Lucky Butlers Chapter One

It was a sunny day when the creatures were risen from their rest. Having been disturbed from such a long, peaceful rest, it was no surprise the way the masses reacted. Loud, piercing cries could be heard all throughout Kanagawa's largest cemetery, the sunlight dripping over what must have been at least thousands of awakened, sprawling beings that at one point had been human. However, having spent such a long time settling underground, gradually becoming what could only be described as a mass of snapped limbs, rotted muscles & ruined faces, there was no telling what they were anymore, let alone what they could be useful for.

The little witch who was responsible for summoning all of these monstrosities smiled to herself. It was time for these lethargic little corpses to start pulling their weight.

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Yukito's sleeping eyes flew open. It wasn't just because of the nightmare he'd just experienced, or his biological clock telling him it was time to rise. No, it was especially because his best friend had thought it a good idea to put a stray cat on Yukito's face. The cat, being wild & unused to being close to humans, reacted to this abuse by scratching poor Yukito's smooth, boyish face.

This is how Yukito woke up on this particular Tuesday morning.

As he struggled to remove the stray feline from his face long enough to find his glasses, Kite Kabayashi, the cat-napping perpetrator, just leaned back & laughed at his friend.

"Aw, Yuki, what'sa matter? Cat got your tongue?" With this comment, Kite relapsed into a fit of guffaws. Yukito just stared at his friend in disbelief. Without his glasses, Kite looked like a blur of black, courtesy of his school uniform & hair, which he'd been dying with ink since he & Yukito had been in middle school, masking its natural brown color.

At last, Yukito managed to push the cat aside long enough to grab his glasses of his desk & slide them on. Dazed, he looked back at his best friend, who still seemed overly amused at his little prank.

Yukito decided to change in the bathroom to leave Kite ample time to calm down by himself. He grabbed his school uniform & started walking down the hallway, only looking back once to check on Kite.

As he changed, Yukito couldn't think of anything but his dream. It was boggling to him. He wasn't a fan of scary movies, & as far as he could recall, Kite hadn't forced him to watch any zombie movies as of late. So why was the dream so vivid? & even more confusing...why wasn't it as frightening to Yukito as it should have been?

A knock on the bathroom door instantly broke through Yukito's thoughts. "What is it?" He asked in a meek voice.

"I wanna spike my hair some more. Lemme in."

Since he was done putting on his uniform, Yukito let Kite in. Kite immediately headed towards the bathroom mirror, whipped out a comb, & started to tease the hair on the back of his head upwards  using a sort of goo he'd put on the teeth of the comb. While he went about this grooming ritual, he seemed utterly at ease. If Yukito did anything special like that with his hair, which was a rare occurance only used for special occasions, he'd be a nervous wreck doing it.

He caught a glimpse of the two of them in the mirror. The two boys couldn't have been more different. Kite had pitch black hair & rare, enchanting gold eyes, while Yukito was an albino, with fluffy white hair he kept short so it would be manageable, & pinkish-red eyes he hid behind his glasses. Kite Kabayashi was a supposed delinquent, with many rumors about his behavior floating through every branch of school. Every now & again, middle school girls would run up to him to give him bags of cookies, which he'd refuse. He didn't care much for baked goods. Elementary school girls would ask him to walk them home, & he'd refuse them too. Yukito had once asked him why, & Kite has simply answered by saying "they're too young". But it wasn't just younger girls. Teachers liked having him in class, at least until Kite proved how anti-established he was, & high school girls thought he was cool, thought they'd never admit it, because to do that was an instant ticket into "bad-girl" status. By the time Kite & Yukito had both been accepted into Golden Plate Batora Academy, Kite was off-limits. No one liked him anymore. The reason why turned out to be pretty stupid, but it'd been so grossly exaggerated by the time of graduation that it was too late to change anyone's minds. Still, Kite never let any of the fame or ill reputation get to him, ever. He was just too cool to care.

Yukito didn't have any of that going for him. Instead, he remained a good boy throughout his whole elementary & middle school career, for the sake of his mother. Yukito loved his mom. She was an author, & more than a little eccentric, but Yukito appreciated having her near. He often had to do the cooking & cleaning for the two of them, but he was happy to do it, & he'd gotten pretty good over time. This might have been why Golden Plate had accepted him into their Service & Refinement Program. Kite didn't apply for the program, but he could decide to add it to his after school schedule if he changed his mind in a few weeks.

Yukito really wanted him to.

Kite seemed to be finished with his hair. He smiled in the mirror, facing Yukito, & announced brightly. "Let's go, then."

Golden Plate Batora Academy turned out to be a long, billowy estate of a school, with old fashioned windows, seventeenth century paintings (or at the very least, really good reproductions), & beautiful archways that seemed fresh from the palaces of central Europe. Yukito stood in awe of its buttery yellow architeture, but Kite just stood back & laughed.

"Are they for real? What's next, are we gonna be extras in My Fair Lady or somethin'?"

It was Yukito's turn to laugh. "I think you'd better get your eras straight before cracking jokes, Kite."

Kite just shrugged & went through the gates. Despite his reputation, he liked to be in school as early as possible. The two boys conversed about their hopes & expectations until the first bell rang. Class was about to begin.

Yukito felt a small part of his stomach drop when Kite left for his first class. Early on after being accepted, they had glanced over each other's schedules but found they hadn't a single class in common. At least, Yukito thought, the Service & Refinement is still a possibility. But Kite isn't interested in learning stuff like that... should just let him go on his way down the road of drifting apart but still trying to be friends...

Yukito went about his first day of school uncharacteristically gloomy, totally unaware of the little slip of parchment in his school bag that hadn't been there before the day'd begun.

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He came across it after he arrived back home, without Kite, because the orientation for Service & Refinement dragged on for too long. Kite definitely wouldn't go for something like that. Hanging out during school hours had turned out to be a hopeless dream.

At the very least, I could make something yummy for lunch & we could share it together while we talked.

Yukito smiled to himself at the idea & went into the kitchen to greet his mother.

She wasn't there.

These days, she was in the bedroom most of all. She wouldn't let Yukito  wait on her much, or take her to the doctor, but she always greeted his arrival with a smile. Regardless of her condition, Ms. Akiyama never groped for pity from her son, & she always insisted with all the conviction within her that eventually, she would be able to stand on her own once again.

Yukito loved his mother very much. If there was any situation at hand where he would have to choose between her well-being & his own, it was an easy decision for him to make. He wasn't the strongest boy his age, but he would certainly be able to carry his mother out of the house if need be. Tonight, he stroked her hair & asked her about her day. She didn't have much to say, but the conversation left a smile on both their faces.

Yukito returned to the kitchen to make dinner. Thoughts of his mother, his new school, & Kite filled his head & bounced around, competing for attention. He tried shaking his head to banish the confusion feelings in his mind, but it did little to help. He turned his attention back to the hamburger he was frying in the skillet, as if hoping it would provide the answers he sought for his problems.

A harsh slapping sound rang out through the house, the sound of paper connecting sharply with tile. Yukito looked up, turned the burner on low, & walked over to the living room table, where he had heard the noise.

There was a tiny envelope on the floor.

The paper felt sturdy in his hands, the parchment inside a creamy, friendly color. It smelled of something pleasant, but the scent was so faint it was more haunting than anything else.

Written on the folded page in a delicate script, in red ink, no less, was the following proposal:

"My dear young Mister Akiyama,

It has come to our attention that you are just starting your first term at Golden Plate Batora Academy, an institute we are proud to claim association with by our copious donations & other various contributions. You have stood out to us by your outstanding records of years past, as well as your choice to participate on the Service & Refinement Program. It is customary for us to employ at least one student a year from this program., but we have never made our annual choice so early on. The service position is your standard fare with substantial pay. We have also taken the liberty of inspecting your background & find you the candidate that would benefit most from the position. We hope you are intrigued by our proposal. If you wish to accept or discuss our terms, we will be waiting at our manor tonight. Please arrive at eleven at the earliest, though a later time of arrival is preferred. You have our humblest thanks for your consideration."

There wasn't a signature to be found, but the back of the envelope was stamped with the insignia of the Wakahisas. Yukito hadn't heard much about them, but he knew where their manor was located. Although he typically went to bed early, he mulled over the benefits that the extra money would bring. He suddenly recalled Kite knowing a bit more about the wealthy & eccentric Wakahisa family, so after dinner, Yukito called Kite & told him about the letter. Kite seemed excited & didn't find anything wrong with traveling to the Wakahisa manor at such a late hour. He showed up in casual clothes at Yukitos house at ten-thirty, & they walked through town together, linking arms for safety.

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Rumor has it that Wakahisa manor was constructed without blueprints, & built solely on the philosophy of life & prosperity. It was said that the walls, various gardens, even the furniture inside was arranged to ensure a prosperous life. Either the Wakahisas were very superstitious, or else they were afraid of death., There were several other theories, but these two were the most circulated about Kanagawa, on which they lived on the very edge of. Luckily, it was not a long walk, though the route Yukito & Kite took had some of the darkest, most suspicious roads in town. Yukito clung onto Kite's arm a little tighter until they reached the manor.

It was just as impressive as the rumors had expressed. Yukito smiled & thought of how lucky he was to have the chance to work for such a stately family.

Kite checked his watch silently. It was close to eleven, but not quite. He turned to his friend & shrugged.

"Eh, it's close enough. They'll have to let you in if they're interested. They shouldn't keep us waiting."

Kite reached out to grab the knocker when he suddenly fell down with such force that Yukito almost thought Kite had been pushed down, or maybe he'd fallen on purpose. He pulled on Kite's arm, which he was miraculously still clinging to, but a voice from behind him caused him to stop & freeze.

"You may leave him on the step. We only wish to see you, Akiyama."

Yukito looked down on Kite, who looked dazed & a little frustrated. He glanced up at Yukito & gave him a smug look that seemed to say, "I get up on my own. Just go. This is your chance." Yukito reluctantly obliged.

The inside of the manor was even more amazing than Yukito had anticipated. He'd fully expected the house to be sparse, but rigid in its decoration, perhaps with some heavy inspiration from the Shinto or Buddhist faith. Instead, the interior was very modern & European. The wallpaper was simple but seemed to have an underlying complexity in its filigree pattern. The wooden floor spread to the edge of the entryway, giving way for a plush lavender carpet. Painting of generals of all nationalities towered over Yukito as he cautiously stepped through the parlor.

"E-excuse me?" He called out, not at all confidently.

A voice, different from the one he'd heard moments before, answered him immediately.

"Welcome, young Mister Akiyama."

Perched at the top of the stairs was a woman, fairly short & androgynous despite her long hair, which was tied back in a flat sort of bun at the nape of her neck. She was wearing such an opulent robe that Yukito wondered if the Wakahisas were foreigners trying too hard to appear Japanese. Even Yukito himself didn't wear traditional clothing very often, though his mother used to enjoy sewing him a yukata for his birthday until her fatigue made sewing dangerous.

"I am Shizuka Wakahisa, the third...child...of the Wakahisa Estate. It is a pleasure to meet you." Shizuka seemed very careful with the words she was choosing, & it seemed to Yukito that she was speaking while trying to keep her mouth closed as much as humanly possible.

Perhaps she has something stuck in her teeth, Yukito thought, not at all a useful thought. He bowed to Shizuka & awaited her to further explain the terms of the proposal he'd received, but she only stared at him, almost angrily.

Tired of waiting, he took out the letter & held it up. "I was wondering--"

"That letter was not my doing." Shizuka snapped at him. Yukito stifled a yelp & took a few steps backward.

"It was mine. Sorry for the confusion, young one." Another figure walked up from behind Shizuka. It was a man this time, & he was very tall. He smiled jovially at Yukito as he put an arm around his companions shoulder. Shizuka shrugged him away.

"My name is Ichigo Wakahisa the second son of the estate. You're here to apply to be a butler for us, then?"

Yukito nodded.

"Splendid. We could really use you..."

Before Ichigo could proceed, Kite's voice cut through the room. For the first time Yukito could recall, Kite actually sounded scared.

"Yuki! It's a trap! Get away from them!"

Kite burst in through a window next to the front door, covered in what looked like slimy purple vines. He marched right up to the staircase & looked the two Wakahisas defiantly in the eye.

"Sorry but we gotta split. School tomorrow & everything. Besides," He added, looking over at Yukito, "I've got an after school program to catch up with."

Yukito was overjoyed. Everything, crazy at it seemed right now, was falling back into place, starting to make sense again.

Until the two atop the stairs slipped off their robes to reveal what could only be described as jumpsuits made of snakeskin. Having shed "her" robes, it was apparent that Shizuka was actually a boy.

& a fast boy, at that. Within seconds he was right in Yukito's face, raising a hand to strike. Yukito thought he saw something in it, but he ducked before it could connect with his face. Kite ran up to him & dragged him to safety from Shizuka, who seemed prepared to strike again, given the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Ichigo remained at the top of the staircase & raised his hands above his head. A small light appeared between his fingers, steadily glowing brighter. The calm look in his face melted away as he laughed at the expense of his prey.

"Now, you're finished! You'll never leave here alive!" & with that Ichigo flung his hands in front of him & the entire parlor went white.

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