Sakuya Izayoi
Legacy Name: Sakuya Izayoi

She was, originally, something perfectly ordinary.

The lone daughter of a housekeeper for English nobility, well-mannered and pretty. There wasn't a father in the picture, perhaps a bit odd-- he had supposedly left some time after her birth, and left her with questions never quite answered.

With little else to pursue given her status, she was raised to be a housekeeper along with her mother, but this was the dream of perhaps four or five years before it was tossed astray.


Her father had left her an heirloom, passed down between the oldest children of his bloodline, and on her 16th birthday, her mother revealed it to her.
It was beautiful: a pristine gold pocketwatch with a shimmering chain. To the passing eye, it held no secrets, and her mother never dared fiddle with it, knowing it was destined for her daughter instead.


But the daughter discovered something fascinating about it by accident.

Open it a little too roughly,
trace your thumb on a small button concealed on the edge,

and the whole world

simply
stops.


It was terrifying the first time, seeing everything completely static.

Toss a plate into the air and it sticks, all its momentum simply waiting to be released; you wait an hour and only you experience it while nothing else changes...

Slowly, the possibilities dawned on her, as she started time again and hid the watch away in her pocket before going on her merry daily routine.


You could finish the whole day's chores and tasks in secret, take a deserved rest afterwards, then start time again and everything would be done.

You could travel the whole world as you pleased, take a year-long vacation, and nobody would ever know!

You could get away with almost any crime, whether theft or murder or anything else!

How easy it would be, to plunge the dagger into someone's back, let it leave your hand and hang in the air, and then to make great distance and let your crime unfold without you there!


Something about that lingered with her, though she never thought of such things before.

But one thing was for sure: the possibilities and the wanderlust with them were far too great.
That next week, her life as a housekeeper was no more, and away into the cities and countrysides she went, with time on her side.


- - - >

It didn't take her long to settle into this exciting new life.

The early 1700s were a terrifying place for a vagrant young lady, but she grew clever and wily. Trusting nobody but herself, she went after criminals for bounty; while killing wasn't something she quite enjoyed, it was an extremely comfortable life with very little effort.

Eventually, her gaze turned less to human criminals and more to the supernatural.

The monsters that lived in plain sight among humans were the most terrifying of all: were-creatures and vampires and every beast of the night.
How could normal humans fight back against such things? They could handle their own kind just fine, and the young vagrant knew this, feeling the stir of a slightly higher cause in her heart.


The distance between herself and other humans, too, grew. The first few years of this life were well enough, but when three became five became ten, she noticed something: she had ceased aging entirely.

Her hair had begun to lighten, but that was nothing odd compared to reaching your early twenties and then simply stopping.
Had the watch left its stasis on her, too?


All the same, her bets had been correct: chasing down the supernatural threats at the edge of society was a wildly successful job for her. It fed her love of the thrill, solved situations that other humans had far too much trouble with, and was generally beneficial.

Nothing lasted forever, though.
She made her way to France, hearing of a particularly infamous vampire and the enclave she called home-- and couldn't resist the opportunity. Vampires were easy enough, for she could simply bring silver daggers and stakes as her weapons before getting the upper hand in an ambush!



The vampire, called the "Scarlet Devil" wide and fro for her deviousness and power, knew she was coming.

Word traveled quickly of this killer, this woman who disappeared and reappeared under the light of the moon and in the shadows of the cities. Almost too quickly, she would teleport before leaving a body or three in her path..


And so a reverse ambush was set.
The full moon glittered bright, offering its doting love and power, and in moments the fight began. It lasted just as long, shapes darting and dancing and disappearing under the clear sky, blood drawn from scratches and grazes..

It only took a split second for the vampire to gain the upper hand.
Curled red talons caught her quarry by the shoulder, followed by another set of them grabbing by the throat, with only a horrified gasp escaping.

Harmlessly, the pocketwatch bounced to the ground, skipping and rolling along the dirt before going still.


"You've caused us so much trouble," the Scarlet Devil lamented, shifting her stance as to pin a frantic right hand under her wing.
"I can't simply let you live and keep killing.
After all, we're people too.
Did you ever think about that?"

No answer, just an intent, somewhat horrified stare.
The watch was too far away for her to possibly reach now-- was she just going to die here?

"I do wonder if you ever did, perhaps..
But, you know, I COULD let you live."
She just grinned, showing off her cruel fangs.

"Would you like that? A little bit of mercy?
Maybe, if you pledged to serve my family and I... ~

Oh, it'd be so easy too, with a treasure like that."


The vagrant took in a slow, uneasy breath.

There was no question to be asked here, plain and simple.
She was being given a second chance, and to squander that was pointless.

"Then, I ask of you, take mercy on me."


- - - >

Before that moment, her name had never mattered.
She had run from her family name, and went by a thousand different whispers depending on the day.

"Haha! I knew you'd give me that answer.
Perhaps it's all just fated to be.."
The vampire stepped back, but kept her heel firmly on the watch.


"You are mine now, and as you are, you will answer to a new name.
What do you think of...~"

The Scarlet Devil paused, a smile on her lips as she pondered.

"How about Sakuya?"

It sounded strange and foreign, eastern based on the syllables-- but between the fear for her life and the compelling vampire charm, she made no argument. Instead she just rose, very very slowly, and bowed her head in agreement.
Everything had been made so clear: there was no point in fighting further.

"How cute. You'll answer to that, then."
In a sense, it was soothing to have a name.
This whole situation was anything but, of course. She was having to rethink her plans and morals and entire life plan, but just being alive was nice.

"You will refer to me purely in honorable terms until I allow otherwise.

My name is Remilia Scarlet, but to you, I am "mistress" and "milady." I'd like if you didn't stray from that."

The silence lingered as Sakuya got her bearings, binding her still-bleeding scratches and wishing her heart would quiet a bit.
But after a few moments, she finally spoke: "As you wish, milady."

Remilia almost immediately brightened up at this development, beaming with a smirk.

"There we go. Now, come along! You have so, so much to see!"


And so in just one night, her entire life changed irreversibly.

A new name, an entirely new job, and the completion of her distance from humankind.


It was made perfectly clear that if she intended to betray or backstab, she would be killed one way or another.
And yet, she was allowed her watch, given that modem of comfort and power as to not drown or break her from fear.

She toured the grounds and the mansion, met its curious residents, and began her job slow and in earnest.
One part caretaker, one part housekeeper, one part errand-runner: and it seemed like a lot, but Sakuya quickly realized that it was purely at her ease and whim, for she could rest all she needed in frozen time.

In the hours where she was alone, left surprisingly posh accommodations, she did indeed think of running.


She could disappear into the night, take a boat, vanish to the other side of the world, it'd all be very easy.
The weight of this agreement felt like so little in the moment of life or death, but now that all was quiet, it seemed so much more.

Yet this seemed so tailored to her, and ensured her safety and well-being as long as she listened and fulfilled her requests.
Would she really let such an opportunity go to waste, even when it was such a transformation?


Lingering at the window, Sakuya glanced at her reflection in the glass pane.
Her hair was brilliant silver-white, stained by the magic of the watch.

She had turned 63 a month ago, but she looked nothing over 20.

There was no option but to embrace this.


- - - >

To accept an entirely new life overnight is no easy task.


She had begun to come to terms with herself and her nature, and how that drew a line in the sand between her and others, but this was something entirely new.

Every night, she faced a different challenge.

To simply learn the twists and turns of the manor was a chore all its own. Remembering how to address everyone was quite easy, but figuring out their mannerisms, schedules and natures required a little more study. Running errands, such as fetching resources from human society and keeping an eye out for any potential threats, was nothing new for her, but a busy task nonetheless.

After all, she didn't crumble in the sunshine or the heavy rain, and so Sakuya was swiftly finding a sense of responsibility that she had never imagined.


All those things were easy compared to her greatest hurdle: procuring and preparing meals. While vampires could live very happily on blood alone, it was far easier for them to have food crafted with not just blood, but flesh and muscle and organs as well. This was only more pertinent when Remilia's younger sister, Flandre, was not only a vampire as well, but also got extremely messy and violent when just given a corpse to drain blood from.

Simply put, prepared food was necessary.

"It's only meat, it's only meat," Sakuya repeated to herself, time halted all around her as she pulled corpses in on tarps. She didn't look at their faces, she didn't let herself think about the lives they must have lead: they were only meat now.


Perhaps it was fortunate that she had hunted human criminals before.. but that didn't silence her hesitation when she took up a cleaver. Killing was easy, even thrilling and exciting if she cared to ponder that-- but butchery? Actually processing the corpses of those she killed? Kind of horrifying even when she suppressed her thoughts and feelings.

Yet, she didn't stop. Something in her mind saw it as another challenge, another task to fulfill, another part of the job she had taken on. It made her stomach churn and her breath stutter, but there was no turning back.


You are not one of them anymore, she repeated over and over in her thoughts. Perhaps she was in body, but in behavior and in spirit, it was something she had to discard.

After all, humans were mere prey to vampires.
Sakuya wasn't about to let herself be mere prey, not when she had been accepted as something greater.



- - - >

The years began to drift by.
Unfettered by time, they were soon joined by another companion, an information-hoarding witch by the name of Patchouli, whose dry wit and intelligence rapidly endeared her to the Scarlets. Though the resulting, explosive growth of the manor's library was just another cleaning task for Sakuya to master, she took it in stride.

The longer she worked and lived here, the further and further she fell away from her origins and humanity as a whole. After the thirtieth time, finding humans to kill and butchering their corpses was no longer strange nor horrific to her, but just another task to be done.


In a sense, it whispered to the thrill of the fight and the hunt that lingered in her heart. It had always been so exciting to her, back when it was for justice and moral right..

And what little else to awaken that whisper than the companionship of vampires?

Their bond had started purely professional, cold and a little judgmental as she got her footing in this new life.But along came five years, then ten, and Sakuya was soon a trusted member of the family.
She had become more than just a caretaker, a cook and a maid, but a close friend to Remilia-- who began to oblige more and more in sharing her life and interests. The two began to consider art and literature and poetry in long quiet hours, critiquing this and discussing that. Sakuya was soon the one to act as a grounding presence for Remilia's playful and silly whims, although she would facilitate them as much as possible in her desire to please.

The less refined side of the vampiric coin came with Flandre, who, being both younger and less stable than her older sister, proved a challenge for Sakuya to figure out. Having had an incredibly messy transformation into a vampire, the younger Scarlet was not only stuck forever as a child, but had far greater strength and destructive power than Remilia-- and far less restraint.
Despite her habit to act on instinct towards humans, she proved precocious and darling, accepting Sakuya as a caretaker rather quickly. Mercifully, establishing boundaries and setting ground rules was fairly easy with Remilia's help.. but if anything continued to be able to shake Sakuya, it was an upset Flandre.

From all this, her life began to come full circle. For the first time, Sakuya stopped preparing her own personal meals, and just ate what she made for the rest of the family: the salty, metallic tinge of human blood in her mouth was just another thing that began alien, only to be normal the fifteen time.

The irony of it was not lost on her, but any agonizing over the situation fell on numb thoughts: there was no point in all that.


She was no longer prey to what stirred in the dark--
but a predator to what she had once been.

And somewhere, softly, that love of thrills and the fight and the kill had woken up all at once.


The streets of London would never forget the string of brutal murders, and the figure, dancing in the shadows, that conducted them.

Sakuya could only laugh at how she purposefully wrote in the messiest hand possible, leaving notes and letters in her wake. "Jack the Ripper", that was her pen name, the name that the terrified masses clung to-- for her, it was all good fun, an exercise in never being caught.

What a monster she had become!
And yet, was it not justified, and perhaps even valiant, to provide for a family this way?


- - - >

Despite her comfort and self-confidence only settling in more and more as the years passed, time brought danger with it, as well.

From the secluded shelter of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya watched the human world with caution. With the dawn of the twentieth century, political unrest was starting to burn wild through all of Europe.
Vampires were already incredibly persecuted creatures, but what if all of this escalated into downright war? There was no escaping that kind of thing if you lived anywhere close to it, no matter who you were.


A solution rose, not from the Scarlets or Sakuya herself, but the clever and resourceful Patchouli-- who knew of a powerful being who could warp space and move entire buildings without issue!

"Then go ahead," Remilia said, putting her hands up helplessly.
"As long as she doesn't damage the mansion and as long as she drops us off in a place where we can live, by all means!"
There was an annoyed note to her voice, but everyone knew that it was just resigned acceptance.

"I'm certain that we could relocate further east, but that would involve having to move all of us together.." Sakuya cast a glance at the one empty seat at the table. Flandre wasn't one they usually included in their big important conversations like this, it was just unneeded stress for her.

"I'm all for Patchouli's idea."

The witch just smirked, slowly rising to her feet in her typical sleepy style.

"Surprise, it will relocate us further east.
In an incredibly rural spot in northern Japan, to be precise--"

"Rural how?"

Patchouli was far from done talking, and simply gave Remilia an annoyed frown.

"Rural, as in, it's magically closed off from the rest of the world.

But it has a thriving human population, too. It's all incredibly well-managed, in fact. It's perfect for all of us."


And that was that, with no good enough complaints to be leveled. Patchouli disappeared to the depths of the Voile, her gigantic library that took up a good fourth of the mansion, to start her summoning rituals and suggestions.

In no less than six hours, the scenery had shifted entirely.


One moment there was the forests and distant, distant shapes of human civilization... and the next, the thriving woods of an island surrounded by a lake. Beyond the water's distant edge, rolling hills and greenery was all to be seen.

The sky was completely clear, no smog or rising steam from factories to obscure the moon.


- - - >

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

After the initial excitement had died down, Remilia lingered on one of the outdoor balconies. Sprawling out ahead was the lakefront, its surface illuminated by the play of fairies, almost brightly enough at times to match the stars in the sky.


Sakuya took a few steps closer before lingering at her mistress's side, watching her for a couple seconds before turning, too, to the scenery.

"I suppose, but isn't anything both pleasant and safe?"
Her thoughts were definitely a little more on the side of functionality, that was for sure. But being just a bit paranoid was kind of her job.

Remilia laughed, stretching her wings a bit. One of them lightly touched Sakuya's shoulder with its thumb, coaxing her closer.

"Well, you aren't wrong, but, oh, it's so nice.

It's not polluted at all by cities and their filth, we won't ever go hungry, and the only way people can ever disturb us is if they took a boat or flew! Isn't it just perfect?"

Sakuya drew a slightly anxious breath as this enthusiasm made for more physical contact, her shoulders lightly grabbed.
But there wasn't any glancing away from that delighted expression, the adorable pointed fangs shown in a smile, those gorgeous red eyes.

Even after living her life as something beyond a human, that vampire charm still just bewitched her.

"It really is.
To imagine having this, after the life we've lead-- that you've lead, even--"

Was that simply a common destiny for a vampire? To run and run from persecution, to struggle for safe haven until your luck came around?
They had spoken of it so many times.

"I don't think there's anything more to ask for."


"I can imagine a few other things," Remilia giggled, one of her hands sliding to Sakuya's cheek. Her claws were wicked-sharp, yet were perfectly gentle in their restraint.

"Will you dance with me, Sakuya?"

That kind of request was rare yet precious, something that captivated her heart every time she was asked of it. Every so often they would acquire a new something for the record player, and Remilia would take it all in by asking for a dance. While music wasn't unheard of in the mansion, when Sakuya had honed a talent for the violin in her spare time, dancing was something so much more.

"I'd love to, milady."


They both slowly broke from the balcony, and she waited for Remilia to make the first move, calling Sakuya a little closer. The two of them came together in common waltz posture, a hand on the shoulder and a hand on the hip, with the less typical addition of wings held loosely behind their owner.

Then to and fro, and back and forth, that exchange of steps that began uneven but rapidly synchronized. Every so often the traditional set of steps broke as Remilia playfully twirled, all laughter and sharp-tooth smiles, before convening again, and Sakuya did her best to keep up.


Their pace began to slow, never erring from its perfect sync but instead being drawn out.

Was there anywhere else she had ever belonged more?
She didn't want this moment to end, for it seemed to stand for everything she ever wanted.

At the same time, there was no point in stopping time here, not when she wished so dearly to see what came next.


For Sakuya, personally, there was no knowing what that was, for Remilia soon broke sync and came to a stop.

Again she reached out to touch her maid's cheek, but this time closed the space between them even more, mere inches apart.

"Do you know, Sakuya, how much I love you? Do you?
Because I do... so, so very much," she whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

It all happened too fast for her, no chance nor excuse to stop time and ponder on it.


Yet those words struck like nothing else quite ever did, startling her into a soft gasp and a shiver of broken confidence. She returned the kiss shyly at first, gentle and yielding to it like she would any other touch.. only to gather herself and return the passion behind it.

Sakuya knew she was cared for, that she was wanted, but these past years had left her uncertain with these feelings. She was in no place to press that question, even when those feelings left her wondering and wishing for something.. but here she was now.


Oh, to be loved.
Oh, to truly belong.


She, too, was a monster, and she couldn't be happier.





~~~~

Credits

Profile, overlay edit, story and pet by Marine!

Character concepts & setting by ZUN / Junya Ota.

Character art and some profile resources are from
the fighting game Scarlet Weather Rhapsody,
a Touhou entry by ZUN & Tasogare Frontier.