Chapter Twentyone: Worker Bees

Akatsuki leaned against the rumbling cart, his ear against the wood listening to the clop and click of the horses as they moved across the cobbled road below.

"Miss, will you be trying to sleep again? It's quite a ways to the academy." It was the same girl he had woken up to in this world. "If not, I -"

"What's your name?" Akatsuki asked; the fog from his dream slowly lifted, leaving him clear-headed again. He had realized he hadn't learned her name. He had ignored the worker bees that seemed to buzz around the manor, allowing them to do their jobs without interference from him. He had been fussed at quite a few times for preparing his food and even dressing without help by the maids, and yet he knew none of their names. He looked up, escaping his rabbit hole of thoughts, only for panic to clench around his heart.

The girl was trying to hold back, sniffling and wiping tears before they could fall down her cheeks. Akatsuki tensed up, wide-eyed and confused. He started to speak, but the maid spoke up first.

"You lost your memories, so I didn't want to…." The girl was never good at articulating her words, but it seemed especially difficult for her when crying. She took a deep breath, calming herself ever so slightly. "You don't even remember my name?" It was more of a statement than a question. Akatsuki felt a nagging at the back of his mind that pulled him towards the young girl. She cried, trying to explain further, but it simply came out as sobs. He quickly switched seats sitting next to the girl and holding her to his chest, and letting her cry. He did not know this girl, nor her name, yet he knew this would help as if it was something he had done dozens of times for her. It was a strange feeling for someone who avoided any form of affection that wasn't to alleviate his needs.

'Best friends,' a small girl's voice echoed in his head, followed by laughter that seemed to disappear into the distance. Suddenly it all made sense, even if the answer sent shivers down his spine. Ever since the party, two things had started. The nightmares began, and so did the voice. The voice of Ashley von Blanc giving him slight hints or simple statements echoed through his head like an ancient gong. At first, Akatsuki had figured that due to loss of sleep, he was hallucinating. However, magic existed in this world, so why couldn't ghosts?

Akatsuki felt his throat dry as the prospect of being haunted sunk in, but luckily the maid came to the rescue like she had so many times before. She pushed herself away from his chest, wiping the tears from her eyes. Akatsuki smirked at the splotchy red that covered her face. She was young but quite pretty to a girl next door. If she had lived In the modern world, she would have had quite the high-school romance. In this world, however, most had at least this level of beauty. The ambient Mana in the air made many things commonplace in this world. Most mortals had a bit of beauty due to the mana correcting what Akatsuki assumed were DNA errors. Hell, if this world even used DNA. Genuine magic users like his mother and father were essentially disease-free and lived far longer than earth's norm.

After the maid got her bearings again, she grabbed Akatsuki's hands, taking him out of that little world that was his warring thoughts.

"Lilac Katz, it is nice to meet once again, my Lady." The maid, no Lilac, bowed her head with a bit of deference.

"As-" Akatsuki started, but it seemed Lilac was only pausing as she did between thoughts.

"Although my father is a viscount, if only in name, I guess I'm Lady Lilac?" She seemed to be more asking herself than anything else. Her eyes widened as if she realized Akatsuki was still in the carriage. "Not that I want you to start calling me Lady, we never have in the past, and I don't want to start now." Akatsuki smiled kindly.

"It's very nice to meet you, Lilac..." Akatsuki gripped a bit tighter, hoping she wouldn't cry again.

"And yo-" This time, it was Akatsuki's turn to interrupt. He held up a finger as if he remembered something important.

"My Lady," Akatsuki smirked, and Lilac's face went a bit red. She softly beat her baled fist against his shoulders in protest, and Akatsuki found the entire thing cute as the carriage plodded along towards their destination.