Chapter 8:
"Are we there yet?" Keiko asked impatiently. She was blindfolded, being led by Takuma, her father, and Hanabusa to a place even she couldn't figure out.
"Not yet!" Hanabusa chimed.
Keiko growled.
"Told ya she was the impatient one," Takuma told Raiko.
Raiko smiled. "Eh, I guess you were right…this time."
Keiko huffed in annoyance as the three guys laughed. "Yeah, yeah, real funny," she mumbled. "Just wait till I—"
"We're here!" Raiko exclaimed.
The blindfold suddenly disappeared from Keiko's eyes and she blinked while her eyes adjusted to the sudden light change. Then she gasped in shock. She was at the Moon Dorm, yes, but there were decorations and balloons and food everywhere. She looked back at the three guys that brought her. "What the—"
"You mean you actually forgot?" Raiko asked. "What's today?"
Keiko ran through the past few months in her head. "April 8th—" she began, then stopped as realization hit.
"Happy birthday!" Hanabusa and Takuma told her in unison.
Fireworks suddenly went off and all of the other vampires gathered around in excitement. "Today's my birthday!" Keiko giggled.
"That's right, kiddo!" Raiko said, gripping his daughter in a headlock and giving her a noogie. She pushed him away playfully then looked around. "You guys did all this for me?"
"Well it is your birthday," Hanabusa pointed out. "Who else would we do it for?"
Keiko threw her arms around Hanabusa in a hug. "Thank you so much, guys! You're amazing."
Hanabusa blushed and laughed nervously then stopped. "Hey…where'd Ichijou go?"
Keiko and the others all looked around as well. "I dunno," she said. "He was just here."
Meanwhile, Takuma stood in the main foyer of the Moon Dorm, terror on his face as he looked at the piece of paper in his hands. He went over the words again silently in his head. Takuma's eyes watered and he fell to the ground, buried his face in his knees and sobbed quietly. He lifted his head up as he heard the door open and soft footsteps neared his place in the foyer. "Taku-san?" Senri's soft voice called.
Takuma quickly regained himself and stood up, wiping all signs of his earlier breakdown away. "Here I am," he called to Senri. "I had to use the bathroom."
Senri came in and eyed the blond curiously. "Taku, what—"
"Please don't call me that anymore," Takuma told him. "Just call me Ichijou."
Confusion flashed in Senri's light blue eyes. "What? Taku—Ichijou-senpai, what's the matter?"
"Nothing, nothing. Come on. We still have to celebrate my sister's party."
Takuma went out first, wanting to get out of the Dorm as soon as possible, and Senri followed more hesitantly.
Keiko ran up and hugged her half-brother. "Thank you so much, Takuma!" she said excitedly.
Takuma nodded absentmindedly and Keiko ran off to glomp someone else. Raiko walked up to his son. "What's up? You're not usually this quiet."
"Nothing's wrong, Father. I'm fine, really."
Raiko hesitated then nodded. "If you say so, son."
Takuma watched his father walk away and nearly had to force himself not to shed the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes as he remembered the short note he found earlier on the couch addressed to him. 'Don't forget your place, young Ichijou. Ichiou's death means nothing. You're still the 'toy' of the Association.'
The End!!
***For those you who are curious…there is a sequel and it's a yaoi between Takuma and Senri so if you're curious to see why Taku's the 'toy' of the Association, then that's the explanation -^_~- Oh, and it's called The Bonds Between Nobles! Thanks to all who reviewed!***
