Disclaimer – The usual :D
Chapter 1 – Seven
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Raziel groaned and rolled over in his bed, trying to ignore the shouts of the ecstatic child.
"Daddy!" her shouts grew louder, she was just outside the door, she must be.
"Daddy!" came the final shout as she jumped onto the bed and started jumping on top of the sleeping vampire, heavily.
"Get off, Mioko," he gasped, as she jumped onto his chest, trying to get the vampire's attention.
"Daddy! Wake up!" she demanded. Raziel opened his eyes slightly, looking up at the child, her face filled with excitement.
"What?" he groaned, tiredly, "Did Chibi Kain have another nightmare?" he asked, almost mockingly. Mioko laughed and shook her head,
"No, silly, you know what day it is!" she smiled. Raziel pushed himself up on his elbows,
"Oh of course, Uncie Kain's coming to visit," he muttered, "Kain, I mean, My lord!" he corrected himself quickly. Mioko shook her head,
"Yes...and?" she prompted happily. Raziel shook his head,
"I don't know, what?" Mioko's face fell,
"You don't know?" she asked, sincerely. She stopped jumping and plopped herself between Raziel's legs, staring at the red, silk covers, "You really don't know?" she asked, seriously. Raziel shook his head again,
"Mioko, I don't know! What's so special about today?" he snapped. Mioko looked up at him, her eyes welling with tears. Raziel reached out to her, startled, but she drew back. She sniffed as she began to cry, sobbing silently.
"What?" Raziel asked, again, but she didn't wait around to answer, leaping from the bed and running from the room, still crying loudly.
"Bye brat," Azrael muttered as he entered the room, the child paying no attention to him as she ran off, "What's wrong with her?" the firstborn asked, "Shouldn't today be a happy day for her?" he asked. Raziel shrugged and climbed out of bed.
"Lord Kain is approaching," Azrael told him. Raziel shot his son a fierce glare,
"What do you mean, approaching?" he hissed, "Where is he?" Azrael cowered slightly, backing away,
"He's approaching the main gates," he answered, "I would have called you earlier," he said, seeing his lord jump from the bed and run to the dressing room, "but I thought you might want some time with Mioko, you know?" he called, trying to redeem himself, "I thought today you might want to..."
"Thank you, Azrael," Raziel interrupted, "Go and greet Kain," he ordered. Azrael sighed,
"Yes my lord, should I take brat?" he added. Raziel smirked form the next chamber,
"Her name's Mioko," he said, softly, but Azrael had already left.
Kain dismounted his horse and looked around at the vacant streets.
"Not much of a welcome is it?" Dumah asked, dismounting beside his lord. Kain nodded, suspiciously, looking around for any sign of life, but there was none. Dumah followed his master up the palace steps and into the Razielim palace, leaving the horses un-tethered in the courtyard. The entrance chamber was just as deserted as the rest of the city.
"Maybe Raziel moved out?" Dumah suggested at an attempt at a weak joke. Kain looked around and was on the verge of actually getting worried when the doors opened and Azrael swept in.
"My lord," he announced, throwing himself to his knees in respect, "I am sorry about the welcome, lord Raziel will be down shortly." Kain sighed in relief that the clan hadn't been suddenly and inexplicably wiped from the face of the earth.
"Where's Mioko?" Dumah asked, getting his priorities straight, she was after all the only reason he had chosen to accompany his sire to Razielim. Guard duty had its perks.
Azrael gestured behind him where Mioko followed. She trudged into the room, head bowed, clutching Chibi Kain to her chest. She was in no way the happy, excitable child they had remembered. Kain and Dumah looked down, concerned on the child and were about to address her when Raziel made his entrance.
He gave a short bow to his sire and a hearty smile to his younger brother. The vampires however were far more interested in the depressed child. Kain knelt down,
"Hello, child," he said gently. Mioko said nothing. Kain and Dumah exchanged bemused glances as the master vampire swept her into his arms.
"What's wrong?" Kain asked as he noted the silent tears, still trickling down the girl's face. Mioko gave her father a heartbreaking look before leaning in to Kain's ear. Dumah leaned in to hear what the child whispered. She whispered something neither Raziel nor Azrael could hear. It was obviously of great interest as Dumah and Kain both shot Raziel a look that could kill.
"Daddy forgot your birthday?" Dumah said, loudly, "Well he's a cruel bastard isn't he?" Raziel's face grew paler than normal suddenly under the gazes of his visitors while Dumah's language earned him a swift slap across the back of the head from Kain.
"Don't worry," Kain muttered to the child, "Come and see what Dumah and I have for your birthday." Raziel watched, shocked as Dumah and Kain took her outside to where the horses were. Azrael broke the silence with a soft whisper,
"You forgot her birthday?"
TBC