La Vie En Rose ~An IZ*ONE vampire story~

Witches, familiars, and pets

*Flashback*

When Sakura was a child living in Japan, her parents enjoyed holding large dinner parties with friends and colleagues.

On a few occasions, she could play with other vampire children, but most of the time, she'd just be present to shake people's hands and eat some food.

At one party, she had fallen asleep out of boredom. All the kids were playing outside and the adults were conversing amongst themselves. She laid against the couch holding a teddy bear.

While she was napping, a young woman wearing a red robe walked in, kneeling down and patting little Sakura's head.

"Little princess," she whispered. "Wake up."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was a crest on the woman's robe. It was a symbol she had seen before; the crest was of four different colored roses intertwined by thorny vines.

It was the mark of the Rose Council.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan."

Sakura yawned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Who are you..?"

"My name's Yui," the woman introduced herself with a kind smile. "Why aren't you playing outside with the other kids?"

"I got tired, so I went back inside... But mama and papa are busy, so I decided to play by myself. But then I got bored and decided to take a nap."

"A cute princess like you shouldn't be by yourself. I'll play with you."

Yui opened up her spellbook, whispering a spell as a red aura surrounded her hand. She held her hand out towards Sakura's teddy bear, causing it to stand up and walk on its own.

Sakura gasped, her smile widening as Yui made the teddy bear dance.

"That's amazing! You're a wizard, onee-san!"

"I appreciate the comment. But I'm just a vampire who's skilled with magic."

*End of Flashback*

Sakura held a crystal pendulum in her hand, letting it swing and circle around the spellbook as it examined the aura around it.

While she was doing that, Nako was listening to music, and Chaeyeon was conversing with Minju.

"So, Lee Chaeyeon, why don't you tell me your story?"

"Huh?" Chaeyeon raised a brow. "My story?"

"Yes. You were once princess Sakura's lover? What brought you back to this place?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. All that I know is I somehow turned back into a baby after I used my powers to save Sakura's life. My mom was a witch, too, but she doesn't practice magic anymore."

"So, up until this point, you've lived a completely normal human life."

"Exactly. But then, I came by the mansion one day, and I felt this strong sense that I was supposed to be there. That's when I found Sakura and Nako."

"I see. So, are you planning to resume your past life with the princess?"

Chaeyeon's eyes widened, her cheeks flushing. "N-no no! I mean... I don't have any of my memories and I've only just regained my powers... I don't know if I can at this point, but I feel that the least I can do help her find her friends so she can get back to living her life."

Minju chuckled. "Love is a mysterious force of nature."

"Done," Sakura said, setting down the pendulum.