To Love in Darkness

by Asteral-Dreamer

In one moment, Haruhi's life changed. She learned that she could use magic and in the next she found out that there was a whole other world existing right next to the one she knew that she had only thought was in fairy tails. Now that she sees everything that was hidden from her, what will she do?

14. Chapter 14, A Union Discovered

Chapter 14:

Chapter 14, A Union Discovered

Trekiva had kept to his silent vow of making sure that Tamaki left Haruhi and Mori alone for the rest of the day with relative ease. It did help that the twin Incubi were more than willing to aid him in the venture. They only requested that in exchange for helping keep the troublesome blond away from them, they have his permission to speak with Haruhi later about the classes that she missed since she was in a majority of their classes during the day. After learning which classes all three shared and which ones they didn't but managed to get the assignments for, Trekiva gave permission under the strict guidelines that either he, Takashi or Ranka were there. Hikaru and Kaoru had agreed knowing that if they tried to push for just them and Haruhi, they wouldn't get the opportunity to in the future.

Hikaru and Kaoru had even gone so far as to ask Kyoya and Umehito to help since even they knew that Tamaki would do whatever the Shadow King said and was still deathly afraid of the Black Magic practitioner. Kyoya agreed as he had actual reasons to keep Tamaki from the pair because he needed a full run down of how things went the day before, not only in the club but also in class. True Kyoya could have checked the school page about the lessons he missed, had even done so before hand, but having a first hand account was more helpful. He also hoped, yet still doubted, that Tamaki had taken notes that he could use. Soon though, Kyoya had to step away from moronic blond as every other sentence out of Tamaki's mouth was a question about Haruhi and it was starting to annoy him. He also had to depart due to a report he had received from his Void about the state of the person it had taken away after arriving on the scene of the attack the day before. It was at this point that Umehito took over for the Shadow King with hilarious results.

Since Tamaki was completely unaware of how Familiars worked, he was unprepared for the sight of Beelzenef morphing from a puppet sitting on the Dark Prince's hand to an actual cat being held in his arms. It was also readily apparent that the beige sphinx had not forgiven or forgotten about when Tamaki had stepped on him. So after fully forming into a cat, Beelzenef had arched his back and starting hissing at the terrified blond before leaping out of Umehito's arms and chasing him around the house, not that Nekozawa did anything to stop the angry feline. For the next three hours, the sphinx ran after Tamaki and whenever it caught up to him, he would get clawed or hit with quick swipes. Soon Tamaki had scratches on his face, hands and arms from the angry Familiar.

Felling a small pang of pity on the poor child, Alyona offered to treat the scratches of her son's companion so that they wouldn't scar. Tamaki had thanked her with a flourish that the woman had completely ignored, much to his dismay and confusion. He had tried every method of personal charm he had or could think of for her to notice and adhere to his pleas of getting Umehito to get Beelzenef to stop attacking him, but nothing worked against her. Alyona just smiled at him as he got more and more flustered and when he asked why nothing he said was working her reply shut him up.

"Dear child," she said softly. "There is not a charm you could cast or action you could take that would change my heart from my husband or my children. I am a Sorceress and as such, I know a great deal more magic than you do. I am also far older than you are. Thus, I have more experience in dealing with different types of magic, Arcana, and personalities. As for Beelzenef, the only thing one can do to ease the ire of a feline, is let it run its course. Eventually he will stop but trying to get him to do so through force will only make him retaliate for longer."

All Tamaki could do was look at her is shocked awe before bowing his head in understanding and defeat.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Sitting in the gardens with a small table brought from inside under a sakura tree, Haruhi and Mori listened to Hikaru and Kaoru calmly as both of them explained what she missed yesterday in class. Haruhi was slightly surprised that both of them had actually taken such good notes for her but didn't voice it out loud. She just listened calmly and took notes on what they explained, asking for a bit of clarification every now and then. Both red heads would give it readily and even helped her with some of her assignments where they could. Once they had shared everything they could about class on Friday, Hikaru moved over to Trekiva while Kaoru was looking over the assignment Haruhi had just finished that was assigned in class, explaining how the teacher explained some of the ones she got wrong since he did too.

"Tora-sama," Hikaru started softly. "There is one more matter that we need to discuss with Haruhi. There is a Halloween Gala that our club is doing this year in conjuncture with the Black Magic Club at school. It is being held on Hallows Eve and we need to do some fitting adjustments to the costume we have made for Haruhi. It isn't too intrusive but we do need to see her in it so we can make any final adjustments."

Glancing at the young Incubus next to him, Trekiva spoke calmly. "I would like to see what you have created for my child."

Hikaru nodded and pulled out his design book. Flipping to the right page, he handed it to the elder vampire. Trekiva let his eyes follow the contours of what the young one had drawn and had to admire the detail. Each line was drawn exact, the only smudges were from the rubbing of pages while it was being carried.

"Do you have colors chosen?" he asked calmly.

"It will mostly be white," Hikaru explained. "The designs will be blue, the same color as Mori-senpia's rose, and everything is sewn in place with gold thread. If you have any additions you wish to make, I'll pencil them in and talk to Kaoru about adding them."

Trekiva looked at the design and tapped his chin. "Rather than plain white, make it a light cream or pale gold. Something that you would only really see in proper light and if you were paying close attention. I also would like you to add a silver sash with my crest and Takashi's rose."

Hikaru looked at the design and covered his mouth in thought. "I'd need something to replicate your crest. I know the symbol of your company is the Tiger-Lilly surrounded by an Oak leaf but not the crest you have for your Coven or family."

"An Asian Lung coiled around the crescent moon."

"Does the color of the Dragon matter?"

"I would recommend you do something similar to the colors of her dragon," Trekiva stated with a light glance at Qurdox.

The elder twin nodded. "All right. I've only really seen him once up close so I'll have to ask Haruhi if we can borrow him to draw out the design properly."

"I'm sure neither will mind. You have my permission to speak with her on the matter."

Hikaru nodded and took back the drawing pad so he could show Haruhi. When he sat back down, he nodded to his twin and they then started talking about the Gala. He showed Haruhi their rough sketches as well as the color schemes, making sure to say the possible changes. When Kaoru gave him a confused glance, Hikaru gave a subtle nod in Trekiva's direction. Glancing at the elder vampire, Kaoru nodding in understanding. The changes he was recommending weren't that hard to pull off but he did agree that they would need some kind of photograph of Haruhi's dragon for the sash.

"Hey Haruhi," Kaoru asked. "Would you mind if we borrowed your dragon for a few hours tomorrow?"

"What for?" she asked, looking between the two.

"We've only see him up close once," Hikaru explained. "So we need a better look to get his color scheme right for the design on the sash."

"We have also never drawn a dragon before." Kaoru finished. "And we want to get it right."

Haruhi glanced up in the tree that Qurdox was laying in and saw his golden eyes trained on the twins. "Would you have issue with them doing so? " she asked calmly.

Qurdox shook his head and slithered out of the tree, landing next to the table. Hikaru and Kaoru watched in awe as he moved closer.

"He said he won't mind," Haruhi stated. "Just don't poke or prod him too much."

The twins nodded. "We won't. It will take a few hours since we want to do this right. We'll give him back when we are done."

Qurdox gave a soft nod before curling around Haruhi and resting his head on Mori's leg. Mori placed the hand not wrapped around Haruhi's waist on the dragons head with a soft pat and continued to listen as the twins went over their outfits for the Gala. He had heard the soft conversation between the elder twin and Trekiva and he agreed that the original color scheme the twins had come up with was too bland for Haruhi. He liked the addition of Trekiva's crest as well as the addition of his rose on the silver sash that was being added. It was then that an idea came to him.

"Do you two know what the Mark of Othil looks like?" he asked.

The twins looked at Mori in shock before nodding. "Yeah. Why?"

"Add it to mine and Haruhi's clothes. As well as the Symbol of the Bloodbond."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other before looking at Haruhi and Mori. With devious smiles, they nodded. "We'll add them. And we will make sure they are placed properly too."

Mori nodded and watched as Kaoru drew both symbols on a blank page to show Haruhi what they looked like and for reference. He glanced at Haruhi and saw confusion in her eyes.

"The Mark of Othil," he explained through the bond. "Claims you as my equal, my partner in all things though many think only a consort or concubine would have it. The Symbol of Bloodbond is as its name implies. It shows that we are bonded through Blood. Such marks are only wore by vampiric pairs, or pairs where the vampire is the dominant. My parents have both symbols on their clothes when they attend formal events."

"Where are they placed?" she asked quietly.

"The Mark of Othil is placed over the heart and the Symbol of Bloodbond is on the collar or right next to it."

Haruhi nodded and watched as the twins began discussing how to add the two symbols without drawing too much attention to them. While they talked, everyone missed the soft smile of Trekiva's face as he turned to walk away. He could tell that the twins were somewhat hurt about the sudden news but could tell they accepted it evenly as they wanted her happy, even if it wasn't with them.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Kyoya looked at the body in front of him and sighed. His Void had done a good job in keeping the person that attacked Haruhi and Hunny in one spot but due to some complications, there was now only a mangled corpse in front of him. Looking at his summon, Kyoya saw the creature had its head bowed in a semblance of remorse for the events that took place.

"What's done is done," he stated quietly. "At least you got the information needed before he took his own life."

"Such a mistake is inconceivable on my part, Master," the Void replied. "Your order was to keep them alive for further questioning, I failed to do so."

Kyoya sighed and leaned against the only part of the wall not covered in blood. "It's fine. At least we know the lengths these people will go through to keep their secrets."

The Void looked back at the mangled body laying before it. At first glance, you couldn't tell that it was once a person with how mauled the body was. It looked like the body was tossed to a pack of starving beasts. The only thing was that there was no other indication of such in the room. The wounds were are self-inflicted. As the Void was trying to get information out of the culprit by delving into their mind and through verbal communication about the reasons for their attack, they had begun to claw at their skin like it was on fire. It had tried to stop them from doing such with different spells and physical restraints but nothing held them off for long. The thing that unnerved the Void however was that the culprit continued to talk as if they were in no pain and unaware of the damage they were doing to themselves. They even laughed a few times when it was brought to their attention even though their eyes clearly screamed that they were terrified of what was happening.

"They seemed aware yet not of the wounds they were making," it stated. "But it did not phase them. They seemed to enjoy what was being done though their aura and soul radiated fear and anguish."

"A Mental Hex?" Kyoya theorized.

"I know of no Hex, Curse or Spell that can make one immune to pain for the length of time they had."

"There are a few drugs out there that can, as well as a few old spells that are locked away. I'll have the forensic team take samples. I also want to know who this person was and their connections."

The Void nodded and looked towards the door as it opened. A couple uniformed officers walked in and began cleaning up the room, while making sure to get samples of the blood on the walls and floor as well as tissue samples from the body.

"Have the body incinerated when you are done," Kyoya ordered as he walked out of the room.

The officers nodded and continued working while the Void followed Kyoya out of the room. As they moved down the hall, Kyoya thought about the events Hunny had shared as well was what he managed to get from Haruhi before she passed out. He also applied that to what his Void had relayed. The person didn't give much in the way of information, only that they weren't actually a student at Ouran and that they were hired to get a hold of Haruhi at any cost but she was to remain alive and relatively unharmed. When asked who hired them, they didn't give an answer. When pressed, they were told that it was confidential and that the only way to fully know was when they called for clarification of their success or failure. And they theorized that since they were already inflicting damage to themselves, despite not really feeling it, the people that hired them knew they had failed and were making sure they knew how displeased their employer was.

Kyoya shuddered slightly as he remembered his summon stating that as they died, the person began laughing. What level of Magic or type of drug would induce such a reaction? he thought with a shiver. The only thing I can think of are types of Voodoo and that kind of Magic takes skill and preparation. As well as concentration. There are also some spells out there that could do so but those are black listed magics and are forbidden to all magic users. Then there is the fact that only a handful of people know Haruhi and her patterns of daily life. I would know if it was someone from Ouran or the School of Arcana. But they don't know about Haruhi...unless...

Kyoya changed direction and went to find an encrypted computer in one of the lower offices. Once he was seated, he logged into a site that only Arcana users and those knowledgeable in magic of the society surrounding it could access. He began scrolling through every page he could on the Arcana Listings once the pages loaded. The Listing was a series of personnel records that explained other people who used magic as well as safe havens for users to practice without being caught by regular society and some blogs about different kinds of magic practices, but he hit a dead end. No where in of the Listings was Haruhi's name or Ranka's, nor anything about their personal lives and daily routes. Although that should have eased some of his worry knowing there was nothing on there about them, he still felt as if something didn't add up. Before closing the site, an ad request flashing on the side caught his attention.

"Looking for skilled Arcana Users to retrieve lost family member," Kyoya read.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he opened the link and started reading.

"Child of high Arcane birth needing rescue from entrapment. 16 years of age, short brown hair and light brown eyes. A female student at Ouran Private Academy. Top Honors Student. Uniform is mostly white with a yellow vest. The child has been missing from our family for twelve years and only through periodic visuals have we been able to find her due to the shielding placed over her Arcana signature. It is highly possible that her Arcana has started to awaken but since she has had no proper teacher, it will lash out against those unknown. She may have people guarding her by request of those that took her from us so caution is highly advised. Her safe return is of the utmost importance."

Growling darkly, Kyoya was about to close the ad when an idea started to form. Closing out of his personal account, he opened one of his dummy accounts and applied for the task. Once he got a notification that it was accepted, he opened the acceptance and saw an address.

"Quin'Derax," Kyoya called to the Void near the door. "Take a more human guise and investigate. Shield your ties to me. If this is who I think it is, we need every bit of information we can get."

The Void looked at his Master before nodding. It shifted around slightly before it vaporous form solidified into something resembling a middle-aged male with short black hair and cold green eyes. Dressed in a well-tailored black suit, he walked forward to get the address before bowing to Kyoya and departing without another sound. Kyoya watched the Void leave and let out a sigh. Quin'Derax was the first Void he ever summoned so the bond between them was very strong. Quin'Derax had never failed him in the past and he didn't consider the death of their only lead a failure on the Void's part. He considered it his own failure for not anticipating that the person they caught might have been given or induced with with things to prevent them from telling anyone anything. Leaning back in his chair, Kyoya knew he just had to wait until Quin'Derax contacted him with information.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

The rest of the day passed quietly for everyone and continued that way until dinner. By then, Kyoya had come back from his errand and the twins were able to talk to him about the small changes they had to the Gala outfits. They told him that the changes wouldn't take too long to add and that they would be able to bring the rough outlines on Monday for everyone to try on for final adjustments. Giving his consent to the matter, the twins nodded and went back to their drawing pads to make the adjustments. Kyoya walked into the dinning room and paused when he saw Tamaki with a few band-aids on his cheeks.

"What happened to you?" he asked blandly.

"Beelzenef," Tamaki replied with a shudder.

Kyoya quirked a brow and looked at Umehito who had a highly amused grin.

"Beelzenef had not forgiven Suoh for stepping on him," Umehito chuckled. "Cats never forget transgressions against them."

Looking back at Tamaki, Kyoya sighed and shook his head. "That's what you get for not paying attention."

Tamaki started to stammer and stutter about not knowing that the puppet was on the floor until he had stepped on it which prompted a loud hiss. Jumping at the sound, Tamaki turned fearful eyes towards a small set of deep black pools glowering at him. Kyoya felt his other brow raise at the sight of the beige sphinx before looking back at Umehito who was holding his stomach while he laughed.

"That is Beelzenef's physical form?" Kyoya asked calmly.

Umehito nodded and said cat stopped hissing at the sound of his name. Kyoya knelt down and held out his hand towards the Familiar and waited calmly for him to come closer by his own will. With his nose twitching slightly, Beelzenef moved closer and sniffed the Shadow King's upturned hand cautiously. Satisfied with the scent of the young Void Mage, the cat rubbed his head along Kyoya's hand in greeting. With a smirk, Kyoya began to pet the Familiar in soft strokes which caused the creature to purr happily.

"Despite being a Summoned being," he said calmly. "You are still a cat."

"Indeed he is," Umehito smiled. "And a very good companion."

"I will take your word for it. I mean no offence Nekozawa-senpai but, I'm not much of a cat person. But I will admit a liking for the grace they carry."

Umehito nodded and called Beelzenef back to him. With one last rub against Kyoya's hand, the sphinx walked over to his master with a content meow as they began to walk out of the room, leaving a flabbergast Tamaki behind.

"I trust your endeavor was fruitful?" Umehito asked.

"Unfortunately no," Kyoya replied with a growl. "My Void was unable to get anything of use before whatever spell that they had on them took effect. It seems that their employer had used something to make them immune to the pain that they were inflicting on themselves. I have a forensic team looking into their blood and tissue to see if there were any narcotics or drugs of some kind in their system."

"Were they able to get a name?"

"No. All he was able to get was that they were hired to find Haruhi and take her to an address they were given. They wouldn't share who had asked them to get her nor where the address was but I think I may have a clue."

"Oh?"

Kyoya nodded. "I went looking through the Listing to see if they were directly quoted on any of the pages. As I was about to leave, I found an advertisement looking for skilled Arcana users. No information was listed on who posted it, just that they were looking for help in finding a "lost member of the family" and retrieving them."

"I see," Umehito stated with narrowed eyes.

"Using one of my dummy accounts on the Listing, I sent one of my Void to investigate the source. I will have something from him by Monday at the latest."

Both continued to walk before coming to a pause at a set of sliding doors. Umehito knocked and when given permission to enter, Kyoya saw that the room carried Akira, Yorihisa, Trekiva, Abraham and Fernando. Glancing at Umehito, Kyoya nodded and took a seat in front of all five men and began to relay what had happened with the only lead they had to them. Needless to say, when he was done explaining, no one was happy. Kyoya could understand the rage that each man felt and waited calmly for their ire to subside before continuing.

Yorihisa's ire was mostly at the fact that he himself could not have dealt death to the one that hurt his child as well as the fact that the ones who were responsible actually had the gall to publicly ask the Arcana community for help in the endeavor. Akira had his ire set in the same reasons as his cousin but also at the fact that the threat to Haruhi was still there. Although she wasn't part of their family, both he and his wife accepted her as such due to the strong tie forged between her and their eldest son. Abraham's anger was at the fact that anyone thought that they could do such an insult to anyone as well as the misuse of magic. Despite being a vampire, he was a Historian and knew every rule there was to the Communities of Magic. He was also a skilled mage in his own right. Fernando was upset because such events happened in the first place and that one of his family, although brought in through a curse, was threatened. However the one that took the information the worst was Trekiva.

Although it was not seen in his face or body language, it was there. Being one of the few to carry the Mark of the Ancients as well as the Symbol of the Malpirgi, the old Order of Vampyr Mages, a threat to family and Coven was a grievous crime. Especially when the one that the threat is against is as young as Haruhi is. A vampire was called a child until they had passed their first century, and even when that had passed, some were still called a child but only by their parents and Elders. Softly drumming his fingers on the table, he thought about what Kyoya had shared and what he was having done.

"Your Void knows to be cautious?" he asked, the calm of his voice setting everyone on edge instantly.

"Quin'Derax has never failed in his tasks," Kyoya replied firmly. "I have little doubt that he will start now."

Trekiva nodded but the drumming of his fingers did not stop. Kyoya watched quietly and caught the soft movement of the other vampires in the room as they shifted, almost uncomfortably. His hand stilled the moment a soft knock was heard and Michiko walked in.

"I am sorry to intrude but dinner is ready," she said softly.

Everyone nodded and rose, following the small woman out of the room towards the dining room. All of the adults walked in with Kyoya and Umehito just behind and paused at the sight before them. Haruhi was sitting on Mori's lap laughing hysterically with Qurdox coiled around them with his head resting on the table while Hunny and Satoshi were in peals of laughter on the floor. Chika was doing his best to hold in his laughter but was turning red in the process with a thin line of blood sliding down his chin due to him biting his lip to keep it at bay. Following the gazes of the others, Kyoya coughed as he tried to keep his amusement in check and Umehito just stared blankly at the scene before him. Leaning against each other about to fall over were Hikaru and Kaoru and as the gazes continued some of the adults tried to hold in their mirth. There stood Tamaki in all of his glory, dressed in the gaudy red and gold outfit that he had worn when trying to convince Haruhi to stay at Ouran instead of going to Lobellia during her first year doing a rough rerun of what he had done at the time. Tamaki huffed indignantly and was about to walk out of the room when he was thrown against a wall by an infuriated Ranka.

Kyoya lost the ability to hold in his laughter as the professional cross-dresser started reaming into Tamaki about making a mockery of all cross-dressers and his line of work as well as criticizing his choice of colors and make-up. Ranka's yelling only stopped when he turned and saw the audience he had.

"Oh," he said calmly. "Is something wrong?"

Almost everyone lost the ability to hold back their laughter at his complete dismissal of his earlier outburst.

"It's time for dinner," Michiko stated once she had regained her composure.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Let me go get cleaned up."

Ranka hurried out of the room, dragging a squawking Tamaki with him. Everyone else just shook their heads and started to take their seats around the table. Soon everyone was seated at the table but some of the adults noticed that Haruhi was still seated in Mori's lap. Hunny looked between the two confused but smiled happily. He could see the faint glow in his cousin's eyes but what confused him the most was that it was in Haruhi's eyes as well. Glancing at his parents, he saw that they noticed it as well. Michiko was about to say something on the matter when she caught Trekiva shake his head. Glancing at her husband, Yorihisa nodded softly. It would be discussed later.

After a few moments of silence, the doors opened once again to show a properly dressed, and very subdued, Tamaki and a jovial Ranka. The blond was in a loose white shirt and some blue jeans while Ranka was dressed in a beautiful but simple magenta dress. Ranka gave a soft turn with a smile.

"What do you think?" he asked sweetly.

"I must say," Fernando answered. "You look well in one of my sister's dresses. I will admit my surprise that it fits your frame since you have a broader chest than she does, but you wear it well."

Ranka gushed happily and took a seat next to Hannah, both quickly falling into conversations about different dress styles that might be best for him as well as arranging a fitting for him so the dresses could be sized properly. The staff soon walked out with the meal and the table was surrounded by quiet conversations of different kinds. The only ones not speaking aloud were Haruhi and Mori. Their conversations were kept in their minds and Qurdox would join in every now and then as he ate the strips of meat given to him. Their topics weren't about much in particular, mostly her asking how university was for him, advise on which classes might be good for her to try next year and some insight about the first things she would have to go through in college. Mori also explained a bit more about how vampiric society worked as well as some things to expect before and after the announcements.

Haruhi listened to everything he said and quietly marveled at the difference she was seeing in him. For as long as she knew him, Mori was always quiet and only spoke when absolutely necessary. She was now noticing that just because he was physically quiet, did not meant that his mind was quiet. Mori noticed things that most usually missed and his silence let him observe things and make distinctions with a clear and level head. She took in every bit of knowledge that he shared with vigor. Their conversation only halted when someone cleared their throat.

"When the meal is done," Trekiva spoke. "May Haruhi, Takashi, Akira and Ryoji join me in one of the sitting rooms?"

The four mentioned people nodded and took a few more bites before they rose to follow the elder vampire out of the room, leaving everyone else in confusion. Sayuki watched her husband leave before turning to look at Michiko and Yorihisa. She knew that whatever was discussed would be told to her by Akira, and that it would also be shared with her family at a later time. Glancing at her younger son and her two nephews, she tried to wait calmly and finish the food on her plate.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Trekiva sat fluidly on one of the cushions in the large sitting room. Akira and Ranka sat in front of him with Haruhi and Mori in between them. His eyes flicked towards the door and saw Qurdox laying in front of it. His blue eyes looked back towards the four people before him.

"Certain events have been brought to my attention that must be shared with family," he stated calmly. "Although they are nothing that causes harm or alarm, they must be shared."

Akira caught the tensing of his son's shoulders and the grip on the young girl's hand next to him tighten. Looking back to the elder vampire, Akira waited calmly. Ranka saw how Mori tensed as well but also Haruhi stiffened as well. His eyes filled with worry despite what Trekiva said and he fidgeted slightly in his seat.

"Takashi and Haruhi have formed their complete bond," Trekiva explained with a gentle smile. "Although it was formed outside of traditional ceremony, I accept it and encourage it wholeheartedly."

Akira felt his eyes widen and quickly looked at his son. Mori had his head raised and cold determination in his eyes as he continued to stare at the elder. As he let his eyes fall to the young girl at his son's side, Akira saw that Haruhi had the same look of calm determination in her eyes as well. He also saw the faint glow of her instincts being close to the surface as well. Ranka looked between the children next to him and the two vampires across from him.

"Sorry but," Ranka asked softly. "What does that imply exactly?"

"It means that the children have entered their Union," Akira explained. "In terms you would better understand, they have taken the first steps to becoming married to each other in the eyes of vampire society."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Haruhi and Mori held their breath as they waited for Akira to speak. Both knew that Trekiva was pleased with the events, he had stated as much, and Haruhi knew that her dad was happy, just confused. She cautiously looked at the Morinozuka patriarch and saw that his eyes were closed and arms were crossed as he thought on his answer. Mori watched his father calmly but there was a slight tremor of fear coiling in his stomach that his father would disapprove of his unintentional actions. He knew that if given another chance that he would do what he had again and again. He did not want to risk losing Haruhi now that he knew he could have her and that she had accepted it.

"I have only one request," Akira spoke, opening his eyes.

Trekiva quirked a brow in a silent order to continue.

Akira turned to look at his son and surprised him by giving a soft smile. "That the ceremony to formalize their Union be done on Hallows Eve, after the Gala you and your friends have set."

Haruhi's eyes went wide and Mori let out the breath he was holding before nodding softly. Haruhi quickly nodded as well and Trekiva smiled.

"It shall be held in the Sanctuary that young Kyoya has offered to me," he stated softly. "The traditional ceremony is only witnessed by family and held in record by a Historian. As we have four among us, there will be little issue. There will have to be one for public record at some point in the future for the obvious reasons but that can be held at bay until things have calmed."

Everyone nodded and stood.

"I will bring this to my wife and cousins," Akira stated. "They will be pleased."

"I will tell Asuda, Fernando, Hannah and Abraham," Trekiva mentioned. "Ryoji, could you inform Lady Alyona and her family as well as Kyoya?"

Ranka nodded. "I can but, I won't be telling that worm anything!"

Trekiva laughed softly. "I am sure the Fae will learn eventually."

"I can understand telling Hunny-senpai and his family, as well as Fernando and Abraham," Haruhi stated. "By why tell Nekozawa-senpai and his family?"

"It is because Alyona and her family are your teachers," Trekiva explained. "She and her children are going to be a great part in your life. It is only natural that she, as your teacher, be witness. It will also give clarity and truth to your Union in the Community of Mages and Arcana. Katsuro Nekozawa has high standing in the Schools of Arcana as well as within mortal society, as does Alyona. As they bear witness to your Union, they can help make sure that other Mages and Sorcerers leave you be as you are already wed."

"There are many in the Circles of Magic that marry to increase their power and make sure that their children are powerful," Akira continued. "Some do not even show remorse for ending any previous engagements or creating affairs when someone of more power comes along that is not wed."

Haruhi nodded in understanding. "So it is kind of like how many of the elite set up their marriages?"

Akira nodded. "Yes. The Circles of Mages and Sorcerers is very similar to how a majority of the human elite handle things."

"It is late," Trekiva smiled, placing a hand on Haruhi's cheek. "Get some rest and we shall speak more in the morning."

Nodding softly, Haruhi hesitated before giving the elder vampire a soft hug. Trekiva returned the small embrace and released her to give the same to her father and a lingering one to Mori. Akira placed his hand softly on her head with a gentle smile before the two children left the room, Qurdox following closely. All three men nodded and left the room shortly thereafter, heading to their destinations to share the news.

Ranka found Kyoya talking with Umehito and quickly shared the news when he made sure that Tamaki and the twins weren't around. Kyoya nodded and Umehito smiled as he stated that he would share the news with his mother while they returned to the manor. Umehito even offered to give Kyoya a ride back to his home which the Shadow King politely declined stating that he would linger a bit longer to ensure Tamaki didn't go galivanting through Hunny's house in the middle of the night. With a soft wave, the Dark Prince left with his family wondering how to deal with the eventful ride home he was about to under go, fortunately Kirimi was already asleep so there would be little in the way of hysterics.

When Trekiva shared the news with Asuda and the others, it was well received. Fernando and Hannah extremely were happy for the young ones and Asuda smiled happily for his niece. Abraham was a little hesitant about showing his reactions but let everyone know that he was happy for them, just concerned about how things would continue for them with such a hasty action. Although he was skilled in magic, his forte didn't call upon the need of a familiar. Asuda soothed his worry by explaining how the bond with an Arcana user and their familiar worked thus letting the Englishman relax knowing that their bond wasn't going to be shattered but strengthened.

Hunny, Michiko, Satoshi and Sayuki were absolutely giddy when they heard the news. Yasuchika only groaned when he heard his brother ask to celebrate with a giant cake but stated he was happy for his older cousin while he held back his amusement at his crestfallen face when their mother said no. Yorihisa nodded with a light smile and watched as his wife and cousin began going over different ideas for the ceremony. Both patriarchs let their wives chatter excitedly while their children talked among themselves until it was time for sleep.

The house was quiet, save for a few members of staff doing some light cleaning and everyone rested calmly. Well, everyone but Tamaki. He shifted nervously on the futon and would glance at the door to the room he was in. He knew there was something there, watching, waiting. He shivered and covered his head with the thick blanket hoping that whatever was watching couldn't see him while he was under it. Shortly thereafter, the feeling seemed to go away and he slowly began to fall asleep. Unknown to him, the thing watching him was a Shadow that Kyoya called to make sure his moronic friend stayed in the room given to him. Kyoya really didn't want to deal with a stressed out and irritated Haruhi, an infuriated Ranka or a livid group of vampires. After making sure that Tamaki was still in his bed, Kyoya laid down in the room given to him for his stay and took his glasses off. Although not as comfortable as his bed back home, the futon he was on was at the point that he could sleep on it without having kinks in his back and neck when he woke up. The moment he laid down, he started to doze off. Letting sleep claim him, Kyoya smiled softly as the small whimpers of fear from Tamaki filtered in from his Shadow. He would sleep well this night, and Tamaki wouldn't do anything foolish.