Chapter 36

Chapter 36, Setting up a New Plan

Kyoya took a deep breath in as he readied himself for what was about to occur. He knew that doing what he was about to was a huge risk, but he was willing to take it to make sure that things would come out the way they were supposed to. He just hoped that the predicted backlash wouldn't be too catastrophic. He looked at Quin'Derax and nodded, signalling the Void that he was ready.

Quin'Derax looked at his master and hoped that things would go they way he wanted them to. He knew that his young summoner had strong ties towards all of the friends he had made during his recent years of school and, although it went against everything that made him what he was, the Void being prayed that his master would make it out of this alive.

Letting the shadows wrap around him, Kyoya let them carry him to the meeting point he had designated for Saichi to meet him so that they could plan the steps they would take the next day at school. When the darkness receded, he looked at the nervous girl before him and felt a pang of sympathy for her. He knew that he could be intimidating, his name alone could ruin most families and businesses while his skill as a Dark Mage could end the lives of just as many if not more. Deciding to try and be as neutral as he could in this, he cleared his throat to let her know that he was there.

Saichi turned at the sound and sighed. When she had gotten the note from the Void at her senpai's side, she had been terrified. Kyoya Ootori was not someone to make an enemy out of, even she knew that. That is why she had come clean with the truth to him the first time she had visited the Host Club and met Haruhi. The revelations she had with that small conversation with him had rocked her to her core and made her understand just how much damage would befall her family should her uncle continue his insane plan of trying to take her cousin by force. She knew that her dad and grandfather just wanted to bring her into the family so that she could have what was supposed to have gone to her mother if things had been different. She had heard about the falling out Kotoko had with her family when she had chosen to marry for love and not duty, especially since the one she married had nothing to offer the family in any way. She couldn't fault her aunt of that and hoped that she could one day find the same since her dad had promised her that she could have her own choice in marriage so that she didn't end up getting hurt or neglected.

Looking at the male a few feet away from her before looking at the relatively bland decor of the room they were in, she took a deep breath and steeled herself form the coming conversation. She found herself grateful that they were in a room that was sound proofed and that she only people outside of it were those strictly loyal to her senpai. Anyone else might had been able to give the conversation to her uncle and thus foil what was to come.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Miss Kanzaki," Kyoya said calmly.

"I understand the importance of this meeting," Saichi replied. "I only wish that the others could know what is about to happen."

"As much as it would be nice to let them know, telling them would be detrimental to what needs to happen. This needs to be as believable as possible, and as such, the less people who know, the better."

"I know...it's just...I don't want to see how she is going to react to all of this. She'll be broken...and angry..."

"Which is what he needs to see. I have seen the power Haruhi has humming just underneath and, although it is immense, it isn't anything I can't handle or am unprepared to deal with."

Saichi looked at the white tile under her feet, worry and concern flashing across her face. "I'm still unsure. Something tells me that this will have drastic repercussions and that the rifts that will form from this won't be easily fixed."

"You aren't the only one that feels that way," Kyoya sighed. "But as long as I can explain it to the others, there should be minimal damage to our relationships with her."

"I hope you are right."

"I am rarely wrong but, I am hopeful as well."

Saichi looked back towards Kyoya and they both continued to plan what was going to happen the next day at school, down to the most minuscule bit of information so that there would be as little possibility for mistakes. Both knew that even if one thing went wrong or changed, there would be a disaster of epic proportions. After conversing and panning for a few hours, Kyoya had Quin'Derax Shadow Jump Saichi home before opening a Void gate for himself to take him back to his house rather than the Sanctuary. As much as he would have liked to be within the temporal anomaly, he needed to prepare for each and every outcome. He hadn't been fully honest with Saichi though. True, he had seen Haruhi's power and how much of it she had, but his demonic blood had been insisting that it was just the very tip that couldn't be hidden. And that meant she had a great deal more power at her disposal, she just hadn't been able to tap into it. He was honestly worried about what was to come and he didn't like that feeling.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Mori stepped through the doors into the Sanctuary and sighed softly as the familiar swirl of the dark energy welcomed him back. He felt a faint pulse from Qurdox welcoming him back and followed it to where the dragon was. He paused at the threshold that lead to the courtyard and smiled softly as he watched Haruhi practicing Kendo with Asuda. He had to admit, she was getting better about going with the flow and letting her mind follow her instinct rather than planned thought. His smile grew slightly when she managed to get Asuda to drop his bokken.

The elder vampire shook his hand to relieve the sting he had gotten from his niece's strict and chuckled.

"Sorry, uncle," Haruhi said sheepishly.

"It's fine," Asuda assured. "It was a good strike. Guess I should have worn gloves, ne?"

"Might have spared your hand a good bruise."

Asuda chuckled and shook his head. He glanced over at Mori and bowed his head in greeting. Haruhi turned and smiled brilliantly when she saw him before moving over to hug him. Mori gladly returned the embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"Welcome back," Haruhi smiled. "How was your day?"

"It was good," he replied. "I have the doses for you."

"Okay. Uncle explained them to me a little more in depth while you and your dad went to drop off Satoshi, Hunny and Yasuchika."

Mori nodded softly and pulled out a small ornately decorated box. Haruhi took it carefully and looked over the small white case with a dark blue and red rose entwined on the top. She smield at the image and opened the case, revealing several light pink pills.

"I recommend that you take one after you get something to eat," Asuda cautioned. "Like with most medicines, if taken on an empty stomach, you won't feel too good."

Haruhi nodded and closed the case. It was the beginning of a new day in the Sanctuary so she would take the fist capsule after breakfast. Her uncle and Trekiva had explained that, although time inside the sanctuary was different than outside, she would need to treat each day inside the Vortex as if it were one outside. It would allow her body to adjust to taking the tablets in a regular fashion and set up a routine that he body would recognize over time. It was also explained that since her blood was still asleep, her developing a routine based on the weakest dose and learning how to use less over longer spans of time, it would be easier for her when she chose to wake it. Her instinct would only need a small amount to feed it over a large span of time and thus make it so she was less likely to lose her control and go into a blood rage.

Asuda called Haruhi over to help him put away their gear from morning practice so that they could go eat breakfast and she could begin setting her routine for the tablets. Once all of the gear was in its proper place, they went to the main dining room to eat breakfast. The meal was a quiet one, which was kind of odd since normally when Abraham and Fernando were in the same room, they tended to make a few jabs at each other. Haruhi glanced between the two men that were technically her uncles slightly concerned.

Hannah looked at her niece and smiled softly before nudging her slightly. "It's okay, iloba txikia.* They are fine."

Haruhi nodded and continued to eat. "Qurdox. What did aunt Hannah say?"

"She called you "little niece", which is an apt title," Qurdox replied. "Perhaps you should ask if either she or Prince Fernando will teach you their traditional tongue. It is something you would need to know for when you visit their country."

Haruhi hummed softly in agreement before looking at her gathered family. She was about to speak when Trekiva cleared his throat.

"Haruhi, Takashi," he said softly. "There are a few people that have some to meet the both you from England and Spain. They are here at the requests of Fernando and Abraham."

Both teens looked at each other before the aforementioned men. Mori had a feeling he knew who these arrivals were and suspected their purpose while Haruhi was a bit worried.

"They will meet with you both in the upper study," Trekiva continued. "I will be present as well. Michiko Haninozuka will be here in a few moments along with Alyona Nekozawa."

Haruhi nodded softly and Mori bowed his head gently. The latter half of his explanation clarifying his suspicions. He glanced at Haruhi hand gently wrapped his hand with hers. "They are the people from the Historians Archive and Fernando-sama's court. These are the people you would have gone to meet anyway."

Haurhi relaxed slightly but Mori could still feel that she was nervous about meeting them. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting her continue eating. When most of her meal was done, he prompted her to take one of the tablets. She easily complied, taking out the small case and opening it, thankful that her three relatives had been present for the explanation Trekiva and Asuda had given her about the tablets.

She took one out and popped it into her mouth before taking a drink of her tea. Asuda had told her that it didn't matter what kind of liquid she took with the capsule, just so long as she did. After all, taking any kind of pill without liquid was rather hard on the throat. She felt a strong pulse from inside her chest shortly after she swallowed and a warmth seep through her body. Haruhi could also fell her instinct coo slightly at the taste of their betrothed's blood in their system.

Mori felt his body pulse slightly as he took the tablet. His instinct rose slightly to absorb the mix of Haruhi's blood and settled in utter content as it let the pleasure of the blood swim through them. He felt his body pulse in time with his heart beat but paused when he felt a response come from Haruhi and looked at her. He saw that her eyes held the faint glow that they carried the few time she had taken his blood and watched in awe as her body relaxed even further as it pulsed in time with his.

Trekiva watch his grandchild and Takashi carefully as the blood within their tablets moved through their bodies. The first taste was always a guessing game on how the child would react. His guard stepped up slightly as he saw the visible pulse come from her body but he was slightly worried about the responding pulse that came from Takashi. There were a few things that such a resonance could imply and only one of them could be taken as a good thing. As he watched, his guard slowly relaxed when he saw that neither child was about to lose themselves in the resonating pulses between them and smiled softly at them both.

Abraham, Fernando and Hannah waited calmly for the blood to relax in their bodies. Fernando and Hannah were slightly worried when they felt the pulses between the two teens but relaxed when they saw that nothing bad was coming forth. Abraham watched with critical eyes as the pulses gently eased between them and thought back on everything he had read and encountered in the archives. There were very few records of a vampire and mage entering union and even fewer of a vampire and a crystal blood union, so he had little information to go on. He did, however, recall that in a few of the cases between vampires and mages there was the possibility of the vampire gaining some of their pair's power but those had been discredited as rumor, although it was a distinct possibility that it could happen.

Once both teens had relaxed slightly, the doors to the dining room opened to reveal Michiko and Alyona. Haruhi and Mori bowed in greeting which was mirrored by both women.

"Now that we all are here," Trekiva stated. "Let us head to the upper study."

Everyone stood and followed the elder vampire towards the needed room. Inside the dark study were four people, all of which were men. Two were wearing well tailored black suits, one with a crimson tie holding a golden tie clip, and the other with no tie and a red dress shirt. The other two were wearing suits as well but one was dressed in a dark blue suit with a white tie and the other was dressed in a white suit and tie.

"Introductions first," Abraham intoned as he motioned first to the male with the crimson tie. "That is Master Archivist Anthony van Huern and next to him is Rank 3 Historian Ian Lander."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fujioka," Anthony bowed while Ian simply gave a soft wave.

"Along with them is Alexander Chivan," Fernando explained as he pointed to the man in the full white suit. "Next to him is his son Isaac. Alexander is the main adviser to the Spanish coven and his son is a captain of our royal guard."

Haruhi bowed politely and gave her host smile. "I am Haruhi Fujioka. It's an honor to meet you all."

Mori bowed as well before speaking. "I am Takashi Morinozuka. An honor to meet you."

Before Alyona could speak, Anthony raised a hand to pause her. "You are known to us Lady Alyona, as are you Lady Michiko."

"Now that introductions are done," Alexander spoke, his voice soft but an edge was evident. "Shall we sit and go over the reasons we are gathered?"

Everyone nodded and took a seat in an open chair while Haruhi and Mori sat on the love seat facing everyone. For the next several moments, Haruhi explained her life to the gathered men and what she had come into. She left nothing out, including her skill level in her training with Alyona, who was able to verify it easily. The next to speak was Michiko, who gave a full rundown of everything she had encountered when she had read Haruhi's blood and gave clear details as to why it was needed in the first place. Alyona even spoke about the few lessons she was able to put Haruhi through in the time she had been able to and what the girl had accomplished. It was also detailed to the gathered group that both she and Mori had formed their union bond early but that it was accepted by all parts of their family. The four gathered men listened with rapt attention, never once interrupting the detailed explanations. When all was spoken, Anthony and Ian looked towards Trekiva before politely asking to do a soul reading.

Trekiva agreed under the pretext that they would explain what one was for Haruhi since her lessons hadn't gotten to that portion of study yet. Ian easily offered the information that a soul reading was much like what Michiko had done with her blood but it allowed for a different understanding of events and abilities. While a blood reading could determine familial lines and heritage, a soul reading could help give a better understand of what kind of power she was capable of and how dangerous it could be if used incorrectly.

"Regardless of what the reading indicates," Ian explained. "We aren't going to enforce any kind of measures against you. If it wasn't for the fact that you already have an instructor, this reading would have helped us find you one."

Haruhi nodded and relaxed so that Anthony could preform the reading. The man sat across from her and held out his hands for her to take. She gently placed them in his and felt his magic wrap around her. Qurdox pulsed around her soothingly and Mori gently wrapped his arm around her waist in support. After a few moments, Anthony let go of her hands and sat back with his eyes shut.

"You have a vast well of power," he spoke. "Far deeper than what is visible. I can't see the bottom of your well and I doubt I would be able to even with a life time to do so. I have only encountered three people with a well that deep. What I do know is this, you should continue with the lessons you have for now and learn all you can from Lady Alyona. We will begin looking for other teachers for you as well. I feel as though you could use any form of Arcana you chose simply due to the fact you have an avid thirst to learn. I would caution you to temper that but not to the point it is gone. There are some magics that exist that one should not know for their own safety."

Haruhi nodded and Alexander took the moment to speak. "I agree. My sight has shown you with many possibilities and outcomes. Having a tempered understanding of your skills will do a world of good, not just for yourself but those close to you. As for what you have gone through up to this point, there is little we can do to change the past but we can help you come to terms with the future."

"I believe that we are in accordance then," Anthony intoned.

When the others nodded, a smile crossed the man's face. "Well then, we can use the rest of this time to bring you up to speed on how things will be from now on."

For the rest of the day and a few of the following, Haruhi was given a full run down of what was given to her by right of inheritance. Asuda had assured her that the large sums being given to her were going straight into an account that had be specifically set up to receive them and that until she was ready for it, the account would be kept quiet but she would have full access to it if she needed it. There had been a bit of an argument between Fernando and Ian about what was being offered but ultimately, they came up with an agreement about what the Spaniard needed to offer. Ian had felt that although the sum of funds was more that adequate as well as being formally accepted into their house, she needed to have the stability that came with it, which meant, to Haruhi's utter shock, citizenship for her and her father in Spain.

When she tried to say it wasn't necessary, Hannah had been able to quiet her protests with a simple sentence. "You are family and as such, you need to have the full support of the coven: which means you need the ability to enter our home freely without question."

Haruhi's arguments died and she accepted the citizenship to not only Spain but to England as well. Anthony explained to her that even though she had citizenship in two other countries, she didn't have to give up her citizenship in Japan. It just meant that she could come and go from both countries without too much hassle from airport security. She thanked them all for accepting her and offering her the opportunities that came with their acceptances. All gathered smiled and welcomed her. The men remained for a short time to witness some of her practices and see her skills for themselves.

Each left with the understanding that Haruhi was to remain out of the limelight until she had finished school and had near complete control of her Arcana to prevent injury to herself or others when things got out of hand. They had also informed the gathered group that they would be in Japan for a while longer as it was understood that the Arch-Mage would be arriving in Japan in the next few days to name his choice of spokesperson for Japan. Trekiva nodded in acceptance but never let it show that he knew the full reason for the man's arrival. He was honestly looking forward to seeing Kayon again, he had come to miss the Elemental's offhand sarcasm and amusement at the smallest things.

A/N: Language translation.

iloba txikia : little niece