Master's Spark 2: Lunar Blood

"Hard to miss, she told me," Yuuka muttered as she rustled through the night of the bamboo forest, prodding bamboo stalks aside with her closed parasol as she passed them by. "Princess Houraisan!" she called into the misty night air.

In the distance, a silent whistle cried back.

Yuuka turned her head to spot an arrow trailing with faint smoke, rising into the air before extinguishing in mid-flight. She followed the cloud of smoke to its launch point, bristling past the thick bamboo before the smoke could fade away. As soon as she saw the bright colors of Eirin Yagokoro's dress in the distance, Yuuka slowed to a walk, resting her parasol upon her shoulder as though preparing to make a witty remark.

"Quickly, this way," Eirin calmly requested, darting deeper into the forest before Yuuka could greet her.

With little time to react, Yuuka gave chase. Deeper and deeper she ran, following only the sound of bamboo clacking and the occasional sight of Eirin's silvery ponytail. Around one corner—there she is. Around another—Yuuka lost sight. She stopped to catch her breath, looking and listening for cues of which direction to follow as she stood with prim posture.

"Manipulator of Flowers," came a voice from behind. "You've returned."

Yuuka casually smiled, not moving. "Princess Houraisan, it's an honor to meet with you in person." She daintily about-faced to find Princess Kaguya Houraisan and her aide Eirin Yagokoro. Behind the princess hid the young Lunarian exile.

"Apologies for the run," Eirin bowed.

"I understand your precautions," Yuuka replied, gently poking the end of her parasol into the ground as a cane. "Thank you for guiding me here, Doctor. I never would have found my way here alone."

"We have chosen to live in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost with reason," Eirin dimly smiled.

"For the same reason we've chosen to partake in your services," Kaguya continued. "Has the Scarlet Devil agreed to give you the resources you require to destroy Mokou?"

"She has," nodded Yuuka. She leaned to one side to catch a glimpse of the girl behind Kaguya. "However, I must first transport the exile to her new home before Miss Scarlet will begin trading the crystals to me."

Kaguya crossed her arms in impatience. "You haven't even collected the resources for your weapon yet? I had thought the delays would be over by now. How soon until your assassination job is complete?"

"I can have the prototype ready within a week. It should sufficiently reduce your target to ash."

"One week?" Kaguya exclaimed. "Do you realize how long we've been hiding in here? I may be immortal, but I'm not letting that commoner kill me again. You..."

"Princess," Eirin cautioned.

Kaguya eyed Eirin for a long, silent moment. She suddenly turned back to Yuuka, half startling her. "Three days," she demanded. "No more."

Though it would be possible, Yuuka knew she could not undertake all the precautions she had set in place for the magical binding during that short span of time. However, she did not want to further upset Kaguya. "Of course, Princess," Yuuka assured, as collected as could be.

Kaguya pulled the child from behind her, holding her wrist into the air. "Take her then, and make your weapon. Be warned that if you do not deliver your promise, I have an eternity to spare to hunt down and destroy you."

"Of course. Please rest assured that I will return in due time, Princess." Yuuka gently offered her hand to the child, who quickly pulled her arm away from Kaguya and dashed to place her hand into Yuuka's. She looked down at the child with a blank stare before courteously smiling.

"Farewell, Miss Kazami," Eirin bowed, as though to offset Kaguya's brashness.

With a return farewell, Yuuka proceeded to walk the young girl out of the forest, following the stars that peeked above the bamboo as they led them toward Remilia's mansion.


As soon as Kaguya and Eirin were out of sight, the girl spoke. "Thank you for releasing me from them."

Yuuka eyed the girl indifferently, but soon grinned. "Were you not fond of Princess Houraisan?"

"I got myself exiled because I hated the Lunarian royalty," she nearly exclaimed. "And as soon as I got to earth, Kaguya snatches me up and claims me as her personal servant, just because she saw my silver hair. She thinks whoever has Lunarian blood is hers to command. I just want to be rid of all my ties to the moon."

In an attempt to shake off even a small weight of the conversation, Yuuka quietly laughed. "Well, now you're free from your servitude to the Princess. And if it's any additional consolation, I get the feeling your new master will acknowledge you as an honorary human."

"Really?" she excitedly responded.

For a brief moment, the cheer on the girl's face gave Yuuka second thoughts of what she was getting into by handing over this child. "I should probably tell you up front, I'm afraid your new life won't be much better than it was with the Princess." She knew that it was now far too late to break her deals with Kaguya and Remilia, let alone her final client in the whole matter, but her mind caught up with her words a second too late.

"I don't care," the child blankly replied. "Anything's better. Even serving a vampire."

Yuuka stopped in her tracks for a step. "You knew where you're going?"

"Yeah, I heard you and Kaguya talking about it when you visited last time. If I really didn't want to go, I could just escape right now." She glanced up at Yuuka's hand clasped around hers.

"Mm? How so?" Yuuka played along.

"Like this," the girl smiled from a few meters ahead.

Yuuka looked at her own hand in astonishment that she was no longer holding hers.

The girl pranced back to take hold of her hand again. "I was exiled from the moon for breaking into the palace and drinking something called the Time Elixir—I think it was something they were making in case they needed to capture the people who drank the Hourai Elixir of immortality—people like Kaguya, and that Mokou lady. At first I thought I could run from Kaguya using the elixir's power, but it didn't take long for me to figure out that immortality still beats time. After I fled the moon and she found me, I knew she'd hunt me down and find me again some day if I ever ran away again. I figured it'd be safer to stay than to run, despite how much I hate her. So now, I'm glad to free—to be anything but her servant now."

Yuuka was at a loss for words as she watched the child cheerily walk alongside her.

The girl caught notice of Yuuka staring down at her. "Really, it's okay. There are worse things than giving up a bit of blood a few times a day. And I don't want to get you into trouble, after you helped me get away from Kaguya."

Before she had met her, Yuuka had thought the child would be condemned either way, as a servant for eternity or a source of food for centuries to come. It would not matter where the girl ended up. But the girl remained optimistic, despite her position. The child was strong; she impressed her.

Yuuka reflected for a moment on her dealings with Remilia and with Kaguya, and proceeded to smile down onto the girl again. "On second thought, I believe you'll enjoy your stay with Miss Scarlet. She may be called the Scarlet Devil, but she has more heart than Princess Kaguya ever could."