"A very fine evening today." The girl in front of me said with a smile, attempting to start a conversation.

I did not respond for the moment and continued to pretend to be busy in my phone, sitting right beside the entrance. I was supposed to talk with that girl sooner or later, afterall I needed to show her my credentials to be able to enter. The time was two in the afternoon when I got here, and now it already turned six in the evening. The situation turned out be much more awkward than I could have imagined, mostly due to the fact that I was the only one there now, not even security remained, having already checked me thoroughly they headed for other duties.

"Your attire is quite professional, all black clothes under an all black trench coat, they must have being exclusively made for one such as yourself." The girl made another attempt at conversation, her fifteenth attempt as far as I remember.

The auction was to start at five, which from what I could tell, was exactly when it started. The receptionist was also being obvious, not even trying to hide the fact she was simply trying to make friends with me for business and financial purposes. While my reason for avoiding conversation was not to avoid that, it did not mean I would accept any offer from her, such things were not of my interest afterall.

My phone vibrated in my hand, alerting me of a message. It was a file, sent by an unknown number. I smiled as I checked the file, remembering simply how much I hated working with others. Getting up from my position I showed the receptionist my phone and fixed my trench coat, making sure my shirt and pants were also fine while she checked my credentials.

After she returned my phone I walked in, entering the auction hall. It was the most well maintained structure in the neighbourhood, all the other structures on the verge of collapsing. It seemed a very fitting for all the large number and variety of criminals the place housed, the auction having been hosted by one of the bigshots of the place.

There were many rows of chairs arranged neatly in front of a raised circular platform. On the platform stood a man, and a girl, handcuffed with a cloth tied around her mouth. At a podium to the side stood a bald old man, the host of the auction from what I remembered.

As I took a seat near the end the host struck the hammer, announcing the finalising of a bid. He gestured the man on the platform to leave. The man did as he was told, pulling the girl behind him, who followed without any retaliation. She was dressed quite well, mostly so there would be more buyers.

I let out a sigh, trying to calm my nerves as the host walked on to the platform. He gestured to someone to the side and nodded as he walked to the edge of the platform. One of his assistants handed him a microphone, walking out of view right after.

"Gentlemen, since we have been for quite a while now, I believe it would be very fitting to bring in the main attraction of this auction, one many of you may have heard of." He announced as he slowly paced around the edge of the platform.

I knew some details of this main attraction, which was everything my acquaintances could inform me of. It was a girl with strangely colored hair and mesmerizing eyes, all the information I possessed, not much to say the least. Knowing about them beforehand didn't aid me much either, it mattered little to me.

The girl walked onto the platform, led by one of the assistants. She was different from the others however, not only due to her hair, which was mainly pink with strands of white and black, but due to her size. Based on her height anyone could guess she would be four or five at most, and yet it was easy to tell there weren't many here who cared about that fact.

The girl stood near the host, her hands tied by a rope as they were too small for cuffs. Her mouth was free however, most likely due to an inability to speak. The host placed his hand on her back as he pulled her closer and more to the center, allowing all the people to get a better look. Her eyes showed only little signs of fear, not having much life in them to show emotions.

I attempted to stabilize my breathing as the host talked about the girl. As he grabbed her hair and pulled her back, his own head recoiled to the back, a jet of blood spraying out of his forehead. There was a collective gasp, along with many screams as all eyes turned to the back of the stage, staring directly at me. I realised I was standing now, my hand outstretched, holding my pistol, having acted subconsciously on pure spite.

"Well," I mumbled with a shrug, "guess we have to do this the hard way."

Before anyone could react I shot the person nearest to me, the gunshot ringing throughout the hall. It did not surprise me there would be armed guards, and so I turned my attention to them as they flowed in through the entrance, shooting them one by one as they entered. After I shot the first two the rest stood right outside the door, sneaking glances inside. I shot one on the head as he peeked to the inside, causing the rest to move away and seemingly turn their attention to something else, gunshots audible on the outside.

Turning my attention back to the 'buyers', I smiled on realising there was only one escape path, other than the doorway I myself stood near, and it was too far for them to reach in time, being on a corner towards the stage, in clear sight from my position. One of the assistants stood there already, attempting to open the locked door. I shot him, the bullet landing on his back and causing him to writhe in pain on the floor. It was the door to the room the girls should be in, and so it surprised me that it was locked, but it could have been to make sure none of the girls attempted to escape and so I chose to focus on those around me.

After a short while of thinning the numbers with my pistols and starting to run low on bullets, I turned to using a tactical knife. Everyone was running around in panic, only the little girl standing still on the platform, in clear view from any place in the hall. She raised one of her hands and pointed to a corner a bit behind the platform as she looked towards me, and I understood what she meant to say.

It would've been about thirty minutes, maybe a bit more before everyone in the hall was dead, the military entering the hall just then, having secured the area and eliminated all targets.

"You were to wait for us to arrive," The commander reminded me as he looked around. "Good work either ways."

I did not pay him much mind however, something else needed my attention more than him for the moment. "Are you alright?" I inquired the little girl, who still stood on the platform, not having moved the entire time.

She wore a pink glittery dress, reaching down to her ankles, not very easy to walk in from the looks of it, more so because children of that age can't balance very well. A white bandage was wrapped around her right palm, going halfway up her forearm. She nodded after staring at me for a few moments.

I placed my hand on her head as I crouched in front, smiling, one of the gentle smiles I practiced to reassure people. "You are safe now, nothing to worry about," I whispered to her.

The girl nodded again, still not speaking, though she did not seem greatly traumatised either. Since she was safe now, the only question which remained was, what should I do with her? I could try to find a new home for her, many parents usually are willing to take in children that have suffered such fates. I could send her to my orphanage with all the others who have been through similar things, but I doubted an orphanage would be very helpful for her to recover from her trauma, more so considering her very young age.

As the person who saved her, there was the possibility she would feel safer around me, and so I felt like I should ask her about what to do. Sending her back to her parents was one of the options, but on the more impossible sides. Finding someone's parents was extremely hard afterall, more so when that person ends up in an entirely different continent due to such people.

"So, how do you feel?" I questioned.

Even though I did have two daughters, one five years old and one six years old, it did not mean I knew how to talk with children of this age group. Both my daughters were oddly mature for their age, a welcome surprise, though it gave me less chance of actual parenting. There were all the rescued kids I have conversed with over the years, but none were under the age of ten, and the difference between a four year old and a ten year old was high.

I could not discern any of what was going on behind those differently colored, her left being pink and right being blue, a similar dark blue as my own. Her pink eye and hair also reminded me of a certain person, and I knew very well that certain person would not mind what I planned to do.

"Are you done?" The commander inquired. "I believe you are aware why I am asking you this."

"Yes, I know." I answered, lifting the girl in my arms as I stood up. "I will be taking my leave then, let me know if there is any help you need."

"What about the girl?" He questioned.

"I plan to take her with me, try to find out about her parents to return her home." I answered as I placed the girl back on the ground. "If I don't find her parents I will try to find another family willing to take her in. In the scenario there aren't any, I could always adopt another kid." I again lifted the girl in my arms, having readjusted how I was holding her so to not hurt her accidentally.

The commander nodded and allowed me to take my leave. Outside, I entered one of the military vehicles, and was safely escorted to the city and to my hotel. They dropped me off a short distance away from the hotel, to not arouse any suspicion. I returned to the hotel, and made my way back to the room. The receptionist did not seem bothered or concerned by the girl with me, even though when I left earlier I was all alone. I could guess this was a somewhat common occurrence from his carelessness, a concerning guess.

Placing the girl back down, I opened the door and entered the room, the girl following behind me without needing to be told to do so. Her eyes surveyed the entire room as I helped myself to some water, offering her a water bottle as well. She did not take it, simply stared at it till I tapped her forehead with the bottle.

Hesitation to accept any items from anyone was common in people who have been through these things, along with not speaking at all, it did not come as a surprise to me. Due to her being even younger than most, I doubted she would ever be able to recover completely, but I could only do what I am supposed to and hope for the best.

After a meal, she seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep, her eyes barely able to stay open, though she was yet to speak or point it out to me. It was already eight in the night, and I needed to reach the airport by six in the morning, so it seemed like a good idea to me to sleep. After laying her down on the bed, I sat in the chair, my head resting in my arm as I attempted to sleep, having gotten used to sleeping in such positions due to constantly being on the move.

My sleep that night turned out to be unusually calm and peaceful, a good sleep, not the sort I was accustomed to when on a mission. When I woke up, my eyes first spotted that the girl did not appear to be on the bed. It took my body a while to realise the weight in my lap, which somehow didn't wake me up the moment it was placed, a very unusual thing for me.

The girl appeared to be sleeping peacefully, though her face barely gave signs of any emotion. I sat there for a short while, questioning whether I should let her sleep a little longer or wake her up. It was nearly four in the morning, it will take an hour to reach the airport, and reaching there about half an hour before time is usually a good choice.

There wasn't anything I needed to do before leaving, my bag was already packed, not having been unpacked since I arrived here, and the girl was already dressed well enough. I only needed to buy her a pair of shoes for the way and she would be mostly fine till we reached back, after which I could worry further about her basic needs.

When the girl showed no sign of wanting to wake up even after about fifteen minutes I shook her awake, after which I helped her wash her face before leaving with her, my bag slung over my bag as I walked through the gate. The military already took care of my commute, but the car supposed to escort me to the airport was to arrive at four twenty-five, and it only turned four seventeen when I exited the hotel.

As there appeared to be some time left, I decided to buy shoes for the girl so to not keep her standing barefoot on the footpath. The town mostly seemed asleep, but many shops were still open, the owners appearing to be using them as their place to stay. Walking over to the shop which appeared to sell shoes, I asked the girl to pick a pair she liked while I woke up the shop owner.

It was a fairly old man, his white curly hair on his head and white beard contrasting his black complexion. He wore a sky blue shirt with a pair of white jeans, sleeping on a bedsheet spread on the floor in the back. It didn't seem like he was afraid of his shop being robbed, or was simply used to it. He woke up violently, quite reasonable considering that I was intruding his shop.

"Who? What do you want?" He exclaimed on being woken abruptly, startling the little girl I guessed from the sounds of some shoes being knocked down. He got up on the noise, looking directly towards the little girl, standing innocently in the middle of about five pair of shoes scattered around her, and a tilted rack. "What do you think you are doing?" He yelled, causing her to close her eyes and clasp her hands over her head.

"We are here to buy a pair of shoes for her." I explained, stepping between him and the girl. "I am sorry for her mistake, I can pay for any damage that's been done."

"You better," he spat, "that's a very expensive rack."

It appeared to be an ordinary rack made of metal bars, not very expensive, and it did not seem damaged, only slightly tilted from its position, mostly due to its placement on a broken tile as well. However, I did not mind having to pay a small amount of money, which totalled to a hundred and ten dollars, for the 'damage', and the pair of shoes she found and wore while I was waking the shop owner.

They were shoes that would be expected by a kid to wear, just her size, mostly black with pink and blue linings, the tongue of the shoe in the shape of a teddy bear. They seemed comfortable, even without socks, which seemed like a crime in my mind, but I allowed it since I didn't find any place where I could buy any socks for her.

After returning to the hotel's entrance, I entered the car with the girl, a simple black SUV, nothing that would draw too much attention. There were two military officers except the driver inside of it, in the backseat, wearing casual clothing. I sat in the front seat, beside the driver, the girl sitting in my lap because she refused to sit with the military officers.

Nothing of notice happened from there to the airport, or even till I entered the plane. There were certainly many curious glances to the girl's strange appearance, but she didn't seem to notice them, or mind them. While she did not mind the glances, I felt the urge to punch the eyeballs out of some skulls, something I couldn't due to being in public.

She passed through pretty quickly, not requiring a passport or ticket due to my passport and credentials, even though I still chose to pay for her ticket, as much as I paid for mine. The girl did not seem very hungry right now, and there wasn't much time before the flight, but still I decided to only buy some snacks for her to eat during the long flight.

In the airplane, her awkwardness seemed the highest, due to her having to walk through so many people, and so close to them. At a few times when anyone got too close she seemed on the verge of tears, though she did not cry and only pressed herself against me. When we reached our seats, she sat by the window, leaving aside any awkwardness and looking out from it, as any child would.

The number of people on the flight seemed to be very low, a large number of the seats empty. Luckily for me, there were no little kids who cried through the flight, there having been one on the last one. That crying child on the last flight nearly convinced me to take a parachute and jump off the flight, which I did not, though I sat in the pilot's cabin for half of that entire flight. From the pilot's expressions through the flight it seemed clear that my presence made him consider taking a parachute and jumping off the plane, but luckily he didn't, otherwise I would have needed to do the same.

As for the girl with me, she simply stared out the window the entire long flight, not even touching the snacks I bought her. A waste of three packs of cookies and two packs of chips, and a bottle of juice. Surprisingly to me, she did not even need to use the restroom the entire flight, or since I found her, something I found greatly strange.

The flight, by no means, turned out to be a pleasant one. Having to sit in the same place for thirty hours did not happen to be my activity of choice, or the girl's judging from her restlessness. Luckily, there were novels I saved to read later when I found myself with nothing to do, which were downloaded in my phone.

The girl seemed occupied by looking outside of the window nearly the entire time, even when the plane landed on it's three stops on the way. She ate only when the flight attendants offered the food, and I told her to eat. Even with the snacks, when I explained to her that I bought them for her and she could eat them, she ate all of them by the time the flight reached Tromsø at long last. I reminded myself to never fly in a commercial flight for such long distances, at least not for a mission requested to me.

It was much the usual procedure while leaving the airport and making my way to my car, one I spent quite a large amount of money on, afterall I always wanted a car which looked great and could go very fast, even though I rarely received the opportunity to hit high speeds.

The base design of the car was heavily inspired by the Bugatti Veyron, released just around the time I turned eighteen. The difference being while my car looked similar to a Bugatti Veyron, it was heavily modified for performance in a rough terrain, tight turns, and even to withstand heavy damage. Having been changed much from the inside out. Along with that, to have a large back seat, as wide as the car at that place, nearly enough space for two adults and a child in the back.

All of these modifications to the original design did come at the cost of speed, something I did not mind. It's top speed fell from over four hundred kilometres per hour, to just around three hundred and fifty kilometres per hour, though it won't need to hit it's top speed in any condition or place I could possibly be driving it. One of the many things I owned which I liked very much, mainly due to owning such thing being one of my many dreams. The very reason I did not mind going a bit over the top when coming up with the designs for this thing, and getting it modified.

After strapping the girl's seatbelt in the backseat, with my backpack placed in a small compartment behind the backseat. By now I have gotten used to the temptation of accelerating above the speed limit, and so I did not even think of doing so through the entire drive. The drive was smooth and steady through the city, and out of the city. Having a house in the city would have been nice, more so due to the ocean being just beside it, but a larger house a short distance away seemed more peaceful to me.

My house, a fairly big mansion, having been built in the forest not far from the city or the hillside, also required an entire road leading to it. This however, was not something I paid for. The mansion, built many generations ago, was constructed during the time of the oldest known person of my bloodline, about a hundred and fifty years ago. Back then it was a sign of wealth, but it soon became a lot more than simply wealth.

The sky was completely dark, no sign of the sun even though it wasn't very cloudy. It seemed to be night, even though the clock barely passed midday, the date being thirty December. It certainly piqued the girl's curiosity as she stared to the sky nearly the entire way. The girl arrived at a fairly decent time to witness one of the few abnormalities of living close to the earth's poles, the time commonly known as the 'Polar night', a time when the sun doesn't rise for about two months. The time ranges based on latitude however, increasing as we go closer to the poles.

The mansion became visible from a short distance away, being three storeys high. The tower attached to the mansion became visible long before the mansion itself, being nearly fifteen stories in height, serving as nothing more than a simple watchtower. Spanning a massive area of the forests, with fences and walls built across the perimeter to keep out wild animals and intruders, it was certainly massive, bigger than even I could ask for.

Apart from the mansion and watchtower, fairly old styled with certain more modern design improvements on the inside and outside, the outside of the mansion mostly consisted of orchards and gardens of flowers. There were several animals which did live in these gardens and orchards, not pushed outside as these were some of the few sources of food which remained for them in winters. There were even stables built to accomodate the animals which might need shelter during harsh winters to survive.

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Entering the gate of the mansion I drove my car to the garage, having called the head of the servants in advance. The garage was a fairly simple one, built under the ground, easily accessible by stairs from inside of the mansion or by the roadway on the outside. Parking my cars beside one of my father's Lamborghinis, who also happened to share the same interest in fast cars as me, I retrieved all my belongings and led the girl towards the stairs.

The head of the servants, Earl Henderson, a trusty old man, waited by the stairs for my arrival. "I see you have brought a guest," He observed, inspecting the little girl with his wrinkled but experienced eyes.

"Yes, after seeing her appearance I didn't think I should just leave her be." I shrugged as I removed my backpack from my back.

"You may need to rephrase that, sir." Earl recommended with a bow.

"Come now, I don't have the time to be childish right now." I chuckled as I opened my backpack. "You are very aware just what I meant, you are thinking the very same thing afterall."

"It does draw much attention, just like her." Early pointed out as he stood straight again. "Still, I must say, there are other things which might need your attention more than she does, I hope you did not forget."

"I am very hurt to know you don't trust me to remember my own wife's birthday." I sighed as I retrieved a small cuboidal box from my bag.

"I wish you the best of luck, Madam has been awaiting your arrival for a long time." Earl bowed. "May I see to the girl or do you wish to take her there along with you?"

"I would prefer to introduce her to Fi first, she is sure to take a liking to her near instantly." I answered as I started up the stairs, holding the girl's hand.

"Are you certain she won't freeze by then?" Earl questioned. "Your clothes might be warm despite being somewhat thin looking, but hers do not appear to be that way." He pointed out as he adjusted his glasses.

"Right..." I sighed as I eyed the girl, realising her attire was not suited for cold weather in the slightest.

It still surprised me she didn't say a word or even shiver the entire way, even though it happened to be negative ten degree celsius. Even as I looked at her just now she did not seem bothered by the cold weather in the slightest. It certainly confused me, more so considering the girl's slender and somewhat weak body. Even as she held my arm just now I did not feel the slightest amount of pressure on it.

"Shall I fetch Miss Kristine to attend to the matter?" Earl inquired as he prepared to walked by me and up the stairs.

"Yes, and take her along with you to Kris. Come fetch me when she is ready to meet Fi, I will be doing some remaining work till then." I commanded as I slung my backpack over my shoulders again and walked back towards my car.

The girl followed Earl, even though her eyes were focused on me as she walked up the stairs. I knew there was nothing for me to worry about, as strict as Earl might appear at first glance, he has proven his ability in handling kids, having taken care of me whenever my parents were busy, along with Fi and Kristine.

I sat back in my car and placed the box at the front passenger seat as I retrieved my laptop from my bag and opened it. All I needed to do was a simple mail, and then wait for the report. After typing the mail I sent it to the intelligence officer I usually worked alongside, a guy named Flash, usually called Thunder by his friends due to his loud nature and blonde hair. As much of a fool as he seemed when I first worked with him at the age of thirteen, he has proven to be quite worthy of my trust over the years.

I waited for the report while reading one of the novels I was yet to finish, but already started while on the plane. The plane's landing interrupted me not far from the ending, and a phone call interrupted me once again not long after I made some progress. Surprisingly, it happened to be from Flash, a rare occurence, more so when I ask him to check a person's background.

"What happened?" I questioned after accepting the call, my bluetooth earphones already connected to my phone for music.

"I have good news and bad news, which one first?" Flash inquired, seemingly eating from his way of speaking.

"The good news." I replied as I checked my mail.

"Well, good for you, the girl has no criminal records," Flash announced in a cheerful voice.

"I did not even expect a little kid to have criminal records," I sighed as I rested my head in my palm.

"I once knew a kid whose criminal records would put many mafia to shame," Flash pointed out.

"Tell me the bad news or I will fly to there right now and add one more to the list." I replied coldly, not seriously meaning it, something he also understood by now.

"Okay, okay, the bad news is, she has no records whatsoever." Flash announced with a sigh following a beep in the background. "I found nothing of where she is from, who she is, who her parents are, how she ended up there, anything. From what the military uncovered from there those people bought her from a group of 'smart people'."

"Her parents sold her?" I questioned, knowing how inhumane it would be, but not disregarding the possibility.

"No clue, the note says 'group', if it said pair I could have concluded that, but that is all the information we have about her." Flash concluded with a sigh.

"Not having any records limits the possibilities by a lot, but it's still too many to make a reasonable guess." I mumbled as I racked my brain.

"The military also found records and information about their past accomplices and partners, they will arrest all of them, then we will have them transferred to a prison over there, then you can question them yourself as you see fit."

"Very much appreciated." I replied as I closed my laptop and placed it back in my pack.

"Must be nice to be above the government for many things," Flash sighed.

"I am not above the government technically, I don't decide what they do." I corrected in a stern voice, having gotten tired of this conversation.

"But they can't decide what you do either, unless you break certain world peace laws and do things without any explanation, which no one in your bloodline has done so far." Flash exclaimed, getting up from his chair from the sound of it. "You are basically a superhero without the recognition and cool suit, and everyone in your bloodline has basically been a superhuman, along with you. I don't think I need to give you a list of your achievements, clearing out entire bases of armed hostiles without as much as a scratch, infiltrating criminal hijacked planes and ships and clearing them out entirely. You literally live the dream of many people, with the power and courage to not turn it into a nightmare."

"A blissful dream till you realise you might be stronger than average, even faster, but your body is not different than any ordinary person's. All it takes is one bullet to the heart or head, and even the strongest people will die," I reminded.

"Who knows, maybe you will live even that, considering your hatred for those type of people, maybe you will return as a ghost to haunt them. You know till your father's time, your family worked for political purposes as well, but you strictly keep to missions related to violation of human rights. It is understandable after what happened to your sister but still." Thunder continued, having sat down again.

I did not say anything, simply stared into the distance. There were many who would expect this to be a good life, being able to earn millions while clearing out criminals. What most did not realise were the types of twisted things you will find out when you go down this hole. The only thing which convinced me to also take this path was the kidnapping and later death of my younger sister.

My father died even before then, and so I was simply powerless to protect her, being just around ten years old. I received training from my father since the age of five for continuing this line of work, even though I rarely ever took it seriously, but there on I worked only for this purpose, till I discovered the news of her death.

"Well, much happens in life." A voice sighed from to my side, startling me. "My apologies for the sudden appearance." Earl bowed as he opened the door of my car.

"How did you even hear that?" I questioned.

"Hear?" Earl echoed. "My apologies for intruding in that case, I simply believed you were dwelling over the past, a past which you are working to not let repeat, neither for you, nor for anyone else."

"Well that would require decades, maybe centuries of work, I might not even live that long." I chuckled as I hung up the call and fetched the cuboidal box from the passenger, allowing Earl to take the bag.

"Perhaps one of your daughters will finish that work for you." Earl pointed out as he slung my backpack over his right shoulder and followed behind me.

"I would not want to introduce my adorable princesses to such a horrifying world." I sighed as I walked up the stairs, securing the box in my belt under my coat, not a very comfortable decision, but it worked for now.

"Your daughters seem rather interested in such a world, more so considering how the younger one treats her dolls, and her accuracy with those toy guns, it rivals your accuracy when you were twelve, and she is just five." Earl informed with a shake of his head.

"Thanks for letting me know to not try to run if I make Sapphire mad, otherwise she will shoot me down like a hunter hunting a hare." I laughed as I reached the top of the staircase, Earl right behind me.

"I implore you to remain quieter now, lest you alert madam of your presence and ruin your own surprise." Earl bowed as he now led the way.

The mansion's interior was a mix of medieval structural design with modern elements, the smooth wooden walls with paintings of scenery showcasing LED lights. The mansion seemed much like how it used to before, maintained very well by the servants who lived here, most of them having been raised here even. There were many which went to far away places to start their own lives, but many stayed as servants. Their salary usually allowed them to buy most of which they wished, many of the fairly expensive cars in the basement garage belonging to some of the servants.

Earl led me right to Kristine's workroom, a place rarely visited by any other than her. It still was not unusual for it to become a very lively place during important occassions such as today. Earl opened the door, revealing a large room, a desk and chair in the corner close to the door, racks of fabric and other equipment arranged neatly on the opposite side of the door.

The back of the room, seperated out by a large sliding door, only accessible by females. It was the changing area, or as Kristine preferred to call it, 'the dressing area', mostly because she and other maids helped try on dresses Kristine made for certain occassions, or to simply put them on, my simpleton wife having failed to do such by herself several times.

Earl knocked on the door, alerting those in the back of the room of our arrival, all the voices in the back dying out near instantly. The sliding door slid open only slightly as a girl slipped out before closing it behind her. Her dark brown hair with strands of dyed white and black was tied into two buns on the top, the rest of it hanging freely behind her. She wore a glittery dress with full sleeves under a thick coat, both of a similar color palette, her leggings, barely visible under her long dress, being completely white in color.

"Welcome back, master." Kristine bowed stiffly, a normal occurence for her.

"Thank you for the greeting, though it was unnecessary," I replied politely. "So, is she ready?" I inquired.

"Almost, just a few more minutes, we just got a bit distracted halfway." Kristine responded, glancing down at the ground.

"I am fine with that, as long as she doesn't mind, which considering many things I believe she might." I reprimanded as I placed my hand on her head, reaching the same height as my chin when she stood straight. She closed her eyes with a sigh as I lightly caressed her hair. "You of all people should know that," I sighed.

"I am really sorry, I should have stopped them." Kristine replied before turning around as there was a slight giggle. She walked to the sliding door after bowing to me, opening it and walking in before closing it behind her.

After a few moments of awkward silence, four other maids walked out as the sliding door opened again, closing shut right behind them in an aggressive manner. They smiled awkwardly at me as they walked past me and Earl, knowing very well they weren't going to get out of this easily.

"I assume I should assign some of the others' workload to the four." Earl inquired with a bow.

"Yes, do just that, and you may attend to your other duties now." I sighed, looking out from the window behind the desk at the dark outside and falling snow.

"I shall do just that then, madam should be in your daughter's room, playing along with the two," Earl informed before leaving.

Kristine did not take much longer than a couple minutes, sliding open the door and walking out with the girl. The girl seemed a bit different, mostly due to her long hair being styled to reduce how low it reached, now only hanging till her knees, tied into two pigtails reaching till her waist, a strand of braided hair hanging over her shoulder, near the front.

Her outfit consisted of a thick black shirt, black pants, without any designs, and a pink glittery coat with layered sleeves. The three layers of sleeves patterned differently, glittery reddish-pink flame patterns near her shoulders till a bit above her elbow, watercolor pattern of black and pink from her elbow till slightly above her wrists, a multi-colored color print from her wrist down, the sleeve covering her hands entirely. A black bandage wrapped around her right palm, going up under her sleeve. The clothes did seem bigger than her size, but she didn't seem to dislike them.

"She looks adorable right?" Kristine squealed as she placed her hand on the girl's head.

"Yes, very much so." I chuckled with a nod, knowing it was fairly rare to see her somewhat immature side, or her obsession with cute things, one which someone I knew could relate to.

"I also bandaged her minor injuries, and tried to wash off her hair dye, but it just didn't come off." Kristine informed with a bow as she went to her carefully sorted equipment racks. "I also suggest calling a doctor, there was a fairly painful looking injury on her palm, the one which is bandaged right now. It did not seem like those people took very good care of, I also fed her some cookies in case she was hungry, which I guess she was because she ate ten."

"You did a lot in a short time." I pointed out nervously, knowing she was a fast worker, and a hard worker, a terrifying combination.

"I have practice by now, and she is awfully cooperative, which I don't suppose is necessarily a good thing in such a case," Kristine sighed as she turned to the girl.

The little girl did not seem to even be paying any mind to our conversation, she stared out of the window into the sky. There was much unknown about her, and her pink hair, which did not seem to be dyed, only made me more curious about her.

Setting my thoughts aside, I left with the girl, leaving Kristine to finish up any of her remaining work. I led the girl up the stairs, being careful to not make any sound, which the girl didn't either surprisingly, not even of footsteps. I didn't see anyone along the way, and so following the hallway I reached the door right next to the door of my room, the room of my two daughters.

I did not open it however, as I could hear quiet whispers from the inside, instead I went to my room. The room appeared as clean as it did when I left it. Two drawers set beside the massive bed near the center of the room, a wardrobe and vanity table at one corner, a bookshelf on the opposite. The bookshelf contained many books, some plush toys, a rubix cube, and two controllers. A sixty-five inch TV mounted on the wall in front of the bed, a table right below it with many drawers.

To the side of the tv was the door connecting the two rooms together, a change in the design I requested after my daughters wanted their own room not long ago. It came in handy in an unexpected way many times. I opened the door open slightly, just enough for me to be able to peak through and see in the other room.

The room was similar in size to mine, two seperate beds placed at slight distances opposite to the door, a vanity table between them. A drawer sitting next to each bed, not far from the wall, a wardrobe in a corner of the room, near the other door, a bookshelf right beside it. On the opposite side, there were sofas, a table set between them and a tv setup similar to the one here in front of them.

On the sofa, I noticed the bright pink hair, hanging off the armrest. It was easy for me to tell who the hair belonged to, having known her for six years. Leaving the girl in my room for a minute, I sneaked into the room and made my way to the sofa, the soft carpet muffling any sound my footsteps could have made. Everyone sitting on the sofa completely unaware of my presence continued to do what they were doing, completely quiet by now.

After reaching the sofa, I looked at the three who sat on it, too absorbed in reading a book to notice me standing behind them. The pink hair resting on the armrest, belonged to my older daughter, Crystal, just as I suspected. Sapphire sat on the other side of their mother, having inherited my black hair and blue eyes, while her sister received her mother's pink hair and eyes.

I clasped my hands on the sofa's headrest, alarming all three. Crystal and Sapphire simply turned to me, the look of fear turning to happiness as they realised it was me. Fi, on the other hand, was startled enough for her to get right up, resulting in her leg knocking into the table, the femur making a knock sound as it collided on the edge. She clasped her leg as she fell on the other sofa, clutching it close to herself.

"When did you learn teleportation," Fi groaned in pain as she turned slightly on the sofa, her pink glittery dress hanging off it, her white leggings and socks being visible till her knees.

"I am sorry," I whispered as I lifted her up and hugged her.

She returned the hug, embracing me tightly with both her arms, parting with a light kiss on my cheek. By then, both Sapphire and Crystal were also up, unable to hide their excitement on seeing me. Crouching down I hugged the two and patted their heads as I got up with a sigh.

"I hope you weren't expecting to celebrate your birthday without me," I said as I walked to the door to my room.

"That is a thought which has crossed my mind many times, but well, what can I even do." Fi sighed, her voice cracking as she tried to speak in a plain voice, suppressing her laughter.

"Maybe I should have taken Kristine's offer," I sighed as I stood at the door.

"What?" Fi exclaimed in alarm.

I shrugged as I turned to her with a smile, causing her to burst into giggles. Sapphire and Crystal sighed, attempting to copy mine, something they liked to do, copying what I did, or what Fi did.

"Anyways–" Fi flicked a lock of hair behind her– "do you have any gifts for me?" She inquired, a childish glimmer in her eyes.

"I do have gifts for you, two in fact, which one would you like to have first? The one which is in this room, or the one which is with me right here."

"Which will I like more?" Fi questioned as she lifted her finger to her lips and tilted her head.

"Probably the one in this room." I shrugged, hoping to be correct.

"Then the one in that room first." Fi demanded as she walked around the sofa into the open area in front of the beds, Crystal and Sapphire following right behind her.

I pushed the door open and walked in, not having to look for the girl as she stood right where she did before. "Well, ready to meet some new people?" I whispered as I placed my hand on her head and led her in view of the others.

She peeked in front from slightly behind my legs, nervous from the looks of it. Fi noticed the girl, just as Sapphire and Crystal did, the two exchanging confused glances as Fi tilted her head. The girl tilted her head similarly, looking right at Fi with a curious glow in her eyes.

"I don't remember having a third daughter," Fi mumbled, half to herself.

"She most likely isn't your daughter, just another person with pink hair, just like you, the reason unknown," I informed as I gestured the girl to walk forward.

Hesitantly, the girl complied, walking a few steps ahead into the open. Fi clasped her hands around her mouth, Sapphire and Crystal doing the same, though it wasn't clear if that was their actual reaction or they simply copied Fi. Fi walked over to the girl, crouching down and looking directly at her. After a few moments of inspection, Fi embraced the girl, patting her on the back as she did.

"Did you find her where I think you did?" Fi questioned, the pain from her past memories visible on her face.

"Yes, I did." I answered, retrieving the box from my belt as it really started to cause me discomfort at this point.

Fi embraced the girl more tightly, clearly not planning to let her go anytime soon. "Can I... Have her?" Fi requested, using her most convincing look with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, that was what I intended to do, if you two don't mind having a new younger sister." I informed as I turned to Sapphire and Crystal, not wishing to cause them any trouble.

"She is adorable," Crystal gasped, still clasping her mouth.

"I can kill for her," Sapphire added, both of them having given their opinion.

"No need to go that far." I chuckled nervously, knowing Sapphire was a bit too knowledgeable for her age, not failing to scare even me with her evil plans, or her realistic view of the world.

"What about the second gift?" Fi inquired after a few moments, being back to her normal cheerful self.

"Right here," I said as I handed her the box.

Taking the box Fi opened it without any delay, gasping with fascination on seeing the contents. Crystal and Sapphire also let out a gasp as they edged closer to get a better look. Even the girl looked at it in awe, letting me know that I picked a great gift.

"This is a beautiful flower," Fi gasped as she picked it from the box. "It almost feels like a real flower."

"It might be, I bought it from a florist after I left. He said it was a very rare flower, and I decided to take it, becuase of how beautiful it is though, not due to it's rarity." I recounted my experience of finding the flower, having known Fi would love a flower she never saw before as a birthday gift.

Fi inspected the flower's black sepals, blue and pink veins running through them. The flower possessed twelve petals, dark blue near the centre, fading to a reddish-pink towards the edges. It looked quite magnificent, and it was clear Fi took a liking to it. As she was done inspected the flower, Fi looked back and forth between the flower and the girl.

She placed the flower in the girl's hair, securing it near the left pigtail on the girl's left head. "This really adds to your charm," Fi smiled as she patted the girl's head.

Just like that, the strange girl became a part of my family. She seemed very hesitant to even move from her place at first, but she slowly became more comfortable with everything. Leaving her in Fi's care worked really well as the girl near instantly took a liking to Fi within a couple hours, who was insistent on adopting the girl. Sapphire and Crystal supported Fi as well, not that I opposed that decision either. Earl offered to take care of the paperwork the next morning, saving me much of the trouble.

A third bed was placed in Sapphire and Crystal's room by evening, placed right by the sofas, which Crystal moved to, allowing the girl to have the corner bed as she seemed to like it more. She seemed younger than Sapphire and Crystal, and not knowing her birthday or age, Fi's suggestion was accepted. The suggestion being to make this day the girl's birthday, along with Fi's, and go with the best guess of her age, which was barely four.

Even after all of that, some things were yet to be decided. While sitting at the dining table, Fi's birthday cake placed in front of her and the girl sitting in her lap, Fi realised something we forgot to do. "Do you know her name?" Fi questioned as she turned to me, after blowing out the candles and just about to cut the cake.

I glanced at her nervously, my face letting her know the answer to her question. No records on her whatsoever meant no name as well, and the records found from the location did not have any name either, otherwise Flash would have informed me of them.

"So am I allowed to name her?" Fi inquired enthusiastically.

"Sure, if she likes it I don't mind." I shrugged, knowing very well there were no records of her at all, so I didn't hope to find out her actual name any time soon anyways.

Fi looked at the girl, her hand resting on her chin as she racked her brain to come up with something. She named both Crystal and Sapphire based on their eyes, both having fairly shiny crystal-like eyes. She even came up with 'Sapphire' only because she already named one as 'Crystal'. The girl also possessed bright shiny eyes, differently colored at that, pink on the left and blue on the right, meaning Fi was going to have a hard time coming up with something.

After several minutes of thinking Fi nodded. "I thought of one."

"Go ahead." I beckoned with my hand for her to continue.

"Kesshō." Fi announced with a smile as she poked the girl's face. The girl didn't seem to mind the name. I already figured out she understood everything being said, and so how she reacted to her new name was important. "Kesshō?" Fi called, hovering her hand slightly above the girl's head. The girl turned slightly and looked at Fi, tilting her head quizzically as she did.

"Seems like she understands, and likes it too." Fi smiled as she patted the girl's head.

"Yes, but still..." I sighed as I rested my head in my palm. "I probably should not have tried to teach you Japanese, only gave you more ways to use the same name."

"It sounds good though, and it fits her, and she likes it," Fi argued as she embraced the girl.

I rolled my eyes, knowing very well it was no use arguing. The name in itself was good, and it did fit the girl. My only problem was the fact that it was a Japanese word, which meant 'crystal', which also happened to be the name of my oldest daughter.

"Now, my birthday is also her birthday, isn't that adorable?" Fi squealed.

I rolled my eyes at her, both my other daughters doing the same, being familiar with Fi's habit of losing her composure around anyone or anything that she finds cute, the two of them having been through it several times every single day for a long time.

The girl seemed fairly neutral to all the changes in her life, not really seeming to know what to think of them. I simply planned to do my best to make her life better, something I could tell Fi also planned to do. There was also much that I needed to find out about her past, which could wait however, nothing that I could instantly about it.