*A/N: Finally! I got it done! After a series of groundings and a nasty case of writer's block, I finally was able to churn this out! …Hopefully it's not as bad as I think it is ^^7 Well, enjoy! Oh, on a separate note, I redid the first three chapters and I added a whole bunch of new things, so I recommend rereading those ^^u I just felt like more could be said or added… Now, I promise to make sure each chapter is EXACTLY what I want before posting!*
Chapter Four
Unwanted Attentions
The sprawling metropolis that was the capital city of the realm was ablaze with the night-life: an oasis of bright warm welcoming light in a desolate wasteland of darkness. Aristocracy and common folk alike wandered the cobblestone streets in search of a good time. Ruddy-faced drunken gentlemen fresh from the pubs and taverns chased playfully after flirtatious women with over-painted faces and the red light District was approaching its busiest hour. The entire town seemed jovial and so full of life it was nearly infectious. This all-encompassing cheerfulness, however, could not seem to penetrate the dark aura of gloom and fury that appeared to presently surround the Royal Palace in the centre of town.
Most of this dour fog was issuing from the young prince of the realm, as it would appear. Prince Kaname Kuran had only just arrived home after visiting his mother and younger sister at their castle in the countryside, merely to be accosted by a young messenger with hair the colour of straw as he stepped down from his carriage. The messenger carried a letter emblazoned with a crimson wax seal that contained the Kiryu family crest, something which the handsome brunette recognized immediately. The letter was meant for his father, the king, but upon seeing that it was word from the hunter earl, with who he was… 'well acquainted', Kaname found that he absolutely must read it. He snatched the heavy parchment envelope away from the messenger and slit it open right in front of the boy, who did not argue. The boy had been informed that the contents of the letter were quite secret (which didn't really matter to him since he couldn't read in any matter) and was to be delivered directly to the king, but the prince had been the first one the messenger had seen and he believed he could trust him with the letter. Besides, the Kurans were the most powerful pureblood clan, being the direct descendants of the ancestor of all vampires, while also being the royal family. There wasn't much, if anything at all a common vampire such as the boy messenger could do to defy a Kuran. However, it quickly dawned upon the young vampire he should have just gone to find the king.
Kaname's wine red eyes steadily darkened as they flitted back and forth across the yellow parchment paper. What…? Suddenly enraged, the pureblood destroyed a nearby column telepathically, almost giving the poor messenger boy a heart attack as he jumped back and stared wide-eyed at the fragments of plaster, before storming through the wrought-iron palace gates and along to pathway to the enormous front doors. He burst through said doors with much more force than was necessary, cracking the walls and causing many a vase in the foyer to topple from their pedestals and smash on the cold marble floor. When a maid hurried forward to clean up some of the shards, the fuming prince rounded on her and demanded angrily, his curly dark locks falling menacingly into his eyes, "Where is my father? I must speak to him immediately!"
Trembling at her lord's rage, the timid little maid squeaked, "He's… he's in his study, Your Majesty!"
Gritting his teeth and growling deep in his throat, Kaname turned on his heel and stormed up the grand staircase. The letter from the earl was still clenched tightly in his fist, rather worse for the wear now. As the young man continued his march to the king's study, flowers wilted, mirrors cracked, and servants quickly scurried out of the way as he passed. It was common knowledge that whenever Kaname was in a temper, it was best just to avoid him, although luckily for everyone, it rarely happened. Finally, after much raging and general frightening of all persons in the vicinity, the furious brunette arrived at his father's study. He didn't even bother knocking. He just erupted into the study, the sturdy oak doors flying open of their accord, causing the king to glance up from the myriad of paperwork on his handsome rosewood desk.
"Oh, hello, son," Haruka Kuran greeted his eldest child brightly as he stomped towards him, seemingly oblivious to the prince's foul mood. "What brings you her--" The elder pureblood was cut off abruptly by the action of a leaf of paper being thrown down forcefully in front of him. He blinked in partial surprise.
"Explain yourself," Kaname demanded of his father as the other brunette picked up the letter and began to skim it curiously.
As he read, a delighted smirk began to tug on Haruka's full lips. Ah, a message from Earl Kiryu! It seemed so long since he had heard from the boy, truly heard from him. That last communication the two of them had had was the request that Kiryu spend a week or two within the Hio household on account of a lead the king had received regarding the earl's quest. "Kiryu seems to be doing well," he murmured conversationally, still feigning ignorance to his son's anger. "Seems he's met a servant boy named Ichiru… cute name, if rather unfortunate…"
"How dare you help him?" snapped Kaname, slamming his palms onto his father's desk and nearly breaking it in half, scattering papers all over the floor. "What on earth possessed you to practically lead him directly to the one thing in this world he was not meant to find?!"
Haruka regarded his son with a blank inquisitiveness, blinking innocently. "I was only assisting a family friend, Kaname," he insisted. When the angry prince persisted to glower murderously at him, he sighed and lifted himself from his seat, meandering around his desk to face Kaname properly. Father and son stood facing each other now, both with their arms crossed as they stared each other down. Kaname stood stiffly, still carrying a dark furious aura about him while Haruka appeared particularly laid back in comparison, albeit a little vexed. "This is not about me helping Kiryu, is it?" the elder Kuran said quietly, lifting a graceful eye brow quizzically.
"Of course it is, Father!" retorted Kaname exasperatedly, throwing his arms out to the side. "Zero was searching for what could be the biggest taboo in human history, something that shouldn't even exist! His parents should have destroyed it already, but they ignored tradition and now look at all with which we have to deal! All this trouble with the Mors Mortis Lilium*…"
"Do you think that the Mors Mortis Lilium is the fault of the compassion our dear friends displayed?" Haruka challenged his son. "For I have news for you, Kaname: the Mors Mortis Lilium existed long before the late earl and countess' time."
"Yes, but they obviously kno--"
"They do not know. Gin and Hitomi made absolutely sure no one knew. Even Kiryu himself did not know for the longest time." Haruka strode away from his fuming child nonchalantly and began pursuing the many bookshelves that populated his study idly, somewhat looking for something but also somewhat not. The prince was being selfish despite his guise of defending an ancient tradition that should perhaps die out. The king was well aware of Kaname's true reason for being angry with him, a reason bred of ignorance that was partially Haruka's fault. He had not been completely honest with the heir to his throne and that was a problem. Kaname was, after all, a young man of eighteen and clearly a child no longer. It was time for his father to be honest with him, about everything. "Kaname, do you truly know the foundation on which that ancient human taboo was set?" he inquired softly, his back still to his son.
The younger brunette shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. This was not where he had expected this conversation to go at all. It was common courtesy that no one discussed one of the realm's darkest traditions, that it simply be ignored. No one wanted to face the heinousness of an act that was so engraved into society. For his father to bring it so openly into discussion… "I know the basis of it, yes," the young prince admitted cautiously.
"Hm." Haruka extracted a rather old tome from one of his shelves and, letting it fall open in his hand, turned back around to his son. "The origin of the legend can be traced back into the darkest periods of human history, when vampires first began to roam the earth. Twins have forever been a mystery, especially identical twins. It has long been believed that identical twins were a single person split into two separate entities, thus a divided soul. For centuries, it has been regarded as a grave sin to split a soul, one of the most grave to ever be committed, consequently making twins extremely sinful beings from their very birth. Humans, as well as some vampires, try to atone for this by sacrificing the younger twin, thinking that the soul of that twin will return to its elder's body and merge with their half of the soul, causing that child to be a complete person. Foolish, really, but it is so ingrained into both human and vampire culture alike that no one bats an eye at the thought of putting innocent children to death. Still, there are the few who believe this practice to be wrong."
The atmosphere in the lavish study suddenly became very tense and dour, even more so than when Kaname had first entered. Neither vampire spoke, Haruka leafing mildly through the book in his hand while Kaname stared solemnly at him, his fury with his father long since quelled. Yes, he had known the fate of all second-born twins in the realm, but it still horrified him. As a child, he had often wondered why his father did not simply ban the practice, although now he knew it was because there would be an uprising of grand proportions if he did. However, he also knew of a noble family who had often pleaded with the king to outlaw the ritualistic killings. "The Kiryus," the younger pureblood finally spoke up softly, drawing attention back to the ones who had started this whole discussion in the first place.
With a soft smirk, Haruka nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "The obviously did not follow this tradition when their own twins were born. Do you remember that day, Kaname?"
Kaname nodded glumly. "The countess was in tears," he recalled, the image of Hitomi Kiryu sobbing hysterically as she clutched her youngest son to her chest flashing through his mind.
"Yes," Haruka concurred sadly. "It was even worse for the Kiryus, however. Twins of hunter lineage are further cursed, the small amount of vampire blood flowing through their veins causing them to fight within the womb, often killing each other. It was a miracle both the Kiryu twins survived until birth! Although, it would seem that the elder twin had absorbed much of the younger twin's life force, resulting in a very sickly child. Even so, Hitomi was just relieved both her sons were alive…" The elder Kuran trailed off, his dark eyes glazing over as he began to reminisce. There were times when the absence of his old friends stung deeply, such as now. News of the Kiryus' bloody murder (by a vampire, no less!) had hit him rather hard. They had been truly wonderful people, despite being hunters. Unlike most in their society, they actually fully supported the Kurans' desire for pacifism and worked just as hard as it as they did. Their tragic demise had certainly put a dent in the pacifist movement. For that very reason, Haruka had organized quite a hunt for their murderer, but to no avail. Whoever had killed the earl and countess was very clever and before long, the trail had gone cold. That didn't dissuade their young son, however. The heir to the Kiryu title and the king had fought much over the pureblood's decision to disband the investigation. The young man continued the search on his own for his parents' assassin to that very day.
For a moment or two, the young prince left his father to his memories for he, too, was lost in thought. He was actually recalling the night Zero had informed him, in the most offhanded way possible, that he had a twin and was determined to find him. That was long before anything had occurred between the two of them, the boy having been no more no more than thirteen and already so driven, his heart already hardened by the cruelty of the world so that whatever childish innocence he might have had was lost. He had searched for so long and so hard to find the little brother he only recently discovered he had, yet the young earl found the trail had long since grown cold. No hide nor hair of his long-lost twin could be found, something which his parents had undoubtedly intended. It was upon recollecting this that a sudden question struck Kaname. Gazing curiously at Haruka, the younger brunette inquired, "How did you know Zero's twin would be serving in the Hio household, Father?"
Haruka blinked as he was pulled from his reverie, staring in slight confusion at his son. As soon as what Kaname had said sunk in, the older man laughed a bit. "Surprisingly enough, Rido told me," he admitted.
Kaname was stunned. "Uncle told you? Really?" It seemed highly out of character for his father's elder brother to be so accommodating.
"I don't believe he realized what he was telling me," Haruka explained, his shoulder shaking slightly with silent laughter. "He merely mentioned seeing a servant boy who looked remarkably like Kiryu while visiting Lady Hio. Of course, I immediately realized what this could possibly mean and requested that Kiryu visit the Hio estate as soon as possible."
It was at this moment that Kaname remembered he was angry at his father for this very reason. He contorted his face once more into a furious scowl. "You still had no right to help him," he bit out before turning on his heel and storming out of the king's study.
As he watched his eldest child march away from him in a most childlike fashion, Haruka sighed and shook his head before returning to his desk to resume what he had been doing previous to being so rudely interrupted. Kaname was merely throwing a tantrum. There were no grounds for him to be this upset with his father for assisting the earl on his quest. The prince was simply troubled over the prospect of losing his favourite plaything. He saw Zero's twin as a threat to his relationship with the nobleman, a relationship in which he was starting to put much more stock in than his partner. Quite frankly, Haruka was sort of relieved that the young hunter had something else with which to occupy himself. While he like the aristocrat for his spunk and intelligence, the king couldn't help but resent his promiscuous behaviour as it presented the opportunity that both Kaname and his younger sister, Yuki, would be hurt. He sincerely hoped that this boy at Hio Manor, this Ichiru, could convince Zero to settle down and remain faithful for once, or else more people would end up hurt as well.
* * *
Having lost many hours of sleep the previous day due to obsessively thinking about Earl Kiryu, Ichiru naturally slept a little later than was usually acceptable. It had been dipping into late afternoon by the time he had managed to drift off, allowing for only about three hours of sleep, if not less. Thus, it fell to his best friend to rouse him when he didn't wake at the normal time.
"Ichiru!" Maria's voice suddenly rang clearly into the human's room, startling him into wakefulness. "Naomi says if you don't get up at this very minute, you'll have morning and evening kitchen duty for an entire week!"
Groaning in exhaustion, Ichiru snuggled further into his blankets, unwilling to rouse himself from bed. "Tell 'er I'm up," he called back to his friend. "I'll be there inna few minutes."
Maria assured him she would do just that and Ichiru heard the girl scrabble off to deliver his message to the head maid. He let a few more groggy moments slip by before rolling over onto his back and pushing himself up on his elbows, shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear it. Then, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and, sitting hunched over, ran his fingers miserably through his silver hair. Despite his resolve of the previous night not to fall for the earl, however unlikely that chance of that happening was in any case, he still dreaded having to spend all day with Kiryu. What if he tried to kiss him again? Or something even worse? He may have gotten away with slapping the hunter last night, but he highly doubted that would be allowed a second time. No, he'd have to figure out a different way to deal with the earl. Deciding to come with a plan while he dressed, Ichiru lifted himself from his bed and made his way to the small shabby wardrobe facing the foot of his bed. He pulled open the uneven doors and removed his suit, tossing it unceremoniously onto the mattress before proceeding to take off his bed clothes. Within a few minutes, he was dressed and emerging into the common area, hardly surprised to find it almost completely empty.
"There ya are, boy!" snapped Naomi as she spotted the human from her place in the kitchen. "You're gonna be in a whole lot of trouble for sleepin' so late! No, you don't have time for breakfast!" She slapped Ichiru's hand away as he reached for one of the rolls left over from the morning meal, making the boy wince involuntarily.
"But Naomi…" moaned Ichiru, giving the woman the most injured, pleading look he could muster. He was starving, having skipped supper the night before. Surely the maid could allow him a bit of bread.
"No buts!" scolded the matriarch, waggling her finger warningly at the servant boy. "It's your own damned fault for sleeping in! Now get! You have a earl to be attendin' to!" She shoved the young human in the back, telling him to get a move on.
Muttering distempered under his breath about how he was being starved to death, Ichiru shot Naomi a murderous glare before stalking up the stairs and out of the servants' quarters. He clutched at his grumbling stomach as he strode through the corridors towards Earl Kiryu's suite and sighed. He was so hungry… Maybe he could chance stealing a scone off of the nobleman's tea tray later. That would be nice.
"Human!" Ichiru snapped roughly out of his contemplation of his empty stomach and his plot to steal pastries to see Rin storming towards him, his sallow face contorted into an extremely displeased scowl. For a few moments, the younger servant was at a loss for why the steward was angry with him. He had only woken up a few minutes ago. He couldn't possibly have done anything wrong yet! All of sudden, a sickening thought struck him and all the colour drained involuntarily from Ichiru's face. Could word of the kiss and the fact he had slapped Lord Kiryu already gotten out? Then, Rin so graciously reminded him what was wrong with him. "Where is your mask?! Lady Shizuka ordered her to wear it for the entire duration of Lord Zero's stay! How dare you deliberately disobey her! You little--" The senior steward raised his hand to strike his junior, Ichiru closing his eyes tightly and flinching on instinct. He waited for the blow to land but it never did.
Daring a peek, he cracked one of his eyes open a smidge and saw a hand encircling one of Rin's bony wrist, effectively preventing him from hitting Ichiru. Opening his eyes further, the young man saw Earl Kiryu standing behind the steward, a triumphant smirk on his face as he regarded the vampire servant. He blinked in surprise. That was convenient timing for the aristocrat to show up to his rescue. However, where on earth had he come from?!
Rin seemed just as shocked by the earl's sudden appearance as Ichiru was. "L-Lord Zero!' he stammered. "What are ya--"
"I would prefer that do not hit my attendant, Rin," Kiryu proclaimed coldly. "Especially since it is my fault he's not wearing his mask." He released the vampire steward's wrist roughly.
Rubbing his wrist, Rin's jaw fell open momentarily at this confession from the newly arrived earl. He soon regained his composure, however, setting himself into a more rigid posture. Clearing his throat, the vampire inquired in that snippily polite way of his, "What do you mean by that, milord?"
With a knowing sneer, Kiryu drew level with Ichiru and stroked his face with an air of possessive tenderness that sent a chill down the servant's spine. "I destroyed that silly mask of his," he informed the steward now standing behind him, giving his double a playful wink. "It's a crying shame to cover up such a pretty face, don't you agree?" He turned back to Rin, Ichiru's face still cupped in one of his hands. The whole display caused Ichiru to flush and turn his head away, deeply embarrassed the earl was acting this way around him.
Appearing distinctly taken aback at this display, the steward mouthed indignantly as his yellowed flesh turned red with anger. "If you do pardon me, milord," he sniffed, trying with all his might to keep himself under control and not snap at the impudent noble before him, "but that is inexcusable. The lady herself ordered for the human to wear that mask. It was not your place to decide otherwise."
"Too bad," retorted the hunter, taking a step closer to Ichiru and snaking an arm around his waist, pulling him against him. "I already did." He ignored the servant boy's attempts to shove them apart.
Now vividly steaming mad, Rin mutter in a keenly distempered growl, "Lady Shizuka shall be hearing of this." He then marched off huffily past the earl and the servant.
Smirking triumphantly at a job well done, Kiryu turned to Ichiru, who glared viciously back. The servant boy shoved the earl harshly away from him, causing his alter ego to stumble a bit. Retracting his arms, he curled his hands into fists at his side, as though preparing for a fight.
"What's the big idea?!" he shouted in an insulted tone. "I didn' ask for your help, an' I really didn' need ya actin' like I was your… your… lover or consort or somethin' in front o' Rin! Or at all!" He flushed at these words, gritting his teeth together as he continued to glower at the earl
Kiryu's smirk vanished as he blinked, feigning confusion. "Lover?" he repeated questioningly, folding his arms and stroking his chin pensively. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Oh, c'mon!" cried Ichiru exasperatedly. "The way ya were just touchin' me! Not t' mention all those thin's ya said! That en't how someone acts with their servants!" At least, not in public.
The earl's sneer suddenly reappeared. "Well, if that's the way you're going to play, you're not behaving in a manner very befitting to your station either now, are you? To speak to a superior so frankly…"
Ichiru opened his mouth to retort, but found himself being spun around and pinned to the nearest wall by his doppelgänger faster than he could think, his wrists firmly trapped in the nobleman's grip. A predatory hunger flickering in his pallid eyes, Kiryu pressed himself closer to the servant, their identical faces mere centimeters apart. "However, I find that quite a turn on. Perhaps you were suggesting you want to become my lover…?" he murmured heatedly as his eyes fluttered half-closed, his warm breath brushing past the other adolescent's slightly parted lips.
"Never," growled Ichiru quietly, gritting his teeth against his racing heart and the butterflies flickering around in his gut. He desperately tried to ignore the blood pounding relentlessly in his ears at Kiryu's nearness. He had no idea why he was reacting to the other man in such a manner, being completely unused to this sort of situation. Get a hold of yourself, Ichiru, he scolded himself sharply. Remember what you decided last night… Squeezing his eyes shut, Ichiru flushed deeper as he tried to strengthen his resolution.
For a moment, the aristocrat just sneered in satisfaction as he felt the other young man squirm beneath him. He could also feel the quickening of Ichiru's heart rate and see the colouring of the servant's cheeks. Such a delicious red tint, the blood rushing so close to the surface… Clearing the sudden crimson haze quickly from his mind, Kiryu pulled away from Ichiru and seized his hand, almost childishly. "Come," he said, tugging the servant's hand. "I have tea waiting for us in the garden."
His eyes snapping open, Ichiru looked over to the hunter in surprise. "For us?" he repeated as Kiryu began tugging him along down the corridor.
The earl nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course, he stated as though Ichiru should have expected this. "Who else would I have accompanying me for tea? Shizuka?"
"Well, yeah," Ichiru admitted, still slightly stunned. Anyone in their right mind would expect a noble to dine with another noble. It was highly unusual, not to mention unseemly, for one to fraternize so freely with a servant. Or anyone of a lower class, in all honesty. Most especially in such a public manner. "Milord, ya should know how wrong this is. Lord Kiryu? Lord Kiryu!"
* * *
Rin was true to his word. Directly after leaving Ichiru and the earl, he proceeded straight to his mistress' rooms, breaking out into a run as he neared them so desperate was he to inform the duchess of what he had witnessed. He did not know what the lady vampire had been planning, but it had clearly fallen apart. Finally, the manservant reached the entrance to Lady Shizuka's suite and burst through the doors. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he panted urgently, "He knows, milady! Earl Kiryu knows who Ichiru is!"
"Calm down, Rin. We already know about everything. Don't we, my dear?"
The frantic steward froze at these words, an involuntary chill running down his spine as his lungs seized. That was not the fluting voice of his mistress, but rather a deep, oily growl with dark undertones that made one's skin crawl. Taking the chance to actually look and observe the room he had barged into, Rin's beady eyes widened in surprise when he saw a tall, imposing man sitting on the lounge in the centre of the room that the lady usually occupied. Shizuka herself was kneeling at his feet, her head in his lap as he stroked her flaxen hair. The man leered at the recently arrived servant, his heterochromatic eyes, one crimson and one blue, narrowed deviously. It was such a look that Rin nearly began trembling where he stood, but managed to control himself, knowing that fear was a weakness he could not afford in the presence of this man.
"L-Lord Rido!" he stammered, his voice a tad higher-pitched than normal. He bowed quickly, deeply, as he closed the doors to the room behind him before adding, "I did not expect you to grace us with your presence today, milord."
Prince Rido Kuran smirked even more, amused by the servant's fudged enamouring comment. "Oh, come now, Rin," he simpered. "It's not so unusual for me to show up unannounced now, is it?" he picked up a lock of Shizuka's hair and began playing with it idly.
Scowling inwardly, Rin answered, "No, milord." The elder brother of the king appeared at the manor more often than anyone realized, sneaking in without warning and disappearing again before dawn, it was during this time that he tormented his fiancée, punishing Shizuka for a past transgression she had made against him. Personally, the steward could not blame the woman for having an affair. To be engaged to such a sadistic monster as Rido Kuran…? He could only imagine.
"As for the little earl and that human boy, as I have said we already knew about them." Rido dropped the piece of Shizuka's hair he had been fiddling with and resumed caressing the woman's head, sneering suggestively at her. "My sweet here saw the two of them lock lips yesterday in the garden. Did you not, darling?" Shizuka did not answer, but instead merely turned her lovely beaten face away from her butler, burying it in her fiancé's lap. The man lording over her intensified his malicious smirk before turning back to the servant standing in front of him. "Besides, I was the one who dropped the hint to my fool of a little brother. I wanted those two boys to meet."
Rin was slightly bowled over by this information. Lord Rido… wanted the earl to meet his twin? That was forbidden! Lady Shizuka herself had expressly told him that the two young men must never, under any circumstances, meet. That was the reason for the boy's mask. The consequences were that to happen would be disastrous. What on earth was this man planning? Did he not know of the legends, of the curse? No, surely Lord Rido must know. Then, what…? The only comfort the steward could take in was that Ichiru was clearly still blissfully oblivious to who Kiryu was to him, as well as who he himself truly was. As long as the human remained ignorant, all was well. Or rather, as well as one could hope.
Suddenly, Rido burst out laughing and for a moment, Rin was stunned, unable to understand what was so funny. Then, the pureblood male let him in on the joke. "I never expected that child hunter to kiss the boy, though!" the prince exclaimed, amusement obvious in his voice. "I had heard that Kiryu's son was a bit… loose, but I never expected him to be randy enough to go after his own brother!"
While the man before continued to laugh hysterically, Rin had to fight the impulse to shake his head disdainfully. He, for one, did not find the situation very funny at all nor could he see why Rido did. Incest occurred quite frequently in vampire society, as well as homosexuality (vampires, being a pleasure-seeking race, weren't particularly picky about whom they bedded). Perhaps it was because the boys were of hunter descent? Vampire hunters were notorious for adhering to strict moral policies and were deeply religious, generally being considered 'prudes' by vampires.
Finally regaining control of himself, Rido sighed and fixed his gaze back on the butler. "Is there any other bits of useless warning you need to impart on us?" he inquired condescendingly of Rin, his evil grin returning.
The manservant hesitated, realizing that the pureblood royal was implying it was time for him to take his leave. He was reluctant to leave his mistress alone with this abusive fiend, but he could not think of a reason for him to stay. Bowing once more, he muttered, "No, milord. I shall take my leave now." With on last apologetic glance at the lady of the house, he exited the room.
Rido let his eyes close, listening with relish as the door to his betrothed's suite clicked shut. Finally, they were all alone. Directing his attention back to the woman in his lap, he sneered. "I have not yet finished with you, my love…"
* * *
Halting suddenly as he brought his teacup to his lips, Earl Kiryu snapped his sharp gaze to a balcony situated over the garden, set high in the ivy-covered grey walls. A pair of French doors with chiffon curtains led the way into the room beyond. He narrowed his eyes forebodingly, his usually pale irises darkening. There it was again. That scent that had woken him that morning just before sunset, a scent so sickeningly sweet and intoxicating it was almost akin to poison. He would not forget it.
Ichiru, who was busying himself with buttering half of a poppyseed muffin, glanced up when he noticed he no longer felt the nobleman's piercing eyes on him. Noticing the other man's fixated stare, he tilted his head to the side in a curious manner and asked, "What is it?"
The earl did not answer right away. He merely continued to stare at the French doors of the overhead balcony with a look that suggested he was concentrating rather hard on something very unpleasant. "There's a scent of blood on the air," he finally mumbled, more to himself than anyone else, and for a moment, Ichiru could have sworn he saw the noble's eyes flash red.
"Blood? Really?" Ichiru took a whiff of the air around him, but could only smell the tea and pastries. Of course, he wasn't really expecting to smell anything. Humans weren't sensitive enough to scent blood unless it was in large amounts and fairly close to them. He had learned this lesson many times when he had cut himself while working and everyone in the vicinity had noticed before he had.
Seeming as though he was coming back to himself, the aristocrat bowed his head and shook it before taking a sip of his tea. "Never mind," he murmured. "It doesn't matter."
"It does so matter!" insisted Ichiru, his eyes growing wide. "What if someone's hurt? We should go see--" Standing up abruptly, Ichiru managed to upset a teacup, sending it crashing to the ground where it smashed into dozens of sharp little pieces. Glancing down at the china shards, he felt his face colour.
"Idiot!" Kiryu, too, leapt up from the table, only he had the presence of mind to scoot his chair out first. He initially glared at the broken cup before focusing on Ichiru, who was standing as though dumbstruck with his eyes still on the fragments. "Well, what are you waiting for? Clean it up! You're just a servant, after all, are you not?" He put much contempt on the word 'servant' as he narrowed his eyes at the boy of lower station standing across from him. His attendant had put up a grand fuss about the differences between social classes and proper conduct all the way to the garden, something which had grown quite annoying. Well, if Ichiru insisted that he be treated like a servant, then that was just what he would get.
Swallowing hard, Ichiru let his gaze flit to the distempered noble for a moment before muttering, "Yeah, milord." He then got down on his knees and began retrieving the little bits of shattered teacup that littered the flagstone, placing them one by one into his hand. His face was still flushed with embarrassment, a feeling that wasn't helped by the earl standing haughtily over him as he watched the servant boy clean up the mess he had made.
"You do realize you live in a household of vampires, don't you?" the hunter asked snappishly. "If anyone was hurt, they'd heal in no time, as if it were nothing. Those demons aren't nearly as fragile as you or that teacup you destroyed. In fact, they could shatter you just like that cup."
Freezing as he picked up a larger piece of china, Ichiru glanced up at the earl. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly, turning his attention back to his task. He was an idiot. He knew that the healing abilities of a vampire far surpassed his own, but he couldn't help, but worry whenever one of the other servants injured themselves. Even they all laughed at him when he did this, before demonstrating that whatever scrape they received vanishing almost instantly. After picking up a few more pieces, he questioned softly, "What 'bout ya, Lord Kiryu? Are ya as breakable as me?"
Though he wasn't looking at the hunter, he could feel the other man smirk in an almost suggestive manner. "No, not nearly," he answered in a tone to match his smirk.
Ichiru turned his head to stare over his shoulder at the earl. Not really paying attention to what he was doing any more, he felt a sharp pain on his finger as he reached out for yet another shard. "Ow!" he cried, jerking his hand away from whatever had hurt him. Examining his finger, he saw that he had sliced it open on one of the fragments of teacup, a particularly sharp bit having blood on its edge as testimony to this. He instinctively went to put the injured, bleeding finger in his mouth when a hand suddenly reach out and prevented him from doing such.
"No!" barked Earl Kiryu, rather urgently. Then, kneeling down beside Ichiru, he repeated more gently, "No, let me take care of that." He brought the wounded digit to his mouth and began caressing it slowly with his tongue, as though relishing in the flavour of the other man's blood. There was no doubt about it this time. His eyes were blood red.
This only served to make Ichiru uncomfortable. The flush still on his face deepening, he managed to stammer, "M-milord?"
Kiryu paused, his tongue still wrapped slightly around the other boy's finger. He seemed to have just realized what he was doing. Pulling away fro Ichiru, he dropped his hand as if it were something disgusting and contorted his face into a scowl. His eyes were still red. "What, you're so incompetent that you can't even clean up a broken teacup without hurting yourself?" he bit out at Ichiru, who in all honesty had done nothing wrong. "Here, give me those before you injure yourself further." He held out his hand, indicating that the servant was to deposit the shards of china he had already collected into it. Grudgingly, Ichiru did so. Appearing satisfied, if not still ticked off, Kiryu then ordered the other young man to go get something to clean up the tea that had been in the cup.
As the servant left him, Kiryu sighed and gazed down at the fragments of broken teacup in his hand before dumping them onto the table. Then, he turned and glanced down onto the flagstone to where a bit of cream-coloured china with its sharp edge tinted crimson lay. Carefully, he bent down and picked it up, bringing it to his nose to breath in its decadent scent, washing away all traces of the poisonous fumes from earlier. Ichiru's blood smelled as sweet as it tasted, though somehow the earl knew it would. The boy seemed to enjoy sweet things, judging by the amount of sugar he had piled into his tea. Normally, the hunter despised sweet things, but perhaps for Ichiru, he could make an exception. All of the sudden, Kiryu growled at himself, disgusted with the way he was starting to think exactly like one of those demons he hated. Nonetheless, he slid the piece of china stained with Ichiru's blood into his pocket.
* * *
Ichiru was torn between discomfort and offence as he searched for the nearest broom closet. The earl's abrupt changes in mood were beginning to annoy and the young man didn't know how much longer he'd be able to put up with it. It was as if the aristocrat couldn't decide if he wanted to be conniving or irritable or seductive or what. Or perhaps he just didn't know how he should act towards him… Ichiru quickly shook that thought out of his head. Obviously, the nobleman's self-centeredness was rubbing off. Never had the human thought of himself so much.
Grumbling about how he couldn't wait until the damned hunter left and things went back to normal, Ichiru retrieved a rag from the broom closet he had been perusing and stepped back into the corridor. Upon closing the closet door, he was startled to see that Rin was standing on the other side. He nearly jumped out of his skin and emitted a rather unmanly squeak. "Rin!" he gasped, clutching his chest. "Don' do that! Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The steward ignored this comment and said sternly, "Lady Shizuka has requested your presence in her room."
Ichiru blinked. This was the second time in a week that the lady vampire had called him to her. Normally, there were weeks between the times he saw her. Again, it wasn't as though he wasn't pleased to see this mistress this often. There was simply something… odd and foreboding about it. Nodding, the younger house worker followed his senior once more to the woman's rooms. Once again, Rin did not accompany into the suite, but only bowed him through the doors.
Lady Shizuka was not in her sitting room, as she usually was, and for a moment, Ichiru was confused. His befuddlement only lasted a couple of seconds, though, as a fluting voice drifted to him from another room.
"Come, Ichiru. I am in my bedroom."
Her bedroom? Ichiru's eyes widened. He was to go into the lady's bedroom? Swallowing nervously, the young man hesitated. He had never gone into a woman's bedroom before, not even Maria's as the servants' sleeping quarters were segregated by gender and out of courtesy, the men never stepped foot in the women's area even though they often came into theirs.
"Are you coming, Ichiru?"
"Yeah, milady!" Clearly, Lady Shizuka saw nothing wrong with having a man in her bedroom, even if he was only a servant. Taking a deep calming breath, Ichiru strode warily in to his mistress' bedroom.
The pureblood woman was sitting at her vanity in nothing but her undergarments, doing up her long blonde hair as she gazed in her large mirror. Ichiru was hard put to force down a blush. The duchess was stunning. He had no idea why she would ever need make-up, observing the many jars and creams on her vanity tabletop. "Lady Shizuka…" he began, about to point that fact out when the lady herself spoke.
"Earl Kiryu seems to be quite taken with you," she said quietly, letting her fair hair fall before reaching for a brush.
Blinking, Ichiru stared on, slightly taken aback. What did that have to do with anything? "Um… well, I wouldn' say that…"
Her pale eyes flickering over to the young human's reflection in her mirror, Shizuka scoffed, "Don't be modest, Ichiru! To capture the attention of an aristocrat is quite a feat for one of your station…"
Not really considering Earl Kiryu's reputation, thought Ichiru sardonically. He had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes.
"However, what I really want to know is your impressions of him." The pureblood woman spun around gracefully on her backless cushioned seat and peered critically at the human in front of her. "Go on. You may speak freely."
Inhaling deeply to steady himself, Ichiru confessed, "I really don'… think that much o' 'im, milady. He's just as the rumours say: a vile, perverted noble with a bad temper."
For some reason, Shizuka seemed greatly amused by Ichiru's answer. She smiled quietly and even laughed a bit, a rare but beautiful thing. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that, Ichiru," she murmured, leaning back against her vanity. She truly was, of course. As long as the earl's affections remained one-sided, her fiancé's plans would be useless. He wouldn't be able to hurt Ichiru and she would be able to continue with her own designs.
Ichiru shuffled nervously for one foot to the other. "If ya pardon me askin', milady," he said, somewhat anxiously, "but what do my feelin's towards Earl Kiryu have t' do with anythin'?"
Still smiling lightly, Shizuka idly combed her fingers through her hair as she continued to look the servant boy over. "Oh, nothing," she answered, trying to sound nonchalant when inside she was flooding with relief. "However, I will warn you not to fall for the earl. Nothing good can come of an attachment to him."
"Thank ya for your concern, milady, but I don' think that's ever gonna happen." As he said this, Ichiru couldn't help but notice it sounded as if the lady pureblood's warning had come from some sort of personal experience. It was almost as if she had suggested she had met the nobleman before and had grown attached to him. However, that couldn't be possible. Could it?
"I'm glad to hear that, Ichiru," she murmured, highly doubting the young man's words. No matter how much will power one possessed, it was almost impossible not to fall for whatever the hunter held in his eyes. Everyone he captivated fell into his web for different reasons, but they fell nonetheless. No, Ichiru would fall for the earl. It was only a matter of time. "One more thing, though, my dear: what exactly do you know about the earl?"
This question caught Ichiru off guard more than any other. "What d'ya mean, milady?" he questioned, his brow furrowed.
Turning her focus from the human boy to her perfectly polished fingernails, Shizuka said in a casual tone, "Oh, you know: things about his life, his family, his relationships…"
"Milady, I think ya got it all wrong," Ichiru blurted out before he could stop himself. Immediately recognizing his blunder, he clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head, mumbling his apologies.
Shizuka was nearly as forgiving as Earl Kiryu when it came to servants and free speech, however, she was a tad more specific about who had the freedom to do so. She had always treasured this boy's frankness when it came to her, a trait she had recognized upon first meeting the boy. It was very refreshing, something which the aristocratic hunter had no doubt discovered. "What is it I'm wrong about, Ichiru?" she inquired, almost mischievously. When the young man faltered, she prodded further. "Go on. Tell me."
Biting his lip, Ichiru felt his cheeks grow warm as he tried to explain slowly, "Ya… seem t' think me an' the earl… have some sorta relationship, milady. That's… not it, though. I don' know anythin' about 'im other than what I've heard."
For the second time whilst speaking with Ichiru, Shizuka felt a sweet wave of reprieve wash through her being. So Kiryu had decided to keep him ignorant, had he? Whether it was some sort of twisted game the earl was playing or some genuine form of caring, it did not matter as long as Ichiru stayed safe. Humans were such delicate things, just like that man… Besides, this also meant she could continue to play the dangerous game her fiancé had enacted on her terms. "Thank you, Ichiru," she whispered. "That was all I need to hear. You may leave."
Feeling more confused than ever, Ichiru bowed and exited his mistress' room.
* * *
"There you are, Ichiru!"
Wincing despite himself, Ichiru turned to see Earl Kiryu coming towards him up the corridor. Obviously, the nobleman had come looking for him when he had not returned. Fantastic. He was going to get it now. Gritting his teeth slightly, the young man set himself a bit more rigidly in preparation for the scolding he would undoubtedly receive.
Stopping when he was a few paces from his attendant, the earl crossed his arms and glared at Ichiru. "Where the hell did you go?" he demanded, sound immensely displeased. "I had to get some other servant to clean the mess you made!"
"Sorry, milord, but Lady Shizuka called for me," Ichiru informed the aristocrat, making a conscious effort to keep his voice monotonous. Emotions were obviously not the best way to deal with this man. Now that he thought of it, he should have just been callous from the very beginning. "It wasn' as if I could say no to 'er."
Kiryu's frown deepened at this. Why had the lady needed to see this boy? From what he had collected, Ichiru was a rather lowly servant here at Hio Manor. What interest could she possibly have in him? Unless… "What did that demoness want with you, Ichiru?" he inquired darkly.
Ichiru shrugged, wondering what on earth it mattered to the nobleman what his mistress wanted with him. "Nothin' really," he lied. Then, before he could fully understand what was happening, he found himself pinned to the wall yet again. The earl plainly enjoyed this position, but in all honesty, it was getting a bit old. The servant didn't struggle this time, though. From what he had gather to the last similar encounter, Kiryu enjoyed that. He would not be so accommodating this time. Still, he could not control his body's reaction and his blood was pounding in his ears once more. He really did not like being trapped.
"Do not lie to me," growled the earl threateningly, his eyes appearing predatory again but in a different sense than before. "I need to know exactly what that she-witch spoke with you about."
"An' why would that be?" Ichiru asked stubbornly, looking the aristocrat directly in the eye in a unaffected way he knew would infuriate.
Tightening his grip painfully on the servant's wrists, Kiryu snarled, "That's really none of your business now, is it? Now, tell me what she said!" He hated the way Ichiru wasn't reacting to him. Why wasn't he terrified? Or shocked? At this moment, a devious thought flickered in the earl's mind. It was a thought that shouldn't have pleased him, but he knew it was one that would certainly elicit a reaction from the boy. His scowl shifted to a smirk and he murmured, "Or perhaps there was no talking at all. Perhaps you're that woman's little plaything, hm? You certainly are attractive enough…"
The hunter had been right. This comment broke straight through Ichiru's uncaring façade and his expression registered shock as well as a bit of disgust. Had this man just insinuated that he and Lady Shizuka were sleeping together? Not ever in his most illicit imaginings had the young man thought of ever doing that with his mistress! Even kissing was something he saw as going too far! "N-no!" he stammered frantically. "'Course not! That… that would be…"
"Most improper?" Kiryu finished for the servant, his smirk becoming more suggestive. Then, he bent in closer to Ichiru and kissed him, instantly causing the other man to squirm in protest. No! Not this again! Only this time, his hands weren't even free to fight back and the nobleman was strong. A sudden, unfamiliar sensation caused a jolt of unpleasant electricity to jump down the servant's spine. It was the warm, moist feeling of the earl trying to force his tongue between Ichiru's lips.
"Nnnh! Nngh…!" The weaker man's muffled protests went completely ignored and soon, Kiryu got what he wanted, his tongue filling Ichiru's mouth. Fighting down a fresh wave of repulsion and the desire to vomit, the servant bit down, hard, on the aristocrat's tongue. Thankfully, this obtained the preferred response and the hunter noble leapt back, appearing stunned the house worker had done such a thing. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Ichiru glowered daggers at Kiryu before panting heavily through gritted teeth, "Don't you ever do that again!"
For a moment or two, the pair of young men seemed to have reached an impasse, neither moving as they stared at each other and neither speaking. It seemed as though they could have stood there forever, still as statues, when Maria rushed in and broke the heavy stalemate.
"Thank God, I found you, Ichiru!" the tiny girl cried, running up to her dear friend and gripping his sleeve. "Kenta's been asking for you! We need to go to the kitchens immediately!"
Blinking at his friend's sudden appearance, Ichiru asked slowly, "Alright…. Why?"
Maria took a deep breath and explained very quickly, "Well, you see, a very important guest has suddenly decided to visit and Lady Shizuka has ordered a giant feast in his honour! Everyone needs to pitch in to be ready in time!"
"Not Ichiru," the earl interjected, making the small maid acknowledge him for the first time.
Appearing nervous, as though she feared upsetting the nobleman again, Maria bowed respectfully and said, "My apologies, milord, but even Ichiru has to help. It's the lady's orders."
"It was on her orders that he wear that mask of his, too, but he's no longer doing that now, is he?"
The vampire girl glanced up at the earl, confused at his statement. Then, turning her gaze to the young man beside her, she noticed that he was indeed not wearing that infamous mask the pureblood duchess had given him. "Ichiru? Where's your—"
"I'll explain later. Let's just get t' the kitchen 'fore Kenta sends Naomi after us."
Nodding, still a bit bewildered, Maria began leading the way to the kitchens where a large majority of servants had now gathered to prepared for the very important person due to arrive that evening. Before he left, however, Ichiru made sure the aristocrat received one more scathing look from him, just to make sure he was reminded of his warning.
* * *
When the two servants left him, Kiryu brought two of his fingers to his tongue. Ichiru had bitten hard enough to draw blood, but the wounds had healed almost as quickly as they had been formed. Damn. He must remember to push that boy too far again. His reactions were so… No, he mustn't think of that. If he did, he would never be able to stop.
Instead, the hunter turned his thoughts to other matters, such as the identity of this mysterious guest that was so eminent as to deserve the entire staff of Hio Manor being put hard to work in order to please him. Someone from the royal family, perhaps? At this, the earl scowled at the realization it would most likely be Rido, then. Oh, how that man disturbed him. Maybe he could feign some sort of illness in order to get out of dinner this evening? Or he could just outright refused to go. Then again, if he went to dinner, there was always the possibility that he would see Ichiru for what would most likely be the last time that day. Yes, it all came back to that boy.
Resigning himself to just endure supping with two despicable purebloods, Kiryu made the journey back to his rooms to wash up.
* * *
"So then he just remove your mask…"
"That's right."
"…And kissed you?"
"Yeah."
Having made it to the very busy kitchen, Ichiru had just explained the whole deal with the mask to Maria, who stared at him with wide-eyed amazement. The two were silent for a while, polishing the silverware in preparation for the night's feast. The boy had his head bowed now, a flush having found his way into his cheeks. It had been embarrassing to tell his friend that not only had he gotten his first kiss, but it had been with a man. He failed to disclose the rather forced kiss he and the earl had shared so recently, the disgust too real to cope with at the moment. He was sure that if he did, the dear girl would think him even more revolting than she expectedly already did
Maria, however, was not appalled by the fact the human's first kiss had been with a man. Again, the vampire view of homosexuality was much more accepting than that of a human, but the girl did feel sympathetic towards her friend's distress. It must be horrible, to have one's first kiss taken away from one in such a manner and by someone one didn't even like. There was another emotion swirling around inside the petite vampire girl, however: jealousy. It had been one of her most secret desires that she would be the one to get Ichiru's first kiss. Of course, that dream was now completely shot. How dare the arrogant earl think he could just force himself on her best friend like that! Did he not eve considered the boy's feelings about the matter?
"Oh, Ichiru!" she piped up quietly after a few minutes, her voice dripping with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. I know one's first kiss is supposed to be special…"
"Don'," bit out Ichiru, suddenly a bit grumpy. "I don' want t' talk 'bout it any more. You know what happened, so now just drop it."
A bit stunned, if not understanding, by her companion's abrupt snappiness, Maria turned away from Ichiru and focused more completely on her task. After another moment, though, she spoke up again. "If you had gotten to chose, who would have you wanted your first kiss to be?" she inquired softly, her cheeks colouring.
Ichiru paused in his polishing and looked over to his comrade, a tad surprised by the question. "Um…" he began, flushing a little as well. "…I dunno. I've never really given it much thought…"
"Oh." When that was done, the two house workers sat once more in silence, each feeling too self-conscious to converse further. Luckily for them, this awkward atmosphere was broken by the head chef, who marched over to them soon after the uncomfortable conversation had ended.
"Are ye two still not finished?" he snapped, glaring impatient down at his young charges.
"No, sir!" Ichiru and Maria chorused instantly.
"We've just finished, sir," Maria informed the cook and Ichiru nodded in agreement, putting down the last bit of silver.
Appearing a bit skeptical, Kenta grumbled, "Alright. Then ye, boy! Go get a head start on them dishes. They're pillin' up like nobody's business!"
"Yessir!" Ichiru replied, giving a mock salute before scampering away, weaving his way as quickly as he could through the bustling mass of servants that were currently occupying the kitchen.
"And ye," he growled, turned his attention to Maria who squeaked. With a sigh, the burly man softened his expression and said, "I wish ye would just give up on that boy, already. He's not yours fer the takin'."
Maria stiffen at these words, biting her lips as tears began to swim in her pale orbs. She glanced over to where Ichiru was currently being scolded by another senior servant, having just nearly missed causing a giant disaster. Laughing lightly in spite of her tears, the little doll turned back to Kenta and declared firmly, "You don't know that. It could happen. He could love me."
Kenta shook his head, sighing sadly. Ah, the delusions of youth… "Just get yerself to the dinin' hall," he said gruffly. "All the other maids be settin' up there."
Nodding defiantly, Maria left the kitchens to join her fellow maids. What did Kenta know? There was always a possibility Ichiru could love her back, just as much as she loved him. It didn't matter that he was human or that they were servants of the same household. There was always a chance they could be together. Wasn't there?
* * *
The table was set, everything was flawlessly prepared, and the servants all held their breath as the surprise guest stepped into the dining room. It had been the long-held opinion that Rido Kuran was the most intimidating of all the purebloods still in existence, the baleful aura swirling around the man seemingly made of pure venom. To displease him was to call Death upon oneself. The natural response to his presence was to be fearful and reverential.
Of course, that was not the way Earl Zero Kiryu behaved towards the prince and as Ichiru watched the whole incident from the hallway that led from the kitchen to the dining hall with Maria, he began to seriously suspect the hunter knew neither fear nor how to respect his superiors.
The earl arrived fashionably late (of course), only showing up in the dining hall after the first course had already been served with his dress jacket thrown casually over his shoulder as though he hadn't thought the event important enough to actually put it on. The man seemed utterly unconcerned by the fact all eyes, nobles and servants alike, were now staring at him. Most were condemning him for his tardiness, while the guest of honour appeared to take amusement in it.
"Well, well," he chortled snidely. "It seems the earl has finally decided to join us. How are you faring, Lord Zero?"
Kiryu matched Rido's calculatingly mocking smirk with mordant sneer of his own. "Rido, you scum," he greeted, the insult sounding almost affable had it not been for the underlying tone of contempt. "So it's you everyone's going to pieces over. I'm surprised your brother let you out of your cage."
The pureblood male laughed whole-heartedly at this, a chilling sound that reverberated throughout the room. "That fool brother of mine could not cage me, even though he undoubtedly would like to," he assured the earl, that snakelike smirk still playing on his lips.
"Now, Rido, you know I can't sit by while you insult one of my dearest friends," the hunter countered, not making a move even resembling going to the king's defence. He merely stood there at the end of the long dark wood table, all his weight resting on his right leg while he had his hand in the opposite pocket. He continued smirking as though this was nothing more than a friendly banter, much as he had done with Lady Shizuka upon first arriving at Hio Manor. Ichiru began to wonder if this was how he behaved to all purebloods or rather just to people he obviously disliked.
"Is he trying to get himself killed?" whispered Maria harshly from her position underneath Ichiru.
Shrugging, the human boy replied,"I dunno. He was the same when with Lady Shizuka when he first got here and she didn't seem to mind either. It's almost like they think it's funny…"
"Hmph," Maria sniffed indignantly. "It's probably just a front. I bet on the inside he's shaking with fear."
"I wouldn'," murmured Ichiru. After this, the two servants feel silent once more and resumed watching as the proceedings unfolded.
"Why don't you sit down, Lord Zero?" suggested Rido, gesturing to the seat to his left. The prince had taken up Shizuka's usual seat at the head of the table, the lady herself sitting to his right. The pureblood woman was unusually subdued and had not said a word since the moment she entered the room. She didn't even attempt to join in with her fiancé as he taunted Kiryu, an activity all the servants of the household knew she would have enjoyed. However, it was also known that the company of her betrothed was the cause of this sudden change in behaviour. Rido just had that effect on people.
The earl cocked a silvery eyebrow. "Really, Rido? Sit at the same table as you? If I don't die from shame, maybe." Still, Kiryu took the seat the prince offered nonetheless. As though on cue, a serving was brought out to the nobleman. The servant who did so glared scoldingly at Ichiru and Maria as she passed them on her way from the kitchen to the dining hall and back again. Both adolescents stuck their tongues out childishly at her as she did this. As mentioned previously, eavesdropping was a horrible habit among house workers but neither Maria nor Ichiru believed this counted. The dining hall was a public area after all. The nobles were practically begging people to overhear them.
So, the night continued. Kiryu and Rido persisted to exchange derisive jabs at each other through out the meal, keeping the atmosphere light-hearted if not welcoming. However, as supper drew to a close, the air grew heavy due to the prince's seemingly offhanded comment, "So, how's that revenge scheme of yours coming? Not falling through the cracks is it, what with your little side quest and all?"
The earl's face, which had previously been set with a blasé smirk, now fell into a dangerous scowl. "What do you know of that?" he demanded darkly of the prince, his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, come off it! It's not like no one knows," the vampire royal said, swirling the red wine around in his glass lazily. "These past few years, you have only been driven by two things. Revenge for the murder of your parents and the search for the one—"
"Shut up," growled Kiryu, gritting his teeth. "How do you even know about that?"
Rido blinked. "Oh, I have my ways," he murmured silkily, still fiddling idly with his wine glass.
"Well, tell your 'ways' to stay out of my personal business," the earl snapped. "I have nothing you want."
"Oh, don't be so modest!" said Rido with a laugh, reminding Ichiru uncomfortably of what Lady Shizuka had said to him earlier. "Of course, you have things I want! Your land, your wealth, your power…" The prince then leaned over and whispered something into Kiryu's ear, something that not even Maria could pick out with her vampire hearing. Whatever it was, though, must have been something very upsetting for Kiryu's face became contorted with rage.
Getting his feet abruptly, the aristocratic hunter slammed his palms furiously on the table, causing the dinnerware to clatter worryingly, and shouted, "Don't you dare touch him!" His lilac eyes blazed with angry fire as he glared daggers at the pureblood to his right.
His face registering great enjoyment at the reaction to whatever he said had provoked, Rido sat back in his chair and said, "Oh, we'll see about that."
"I swear to God, Rido, if you so much as come near him, I'll blast you into a billion tiny pieces," Kiryu vowed, his eyes fixed warningly on the vampire male. He then snapped his attention to Shizuka. "It's bad enough that she already has." These were the earl's only words of parting before gathering up his jacket, which he had tossed nonchalantly on the chair beside him, and storming out of the dining hall.
This irate exit was promptly followed by a boisterous round of laughter from Rido. "Aha! Barely a week and already he's so protective! Now that's what I call love! Wouldn't you agree, my dear?" The prince acknowledged his fiancée for the first time that evening, a predatory flame blazing dimly in his bi-coloured eyes. Shizuka said nothing. She bowed her head as she picked apathetically at the food before.
Back in the hallway, Ichiru and Maria exchanged bewildered glances. What was that all about? Before they even had the time to question each other, Kenta had burst on the scene as become his habit of doing, and barked, "Back in the kitchen, both of ye! Ye've got no right to be spyin'!"
Both of the younger servants practically leapt out of their skins before whipping around to face the cook.
"Yes, sir!" squeaked Maria, her posture becoming one that suggest she was in a military line-up.
"Aye, aye, sir!" said Ichiru, not actually trying to be funny but making Maria giggle beside him nevertheless.
Kenta, on the other hand, did not think the younger man's response funny at all. The large vampire grabbed for the front of the human's shirt and virtually threw him towards the galley doors. "Just get to cleanin' up that mess!" he ordered. "If ye don't finish quickly, ye won't be getting' any supper tonight either!"
Inspired by the prospect of again not getting his evening meal, Ichiru rushed into the kitchen to help the others with tidying up.
However, the young man was again, unlucky. Being human, he didn't possess the speed or efficiency that came with being a vampire, so even though he and the other scullions and scullery maids had divided the work equally, he had taken the longest to finish. The sun had already risen by the time he had gotten to the last bit of cleaning he needed to do. This meant he had once more missed dinner and he knew better than to expect leftovers. So there he was, scrubbing away in the now empty kitchen, mulling over the consequences of stealing food from the pantry and whether or not it was worth it. It was then he heard the galley doors swing open and he froze. Who would still be up at this hour? Glancing up, the boy expected it to be either Maria come to make sure he was all right or Rin barging in to scold him. Yet, it was neither of them.
It was Earl Kiryu.
Twisting his face into a scowl, Ichiru turned his face away from the aristocrat. "What d'ya want?" he snarled. Could this man not take a hint? He wasn't interested in being his newest consort!
"You were listening earlier, outside the dining room," the noble said coldly, completely disregarding the servant's question.
Ichiru wavered for a moment, his eyes growing wide. How on earth had Kiryu known he had been listening in to his conversation with Rido? He had left before Kenta had yelled at him and his friend for doing so, so that was out. Still, the discussion had happened in a public area, so it wasn't as if he had been eavesdropping. Or at least, that was what he told himself. It wasn't as if he exactly felt guilty abut spying on the earl, in any case. Yes, that was right. Ichiru had done nothing wrong. "So what if I was?" he asked snippily, resuming scrubbing the counter.
There was the sudden sensation of something gripping the back of his shirt and the hunter spun him around effortlessly, slamming him back against the counter and trapping him there, placing his hands on either side of him. "It'd be better if you dropped this nasty habit of yours, Ichiru," Kiryu snarled menacingly. "Otherwise, you might end up hearing things that were not meant for your ears."
"So there's a law against hearin' now, is there?" Ichiru spat back. "Wow, His Majesty must be gettin' real strict. 'Course, ya probably suggested it in the first place, seein' as the king is your 'dear friend' and all…"
"I'm not kidding around, Ichiru!" snapped the earl. "It's much safer for you if just keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong!"
"And why's that, hm?" demanded Ichiru, his temper rising with every passing second. "What, will I discover that there's some secret organization that's behind all the murders there've been lately and end up as the next victim?"
This comment, although clearly not meant seriously, threw Kiryu for a bit of a loop. He blinked a few times in a stunned manner before shaking himself out of it, reminding himself that Ichiru could not possibly know about the Mors Mortis Lilium. No civilian did. "Yes, something like that," he murmured, forcing a bitter laugh. "Just promise me you'll keep to yourself from now on."
"As long as ya keep t' yours," insisted Ichiru, crossing his arms defiantly. "Why d'ya care anyways?"
The nobleman took his time in answering. After what seemed a few moments' consideration, he replied, "Let's just say that now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you." He backed away from and Ichiru and the counter, turning to leave the kitchen.
There it was again. That statement about finding. Unlike last time, when it had only served to confuse him, it now made Ichiru angry. Something was being kept from him and he didn't like it. "What the bloody hell's that supposed t' mean?" he shouted at the retreating noble. "What am I t' ya anyways?!"
Pausing as he reached the galley doors, Kiryu looked back over his shoulder at the irritated servant boy with a suggestive smirk and purred, "Why, you're my soul mate, of course." With that, he disappeared.
Now, confusion was added to the anger swirling inside of Ichiru. Soul mate? How the hell was that decided upon?! The two of them had only known each other for about a week, and the earl hadn't demonstrated anything that could have been taken as a sign of love. Or even courting for that matter. Well, there was the kissing, but that had been forced on both accounts and was lustful rather than loving. This man was decidedly insane. Grumbling under his breath about a world gone mad, Ichiru resumed scrubbing the counter, intent on finishing his task
* * *
Naomi was the only one still awake when Ichiru returned to the servants' quarters, having been waiting up specifically for the human. Maria had informed her in confidence of the way Kiryu was practically forcing himself upon the boy and she had grown very concerned for his well-being. If she had known the earl would have been attracted to Ichiru this strongly, she would have never suggested he be the man's attendant during his stay. She was already formulating plans in order to get the servant out of his duties regarding the earl.
The head maid broke out of her reverie when she heard footsteps cantering down the staircase into the common area, Ichiru appearing in the doorway. The poor boy looked exhausted and there was some colour in his face, but whether from anger or shame, Naomi couldn't tell. Fearing the worst, she leapt to her feet (she had been sitting at one of the large tables in the room) and cried, "What the hell did that man do you this time?"
Starting slightly, having not noticed the other house worker's presence, Ichiru swung around to face the vampire maid, his pale eyes wide. "What on earth—Naomi!" he exclaimed. "Ya scared me half t' death! An' what are ya even talkin' 'bout?"
"That earl," the woman elaborated. "What has the bastard done to ya now?"
"N-nothin'!" Ichiru stammered, taken aback. "Why would he do anythin' t' me?"
Groaning in frustration, Naomi rolled her eyes and said, "Don't lie to me, boy! Maria told me all about your little tryst in the garden!"
Ichiru flushed, the colour already in his face increasing dramatically. Maria told Naomi about that? How could she?! It was supposed to be a secret! "I'm gonna kill her," he growled, bowing his head and glaring intently down the female sleeping quarters' corridor.
"Now, Ichiru, don't do that," sighed the vampire, touching her fingertips to her forehead in slight exasperation. "I'm glad she told me. Look, didn't I tell you to come to me or Kenta if you had any troubles with Kiryu?"
"I'm handlin' it," insisted Ichiru. "I don' need help."
Naomi stared at the human boy in amazement. Yes, she knew Ichiru had a stubborn streak and could be a bit of an idiot (of course, he was an adolescent male and thus, there was really no help for that), but she couldn't believe he was this dim. "Ichiru, this ain't like you're fightin' with another one of us here," she tried to make him understand. "This is Earl Zero Kiryu you're dealin' with, the noble with the worst reputation outside of Prince Rido Kuran and Marquis Asato Ichijo. Ya can't do this on your own."
"I can an' I am," Ichiru said, refusing to budge in his position. He was grateful to Naomi and Kenta for offering their assistance in what ever troubled him, but he felt like he needed to take care of himself for once. He crossed his arm to reaffirm this obstinacy.
For a moment or two, the two servants stared each other down, neither willing to give into the other. Finally, Naomi sighed resignedly. As much as she wanted to help this boy, it was obvious that Ichiru wasn't going to let her and she realized for the first time how much he had grown since he first came here nearly ten years ago. It had all happened so fast that really none of the servants were prepared to let go of the image of Ichiru as that frightened little boy who had first come to them. It was hard, relating human time to vampire time. "Alright," she gave in. "Do what you want."
"Thank ya, Naomi," said Ichiru, offering a small bow while grinning slightly with the satisfaction he had won. "Now, I'm hungry. Is there any supper left over?"
Nodding, Naomi reached over to the bowl she had had sitting out on the table beside her and proffered it to Ichiru. "I saved some for you. I figured since I wouldn't let you eat breakfast this mornin' you'd be right starvin'."
Smiling in relief that his hope had not been in vain, Ichiru stepped over to the maid and took the bowl from her, offering his gratitude. Almost instantly, he began slurping the porridge down, never minding how cold it was. He was just glad to have something in his stomach.
Naomi watched with slight amusement as the boy guzzled down his pitiful meal. The appetite of teenage boys never ceased to amaze her. Then, the woman suddenly remembered something. Scurrying over the kitchen, she pulled open a drawer and extracted from within it, a bright red rose. Returning to Ichiru, she handed him the bloom and said, "Here. This came for ya while ya were workin'."
Ichiru was somehow able to put down the bowl of food long enough to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand before reaching out to take the rose from the vampire. "Who's it from?" he asked, his brow creased in slightly uncertainty.
Shrugging, Naomi replied, "No clue. There's a note tied to it, though. See?" She pointed out a bit of parchment paper bound to the thorny emerald stem with a black ribbon.
Curious, Ichiru pulled the ribbon undone and took the note, unfurling it and peering curiously at the scrawled cursive upon it. After he deciphered the message, his eyes widened in shock and he quickly crumpled the bit of paper in his fist. He could feel his face growing warm.
"Well, who's it from?" Naomi prodded, but Ichiru shook his head.
"It's from no one. Just…" Ichiru couldn't finish his statement, however. He suddenly found he desperately need to be alone. Getting up quickly from the table, he gave Naomi one last glance and thanked her again for saving him a bit of food before dashing off to his bedroom. Once inside, he closed the door firmly behind him and leaned against it, panting slightly. Then, he brought out the small note again and unfolded it. He scanned the message, hardly daring to believe it.
I'm sorry, Ichiru.
Zero