A/N : My absolute favourite pairing in the whole of Vampire Knight. It's versatile for anything! Tragedy, violence, humour...Enjoy!
For dearest YenGirl, who asked for something lighthearted!
"There's a mermaid in the water!" Little Alix pointed, scrambling up from the picnic mat and peering into the river.
"Nonsense. Mermaids don't exist. And nobody goes swimming at this time of the year, it's too cold! Now sit down and finish your sandwich."
"But, dad –" Alix was about to insist that she was right, but suddenly the mermaid was gone! She frowned, then decided she had merely seen a large fish. Dad was right, after all, it was nearly winter, and it was far too cold to swim!
Hanabusa Aido dove deep down, almost to the sandy ground, and wove through the water at a rapid pace, hands in front of him to streamline his body, and, when he was sure he was out of the human family's sight, surfaced for a breath. Following the river's current, he had swam too far downstream of Takuma Ichijo's private estate, and a hiking family must have had chanced upon his form. Unwilling to arouse any sort of attention, the boy had, upon spying the child looking in his direction, immediately about turned and headed back up stream.
Hanabusa resumed his plunge to the riverbed. He stayed longer this time, scraping his belly over the rocks smoothened by centuries of attrition, hair stroked into a flaxen fan by the speed of his passing. The sunlight shattered into diamonds of warmth on the muscled planes of his body and tinted his body with its ruddy hue as the young vampire broke through the water in a gleaming arc.
Hanabusa's body curved back into the water and slid hair first through the surface again. The young ice lord was no less beautiful on land than he was in the water, sliding and twisting through with a grace nothing short of ethereal. He sped through the water with wonderful speed, thrusting up and through the currents in splendid form – legs together, hands ahead, strong and swift, up and up through the winding, foaming snake that made the river. He dove over the underwater ridge that marked the boundaries of the lake around Ichijo's estate and pulled over to the lake's edge.
Aido was about to get out of the water when he saw, with some shock, a familiar dark haired man sitting on the river bank, looking at him.
"Kuran-sama?" Aido said blankly, taken aback by the picturesque view Kaname made even in casual attire, resting one hand on one raised knee and stretching his other leg in front.
The pureblood smiled wryly, with a sort of understated, admiring approval in his gold flecked gaze, and Aido was at once acutely conscious of the water trailing down his back and chest like liquid diamonds, the golden helm plastered flat to his head and neck, and, rather awkwardly, of the single piece of clothing he was wearing – a pair of shorts.
Kaname's grin widened indolently as Hanabusa suddenly sank to his chin in the water, having bent his knees; he was decidedly uncomfortable under Kaname's apprising contemplation, and had sought the water's translucence for some semblance of protection. The blonde boy felt his insides curling inexplicably at the undivided, almost rapacious attention he was receiving, for under most other circumstances, Hanabusa would have no qualms flaunting his perfect body, whether in the presence of male or female, family or friend.
"Kaname-s-sama, I..."
Then there was, amidst the discomfiture, the quiet heat of pleasure Hanabusa always associated with Kaname's praise…though this, of course, was different.
"Kaname-sama this is highly inappropriate but could you..."
"Pardon?" Kaname asked, although he had heard the last words, softened as they were in Hanabusa's embarrassment.
"Ah…could you…mmmm…" Hanabusa squinted at Kaname's feet, mumbling the same few words, still hiding his body under the water.
"I didn't catch that, Hanabusa…"
Hearing his named purred to that dark, honeyed rumble, Hanabusa felt another thrum of heat spreading through his body. Knowing damn well he had been heard, and unsure of how he was suppose to react, Hanabusa frowned and peeped up at Kaname through his lashes. Kaname's shoulders were suspiciously hitched, some indication of laughter brooking in him, and Hanabusa's blonde brows deepened in some distress.
"Get out of the water, Aido," Kaname ordered. The intensity of his command was no less forceful in its quietness.
A clearly unbecoming wrinkle jumped into formation on Hanabusa's nose, and he felt a hot blush explode in his cheeks. The muscles in his back tensed like bow strings, and Hanabusa felt an inexplicable, wordless protest bubbling in his throat. But Kaname was waiting, and so Hanabusa straightened and took the few steps to the bank, climbing up easily and taking unusual care not to splash too much water. He went almost immediately to his left, where his shirt and pants had been chucked earlier.
"No, leave those…" Kaname patted the grass next to him, and Hanabusa, even more out of his depth, sniffed uncertainly again, trying to affect an air other than self consciousness. He sat down at Kaname side, resisting the urge to squeeze the water from his dripping hair.
"Seeing you swim is enough to take my breath away," Kaname murmured. Now Hanabusa's ears and neck were stained with red. He had heard that same compliment numerous times, and always acknowledged it with a cocky grin, but put in such a way, from such a person, Hanabusa felt like pulling his knees up to his chest and hiding his eyes with his hair; the distinctive urge to behave like a schoolgirl did nothing for Hanabusa's state of anxiousness. He settled for staring at his ankles, which were folded underneath him as he sat cross legged.
"Whatever are you so anxious about, Hanabusa?" Kaname asked. Now Aido groaned softly and really did pull up his knees, hugging them for whatever scant comfort they could provide.
"Hanabusa?" Kaname was looking at him for an answer.
"This…not proper," Hanabusa mumbled into the space between his knees.
"Oh? Why not?"
"Not…wearing…enough."
There was an amused silence, and then a low snigger. Even Hanabusa, abashed as he was, couldn't prevent a shy grin at this confounded situation. There was nothing to prevent him from putting on his clothes, only a few feet away, yet here was suffering in a state of almost nakedness, and…and Kaname was ogling him.
Hanabusa raised his head from his knees, laughing more strongly now, and saw Kaname grinning at him, obviously even more amused at Hanabusa's uncharacteristically bashful behavior.
"Kuran-sama…Hanabusa?"
There was a moment of confusion. Then, recognizing the voice with horror, Hanabusa's head whipped around so fast he felt his neck crick, and saw the last persons on earth he wanted to see at this moment – his sister and his grandfather.
"Lord grandfather! Kikyo!" he gasped in a strangled voice, as Kaname rose to greet the Aidos graciously. Hanabusa's grandfather, once Regent of the Arctic Circle, had decades ago ceded his place to his heir, Hanabusa's father. The father of the Arctic Seal, however, was no frailer than his son or grandson, having thick golden hair, rather less sleek than the other two Aidos, for his mother was from the Kain clan and he had partly inherited the wild vermillion mane that Akatsuki had.
"Hanabusa! What is this lack of propriety?" Grandfather Aido barked, sounding like a disgruntled elephant seal. "My grandson was not raised to prance buck naked around his superiors! Put on some clothes!"
How Hanabusa scowled and squared his jaw in indignation!
"Peace, my lord, he was swimming…"
" – wearing pants, not buck naked!" Hanabusa's loud denial burst crossly across Kaname.
"Boy!" Grandfather Aido snapped threateningly. Hanabusa had stood up and was facing his grandfather, the two having equally testy temperaments.
"Lord Aido, Hanabusa was exceedingly well mannered. It was I who told Hanabusa to remain as he was when I came across him swimming," said Kaname placatingly, seeing the two squaring off for a round of argument.
"Yeah," Hanabusa added, inconsequently.
"You approve of this state of indecency?" Grandfather Aido growled disbelievingly, staring critically at Hanabusa's dripping pants.
"Very much so, honoured elder."
Hanabusa's body went rigid from mortification. There was just enough smooth sensuality in Kuran's voice to make implicit an (apparent) intimacy. Grandfather had no trouble discerning it, and from behind Grandfather Aido, Hanabusa's sister snickered.
"Vile thing," Hanabusa hissed at her, knowing just well his sister's thoughts from the mischievous gleam in her sky coloured eyes.
"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" Grandfather Aido snapped irately, pouncing on another most disrespectful misdemeanor.
"I believe that was directed at me, sire," said Kaname helpfully, and Hanabusa's eyes widened at his sister's suggestive eyebrow waggling.
"Kikyo! Stop that unseemly behavior!" Grandfather turned around in time to catch a particularly lively jump in her eyebrows.
"Yes, lord grandfather," said Kikyo, eyebrows and expression suitably chastened back to diffident, ladylike modesty.
"Hmph, well." Grandfather Aido, having no reason to rebuff a pureblood, cast a final glare on the three relatively impudent and boisterous youngsters. Before he walked away, he directed a final haughty command to his grandson.
"You, boy, make sure you do the Aidos proud!"
Hanabusa sucked in his cheeks in horror, and Kikyo Aido looked fit to burst with mirth.
Hanabusa turned to Kaname in panic.
"Help!" he demanded, twisting his pants fitfully. Kaname looked at him with feigned surprise.
"What with, Hanabusa?"
"Grandfather thinks I'm – I'm…" Hanabusa swallowed the unspeakable words, flushing a delightful red. Kaname tilted his head to one side innocently, a small smile curving his lips. It pained him incredibly to say it, since he himself had never thought of doing so actively, yet to all intents and purposes he was - "He thinks I'm - I'm - courting ...!"
"Oh, I understand now what he meant…well, why didn't you correct him earlier?"
The devil!
Hanabusa's dripping brows creased in an ominous v shape over his nose, which Kaname recognized, from his time with Akatsuki and Hanabusa, that this was the sign of this spoilt blonde boy's impending tantrum to come.
"Very well, Hanabusa, keep your hair on. I must apologize for being obtuse before. I will rectify your grandfather's mistaken assumption immediately." As good as his word, Kaname made to follow after Grandfather Aido.
"No, no! Wait! I mean, um –!" Hanabusa hurried to Kaname and placed a hand on his sleeve, and the pureblood looked at him with some confusion.
"I, um. That is." Hanabusa swallowed.
Kaname quirked his brows, waiting.
"I want to continue swimming," Hanabusa huffed.
"Of course you may. I will inform your grandfather of the truth, rest assured."
"No – um. I mean. Ummm," Hanabusa stammered, coloring again.
"What is it now, Hanabusa?" Kaname asked, even more nonplussed.
"Um. Later. Do you."
"Do I what?"
"Do you want…" Hanabusa trailed off, but tugged hopefully on Kaname's sleeve.
"Want what, Hanabusa?"
"Dyawannawatchmeswim?"
Hanabusa felt like dying the moment he babbled those ridiculous words.
"Such indecency," Kaname murmured, mirroring Hanabusa's earlier embarrassment as he lowered his eyes and looked away with an exaggerated bashfulness.
Purebloods. The lot of them, Hanabusa decided vengefully, as he glared at Kaname's impression of a coy maiden playing peekaboo with the aggressive suitor, (him! Hanabusa! Aggressive suitor! What gall!) could trot off and die a long and painful death!
END
Yay =) Thoughts and comments, as usual!