Haruka was an idiot.
Kaname glared at the rune array, a headache that was purely psychosomatic pounding away behind his eyes.
Well, it might not be Haruka's fault, Kaname thought eyeing the array again with reluctant admiration. A six pointed star as a bypass? Brilliant. The modifications were fairly old, but new enough that it had to be this generation of Kuran's work. That narrowed it down to precisely three suspects.
If Kaname had had to run from the Clan, he'd want a way back into the Castle–for resources or revenge, it was just good tactical sense to have a backdoor.
Rido, then.
But how had the anomaly gone unnoticed for so long? Surely Haruka or Juuri had carried out a security inspection after Rido had murdered the original Kaname? The buzzing of a discord had been obvious to Kaname when he'd focused, although the bypass had hidden it well. Perhaps they were not talented enough in the Blood Arts and the Old Ways? If they'd slacked their training in one area then perhaps they slacked in all? Perhaps Rido was just more talented? Perhaps they didn't think about it, or perhaps they just didn't care. Too many maybes. Kaname would probably never know.
He tried not to let that bother him.
Rido might be sporting some serious mind damage right now, but that didn't make him stupid – it just made him unpredictable, which was a whole lot worse in Kaname's very long and well thumbed book.
"Alright," Kaname told the wall, "I've seen enough."
Silently, Nancy lowered Kaname to the floor, backing three respectful paces away. The array had been placed for the convenience of a mature body, not a child, so Nancy had had to hold him up for Kaname to see into the little crystal enclave, ensconced inside the wall.
It was a bloody good thing that she was sworn to him now, because Kaname couldn't have allowed Nancy to live after seeing this much of the Castle's security otherwise. Besides, he couldn't have done it without her or a stepladder- and the staff would have noticed the stepladder.
He glanced at his governess from the corner of his eye as he mused over what to do with the flaws he'd found. Did he want to block the hole or trap it?
He'd underestimated how much vampires had come to revere Al'Kyran over the millennia. He'd thought it would be funny to see her reaction – and, well alright it had been hilarious, those photos were going to entertain Kaname for years – but he'd expected things to go back to normal.
They hadn't.
Nancy didn't scold him. She didn't make suggestions. She didn't touch him without explicit and convoluted permission. Stars above she didn't even look him in the eye anymore. There was no fond exasperation. No rolling of the eyes or deep wounded sighs when he was being a brat. If he talked directly to her, she fumbled and stumbled with a reply, and when she did finally manage a sentence it was so full of deference to him and apologies for her own behaviour that he wanted to wring her neck. Of course, she sensed his vaguely murderous irritation and just panicked more and eugh.
It was intolerable.
One night, he was going to get his hands on a history book, a shredder and a red pen, and make some poor sobbing historian publish the remains.
Yes, he'd been a god king of an enormous empire. Yes, there had been wars. It was a different age. It happens. Yes, there'd been a little bit of genocide here or there. He'd had very good reasons, and really, the world should thank him for his efforts. Yes, he'd done a wide variety of very well remembered things to traitors, spies, enemies, poor lovers and general irritants. No, he didn't care, especially not now, thousands of years later when only his excellent mind let him recall the details. Yes, the laws had been different, harsher. What else could be expected from an earlier world? Life was hard and the people with it. It was absurd to judge his actions by modern standards.
Curse history for managing to remember the blood and the sex and none of the politics.
Nancy's heartbeat thundered to Kaname's ears. Oh blood and ashes. Kaname tore his eyes away from her. Was just looking going to set her off now? He focused his mind on the crystals he'd seen, the flows of power he'd sensed and the weave it made.
Was his attention really so terrifying? Was he so bad? He'd never been cruel to her, but one word of his name and suddenly he was a ravaging beast to be appeased?
Wards first.
"I need to go to my workshop," Kaname announced to the air in as bland a voice as possible.
Nancy took a step away from the wall, where she'd dismissed herself to, and knelt down, arms outstretched. She didn't pick him up anymore. She waited for him to go to her. Suppressing a sigh – night knew how she'd take that – Kaname toddled over into her embrace, legs still unreliable. She enclosed him slowly – like he hadn't asked for this – and rose, taking him up with her.
They made their way back through the passages and up to his tower, Nancy as stiff as a statue the entire way. This couldn't last, Kaname thought. He had to do something. He'd had no idea how much he missed normal company until she'd started treated him like a ticking bomb. It was insulting.
Was this how purebloods were regarded now?
"I built this place as a fortress," Kaname said quietly, admiring the stone. "So long ago that the stars have changed in the sky." He waited, carefully reaching out with his senses to see how Nancy was taking this aside. If he could just snap her out of this mind-set, make her see him…
"It took decades, you know. Everything was so different back then, every stone had to be planned months in advance, if not years, to give enough time to the quarries, the stonemasons and the wagons. Everything was done by hand, and even when we came up with what would later be called a pulley, laying as many as thirty stones was considered a very good night's work."
"The castle was the most ambitious project we'd ever considered," Kaname remembered fondly. "Before that, vampires were mostly nomadic. The humans followed the deer, and we followed the humans. Once it became clear to me that farming was the future, I set down roots."
"It took me five of your years to settle on this location. Geological studies didn't exist in its modern form, but we knew that some rock was stronger than others and we'd seen what our powers could do the earth. The castle is built on bedrock as strong as I could find. It's no coincidence that no earthquake touches us here. Strategically too, the hill was useful, and the land is clear for miles. The proximity of fresh water, the nearness of the old trade routes, even the hot spring beneath us was factored in."
Nancy was interested, Kaname could tell. Her heartbeat had gentled, and the arms around him were softening as tension faded.
"I had to enchant each stone separately. My nashkir, I think the best translation for that would be head stone mason? Although she was actually something like a project manager," Kaname mused. "Regardless, she loathed me for the time I wasted with carving runes, especially as no one else could help with it if I wanted it to be attuned to my bloodline. Not that I knew it would even work back then - there was this one time when the chisel slipped and shattered one of the foundation stones, she was furious. Made me pay so badly once the sun had risen."
"A pureblood worked as a stonemason?"
Kaname smiled. Her incredulous question was the first she'd spoken voluntarily to him in weeks, and of course, it was about purebloods. He should have guessed that was how to spark Nancy's curiosity. Perhaps more stories like these needed to be told. Stories that demystified their lofty rank, stories that made them seem more personable.
"No, she was my pet."
"How could she rebuke you then?"
Kaname laughed. "By clawing my back open the next time she dragged me into her blankets. By the blood she was a wild one."
Feeling Nancy's surprise, Kaname shrugged. "I told you, it was a different age. There were more purebloods, and far less of the current nonsense. I worked as a common labourer once, you know. We didn't begin as what we have become. I was faster and stronger than most of my Court, it made sense that I did the majority of the hard labour – think about it."
Perhaps the memory would be enough to change her way of thinking, perhaps it wouldn't. Either way, Kaname had too much work to do to spend any more time on re-educating a single vampire.
#
Over the last two months, Kaname had managed to survey most of the Castle. He might have started the building, but he had been asleep, or on rotation, and his descendants had just as much right to alter the place however they liked. It had always been meant to be a family home, not an untouchable masterpiece.
The fashion had changed many times over the ages, so the Castle had changed with it. Vampires were nothing if not adaptive. They had architecture from every age and civilisation represented somewhere, and Kaname loved having such a unique home with so many historical nuggets.
He just wished his descendants had been as paranoid as he was.
Warding was hard work. They were permanent, with the proper reinforcement, and required planning, preparation and power. Kaname had crafted his in parallel with and entwined with the physical building to ensure they'd last the ages.
Some of his descendants had followed his example – others hadn't.
Discoveries had been made in his absence, and modern warding had been installed alongside, around, over or under the original work to say nothing of where it crossed paths with the electrics and the plumbing. Some of his children had been more skilled than others, and most of them had contributed some sort of crafting somewhere, even if it was just on their private quarters.
It was a vastly complicated web for Kaname to untangle, but it would be his Next Great Project – and he was looking forward to it. He'd always been a scientist at heart.
#
"There you are Kaname!"
Kaname turned, a wide smile on his face, as Haruka strode into the nursery. He'd been so busy with work, he'd barely had time to see his son, but Kaname looked well, and Juuri had picked a good caretaker. Everything was fine.
"Daddy! Look!"
Kaname held up his hands – bits of red plastic stuck everywhere.
"Thatta boy!" Haruka beamed, sweeping his son up into his arms. It was good to see that the blood held true. There were enough flecks of power scattered about the floor that Haruka could guess what had happened. "You're going to be so strong when you grow up."
He and his siblings had been awfully hard on their toys too. Destroying them was inevitable as they started learning the lengths and breadths of their powers. Even mortal toddlers were destructive, which reassured Haruka whenever he thought about it. They were not so different after all.
"His lessons?" Haruka flicked his eyes to the 'C to make it clear he was addressing her.
She curtsied, "Master Kaname has progressed through three years worth of math and science already. His ability to learn is extraordinary, Kuran-sama. We're working on increasing his vocabulary and starting handwriting lessons this month. He's also shown interest in learning a musical instrument, but I thought to ask Juuri-sama on a preference before I enquire after trusted instructors."
"Very good." Haruka turned to face his son, and relaxed. "I know it's nearly Christmas, take the rest of the night off, I'll take Kaname from here."
Dismissing her, Haruka turned to leave.
"Where we goin' Daddy?"
"To my office!" Haruka chuckled. "I know you want to play, but I need to start teaching you the ropes of the family business."
"I'm guna be jus' like Daddy!"
Haruka grinned helplessly. His son was perfect. He was young of course, but he was so smart. It was never too young to start learning about economics, or politics. Kaname would need to know these things eventually, and better for Haruka to teach in bits and pieces when he had the time rather than wait for a substandard tutor to mangle the job.
He let them into his office, and sat Kaname on the desk.
"Serious time, Kaname. I need you to pay attention. Everything important is here in this room. Remember that. You also can't come in here without my permission. The locks are very dangerous and they hurt anyone who shouldn't be here. I will be very angry if you try. Do you understand?"
Kaname nodded, eyes wide.
"Good lad! Now, your great-great-grandfather first founded Kuran Enterprises. Since then, we've dabbled everywhere. Most recently in the shipping industry, mining and factories. We are deeply interconnected with the human world, and our main focuses now are technology, pharmaceuticals, and oil although we maintain a diverse profile, just in case."
Haruka felt pride throb in his chest as he continued Kaname's first lesson. His son was so perfect.
#
"I'm sorry."
Kaname shut off his blowtorch and pulled his mask off from his face, leaving his hair in tufts. Stripping his heavy-duty gloves off, ignoring the discomfiting miniature size, he gave Nancy his full attention.
They were in his workroom, Kaname had spent the last week playing around with his new toys, getting a feel for what he could do with them and making lists of what he had yet to do, in code because he knew better than to leave that sort of thing lying around, even up here in his mostly secret lab.
"For?"
"I've been treating you differently."
Kaname gave her his back, sliding his chair across the floor. He needed to make notes before he forgot them. Titanium was better than iron, but still far less efficient than the standard crystals for channelling vampiric powers. That completed his tests on all modern metals. Perhaps he could start on carbon fibres next. Those had been the next 'big thing' hadn't they?
"I'd noticed. The whimpering and cowering routine got old a long time ago, although I suppose I ought to be grateful you didn't start making offerings to me and constructing a temple in the gardens."
Nancy winced. Not that Kaname was looking.
"I'm sorry."
Kaname sighed, throwing his pen down and whirling around.
"I won't apologise for being born, Nancy. I am what I am, and I'm not ashamed of it. If you're scared of me, that's your problem. I've never deliberately hurt you, and knowing the titles I never asked for doesn't change that fact."
"I know," Nancy said, "And I really am sorry. I didn't mean to treat you like a monster, and I'm sorry if I hurt you. I was just – I don't know. You hear all these stories, and it's scary. I have to live knowing you could do anything you liked to me. It's not easy."
Kaname could understand that. In truth, she wasn't wrong. Some purebloods were cruel to their lesser subjects. It had just never been an issue before.
With a week to stew over Nancy's disproportionate response, Kaname had made a few simple connections. He'd wondered how the Council could have gained such a strong, self-righteous following – and now he saw why.
If Nancy, solid, dependable Nancy could look at the child she'd cared for and be afraid, could think only of what Kaname might do, then there was a much bigger problem here. He'd struck the nail on the head earlier.
Purebloods, in avoiding the masses, sequestering themselves away from greedy eyes, and lusting fangs, had given the Council all the ammunition they needed. Somewhere along the way, the respect purebloods had commanded in their roles as leaders, providers and protectors had turned into fear.
Without familiarity to soothe ruffled feathers, and with a few too true tales of cruelty and spite – it must have been easy to tip the scales.
Kaname should have thought of it sooner. He'd performed character assassinations himself with far less to work with that what his peers had accidently given the Council. He hoped he hadn't become too used to being top of the food chain. He knew where that led.
"Our society," Kaname said coolly, "kept a pyramid structure for a reason. Believe me, if you'd been born ten thousand years ago you'd be grateful for the presence of your Lord or Lady, no matter what gossip you'd listened to about what they preferred in the bedroom."
Nancy looked interested, but Kaname shook his head.
"I'm not going to give a history lecture. The past is the past. Learn from it but let it stay dead." He might have said that a little too bitterly.
"If you aren't going to faint when I talk to you, then can you run and get me at least an ounce of amethyst and two of quartz, and see if my opals have arrived yet."
"Yes, Young Master."
#
Kaname's music teacher was a beautiful young female, and with one breath, Kaname knew that she was related to Alonzo, was sworn to Juuri, and that her powers were illusion-based and at rank D.
Not for the last time, Kaname wished that he were older. Alonzo's family were of Roman descent, and Silvana had inherited well; caramel hair, unusually short for a vampire female, bright blue eyes and vampire-fair skin.
"Young Master," Nancy introduced politely, "Silvana Alonzo has been chosen by your mother to instruct you in music. She's taken the oath of secrecy and is a prodigy when it comes to the arts. She has excellent qualifications. Silvana," his governess turned to face the female, "this is Kaname Kuran, and you may address him as Master Kuran or Kuran-sama."
Only thirteen years to go, Kaname reassured himself as Silvana made her curtsies, thirteen years and he could have her. He would have her, as a reward to himself for finally growing up.
"I am honoured to be your instructor, Kuran-sama."
Kaname nodded, eyeing the female closely. If she found it strange to be instructing an eleven month old, Silvana didn't show it. If she had any suspicions, they'd be chalked up to him being a pureblood. Gossip made them out to be near mythical, so a great deal would be accepted as normal, and Silvana couldn't tell any tales.
The music room was one of Kaname's favourite places. Wide, built with acoustics in mind, and stocked with every sort of instrument imaginable, Kaname could always distract himself here with something new or something old.
"What instrument would you like to begin with?"
Thinking, Kaname eyed the hall as Nancy took up a guard position at his shoulder. There were few instruments he hadn't tried a hand at over the years, and no new ones that had been invented whilst he'd been asleep.
"The piano," Kaname decided. It was a classic, and it had been a century since he'd last played. It made sense to start 'learning' with it, and in order to teach, Silvana would have to sit next to him, if he wanted to reach the keys he'd have to sit on her lap…
He was so weak.
Thirteen years, Kaname reminded himself firmly, fangs gritted. Thirteen years.
#
"Next time," Nancy said tightly, hand clamped over her nose, "You could warn me when you're about to spill blood."
His arm slashed, blood running freely into an inkpot, Kaname gave Nancy a cheerful smile, slashing his arm again when it healed too quickly, locking eyes with her as he did so, because he was still feeling a little petty.
"Warning," he intoned dully. "Warning. I am about to practice the Blood Arts. Shock horror, these require my blood. Warning. Warning."
He had the distinct impression that Nancy was thinking vile gestures at him. Over the scented handkerchief she now pressed to her nose, it was hard to make out anything but the glare in her eyes, which were swiftly reddening with embarrassed hunger.
Rolling his eyes, Kaname used his unoccupied hand to make a twisting gesture in the air, a quickly shaped burst of power running through his fingers. A mild scent charm, nowhere near a full Smoker, but practiced enough that it ought to last a good hour or so.
Eyes dulling, Nancy slowly lowered the cloth and scented the air. Her nose wrinkled and she gave him a strange look as her eyes went back to the blood on his arm, still a fresh gushing red, then sniffed the air again.
"What did you do?"
"Charm," Kaname said already distracted, wiping his arm clean with a handy antiseptic wipe and tossing it into his incinerator – just arrived yesterday and already proving useful. "Stay on that side of the room and you won't be able to smell anything out of the ordinary."
"Thank you," Nancy said, watching carefully as Kaname dipped the nib of his pen – mithril tipped – and started writing. "Can all purebloods do that?"
"Any vampire can, if they put the effort in."
"Could you teach me?" Nancy said quickly – and by the widening of her eyes, Kaname knew she hadn't meant to say that. "I'm sorry, I know you're busy and it's not worth your time and – ''
"Sure," Kaname interrupted dryly, mind flashing ahead to spin plots upon plans. This was an excellent idea. "But I've been told I'm a terrible teacher. Consider yourself warned."
Smiling Nancy took her usual seat and settled in to watch and wait. "I'll risk it."
Kaname smirked. She had no idea.
"Lesson one," he intoned dramatically, forcing his governess to scramble for one of the many notebooks lying about. "The Blood Arts are a subdivision of what is colloquially known as The Old Ways and they require supernatural power to utilise. This power comes from our blood alone. It is our energy, our essence, our being. A long time ago, a genius inventor who shall remain nameless, accidentally discovered that blood could be refined into metal through a secret process. This metal is called mithril. As it is made from blood, it carries the power of blood, and is much more convenient to use in most circumstances."
"How did you accidentally discover something like that?"
"Accidentally."
That was his story, and he was sticking to it.
Turning back to his desk, Kaname continued, "In other circumstances, blood is the only option as a medium. Exhibit A, a written contract; metal makes for poor ink. A blood contract, aptly named as you can imagine, is a way to bind any signatory party to the written word. It was obviously developed from the older blood oath, sworn directly on the blood – like the one you gave to me – in order to allow for greater accuracy. It's always slightly weaker than a direct blood oath, but can be more practical. For example, when you don't want to put your blood into the air, when you need to include a lot of technical details, and when you're binding more than two parties."
Nancy nodded, frantically writing.
#
"Mara?" Juuri spoke quietly into the phone, "Come to my office please."
Kaname kept his face blank of emotion and his aura milk mild as Juuri worked, pretending to read a book as he worked on untangling her mind. He'd experimented as much as he dared, and had decided that if Haruka's working looked like a thorny knotted vine, then he ought to treat it at such.
Working from the outside in, Kaname untangled the compulsion, easing the strain, soothing what it left behind, draining it of power and burning it where he could.
It was slow delicate work. He'd never worked with wisps of power so small before. It required a tremendous degree of fine control. Chagrined and bemused, Kaname had had to acknowledge that it was a level of skill he would have lacked before this third childhood. He was so used to his former reserves, easily comparable to an ocean, that he had no idea how to wield the trickle he now possessed.
Despite his fang-grinding frustration, Kaname mentally labelled the entire thing a learning experience, and carried on.
"My Lady? You summoned me?"
"Ah, Mara, there you are."
Was it just paranoia, or was Juuri acting differently? Colder?
Blood and ashes! Kaname had been so sure he hadn't made a mistake. Arrogance! Here he was praising his new control when he'd obviously gone and ruined something –
"I'm updating our employment contracts," Juuri said mildly, barely glancing at the housekeeper as she flicked through one of the many files on her desk. "The renewal is due in January, I believe. Make the household staff aware that they ought to read it through thoroughly before signing, and that they can book an appointment with the in-house lawyers if they need any help understanding it."
"Yes, my Lady," Mara agreed instantly. "Anything in particular I ought to be aware of?"
"Hmm? Oh, well the current one is human based, easier to make but not exactly relevant to us. We're going back to the old version my father preferred. The standard blood contracts, you know? Everyone will have to countersign their name to mine on a master contract, but I'll issue powerless copies for them to read first."
Kaname turned a page once per minute, even as he watched the housekeeper avidly. There was confusion on her face, but no wariness, no sign that she was affected much by what Juuri said.
"I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand."
Juuri looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm switching the staff from human employment contracts to blood ones."
"A blood contract, ma'am?"
"What is the world coming to?" Juuri asked herself, but she rose and went to a filing cabinet, rummaging through before pulling out a file.
"There you go, you should probably read through it first so you can answer any questions." Juuri gestured for Mara to sit and read. "You must remember that although this is a home, it is also the heart of our Court. The weaker courtiers, the low bloods and the staff have always been a strategic weak point, and, well, I don't want be here all day," Juuri smiled wryly.
"Suffice it say that binding contracts have a long history within our clan, and we're very good at protecting those under us. Using human contracts is all very nice and modern, but they have no power to protect Cook when a Level B tries to intimidate her into poisoning us all."
"I see," Mara replied hesitantly.
Juuri laughed softly, smiling kindly at the younger female and Kaname hoped that maybe he hadn't further damaged Juuri's mind after all if she could still smile like that.
"They're not bad, Mara, this isn't a fairy trick. Go look them up in our library if you really must, but do let the staff know they're expected to sign this in January. If they can't or won't, I'll need to know that too. Dismissed."
Once Mara had taken her leave, Kaname let himself smirk. Compelling Juuri wasn't his proudest moment, but he did so love results.
#
Happy Christmas and New Year everyone - take this as a belated gift :) Thoughts?
