Yashiro winced as he watched the king heartlessly slam Kyoko into the ground. Several times the advisor to the king had to remind himself that they were training. It had to be done. And it wasn't as if Kyoko was fighting the king alone. She had Kanae, Kijima, and Maria on her team against Ren. They were all permitted to use any ability they had but they still continuously lost. Kyoko never admitted defeat, however. Everyday she would continue to stand back up and demand the king keep training her. Long after Kijima tapped out to tend to his wounds, Kanae walked away to grumble about her bruises in a corner, and Maria dismissed herself to practice magic, Kyoko and Ren would continue to spar.
"Oof!" Kyoko vocalized as she hit the ground again. It was frustrating that no matter what she did she couldn't beat him.
"I think you've had enough for today. Let's head inside and eat. I hear Okami-san made some blood brownies for you to try." Ren said offering Kyoko his hand.
She took it but instead of letting him help her up she wrapped her legs around his and yanked him down. Yashiro was impressed by her speed and agility as she trapped the king beneath her, but it was a fruitless attempt. With her hand still in his Ren twisted her arms and swiftly swapped their positions so he had her pinned.
"I said you've trained enough today." Ren growled leaning down to glare into her eyes. He was trying to force his way into her mind as she had done to him, but it was no use.
"I'm not done." Kyoko protested.
Ren bared his teeth in a menacing warning that didn't work on the stubborn girl. Instead of relenting she tilted her head back exposing her neck to him. He growled before leaping up and moving away from her. There was no way he was going to drink her blood. He didn't need blood especially not from her.
"Get inside and eat. Tomorrow you can spar with each other since you clearly can't beat me." he said almost amused by her answering growl.
"No, tomorrow I will continue to spar with you." she demanded.
He said that once she learned to escape his grips then he would listen to her. She took that to mean that she could get out of marrying him if she managed to beat him. She stood up and marched over to him even as he was walking towards the building.
"Tsuruga-Hei…
"Don't call me that." He growled turning and bumping into her. He caught her arms before she fell back.
"Alright enough flirting you two." Yashiro said holding a cup between the two of them. "Drink this Kyoko-chan."
Kyoko took the cup realizing that her inner beast was clawing at her insides begging to be fed. It didn't want the reheated blood in the cup though. All it wanted was the thick rich liquid that poured hot from Ren's veins. She gulped down every last drop from the cup as fast as she could hoping to kill the desire to bite him. Her tongue grazed over her dull flat teeth as she handed the cup back to Yashiro.
"Who's flirting?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, who's flirting?" Kyoko asked cocking her head to the side.
"Mo! You are obviously." Kanae said rolling her eyes at the clueless pair.
"Ew, no I'm not." Kyoko protested.
"With who?" Ren asked Yashiro still not connecting the dots.
"With you." Kanae supplied wondering how they could both be so dense.
"No, she's not." Ren said shaking his head.
"Mo! Why do you think she keeps trying to pin you down? Then when you inevitably pin her, she offers you, her neck." Kanae said.
"I do not!" Kyoko shouted covering her neck.
"She's stubborn and impulsive and she wants to beat me no matter what it takes. She probably thinks that she can pin me down if I'm distracted by her blood. But I'm not even hungry." Ren said even though his stomach was screaming at him to bite Kyoko.
"I didn't offer you, my blood!" she spoke to Ren at first but then turned to Yashiro and Kanae to say. "I only want to beat him so that I can get out of this forced marriage."
"How would pinning Ren down get you out of marrying him?" Yashiro asked truly perplexed by her thought process.
"He promised to listen to me if I learned how to get out of his grip." Kyoko explained.
Yashiro blinked at the girl then looked to Ren who shrugged.
"Kyoko-chan, I'm afraid that no amount of training will get you out of this marriage. The only thing that will change once you learn how to get out of Ren's grips is that you will start training with Kotetsu-sama." Yashiro explained.
"But he said." Kyoko whined jabbing Ren in the chest. He caught her hand annoyed at her abuse.
"He has no say in it either. Were you at the same meeting as the rest of us?" Kanae asked crossing her arms.
Kyoko felt tears sting her eyes. She didn't want to marry anyone but least of all the king. She would rather rot in the dungeon then to be held prisoner in this manner. Tied down to this man and forced to produce heirs. Kanae saw the tears in Kyoko's eyes and tilted her head curiously. Any other vampire would have been thrilled to marry the king. Even Kanae herself would have accepted it if only to rub it in the faces of the Koenji coven. Though she didn't particularly like the king and would most likely find a way out of it after having her fun. Still, she couldn't understand why Kyoko was fighting it. It was clear that they were attracted to each other physically even if they couldn't see it. Kyoko had also taken a liking to his blood and had been offering her neck to him every chance she got, though she didn't seem aware of that either.
"Upyr are so messy." Kanae said shoving Kyoko forward. "Come on move it's lunch time. You like the blood pudding, don't you? I heard Kimiko-sama does too. Better get to them before she does."
Pouting Kyoko let Kanae steer her inside.
"Ren," Yashiro started but Ren interjected.
"I never promised to let her out of the wedding if she beat me." he said.
Yashiro shook his head. "We should hold the ceremony sooner rather than later. It will give the covens something to celebrate. Plus, the two of you can't seem to keep your hands off each other." He said much to Ren's chagrin.
"I don't like her. The longer we postpone the wedding the better it will be for everybody involved." Ren said but he couldn't think of a suitable reason to give the assistant.
"No, it wouldn't." Yashiro said scowling at his king. "The longer you wait to marry her the more you risk the other covens finding ways to manipulate the situation. Not to mention it would prolong the inevitable, the two of you siring an heir. It also makes me nervous for that girl to not have her fangs. As an added bonus the rogue vampire might be attracted to the party. We'll have an opportunity to catch them."
"Or they'll have an opportunity to slaughter a room full of partying nobles." Ren pointed out grimly.
"Fine, train them first then have your bonding ceremony to Kyoko. But Ren, remember if you wait too long it opens the door for bad things to happen. Unrest among the covens is already at an all time high. The rogue vampire already felt bold enough to attack the Takarada mansion." Yashiro argued.
"I'm not marrying her." Ren said his anger flaring.
He couldn't marry that girl. Not when the very sight of her made his inner vampire growl with need. The blood beneath her skin smelled so good that it was almost too much for him to resist. If they had a blood binding ceremony, a vampire wedding, he would have to drink her blood in front of everybody.
Yashiro sighed shaking his head. "You don't have a choice. It's her or Kimiko-sama."
Ren growled but said nothing. He knew he had nothing to worry about because his time was limited. The spells Jelly had cast on him would wear off sooner rather than later and someone would have to put him down. No matter how much he wanted to Lory wouldn't be able to save him a second time.
In an office designated for him Ken'ichi sipped from a goblet of blood his assistant had poured for him. He couldn't believe that she had broken the spell he had cast on her. There was a sense of pride mixed in with his guilt. She was powerful like he had imagined she would be, but he had failed her. He had meant to conceal her powers for the rest of her life. If he had done it right, then her life would have been short and meaningless. She would have grown old and died without ever needing to be mixed up in the mess her parents had created with their union. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Thank you Reino," he spoke to the young witch beside him who poured more blood into his cup.
"Are you alright master?" Reino inquired with his head bowed low.
"Just thinking." Ken'ichi said staring curiously into his cup.
"About?" Miroku asked from his spot at the door.
"The king's consort." Ken'ichi supplied after downing the remains of his blood. It seemed that no matter how much he had to drink lately he was still thirsty. "I wonder if she's safe here."
"The safest place for the future queen would be beside her king, would it not?" Reino asked keeping his head bowed low. "It is the most heavily guarded position at the very least." He didn't understand why Ken'ichi would care about a Takarada princess who had just grown into her fangs.
"Yes, guarded by the strigoi who tried to kill her." Ken'ichi growled holding his goblet out for more blood.
Reino moved to refill it but paused to say with concern, "Master I think you might be overdoing it."
"More." Ken'ichi demanded and silver haired assistant poured more blood in his cup. "I'd like to give our big dolt of a king a good clout over the head for that bright decision." Ken'ichi grumbled as he gulped down the blood. "More." His mouth felt dry no matter how much he had to drink.
"Master I will caution you against insulting the king in his own castle. He may not live here but there is always a possibility that the walls have ears who report directly to him or his Kitsune." Reino said.
"Vile creature. Even the company that king keeps is atrocious." Ken'ichi said feeling dazed with hunger. "I have no need for that king to sit on the throne, but that girl is everything. I wish things could be different for her, but this is where we are now. If not for the damned vampire possessing people maybe she could have lived out a normal boring life."
"That girl is special?" Reino asked cocking his head innocently at Ken'ichi. "I saw her practicing in the yard earlier with the king. She seemed to be a mousy little thing. He kept pinning her down. Looked like he enjoyed it."
"I have no time for that pervert but as he is the current king, he is the quickest way to install Kyoko on the throne." Ken'ichi said. "We need to encourage the union."
Reino scowled at this confused but quickly wiped the look off his face in favor of an agreeable one. He nodded to Ken'ichi as he refilled his goblet.
"You want her on the throne?" Miroku asked.
"Yes," Ken'ichi said but then he shook his head. "No, I wish she could have had a normal mundane life. But I was a fool to think she could avoid the mess her parents created for her with their cursed union." He downed more of the blood Reino poured for him. "Mogami, Todoh, Misonoi, and Hizuri are all defunct. Uesugi pretends to be almighty, but their heir Hio-sama has no powers and Ryotaro's wife can have no more children. The Takarada heir is an arrogant little girl and Duris is no better off than Hizuri since they shared an heir." Ken'ichi grumbled starting to feel lethargic.
"The Duris coven have an heir." Reino supplied, "Cedric I believe is his name."
"Yes, but he's even more arrogant than Maria-hime. His own grandfather doesn't even want him to inherit the coven." Ken'ichi said. "My own coven might be gone soon as well. Thanks to my stupid nephew who was to be my heir. And Susumu, poor Susumu." He closed his eyes ready to nod off.
"What happened to Susumu?" Miroku asked.
"The dear boy loved Seana-san. He would have done anything for her but she… poor Seana… poor girl was a Bruxa and as such she fell victim to her own nature. If only Misonoi hadn't been so deceitful maybe, ah but no. Nothing could have saved that girl." Ken'ichi spilled his blood down his shirt. "I've grown old and tired. I would have liked to stay by her side to help her, but Tsuruga was right about one thing, we have all become lax in our training."
"You gave him too much again." Miroku accused as Ken'ichi slumped onto his desk.
"The lush kept demanding more." Reino said in his defense.
Miroku shook his head and walked over to the desk. He conjured a cushion and gently lifted Ken'ichi's head to place it under. Reino walked over to the large windows overlooking the training grounds. He watched as Kyoko ran up behind Ren and leapt into the air trying to catch him. The king side stepped her, and she crashed into the grass.
"So, you think she's Misonoi's kid?" Miroku asked shaking his head at the scene below. "She can't be the one who forced you out of that Dhampir and the strigoi girl. There's no way she has that much power."
"Oh, she has power. More than she even knows. And it's dark and delicious."
"Then is she a bruxa like you? Was this Seana her mother? Did she rip her way out of the womb and consume her mother too?" Miroku asked having learned long ago to not question Reino's judgement.
"I don't know but it would be perfect if she was. Like we were made for each other." Reino said licking his lips.
"Too bad she belongs to that weak algul king." Miroku said examining Ren who was laughing as Kyoko flipped Yashiro to the ground when he tried to protect his king.
"Not weak and definitely not algul. Something much darker resides in that king. We'll need to tread lightly around him. He holds himself back, but had he used his full strength he would have been able to kill me and the dhampir I had possessed." Reino mused to himself forgetting that Miroku was there. "If I'm not careful I could set off his vicious nature. But perhaps someday that viciousness could become useful to us."
Reino walked back over to Ken'ichi and took a piece of paper from the desk. With a sharp quill he pricked Ken'ichi's finger and wrote out a letter in his master's blood.
"Giving yourself to the queen as a gift?" Miroku asked.
"You too." Reino said as he signed the letter with Ken'ichi's signature.
"Why can't you ever leave me out of things?" Miroku asked exasperated. "How many more times do you think you'll get away with doing that?" Miroku asked as he watched Reino fold and seal the letter.
"As many times as, I need to. You heard the man he's old and tired. He isn't suspicious of me at all." Reino said baring his teeth in a wicked grin.
He turned his eyes to the window where he saw Kyoko leaping at Ren from behind again. Ren swiftly caught her with one hand and flipped her to the ground. Reino's grin widened. This job was becoming more enjoyable by the day. He was starting to think that he might not hand the girl over to the person who had hired him.
"What's that look?" Miroku asked as he opened a drawer and pulled out a box of haskapp cookies. Ken'ichi loved the rare delicacy and always brought a stockpile with him. Miroku didn't care for them, but he thought that the new queen might.
"I think I want to keep her." Reino replied taking the cookies from Miroku. He leaned over Ken'ichi and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry master I'll take good care of our new queen. I think it's time you went home and got some rest. I'll make sure nobody disturbs you."
"Yes, Reino you take care of Seana's daughter." Ken'ichi said eyes still closed. He stood up stiff like a doll and began to walk. "I'll go return home and sleep."
"Should we go meet your new queen then?" Miroku asked as Ken'ichi left.
They worried little of being discovered when someone saw him leaving. He was reclusive and avoidant in his best of moods. No one would notice if he ignored all of them and went straight home without saying his goodbyes to the king.
Sho was nervously wandering the hallways. His ribs still ached, and he was prone to bouts of dizziness, but he knew he would never hear the end of it if he didn't pay his respects to his uncle. It was for that reason that he had ask the kindly older witch couple if they knew which office was given to Ken'ichi to use. They had gladly found out the information for him as he ate the delicious food, they had brought him.
He had made his way to the office door but chickened out and walked away mumbling to himself about being a coward. It was just Uncle Ken, what was he so afraid of? It wasn't as if he had known what Kyoko was. If they had wanted him to treat her like an equal, they should have told him that she was a vampire. Not that her being a vampire would have made her his equal in his eyes. There was no proof she had any connection to nobility, and he was the oldest nephew of the head of the Katagiri coven. One of only two existing covens directly founded by Jun'ichi himself. Sho's mother was a princess and what was Kyoko's mom? A witch stupid enough to be bitten while pregnant? He had learned that was the only way to create bruxa. He had also been showed how bruxa came into the world and shivered from his memory of Kyoko half crazed with bloodlust. If the king wasn't careful, she would rip him to shreds. Not that Sho would mind that.
"Alright Fuwa be a man and face your uncle." He berated himself and shook his nerves out.
Taking a deep breath, he began to march towards the door to the office. Halfway there the door opened and the man he was going to see stepped out. Sho tilted his head slowly to the side as his normally cool and composed uncle staggered out of the office. His body was hunched forward with his head hanging low and there was a dreamy look in his barely open eyes. Sho watched as the man stumbled down the hall. Blood stained his front and Sho sniffed the air. It was laced with hawthorn berries. Not deadly to vampires but highly soporific. Ken'ichi stumbled passed Sho without acknowledging him. Sho began to follow his uncle, but he heard more footsteps coming from the office. Quickly he hid around the corner and listened to the two men speak.
"Yes, I should go introduce myself to this little mouse who would be queen." The silver haired man said as he walked the opposite way down the hall.
"You'll be her king soon enough. It's only fair that you get to know her too." His companion said.
"Shh, don't say such things out here Miroku." Silver hair said.
"Yes, Reino-heika." The other man said.
"Quiet!" Sho peered at their backs as they walked out of hearing range. He contemplated following them or his uncle.
Then a thought occurred to him. If this Reino was going to kill the king than Sho could kidnap Kyoko back. Since she was named the heir to the throne that would automatically make anyone who married her king. He didn't like the idea of obtaining something with her help, but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity either. Smiling wickedly, he headed back to the hospital wing where the old couple were. Maybe they would give him more food if he asked nicely. And perhaps they would help him get Kyoko back if they liked him.
A/N: I have a separate document with all this lore and pre-story plotline written up but sometimes I confuse myself with who is supposed to be who. I hope it isn't confusing to you guys. Maybe I'll post a cheat sheet of the types of vampires, their ranks, and who is which type. I have brief summaries of this already but I'll have to cut out some plot things to share it.
