It started out benevolently from the lips of a benevolent person. The words were simple, reasonable, a safe topic away from all the inexplicable tension that hung around the three Kuran siblings for reasons unbeknownst to the younger two. Juuri was smiling when she spoke them and if Juuri was smiling, then most certainly Haruka was smiling too. The two youngest Kurans smiled and smiled like the happy, love-struck idiots they were.
"Onii-sama, I want to meet your fiancé."
They were not idiots. They were simply determined to survive on the warmth of their own hearts, aware as they were of how cold the outside world was. Whenever one burned low on heat, the other would fill them again and together they would glow like stars brighter than the sun. They warmed everything around them, contagious- the disease of smiling, the scorching fire of passion to the frigid snow. They were poison.
Rido would rather be cold. Rido would rather wither in the storm of his hatred then give into it. Giving in, returning that smile meant he accepted it- that his most precious person was lost to him forever. He smiled anyway.
He said with a wry laugh, "I doubt you would like her." Juuri would hear none of it and because Haruka came to her side, Rido eventually lost. It made no difference when he described his fiancé's anti-social demeanor, nor her tendency to cut random 'offenders'- mostly people who annoyed her by breathing the wrong way- to pieces with her sharp wit, nor her enjoyment of suddenly killing innocent passersby for no apparent reason. They smiled and laughed and said, "even if you're not exaggerating, Onii-sama, she is still going to be part of our family." Rido laughed too because they had infected him again with their despicable warmth. He hated his brother. He loved and hated his precious Juuri. "I'm sure you are right. I will endeavor to persuade her to meet you then, my dear siblings." 'Persuade' turned out not to be the right word and Rido had known it would be so from the start. There was nothing in his power he could do to 'persuade' Hiou Shizuka and he had no illusions about such a thing. Shizuka was as dear to him as a favorite book or pass time, simply because she never failed to supply him with someone to argue with, insult or scream at. Whenever he felt like fighting, he would visit his dear fiancé and challenge her to a battle of wits, Rido lacing his insults with charming flirtation and Shizuka icily declaring her hatred of him as she tried to figure out a way to make him leave. It often came to blows but as their powers were equal, he was only hurt when he allowed himself to be and he never got to spill a drop of her blood.
In the end it was as simple as:
"Shizuka, my darling little brother and sister want to meet you. Help me indulge them or I will come here every day for five years and grant you no peace."
She had stared at him flatly for a minute at least, regarding him with her frigid, cherry blossom eyes. "And if I do, you are to leave me in peace for five years," she informed him, her voice devoid of warmth.
Somehow, the unveiled dislike in her expression eased the tension from his mind. Like a breath of new snow, perfumed with the scent of out-of-season spring flowers, she revived him. Would Shizuka be immune to the poison he suffered? Surely, this woman of frost and sakura blossoms would hate Juuri and Haruka, would regard them as cruelly as she regarded him now.
"Only five years?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. The wooden bars Shizuka lived behind were a joke. Neither pureblood gave the barrier between them anymore attention than one would spare for a fragile curtain of cobwebs. She was not caged. It was not Shizuka's surroundings that made her unreachable.
"Are you offering more?" she asked slyly, a cruel smile on her lips. "If for once my darling fiancé is inclined to be chivalrous, then offer to die in exchange for this favor. Commit suicide a day after. I will gladly accept then."
"Unfortunately, there are far too many things about this life I cherish, my dear," he declined regretfully, his smile masked in shadows. "I will accept your proposal of five years. Not seeing your smile for longer- that would truly be unbearable."
"Indeed, that is unfortunate," Shizuka agreed with all the sorrow of a child hearing their birthday party was to be canceled. "Especially since I find seeing you to be truly unbearable whether you are smiling or not." Her eyes narrowed and the sorrow vanished, replaced only by malice. "Iie. When smiling, you surpass unbearable and simply begin to disgust me."
"So I have heard," he drawled mildly.
Shizuka opened the door of her cell, as if it had never been locked. She walked past him, the soft ring of a bell accompanying her graceful movements, the silk of her kimono brushing across the floor. "Let us not linger here," she suggested wearily. "This will not take long, will it?"
"I did not realize you were short on time, Shizuka," he said then leisurely, just to irritate her.
"I always have something better to do than spend time with a group of Kurans," the Kuruizaki-hime replied delicately. "Such as…oh, anything else."
Juuri and Haruka's lived still in the house of their family; only Rido had moved out. It was a nicely decorated home with tasteful, comfortable rooms- the eldest Kuran still wished his siblings had chosen a less breakable location however. Or did they harbor delusions of Shizuka being civilized?
It was a strange event. Four purebloods together, each portraying their own little quirks in their expression, their clothes, their demeanor. The Kurans were three of a kind, with messy, rich brown hair and five, wine-red eyes between them. Haruka and Rido wore long coats, the dark garments molding around their lithe frames. Juuri wore a long sleeved gown, cream in color and high-collared.
Shizuka stood out like a branch of sakura blossoms amidst deep-red roses. Her kimono was snowy white, contrasting the dark and warm colors they wore. Her hair was silver, cascading down her back in silken locks. Her eyes were pale and her expression impassive. She did not return their friendly, uncertain smiles as they greeted her. Rido had expected as much; he smiled to himself.
"It's Shizuka-san, isn't it?" Juuri asked with interest from where she sat beside Haruka.
The two 'couples' faced each other, Shizuka positioned as far from Rido as the sofa would allow. An invisible line between the eldest Kuran and the Kuruizaki-hime was carved between them, 'do not cross!' written in large words to the knowing eye.
"Sou," Shizuka affirmed softly, the quiet in her voice a subtle reprimand to Juuri's louder tone.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Juuri said, lowering her voice. "I am Kuran Juuri."
"Kuran Haruka," her husband introduced himself. "It's a pleasure, Shizuka-san." Shizuka turned her head, becoming silent as though seeing him for the first time. Their eyes locked.
It was at that moment that Rido's grasp of the situation changed. The room had been divided, as though between a pair of benevolent souls and a pair with nothing but malice in their hearts. At this point, it was malice who subtly triumphed. The eldest Kuran however, saw nothing but his life with his mismatched eyes.
What was it in Shizuka's expression that changed? It was too subtle to define, a lightening of her eyes, a glimpse of surprise flitting across her face. The quiet fascination that consumed her manner soon after was not subtle.
"The pleasure is mine, Haruka-san," she murmured, studying him.
"Shizuka-san," Juuri said, recalling the Kuruizaki-hime's attention, "for the sake of starting a conversation, might I ask what your outlook on the war is?"
"My outlook is ambivalent," Shizuka answered simply, her eyes not leaving Haruka.
"Meaning that if hunters attack her, she will kill them," Rido explained, managing to keep his tension out of his voice. Why had she not yet looked away? "And also, if nobles pester her to assist, she will kill them also."
"There is something to be said for peace," Haruka sympathized.
"Sou, ne?" Shizuka agreed.
Rido looked at her sharply. There it was- a smile lurking around the corners of her mouth. A smile- not one of her sly smirks or cruel grins. A smile, as though she was happy or pleased.
"I have no feelings toward a war as long as I cannot hear it," she continued lightly.
"Your name suits you well, Shizuka-san," Juuri observed.
"Most would say so, I'm sure," the Kuruizaki-hime stated.
After her words, there was a long moment of silence where the younger Kurans waited for Shizuka to inquire about their position- for conversation's sake, if nothing else- Shizuka stared at Haruka and Rido stared at her, attempting to discern why she was staring at Haruka. Finally, the eldest Kuran realized that it had fallen on his head to delicately explain to his siblings that Shizuka simply did not care what their position was. He opened his mouth to speak.
"And you, Haruka-san?" Shizuka asked softly. "What do you think of the war?"
Rido froze.
"I believe it is mostly constructed on a painful misunderstanding between the races," Haruka answered with a regretful smile. "As a whole, our species blames hunters for many of our own mistakes. Hunters have come to see us as heartless beasts, incapable of feeling kindness or love."
"Yet vampires have hearts, just as humans do," Juuri finished.
"That is certainly true," Shizuka agreed, earning another shocked look from her fiancé. "Only…sometimes, it is a bit more difficult for a vampire to feel such things."
"Not if you make the attempt, Shizuka-san," Haruka assured her.
"No," she shook her head slowly, "not if you make the attempt." It was at this point that Juuri noticed the strangeness of the conversation. She did not know Shizuka well enough to understand that the Kuruizaki-hime was acting out of character but she did know her brother half as well as she thought she did. That was enough to comprehend the stricken expression on his face and from it, perceive the same thing he had- that Shizuka liked Haruka a lot.
"Ah…perhaps…" Juuri began, a light flush coloring her cheeks, her posture abruptly rigid. "Perhaps we should save the rest of this conversation for a later time?"
"I could not agree more," Rido seconded coolly. Haruka was immediately consumed with concern for his wife. "Is something the matter, Juuri?" he asked worriedly, his eyes riveting on the youngest Kuran. "Are you not feeling well?"
"I feel fine," Juuri said darkly, a frown on her lips. "Just fine."
"Have I done something to offend you?" Shizuka queried, her voice so free of guile that it only drove Rido's suspicions home.
"Perhaps Juuri just doesn't like you, Shizuka," he supplied lowly. He was nearing his breaking point. What was she doing? How could Shizuka's cold heart be swayed just by meeting his brother- his little brother who already had everything he yearned for, who had already beaten him in every way? How dare she fall for Haruka?!
"I'm sure it's nothing like that," Haruka attempted to mediate.
"Really?" Shizuka asked with concern, her brow furrowed. "I was enjoying our conversation. I would hate to have upset you." She pressed her hand to her mouth for a brief moment, the gesture having no apparent relation to her words.
Juuri forced herself to relax. "You didn't, Shizuka-san," she assured the Kuruizaki-hime. "I just…overreacted to something. I'm sorry."
"That is quite a relief," the silver-haired pureblood murmured. "I was reluctant to come here but to meet such a fascinating person as Haruka-san…and Juuri-san also," she added as an afterthought. "It changes my perspective."
The youngest Kuran bristled again, her jaw clenching.
Knowing Juuri as well as he did, which was completely, Haruka then realized the cause of his wife's distress. He grimaced uncomfortably, attempting to conceive a reasonable way to bring the 'meeting' to a close. "Are you sure you are feeling alright, Juuri? Perhaps we should after all save this for some other time?"
"Yes," Juuri nodded, frowning. "I think so."
"That is very unfortunate," Shizuka sighed, covering her mouth with one hand for a brief moment. "However…if you would like to continue our discussion on some occasion, Haruka-san…I have very much free time."
Rido snapped. "Shizuka!" he snarled, rising to his feet.
Shizuka snapped also; the smiles she had been until then hiding behind one hand won in their struggle to shatter the admiring mask she had donned. She threw back her head and laughed.
"The three of you…ha hah," she chuckled, her entire form shaking with rich laughter, "are so easy to fool!" In one fluid movement, she stood, conjuring up a wall of invisible power to protect against the telekinetic blast her fiancé had just sent at her. She smiled slyly at Rido, regarding his shocked expression with pure, malicious amusement. "I think I will cherish the memory of the face you made just now…for eternity."
"Shizuka…" Rido seethed, shock and rage making his voice tremble. "You…"
Juuri and Haruka watched the scene in surprise, unbalanced by the rapid change of the Kuruizaki-hime's demeanor.
A joke- it had all been a sick joke, played expertly on Rido's insecurities. At the Kurans' expense, Shizuka had entertained herself, tricking each one into believing her lies. With relish, she observed each loathsome face, still chuckling delightedly to herself.
Juuri's eyes narrowed and she stood. "I do not find your joke very amusing, Shizuka-san."
"It is a good thing then," the Kuruizaki-hime said lightly, turning away from her, "that I was not trying to amuse you. Rest assured, Juuri-san, I loathe blatantly happy people such as you and your husband. There is no pureblood vampire who can live as you do indefinitely."
"Thank you for your opinion, Shizuka-san," Haruka said coolly, also rising.
She smiled, her eyes distant. "It seems that I have somehow made the atmosphere bad…Please do enjoy yourselves without my presence- I'll not encroach upon such a happy family's time together." Glancing over her shoulder at them, she slipped from the room and showed herself out of the house.
Rido stared darkly after her; he knew where she would be. He also knew that it would indeed take at least five years before he had the urge to go see her again.
"I told you that you would not like my fiancé," he said wryly to his siblings.
o0O0o
Rido was the easiest to fool because he wore his insecurities on his sleeve, easy for Shizuka's perceptive eyes to catch. Hiou Shizuka did not have any insecurities but Rido's mismatched eyes were just as perceptive. The life of solitude and silence she had crafted for herself was just as mortal as Juuri and Haruka's happiness; the moment she allowed herself a single weakness, Rido painstakingly made sure to exploit it.
Many a time, she had beaten him at their game of words and hatred. He was content to just once shatter her completely, to just once cause her entire world to fall to dust.
After that, if they ever met again, all he had to do hurt her was remind her of the dream she had lost.
"Until then, Shizuka."