The Vampire's Dragon

Part 5: Growing Pains

    It had been almost a week since the Scarlet Devil Mansion had entered lockdown, and things had started to sour. Remilia, Flandre and Sakuya were sitting in the main room, with Remilia holding a cup of tea, Sakuya standing by her side. Opposite her, Flandre had a pouty face, and her arms were crossed.
    "Remiiiiii!" Flandre whined. "Can we open up the mansion again?"
    "No, Flan." Remilia said simply, sipping her tea.
    "But I'm booooored..." Flan kept complaining. "And hungryyyyy. We have food that tastes good but it doesn't make me feel full at all!"
    "Flan, I've told you this before. We can't go out and get blood until we know for sure that it's safe outside."
     Flan grumbled and replied "I don't understaaaand. If anyone comes I can just make them go boom and then we'll be safe for sure, right?"
    Remilia sighed. "You know I said already that's not going to work. The person attacking us is too strong, even for me, Flan. Even for you."
    "I don't believe you. I can destroy anything! Nothing is stronger than that!" Flandre grouched.
    "Oh? And if that's so, how did you end up losing not just once, but twice to the shrine maiden and her friend?" Remilia asked nonchalantly.
    "That's not fair! They cheated! It doesn't count if you cheat!" Flan shouted.
    "Stop being petty, Flandre. They beat you fair and square, just like they beat me."
    Flan was silent for a time, then said "So you're a coward, sis?"
    Remilia's eyes shot open in a glare at Flandre. "Flandre. Watch your tongue."
    "I won't!!!" Flandre yelled. "I'm not scared! Of you, or these bad guys! You never win when we play, Sis, and you know it! I'm stronger than you!"
    Remilia's teeth clenched. "Flandre. Enough."
    "If you're so scared, you should make all these barriers go away and let me just destroy everything!! I don't care how strong they are, I'll win!!" Flandre kept shouting.
    At last, Remilia's composure broke. "Do you want Meiling to DIE, Flan?! Is that what you want? For Meiling to get eaten and DIE? And never play with you again? Never tell you another bedtime story, never plant any more flowers?!"
    Flandre's eyes widened, and her face scrunched up, tears welling in her eyes. "No...I just-"
    "Then go to your room and shut up until we're done! If you care about Meiling, then go in the basement and just WAIT!!" Remilia bellowed.
    There was silence for a time, and Flandre sniffed quietly. Remilia's eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. Before she could say anything else, Flandre looked Remilia in the eyes and choked out "You're a stupid idiot, sis. I hope you get hit by the sun and disappear. You're a coward, and you shouldn't be the one in charge, it should be ME!" Flandre sobbed, before getting up and running away.
    Remilia's breath caught in her throat. "Wait. Wait, I didn't mean that. Flan, I'm sorry! Flan, come back! Flan!!" But Flandre had already disappeared.
    Remilia set her tea down and sat forward in the couch, placing her head in her hands. "I didn't... mean it..." She whispered, her own eyes becoming wet.
    Sakuya's face grew concerned, and she sat down next to Remilia, who quickly buried her face against Sakuya's shoulder. "Mistress..."
    "I already know, Sakuya. Just say it, I must be the worst sister ever." Remilia managed, a lump rising in her throat.
    Sakuya was silent, then sighed. "I don't believe that's true, Remi. Perhaps you didn't display it in the most appropriate way, but..." She gazed up at the ceiling. "The fact that you're going this far to protect not just Meiling, but all of us - including Flan - I think you're a wonderful sister. It's clear you care about the young mistress very, very much. If you would like, I could offer some of my blood to you and Miss Flandre."
    Remilia shook her head, wiping her eyes. "No. You already do more than enough for us. We can't ask that of you on top of-" She gestured around the room. "All this. I don't know what to do other than hold out and resist my hunger. I'm hungry as well, but I can't show weakness right now. Flandre needs to see that I'm being strong, otherwise she'll start falling apart."
    Remilia's fist tightened into a ball. "Damn this oomukade!" She growled, slamming her fist on the table. "If it would just show itself already, we could figure out what to do next. But it's playing with us. I have a feeling it knows that our resources are limited, and now it's just waiting us out. Eventually, sooner or later, we WILL have to feed."
    "If I may, mistress." Sakuya nudged. "Is it really necessary for all of us to stay here?"
    Remilia's gaze turned back to Sakuya. "What do you mean?"
    "The oomukade is targeting Meiling. Therefore, there's no need for you or the young mistress to remain in this mansion. Miss Patchouli, Koakuma, and myself could remain here while you refuel."
    Remilia considered Sakuya's offer, and was about to agree, but then another thought came. "... No."
    Sakuya tilted her head. "No, Milady?"
    "No." Remilia repeated. "Meiling is a dragon and she'd still lose to this oomukade. If any of us went outside for any reason, it would be far too easy to capture us, hold us hostage, and have Meiling exchange her own life for our safety. And Meiling wouldn't listen if we told her to forget about us. She would put us first, always."
    Sakuya's expression darkened. "I hadn't considered that. Very astute, Milady... And very unfortunate."
    Remilia folded her hands in front of her, and took a deep breath. "We're in check. One wrong move and it'll be checkmate. Whoever this oomukade is, they've already thought of everything. We might ask for help from the other youkai and gods of Gensokyo, but if these centipedes are strong enough to take down a dragon, I can't think of anyone who would be of enough help. Save..." Her face drew into a scowl. "The Hakurei shrine maiden."
    "But?" Sakuya inquired.
    "If we were to seek her help, we would have to reveal Meiling's true nature to her, and her response is unpredictable. Knowing that there's a living, breathing, fully-grown dragon here, in the heart of Gensokyo? She might go to the gap youkai. Or to the oni hermit. She would certainly rid us of the oomukade, but it's highly likely she'd exterminate or seal away Meiling, too." Remilia bit her thumb. "Curses. Curses, curses, curses."
    Sakuya paused, then asked thoughtfully "Would we really need to reveal Meiling to the shrine maiden, though, Mistress?"
    Remilia turned to look at Sakuya. "Beg pardon?"
    "We needn't mention Meiling at all, to be blunt. Consider the nature of what we're up against. Oomukade eat dragons, this is true. But just knowing that doesn't automatically reveal any of us as a dragon."
    Remilia, now intrigued, asked "What are you suggesting, exactly?"
    "We know that they eat dragons, but we also know that, to do this, they possess immense magical power. I don't feel the need to bring up the relevance of their diet to our mansion at all; simply telling the shrine maiden that there is a youkai loose powerful enough to kill a dragon should set her on the right path, while not incriminating us in any way. We would simply be giving her a friendly tip. And with luck, she would tell the gap youkai. She can tell whoever she likes, the more firepower the merrier." Sakuya gave a knowing smile. "But we remain completely unrelated to the incident at hand, save for a tipoff."
    Remilia thought long and hard about Sakuya's plan. She tried to find any major flaws in it, but the more she thought, the more it made sense. "True. Very true. The oomukade has nothing to do with us. We're just concerned for Gensokyo. As an act of good faith." Remilia grinned wickedly. "Quite the intelligent plan, Sakuya."
    Sakuya bowed deeply. "You are too kind, Milady."
    Remilia stood up, and began to pace the room. "In return, we can ask for blood donations. What's a little bit of blood compared to the safety and security of all of Gensokyo?"
    "An excellent argument, Milady." Sakuya responded.
    Remilia put her hands on hips and announced "Then! It is decided. Sakuya."
    Sakuya nodded. "Yes, Milady."
    "Go now, and request the shrine maiden's assistance. Tell her to spread the word that the threat is now too great to ignore, that the very balance of Gensokyo is at stake. And that we were the first ones to notice."
    Sakuya bowed again. "It shall be done, Milady." With that, she vanished.
    Remilia stride to the window, her fanged grin growing wider. "It's time to go on the offensive. This battle has begun, and we will not rest until victory is ours. It's time to call in some pest control."