, "He said.....he always knew who I was.....he told me that we were going to keep playing....and that I'd lose a finger every time I lost."
"What-"
"I lost, obviously," Another ironic smile, "He cut off my ring finger....and I stabbed a knife into his neck in response...." He looked down at both his hands, "....I don't even know how.....I guess I was so angry and desperate.....that I thought I had to fight back as hard as I could......"
Yukari didn't say anything. She reached for his hand and placed hers atop it carefully, gently so as to ensure nothing would happen. She could feel the younger teen's hand shiver under hers but Saito just smiled at the gesture. It still hurt even now, but he felt oddly comforted at the contact.
The two of them stayed there, for how long they didn't care. Neither of them wanted to move, to get away from the feeling of comfort their small contact gave them. By the time they they let go of their hands, the light from the lamp had dimmed and darkness was starting to overtake the large room again.
The young maid sighed and stood up from her seat, about to make her way to the door, before she was stopped. Saito was holding onto her hand gently, softly pulling her back, urging her not to go yet. He didn't want to go back yet, to remember.
She didn't know how it happened. Maybe it was his vulnerable appearance or maybe it was just her wishes, but she found herself kissing him, pushing him somewhat roughly back onto the wooden chair. For his part he simply closed his eyes and hugged her from behind, returning the impromptu kiss with earnest.
Her arms wandered around his body; from his thin arms to his bandaged torso before she stopped. She could feel something, something that wasn't supposed to be there. Hesitatingly breaking the kiss, she looked down and nearly fainted. Blood, coming from his torso bandage and hitting her hands.
"Saito-sama, you're bleeding!"
"It's...alright...." Despite the blood, he still retained the small smile, "It's just leftover blood....the wound's mostly healed already," He stared down at the bloody bandages and sighed, "I'm not going to die.....don't worry.
"E-Even so, we should change your bandages now!" Apparently, fate had decided to block her yet again. Grabbing Saito's arm quickly but gently, the flabbergasted maid pulled him back towards his room, all while lamenting at fate for once again throwing a winch into her actions.
"Thanks for helping me....Nee-chan."
"Anytime....S-S-Saito-kun."