"Kaname onii-sama! You're finally back!"
Kaname closed the door behind him and pulled Yuuki into a hug as she threw herself at him. He rubbed her cheeks indulgently and walked them to the living room.
"How is my princess today?" He said, collecting Yuuki into his arms.
Tugging at his dress shirt, she nodded happily, "I've been great!"
Patting her head, his eyes darted towards his foster mother who was sitting with hands folded across from them, a gentle and content smile on her face as she watch her two children interact. "Welcome back Kaname."
He smiled, "I'm back mother."
"How is Takuma and the others?" Juuri asked as she presented him the bowl of grapes. He picked up one and fed it to Yuuki.
"Mhmm, they're fine," he uttered noncommittally while wiping his sister's dribbling chin.
Giggling, Yuuki licked her lips and beamed, "mama and I finally finished reading Snow White and the seven dwarfs!"
"Oh," Kaname arched his brow, "if Yuuki wants to hear anymore fairy tales in the future, she can ask me." He carded a hand through her smooth tresses and received her blooming grin with a small smile of his own.
"Mhmm!"
Like a newborn puppy, she gravitated naturally towards Kaname for he was both her elder brother, protector, and sole contact to the outside world which she held immense curiosity for. She has spent the entirety of her life far holed up in this pigeon den of a basement, relying on a third party to tell her the wonders of the outside; knowing nothing of the world at dawn, the gentle caress of summer rain, or the soothing tickles of wind.
"I have a present for you, Yuuki." Sifting through his pocket, Kaname pulled out a beautiful enshrined rose and presented to her.
Yuuki's eyes widened as she held the delicate item in her tiny hands and tinkled with it playfully.
"What is this Onii-sama? it's so pretty!"
She held the rose towards the light and giggled happily at the dazzling colors refracted through the ice layer.
"A millennium rose," he explained, "it's a rose that blooms once every 1000 years. I preserved it as soon as I could to show you it."
To humans, a millennium is a long period of time. To vampires, it's a passage that's a mere blink of an eye.
But to the young Yuuki who has only lived five years of her life thus, a millennium is a length of unfathomable heights.
"Wahh! Then..where do these flowers grow? Yuuki wants to see the place where it blooms!"
Juuri laughed and quipped, "Then it'll be a thousand years later for you to see them in full bloom!"
Yuuki shook her head in determination, "Yuuki will wait!"
Kaname sighed fondly and gave her shoulders a little squeeze. "Oniisama will definitely take you to see them one day shall you wish for it."
For him, there was no greater satisfaction than fulfilling Yuuki's wishes and making her happy. She was...for a lack of better terms, his life.
"Alright alright now! Off the bed now princess!"
Clapping her hands, Juuri patted Yuuki on her back and hurried her off to her room, ignoring the girl's unhappy pouts and grumbles.
"Yuuki don't want to sleep just yet!" She protested to no avail.
"Ahh! Mama! Niisama!"
"A princess needs her beauty sleep." Juuri's gentle chide faded with her footsteps as the two disappeared down the hall.
When Juuri came back, Kaname was fingering the letter with a displeased look he usually adorn when Yuuki isn't present.
Sighing, she took her seat besides him and said, "Yuuki is going to be devastated to know you're betrothed to that Bamba chit. When we got to the finishing part of the story, she asked me if she'd have a prince of her own one day."
Kaname quieted and merely looked at her.
"I said, of course you will darling. But she wanted it to be you. The girl's infatuated with you, Kaname."
He knew this of course. Yuuki's affections for him were as overt as they could be. Before they betrothed him to Miu Bamba, Haruka and Juuri had actually planned to engage the two siblings. Incest is commonplace in purebloods and often the sole means of continuing the bloodline. While marriages between different clans too occurred, they were usually seen as primarily methods of securing alliances. Purebloods would more often than not prefer their own over outsiders because purity of the blood is seen as pivotal for a clan's continuation.
As a child, Yuuki learnt of how Juuri and Haruka too were siblings who fell in love and because of this, the girl grew up expecting a similar romance to play out between her and Kaname.
They had yet to inform Yuuki of her brother's engagement crafted over three years ago, deciding to tell the girl once she gets a little older but unfortunately, her feelings for him have only grown more profound in the meantime.
Were it not because of...Rido, then Yuuki's existence wouldn't have to be hidden from the Vampire society at large. And then, they won't have to accept whatever humiliating terms set forth by the Bambas. Yuuki and Kaname too can pursue their happiness like she and Haruka had in the past. For these reasons, Juuri could only feel anger and hatred for Rido, the Vampire Council, the Bambas, the Hanadagis, and...the Miu girl.
However, three years have allowed Juuri enough time to cool her anger. Taking out her anger on an innocent girl who's no more than a chess piece in her family's scheme for grandeur is not something Juuri prides or should pride herself in. Realizing her actions from their last meeting, Juuri felt hot shame settling in her cheeks.
She turned towards Kaname and murmured, "I know...you don't like her that much but this time around, don't ignore her like you did last time. She's still quite the pitiful girl."
Kaname shrugged, "she doesn't like me that much either."
He still remember her amethyst eyes colored with disdain and the tinge of annoyance it sent coursing through his veins at her haughtiness.
Oh he knew what kind of monster she'll grow up to be. A conniving, manipulative psychopath - just like the purebloods who grew up convinced of their own superiority.
He found nothing interesting about a spoiled brat like her.
The comb was yanked a bit too hard.
One ice-infused glare had the maid whimpering, apologizing profusely while kowtowing for mercy.
Miu waved her hand, "forget it. I'll do it myself," and sent the poor girl out the door with a jerk towards her other maids.
She eyed her reflection in the mirror, lazily feeling up the crown wrapped over her bun.
author note: if this reaches 8 comments, ill update in three days (after it reaches) i promise!
Well endgame is gonna be Miu x Kaname I decided.