vii.
chapter seven - fall of a thunderbolt
Shiori's chest felt heavy as she stirred from her nap. Ever since that nightmare a few years ago, she'd found it hard to sleep without a cold and eerie feeling coming over her. So, Shiori took naps whenever she could get it, though her sleepy behaviour wasn't anything new to the people around her. She suspected that Kaname had noticed, however he had yet to say anything about it.
When she was finally able to open her eyes, the brunette wasn't surprised to find a dozing Yuki on top of her. The young boy had grown quite a bit, and was now three years old. His messy brown hair had grown in quite thickly, and his reddish-brown eyes looked more doe-like than ever (and he was always prepared to use them against his big brother and sister).
Shiori could hear Kaname approaching Yuki's room and upon seeing them, he smiled in amusement. He had grown quite a bit as well, standing a few inches taller than Shiori herself. They were both ten years old now, and still growing, so Shiori wasn't too worried about the small height difference— she'd catch up to him eventually.
"Should I be jealous?" Kaname asked, coming to a stop beside them, looking down at the pair with a raised eyebrow.
Shiori merely rolled her eyes with a snort. "Why would you be jealous, Kana-chan?" She didn't wait for his reply as she began to sit up, gently waking Yuki in the process.
"Nee-sama…?" Yuki asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.
"What about me?" Kaname said teasingly, pinching Yuki's cheek.
The little boy squealed, instantly waking and swatting at Kaname's hand. "Nii-sama!" Yuki whined and squirmd, making Kaname laugh. Shiori smiled, shaking her head at the two. They continued to tease and pester each other, and all the while Yuki was still in Shiori's lap.
Somehow, her humor at the situation began to deplete… "I'm glad you're both having fun, but Yuki-chan— Your squirming is making my legs hurt."
Instantly, the two boys stopped what they were doing. Yuki turned on Kaname with an accusing gaze. "You made me hurt nee-sama!"
"Me?" Kaname widened his eyes dramatically with a gasp, picking up Yuki and holding him. Shiori instantly sighed in relief, stretching out her legs and paying her brothers no mind. "You did that all on your own. In fact, you should apologize to Shi-chan."
Yuki looked conflicted, his eyes watering in distress and lips curling into a pout as he looked from Kaname to Shiori repeatedly. "I-I… Do I…?"
Taking pity on her adorable little brother, Shiori snatched him back from Kaname and fell back onto the bed. With a grumble she said, "It's fine. Kana-chan is just teasing you— Let's just go back to sleep…"
"I love my nee-sama!" Yuki giggled as he cuddled up beside his sister.
Kaname grunted, and, not one to be outdone, also laid down beside Shiori. "Well, I love her more."
"No, you don't—"
Knowing exactly what would happen if she didn't intervene, Shiori reached up and covered Kaname and Yuki's mouths with her hands. "Hush— I love you both, too. Shut up and sleep."
"Yes, nee-sama…"
"Yes, Shi-chan…"
If asked, Shiori would say that Kaname and Yuki were close. As close as a pair of brothers could be, even. Though, she noticed the worried glances Juri and Haruka would share sometimes, especially whenever they would witness Kaname and Yuki arguing and bickering over Shiori. Though, the fights were lighthearted and not all that serious… Shiori could still see their intense fear of history repeating itself.
Which was why her parents decided it was time to escort her out of the house so that Kaname and Yuki would be able to spend time together without Shiori's presence. Not only that, but subtle changes had been made to the twin's lifestyles to further encourage them to become less dependent on each other— they now had their own rooms. Not that it stopped them from going to the other's room at night. Shiori was more inclined to leave her comfortable bed whenever she had a nightmare about the upcoming future.
Surprisingly, Shiori wasn't the only one plagued with the occasional night terror. Kaname never told her, but sometimes when he slipped into bed with her at night, his whole body would be shaking. She did her best to let him know that he wasn't alone.
Now, Shiori was still technically on house arrest, but so long as her parents or Kaien was with her whenever she left the mansion, everyone was at ease. Everyone except Kaname, of course, who preferred to be with Shiori whenever she wanted to leave. A few years ago, that would have been fine, but as the years continued on—as things between their family and the Vampire Council got more tense—Haruka and Juri preferred that someone with more combat experience be there to guard Shiori if anything were to happen.
Unsurprisingly, Kaname took that as both an insult and a challenge, and threw himself into his training. Despite any progress he'd made, Haruka and Juri still preferred that Kaname and Shiori not leave the mansion alone together.
This visit in particular definitely required Haruka and Juri to be there. As the three of them were to visit a family that wasn't exactly trustworthy in these current times. Which was how Shiori ended up being sandwiched between her parents as they arrived at the Ichijō's residence.
Upon entering the large estate, Shiori was forced to stand between her parents and endured through boring political niceties that consisted of being greeted by the entire present household. When Asatō Ichijō's eyes met hers, she felt a shiver go down her spine and resisted the urge to gulp. Haruka and Juri stiffened, their fake smiles becoming even sweeter, before they directed the older man's attention back to themselves.
Eventually, the adults went their own way and Shiori was finally free to follow after Takuma as he marched up the many stairs towards his room.
"It's so good to see you again, Shiori-sama!" The blond boy smiled at her as he took her hands firmly into his own. Shiori returned the smile softly, also happy to see her friend. Her smile faltered immediately, however, when she took in the bags under Takuma's eyes. "Writing letters just doesn't feel the same as talking in person."
Shiori tilted her head to the side in question. "Takuma, you—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Takuma quickly stepped away and began to walk around his room. Shiori watched as he grabs a few things and placed them on the floor. "You've grown so much, Shiori-sama! You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."
Taking the hint, Shiori decided not to press Takuma right now, and instead enjoyed his company. She hadn't seen him in a few years, and didn't want to spoil this visit— especially since she didn't know when she would get another chance. "You've grown a lot too, Takuma-kun. You're much taller than me now."
"Why am I not surprised that you'd mention that?" Takuma laughed, finally settling down in the seiza position near the items he had arranged on his floor. Shiori thought the scene looked vaguely familiar to something she'd seen in one of her classes. "Would you like me to teach you how to perform a tea ceremony?"
The first thing that came to Shiori's mind was no. A ceremony for tea sounded extremely boring, but looking again at Takuma's tired demeanor, she couldn't help but give in and allow the boy to be happy. Who knew what pressures his grandfather was putting on him? Shiori just wanted to give Takuma a break from all of that while she could.
"Mm… Sure."
Takuma's green eyes lit up noticeably. "Okay! Just watch me—"
Shiori sat through the dreaded tea ceremony, watching with a dazed expression as she only half listened to what Takuma was explaining to her. She may not be paying attention to the lesson itself, but she was definitely keeping an eye on how carefree Takuma looked as he joyishly explained every little thing to her.
He asked her if she wanted to try it once, but after receiving only a blank expression in response, Takuma knew Shiori was more than content with just being a spectator.
Soon enough, Takuma served the tea along with some biscuits and jam that a maid had dropped off prior to their little lesson finishing. Unfortunately for Shiori, neither the tea or jam was to her liking… Apparently, Takuma was a fan of rose tea and rose jam. Shiori had never heard of such a thing until now, and was not in favor of it. The smell was much too strong and potent for her to even think of consuming either of the products.
Takuma smiled apologetically and offered to make her a separate batch of tea instead, but Shiori was quick to shut his offer down.
"I can't finish an entire pot of tea by myself. Besides, these biscuits are enough."
"As long as you're fine with it, Shiori-sama."
There was a lull between the two as they ate (and sipped at their tea, in Takuma's case). One that gave Shiori plenty of time to stare Takuma down. By the time she opened her mouth to confront him, the blond already knew what was coming.
"You look terrible." Takuma actually snorted at the blunt statement.
"Yes— Thank you, Shiori-sama." Though spoken with humor, Shiori didn't look the least bit amused.
"What's going on, Takuma?"
The blond sighed. "That really isn't something we should talk about here." He attempted to give her a smile, and lowered his voice a bit. "I'll write you about it later, but it's nothing I haven't already told you about."
Shiori frowned, but nodded nevertheless. She could understand Takuma's caution, seeing who his grandfather was— there were probably people listening in constantly to make sure Takuma remained in check; his loyalty never wavering.
"Very well," the brunette girl replied without much more resistance. She glanced at Takuma's bookshelf— "Manga?"
Takuma smiled, bowing his head in relief. "Of course. Is there anything you want to read in particular...?"
Shiori and Takuma spent the rest of their time together reading manga. Though Shiori preferred to read fictional series, she didn't mind leaning against Takuma as they read through the colored pages together.
When Haruka and Juri finished whatever damage control they were doing with Asatō, it was time for them to return home. Shiori hugged Takuma, saying goodbye to her friend until they could physically see each other again. Before they broke away from their hug, Takuma whispered something into her ear that both set her on edge and confused her.
"Please be safe, Shiori-sama."
Takuma was ushered away by his grandfather soon after, saying something about his sword lessons. Shiori watched the pair walk off, conflicted and at a loss on how to proceed.
xxx
Haruka and Juri remained quiet on the ride home, seeming to be lost in thought over whatever they discussed with Asatō. Shiori didn't want to think too hard about the politics her family was involved in, or the trouble that stupid, old vampire could be causing as soon as they turned their backs. Her head was already aching at the thought of Takuma's foreboding message.
"So," Juri cleared her throat, obviously tired of thinking so seriously. "Did you have fun with Takuma, Shiori-chan?"
"Hm?" Shiori said, returning her attention to the present. "Yes, it was fun. I've missed him."
Haruka's eyes narrowed a bit, suddenly giving his full attention to his daughter. Juri's eyes, on the other hand, had widened as she immediately giggled excitedly into her hands. Shiori said nothing, having expected this childish and dramatic reaction from her mother.
"Oh~ Is it like that then?" Juri teased.
Shiori didn't even flinch. "I'm ten years old, Okaa-sama."
"That didn't stop your Otou-san from harassing me until I gave in!"
Haruka looked offended. "You make me sound like a creep."
Juri clicked her tongue. "Well, you did make advances on me for a very long time. I'm honestly surprised you didn't give up sooner with the hell I was giving you for it."
"If I had given up—" the man smiled, "—we wouldn't be together now."
Juri returned the soft expression. "I don't know about that… Love will find a way despite all odds."
Ignoring all the mushy talk, Shiori was just thankful to have the attention shifted off of her relationship with Takuma (which was purely platonic). "So you and Otou-sama weren't together right away?"
"Nope~" Juri shook her head. "It took a lot of tolerance on my part, and a lot of patience on his."
Haruka nodded. "I was in love with your Okaa-san from the very start. She, however, didn't see me in that way at first."
"Oh." Shiori nodded her head, filing this information away for later. She then turned to look outside and at the passing scenery— signaling the end of the conversation. Haruka and Juri exchanged amused looks, recognizing the action for what it was.
Time passed, scenes blending into one another. Everything was normal, and the Kurans went about their business as usual. Nothing exciting really came to Shiori's mind when she mulled about the repetitiveness of her life right now.
She attended classes with Kaname, as well as training with her abilities. Kaname was doing just about the same, but she could see the way he looked sometimes… His mind went somewhere else, and sometimes he would just disappear completely to be alone. Shiori knew it was because he was planning for the future— their future.
Shiori didn't want something so important to be planned out for her, so she began to plan, too. As well as she could, anyway, with the amount of curve balls that were being thrown at her— she's surprised she hadn't struck out just yet.
What pushed her forward was, of course, her family and the fact that Kaname didn't have memories of a future that may or may not pass— So, if he could think ahead, then so could she.
Honestly, all she had really planned out were three things: get stronger, take out Rido, and save her parents.
No one said she was very good at "strategic thinking", but she was working on it...
Another person who had been working hard (aside from herself and Kaname), was her father. Haruka had been trying nonstop to keep the family together, going back and forth between all of the "important" families to keep up appearances. So much political drama was going on with the Vampire Council —Rido's doing, with the help of Asatō— not to mention the more personal issues the family was facing… which was also Rido's doing.
Haruka was noticeably stressed and exhausted, but he still came home with a smile on his face for his loved ones.
Then there was Juri, who wasn't working for the present, but for the future. The "future" meaning Cross Academy, aka Juri's lifelong dream for humans and vampires to coexist peacefully. Shiori had seen her (more than once) with Kaien as they mulled over a "work-in-progress" blueprint and various stacks of documents. The study had practically been taken over by the pair with how often they used it.
Shiori never did quite understand her mother's aspirations. Humans were obviously not on equal grounds as them —Kaien being an obvious exception, if he could even count as a human— so she didn't understand why they should even bother trying to act like they had things in common with the humans.
Sure, she had memories of the humans in this world, but it only further proved how pathetic they were— becoming nothing but fodder for the "big bad vamps" much later on. Yuki— the main focus—wasn't even a human, despite what the author had you believe at first.
Maybe she'd come to understand their worth later on, but, for now, the only "human" she could even think about acknowledging is Kaien.
Speaking of Kaien… the vampire hunter was on "babysitting duty" right now, as Haruka and Juri were out. Though, he wasn't doing a very good job— being rather neglectful of the three children as he continued to pour over the notes Juri had left him with. Why on earth did Juri think he would be a good choice as a babysitter again? They were saved by the fact that Shiori and Kaname were both very mature for their ages, although because of different circumstances.
While Kaname tended to Yuki, Shiori would have to tend to Kaien.
"You're supposed to be watching us," Shiori greeted Kaien as she wandered into the study.
"Am I?" Kaien practically grumbled, his eyes never straying from the papers in front of him.
"Yes, and you're doing a terrible job."
"I see…"
Silence resumed between them, and Shiori continued to hopelessly stare at the man. It didn't take long for her patience to run out, especially since she knew Kaien was a concrete wall when it came to focusing on something.
"I'm starving— I think I might die." It was an overly dramatic statement, delivered in a monotone voice. Since Shiori wasn't able to express her feelings through her voice very well, she decided to add some emphasis to her statement by collapsing onto her knees. "It hurts..."
Kaien just stared at her for a moment, then finally stood up with a sigh. Shiori smiled smugly to herself as she followed behind the man. They headed straight to the kitchen, Kaien mumbling under his breath about her dramatics the whole way there.
"You don't even need to eat…"
"I enjoy the various flavors," Shiori replied, receiving a glare in return.
"I was speaking to myself…"
"I know."
Probably figuring out that Shiori was, not so subtly, trying to mess with him, Kaien smartly decided not to reply this time and instead just clicked his tongue irritably.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Kaien didn't seem to know where to go from there. He looked around the vacant room with a troubled expression. "Isn't there supposed to be someone in here…?"
"Yes, they try to remain invisible and like to leave when they sense one of us approaching. Kana-chan says that they might be afraid of us… I don't know, but they'll show up if we need them," Shiori drawled, not really caring. There had only been one single servant that Shiori had somewhat liked, and, well— Rido ripped her heart out in front of her.
Therefore, not concerned with the staffless kitchen, Shiori walked ahead of the vampire hunter to gather a few items that they'd need in a second or two— depending on how long it took for Kaien to realize their current situation.
"That explains why I rarely see any of them…" Kaien nodded "Hm, then who will get you your food?" His eyes suddenly widened a bit then, and as Shiori returned with two aprons and a cookbook in her hands, she could see his face color with dread.
'Seems he caught up.' She mentally smirked, but otherwise acted ignorant to his realization.
"I have to make it?" Kaien asked, somewhat hopelessly.
"We will make it," Shiori corrected as she dropped the cookbook onto the island counter. "I can sense your incompetence in matters like cooking and, therefore, cannot leave you to make our food alone." The brunette was suddenly thankful for the classes she had been forced to take that related to all things cooking.
"Incompetence?" Kaien scoffed "I'm shocked you even know the term."
"Here," Shiori chose to ignore that comment, and pressed an apron into the man's hands after putting on her own. "You're going to need it."
Kaien rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. After the white cloth was tied securely around his body, he turned to the cookbook with a heavy sigh and opened it to a random page. His eyes scanned through it quickly. "Let's get this over with."
xxx
The longer they were in the kitchen, the more Shiori regretted instigating a reaction out of Kaien in the first place. She would have just left the blond to his studies if she had known things were going to become this tiring…
"Step back, please," Shiori demanded, more than requested, the blond man. She was mainly just going to supervise and hand Kaien whatever ingredients he'd need, but as it turned out he was going to need a lot more assistance than that.
Kaien took a step to the side, huffing as he did so. This wasn't the first time Shiori made him stop what he was preparing and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
As Shiori frowned down at the mixture that was supposed to be dough, her expression increasingly got more and more irritated. Glancing up at the supposed adult, she asked, "Has your common sense left you? There are egg shells in this."
"What's the problem? It doesn't say anything about taking them out."
Shiori stared incredulously for a minute, sighed, then addressed Kaien once again. "Have you ever cooked before...? At all?"
"Of course I have," Kaien frowned.
"Instant meals do not count."
Kaien decided to remain silent at that comment, turning to glare a hole in the wall instead. That was more than enough to answer Shiori's question.
"Right..." Shiori resisted the urge to break something, and calmly returned to the ruined batter. "Just as I suspected."
"Excuse me—"
Before Kaien got the chance to reply to Shiori's remark, her other half suddenly made an entrance. The girl hadn't been paying attention, so she was a little surprised to see him walk through the kitchen's entrance.
"Shi-chan, there you are."
Shiori turned to him, wiping her messy hands on her apron, a reply on her lips that stopped short when she took him in. Kaname had been speaking to her, though his expression was hard and his eyes were glued to Kaien. The said man also seemed to be aware of this— frowning, and shifting on his feet under the younger boy's stare.
"Kana-chan," Shiori greeted suspiciously, "Is something wrong?"
"No…" Kaname shook his head, eyes slowly moving off of Kaien to settle on Shiori. As soon as their gazes met, his blank expression morphed into a happy one. "Yuki-chan wanted to see his Nee-sama before taking a nap, so I came to find you." He looked around the room and at the mess Kaien had left behind. Shiori was cleaning behind him, but decided supervising him was much more important.
"Kaien is attempting to make cookies," Shiori explained, seeing the question on Kaname's face.
Kaien frowned. "We're making cookies? I thought it was cupcakes."
Shiori and Kaname shared a mental conversation, and decided that statement didn't deserve a response.
"Anyway," Shiori pointedly changed the topic, "tell Yuki-chan I'll be right there."
"I will." Kaname turned to leave, stopping at the door to bow his head slightly at Kaien. "It was nice seeing you, Cross-san."
Kaien's frown remained on his face, obviously suspicious of the boy who just left. Which was unsurprising, considering the attitude Kaname had just displayed towards the man not even five seconds ago. "Kaname-kun seems very different since I first met him."
His comment made Shiori stiffen.
Kaien scratched his head. "I remember how he used to be curious and asked a million questions." He hummed to himself. "Now he seems very… territorial, I would say." He glanced at Shiori and attempted to ruffle her hair— She avoided him smoothly, not wanting to get any messier than she already was.
Kaien looked at her affectionately, and said, "Keep an eye on your brother... He has a lot on his shoulders, being the eldest child."
'If only you knew…' Shiori couldn't help but think snidely. Outwardly, she only nodded her head before returning back to the task at hand.
If Juri and Haruka arrived home to this mess, Shiori was sure she'd end up dead once again.
"Duck!" Juri shouted a second before she swiped at Shiori with her scythe. Shiori wasted no time in falling to the floor, only to roll over and bounce back up directly afterwards.
"Parry!" Juri ordered again, lunging forward and giving space for Shiori to strike back. The young girl stopped her mother with her daggers— catching the weapon between them. She grunted at the impact, the gritty sound of metal hitting metal was unpleasant to her sensitive ears.
Shiori slid the dual blades down the larger weapon, just close enough to her mother's arm so that she could kick it down, forcing her mother to disarm on reflex.
"Good." Juri smiled. Shiori frowned in turn— she was a panting and sweating mess, while Juri stood tall and untouched. Hell, the woman even let her win their little match. "Let's not stop here, though."
"Wha—"
Before Shiori knew it, she was being flipped over and only had half a second to land on her feet. Not used to these surprise attacks, she barely made it in time and ended up stumbling backwards a bit. Juri didn't give her a break, and quickly went in for the kill— kicking Shiori lightly and sending her onto the ground.
"Oof," the young vampire grunted at the impact, her daggers falling from her hands. Defeat was easily accepted, and Shiori merely sighed at her loss, staring up at the ceiling of the training room with a pout.
Juri moved to stand over her daughter, a smug smile on her face. "A lesson for you— you don't need a weapon to fight back."
"...Yeah." Shiori said, utterly exhausted.
Juri giggled, pulling her daughter up. "Don't be such a sore loser, Shiori-chan~! I was planning to do that from the start— it was all part of the lesson."
"Yes... Thanks, Okaa-sama."
"Such a polite daughter I have." Juri patted Shiori's cheeks. "Now, pick up those pretty little tooth picks. We're going for another round."
"They're not toothpicks…" Shiori mumbled under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Okaa-sama…"
"That's what I thought~!"
Shiori shivered; her mother was very kind, but also very scary.
xxx
After her training was finally over, Shiori was left alone inside the training room— panting on the floor as she tried to convince herself that she really needed to get up and take a shower. Another part of her viciously argued that she didn't have to do anything; she was a pureblood and the Kuran princess.
'No. I'm just lazy,' Shiori eventually settled on, but still made no move to get up.
Sighing, the brunette's eyelids slid closed with the resolve to "rest her eyes" as a way to regain her lost energy. Just as she felt herself pulling away from the waking world, footsteps and a calm heartbeat entered her senses.
"Shiori-chan, is there a reason you're napping on the training room floor?"
"Mm… Give me a minute to think of one, Otou-sama."
"No need." Haruka chuckled, kneeling down next to his daughter to scoop her up in his arms. "I see your Okaa-san didn't go easy on you, hm?" He carried her out of the room, heading toward Shiori's bedroom. The young girl was more than capable of getting there herself, but they both knew she'd spend the rest of the night in the training room if it was up to her.
So, Shiori remained comfortable in Haruka's arms, allowing the man to carry her full weight all the way to her room. She sighed contently, making her father chuckle.
As Haruka walked in silence, Shiori peered up at her father's face. He was truly a beautiful man— porcelain skin, a face that almost looked sculpted for the gods. The Kurans especially, Shiori had noticed, all had exceptional looks when compared to other vampire families. She had never met anyone from another pureblood household, so she didn't know if their beauty was a Kuran thing or a pureblood thing. An odd topic to ask during lessons, she supposed.
"Is something wrong, princess?"
Shiori blinked languidly, coming back down from her thoughts.
"You look really pretty, Otou-sama."
Haruka's eyes widened for a moment, taken by surprise, but smiled soon after. He chuckled, hefting Shiori up closer so he could plant a kiss on her forehead. "And you, Shiori-chan, are my most precious and beautiful daughter."
Shiori scrunched an eye closed as she was pressed into Haruka's chest. "I'm your only daughter."
"Well," Haruka made a show of looking around the corridor suspiciously, "If I were to say you were the most beautiful girl in the world— I just know your Okaa-san would sense it and get jealous."
"Mm, makes sense," Shiori hummed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I knew you would understand."
"Can't you say it anyway, though? Okaa-sama won't mind if she knows you're talking about me."
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get me in trouble? Do you want me to compliment you that bad, princess?"
"Ah," Shiori smiled, eyes lit up with amusement. "Maybe a little bit."
"To which one are you referring to?" This made her father chuckle once again. Haruka smiled down at her as they came to a stop in front of her bedroom. "You truly are something special. My beautiful daughter…"
Shiori shifted in his arms, wordlessly asking to be set down. Haruka obliged with a soft smile, inwardly comparing her mannerisms to a cat.
"Thanks, Otou-sama," Shiori said before disappearing into her room. Haruka watched her again, remaining outside her room for just a moment. His smile became more sorrowful the longer he stood there; thoughts on what his family could have been like if they had never allowed Rido to get close to them.
He and Juri would still have their firstborn son, and Shiori would have her twin— not the boy that was beside her now. Despite the circumstances, Haruka had come to love this "false" Kaname. That was the plan all along; Juri had wanted to replace what was lost and just pretend it had never been taken from them in the first place. Haruka could never forget, though, and had taken longer to accept this Kaname than his wife had. He still loved the boy in his own way, never once neglecting him or letting his own feelings of loss get in the way.
He just never expected to love him this much. To really feel like Kaname was his son.
Haruka did feel that way, though, even if Kaname didn't return the affections. At some point, maybe Kaname did think of Haruka as a father. However, soon after Yuki was born, Kaname stopped referring to Haruka as "Otou-sama" and had instead shifted to referring to him by his name.
In that moment, Haruka knew that Kaname had regained the memories he had sought to repress— and that he had lost another son, yet again.
The next time Shiori got to leave their mansion, her parents took her to the Aidō's. Once again, they were there to socialize, while Shiori was given the time to catch up with her friends—who didn't know she was going to be dropping by.
"Huh? Shiori-sama?"
"That's not funny, Akatsuki."
"I'm serious. She's really—"
"No, I'm not falling for it this time!" Hanabusa angrily turned his head away, coincidently in the direction of his room's doorway— where Shiori was quietly standing. His blue eyes widened comically. "Sh-Shi-Shiori-hime!?"
Shiori bowed her head slightly at the two, a small smile on her face. Hanabusa scrambled to get up, knocking over the papers and books that surrounded him. Akatsuki also got up to greet her, although much calmer and with ease.
"It's— We— You look so beautiful!" Hanabusa was a blushing mess, stuck between bowing repeatedly and staring up (she is, indeed, taller than the boy) at Shiori's face.
"Down, Hanabusa." Akatsuki rolled his eyes, pulling his cousin back by the collar of his shirt. He smiled at Shiori. "It's nice to see you again. Took you long enough to come back, Shiori-sama."
"Politics," was all she said in answer. Akatsuki nodded, understanding the privacy revolving around purebloods. Meanwhile, Hanabusa was still doing his best to gather himself, not listening to a word the two were saying. "I've missed you both," Shiori paused as she glanced around the room. "Where's Ruka-chan?"
"She's been busy with her lessons lately," Akatsuki shrugged.
"Ah, you three are usually together. So I was surprised."
"You were surprised?" Akatsuki asked with a raised brow. "I couldn't tell."
Shiori puffed up her cheeks at the jab, while Hanabusa —finally tuned into the conversation— got mad in her defense. "Hey! Don't make fun of her!"
Akatsuki rolled his eyes again, but wasn't surprised at the blond's outburst. "Relax, it was just a joke."
"Even so—"
"Hana-chan," Shiori interrupted, not wanting to sit through an argument. The boy was quick to still at the call of his endearing nickname. "It's fine."
"Y-Yes, of course it is… Sorry, Shiori-hime."
Hanabusa looked properly abashed, scratching at his cheek silently. Shiori sighed, feeling her heart swell— She really had missed her friends.
Without warning, Shiori wrapped her arms around Hanabusa in a hug. "It's nice seeing you again, Hana-chan."
"Asdfghjkl…"
"I think you broke him," Akatsuki observed, walking around his cousin who was standing stiff as a board.
Shiori stepped away, not looking the least bit remorseful. "Oops."
xxx
After their awkward and emotional reunions, the two cousins and Shiori began to occupy the time they had together with various things.
Apparently, the two boys had been studying before she surprised them, so she decided to sit in with them and learn a few things herself. Akatsuki was first to voice his complaints, saying he'd rather do something fun than go back to staring at books. Hanabusa, on the other hand, thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to showcase his intellect.
"What are you studying?" Shiori asked from her spot beside Hanabusa. She was leaning near him, trying to get a look at the worksheets that were spread out on the chabudai in the middle of the room.
Akatsuki sighed "I'm working on vampire history. Hanabusa is breezing through maths."
"Oh…" Shiori trailed off, suddenly not interested anymore. She was terrible at both subjects.
"How about I tutor you, Shiori-hime?" Hanabusa asked with sparkling eyes.
Before Shiori knew it, Hanabusa was drilling her with math problems left and right. The longer he talked about the subject, the more her eyes felt heavy as drowsiness overtook her. More than once, she was slumped over while Hanabusa was talking— making the boy cry out in annoyance.
All in all, the tutoring only resulted in a frustrated Hanabusa, a laughing Akatsuki, and a thoroughly confused and tired Shiori. So, the three decided to do something much more fun and suitable to Shiori's habits...
Build a pillow fort.
"Perfect," Shiori sighed as she plopped down in her designated section of the fort. Each of the children were responsible for their own "rooms" and had personally crafted them to their own liking. Despite this, Hanabusa found himself gravitating to Shiori's side of the fort.
"I like this room more!" Hanabusa declared without really inspecting said room. He simply claimed it as his own, leaving Shiori to stare at him from the corner of her eye.
"Wha—?" She began to mumble, only for Hanabusa to huff and plop down beside her.
'Dramatic as ever,' she thought as she watched him get comfortable.
It was obvious what he was playing at, but Shiori didn't really mind. They had slept in the same area plenty of times before. Why would this time be any different?
"Well," Shiori hummed, "I'm not going anywhere."
"That's fine," Hanabusa immediately sniffed back, sounding suspiciously satisfied with the outcome. Shiori was sure if she could see his face, he'd be smiling smugly to himself.
'What happened to the blushing kid who greeted me hours ago?' Shiori yawned. 'Whatever.'
As Shiori drifted off, Hanabusa remained wide awake— a bundle of nerves within him. He rolled over so that he was facing the brunette, and simply watched her for a moment before smiling widely to himself.
He buried his face in a pillow, trying to suppress the elated squeal that had built up in his throat.
"Shut up, Hanabusa," Akatsuki groaned from his side of the fort.
Akatsuki didn't manage to dampen Hanabusa's mood, but he did manage to calm him down a little bit. The blond sighed deeply, inhaling a scent he had never noticed before.
'Huh,' he thought as he stared at Shiori's dozing form. 'Smells like peaches…'
author's note: mm more filler than anything, though i feel like all childhood arcs in stories are like that. it's just one big skill/relationship buildup before ya hit the Big Boss chapters. regardless, i hope you still enjoyed the update!
this chapter was edited and reviewed by my amazing beta, LittleMiniMe21! special thanks and lots of love goes to them! also shout out to fortheloveofb for stopping by to fix all my tenses! uwu
story rec: "fixated on your eyes" by leviiseverything
