A/N: Thank you to kitkit11183, moonray9, Chibi Moko-chan and laustic for reviewing this story! I deeply appreciate it. This chapter is for you guys. ;)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own X/1999 or TRC. If I did...then Subaru and Seishirou will be happily married with 10 kids. :P

Chapter 2: The Hierarchy of the Vampire Kingdom

Kamui sweat dropped as he watched his sister Hokuto-chan nag one of their brothers on his dressings.

"Your shirt looks like it's been trampled over by thousands of horses, shredded by stray cats and washed away by endless hurricanes. And that cape! Ugh! What colour IS that?"

The poor fellow. He cringed every time her voice got louder and all he could do was nod his head in agreement with her. No one could win an argument with Hokuto-chan. As he watched his sister continue humiliating their brother, his mind wandered to his closest brother Subaru.

He cared about Subaru deeply. He had never felt a bond between siblings stronger than the bond he felt with him. And because their bond was so great, he was able to clearly feel his brother's pain.

It wouldn't be long now till his brother will ascend to the throne and become their Father. It is honour in its highest degree, and both he and Hokuto-chan are very proud but they knew that Subaru never wanted this.

"Really! What is mother thinking? Subaru as the heir? He doesn't want that! All he wants is to just be surrounded by animals and be normal!"

Those were the words that came spluttering out of Hokuto-chan's mouth the moment they both heard the news. Although he didn't say anything back then, she knew he agreed with her. However, that wasn't something that they could decide on, that Subaru could decide on. It was decided upon by Mother, and Her words is Law in the Vampire Kingdom.

He remembered seeing Subaru a few hours after Mother decreed him to be her heir. A smile that seemed so strained was on his boyish face but he maintained it regardless.

"Mother has chosen me as her heir. I am deeply honoured. She told me she had known from the beginning it'll be me."

The sigh that Kamui released was long and heavy and it was enough to distract Hokuto from her rant. She eyed him worriedly.

"Kamui," she began. The one she had abused slowly moving away to get out of there and luckily for him, Hokuto didn't notice. "What's wro-...it's about Subaru isn't it?"

Connected through their minds. That was the bond of the Vampires. Kamui didn't say a word but his eyes told her the truth. They were hard and they were filled with concern.

"He's been in there long. Mother doesn't take that long to speak with him. I thought it was just going to be a brief meeting about how he's going to receive a personal guard."

Personal guard. Kamui practically blanched each time he thought about it. They were told by Mother to keep it a secret from Subaru until she will speak about it to him herself. It was difficult to not think about how his brother needs a personal guard since he was VERY sure that he'd be the best personal guard for Subaru.

Grumpily, he looked in the direction of the throne room again. Even when the throne room was at the farthest end of the corridor, Kamui's excellent vision showed him the doors were still closed. Hokuto nodded at Kamui, completely understanding his irate demeanour.

"Well...Mother was probably giving him an additional lecture of..." Hokuto coughed and when she spoke it mimicked their Mother's ancient voice. "...the Unseen Ones."

Her brother frowned, anger momentarily forgotten. "You shouldn't mock Mother like that Hokuto-chan." With the roll of her eyes, she nudged her uptight brother.

"You're too much like Subaru. Too proper and disciplined. Bo-ring." She stuck out her tongue. "Don't worry, he'll be out in no time! Then we can all have a picnic out in the gardens! One of our guards gave me this recipe on a human dessert called...err...oh yes a cake!" Her eyes beamed excitedly at a memory she had. Her brother cringed when he saw it in her mind. "It's supposed to be sweet like how blood is to us! We should try it! I already borrowed-"

"You mean steal ingredients from the humans' kitchen." Kamui corrected. That earned him another tongue showing from Hokuto. Honestly, he had no idea why Hokuto likes to pick up things that the Barbarians do. "Well, it's true. You've done it more than once...and you should stop really. They need those food in order for their blood to be good for us."

"I do not steal!" Hokuto protested anyway. "Anyway, let's go! I'll show you my creation and you can try it out yourself!"

Grabbing his wrist, Hokuto pulled him along the long corridor and continued chatting about her wondrous creation while her poor brother Kamui shivered at the prospect of having stomach aches at eating...foreign things. Hokuto kept talking randomly about things but her mind was thinking of a whole other thing. It was a gimmick of hers, a trick she discovered as a vampire child. If she kept talking, her family would concentrate on her words and not her mind. It worked this time as Kamui's expression turned exasperated. Good.

Truth be told she was deeply concerned about Subaru. Probably even more than Kamui was. He was her twin brother, her baby brother, her whole life. She loves Kamui deeply too of course but as much as she denies it to everybody else, Subaru was her favourite.

Her mind wandered to the weeks passed from the time Subaru was chosen as the heirs. Whispers of her family reached her ears even when they tried to block others from hearing them. The most vicious of thoughts came from one of the Vampire Elders...her uncle.

"Why him? Why that-that child? For generations it had always been an Elder who'd be chosen as the next Ruler." He spat in his mind.

Hokuto had been trying to sneak in the Barbarians' kitchen when she'd heard that thought coming from a room nearby. She gasped soundlessly as realization dawned on her about who had thought of that. Usually when someone expressed thought, the voice speaking in their mind would be similar to their speaking voice. There was no mistaking it– it was their uncle Seiji, one of the higher ranked Vampire Elder.

The raven haired girl had slowly crept closer to the door, careful to keep her mind blank so as to not be noticed as she placed her ear closer to the door.

There was a chorus of agreement, probably as many as six. There were more talks on how ridiculous the decision had been. It shocked her how each of those voices belonged to many of her uncles. Not wanting to feel panicked and cause her mind to start projecting her fears, Hokuto had slowly retreated from the door.

It bothered Hokuto to no end. Mother's words were like a Prophet's. No one could object and everyone had to follow. It had always been like that. So then why were the majority of Vampire Elders speaking openly amongst themselves about the injustice of having Subaru become their next ruler, their Father? It rattled something deep inside her. Surely Mother would have heard their thoughts; no one could keep their thoughts blank for long especially if they felt so emotional about this. Why doesn't she care? Why still make Subaru her heir? It didn't seem right...and almost instantly Hokuto knew that something horrible will happen. And she feared that her precious little brother Subaru will be involved in all of this.

"Hokuto...really where are you taking me? I want to wait for Subaru." Her brother's voice snapped her back to reality. She vaguely realized the soreness of her throat from talking too much. Whatever she talked about, she didn't really know nor cared. She had hoped it made sense to Kamui. Forcing her mind to remain blank, she smiled brightly to him. Her brother's expression softened, he really couldn't get upset with Hokuto-chan at all.

"Don't worry my baby brother...we will wait for Subaru...with cake in our hands!" Her jovial words were infectious as Kamui slowly found himself smiling softly at his sister. Alright, just this once she'll have her way.

Upon seeing the smile, Hokuto brightened up. All she wanted was for her loved ones to be happy and safe. Safe...which is why she decided not to tell Kamui what she knew. She had a feeling that should she say anything to him...Kamui would be in danger as well.

No. She decided that she'll deal with this alone...for the sake of her loved ones.

xXx

In the night sky, the moon shone brightly covering the Earth with its glow. Sitting outside his tent, Seishirou tossed aside another scroll near the burning campfire he had made before. His smirk was illuminated by the burning fire. He was feeling pleased.

After reading all of the information gathered specifically for this trip, Seishirou was pretty sure that he knew a lot about these so called vampires.

It was nothing more than a monarchy built from hierarchy. The one in command was the Parent as the Vampires liked to call it. Seishirou saw it as a King or a Dictator. Whatever the Parent says or orders, it's final. No one may object nor express concern. This time around the Parent happened to be female...an ancient Vampire that if his scrolls were right every vampire affectionately calls 'Mother' and guards of the castle called 'Queen'.

Then there was the Vampire Elders or known to the Vampires as Uncles and Aunts. They're almost like 'the second in command' even if they have no real power. Only if the Parent fails to fulfil his or her duty would they step in...that is if the Parent had not yet chosen an heir...an heir that usually comes from one of the Vampire Elders.

Then basically it was everyone else...'sisters' and 'brothers'. Although they were all royalty, these sisters and brothers happened to be the lowest ranking of the Vampire Hierarchy. Odd how their leader had chosen her heir to be one of the vampires in this category. This had never happened before. Sisters and brothers needed to become Vampire Elders before they were eligible to become the Parent.

"Well, well, well...it would seem that Prince Subaru is one of a kind. Is this why you need a guard Subaru...kun?" A chuckle. "I wonder if you're feeling alone right now with the situation you're in."

He let a smile of a predator form on his usually pleasant face. His golden eyes glistened against the light of the moon as he pondered over his prey. Tomorrow will be the supposed tournament to become Subaru's personal guard and he could already feel himself feeling impatient.

This job will be easy...and he just knew with utmost certainty that he would win the bet.

xXx

The raven haired vampire shuddered at the look of the...creamy round thing Hokuto had in her hands. It looked horrible and he once again prays he wouldn't get a horrid stomach ache after. He was about to express his thoughts just in case Hokuto didn't hear it when he suddenly saw her eyes narrow. He snapped his head in the direction Hokuto was seeing and frowned at a few guards limping their way into the castle.

Without hesitation he walked towards them with purpose.

"What happened?" he demanded. Unlike Subaru, he wouldn't lift a finger to help them. They weren't...HIS people. They were just pathetic Es.

"My...my prince...," one gasped. "Just now...we were attacked by these...men...out at the front gate."

Kamui's frown deepened. "Did they manage to enter through the Kekai?"

The same guard shook his head with effort. "No...I think...they knew about it. They didn't...try to enter."

He nodded. Good. "Well this isn't a problem then. Who's watching the front gates if all of you are crowding over here?"

Hokuto frowned as she walked towards them. "Honestly Kamui that's rude. They're hurt. Besides I never did understand the reason for guards outside the gates when we have a Kekai around the entire Castle..."

Before Kamui could reply, another guard who seemed to be the worst out of a lot with his hand clutching his ribs and a large gash at his forehead spoke. "My prince...they were...talking about...entering the tournament...where the Queen will decide on...Prince Subaru's...guard..."

The young vampire prince curled his hands into fists. Beside him his sister looked upon him with worry.

He would kill whoever that tries to hurt his brother. He was sure of that.