a/n: this is the new and changed version of the latest chapter. I had a change in plan which is why the chapter was taken down last time. this chapter is not as long the last one but I hope you guys will enjoy.
chapter 10
Since Shiki Senri's abrupt visit to the Shiki mansion months prior, the night class had been dealing with its own level of drama. That resulted in increased tension between the president and his cousin. The intensity of which was now noticeable to most.
Every now and then as they crossed path be it on the way to class or inside the dorm, be it lobby or dinner table no matter the place and time their eyes always clashed in long cold glare. There wasn't any exchange of words, just powerful eye contact where one tried to take the other down followed by deep frowning face and the end result was release of dark aura that was not only suffocating but nauseating too.
During the early days of the night class, when it was first established it appeared as though the cousins did not care about the others presence but now…it was as if one was disturbed by the other's very existence. Their body language clearly screamed out that they are an obstacle sitting on the others desired path!
No one in the moon dorms really cared about the pureblood glaring down his level-b cousin. He was their leader, the alpha, the unofficial king, the top of the food chain, he could do what he pleased not a soul would dare to stand on his path. But the fact that the Shiki heir was bold and disrespectful enough to glare back at the pureblood in turn pissed of many their peers, especially the ones belonging to the pureblood's inner circle…his loyal followers…more accurately his bitches!
Two mentionable names of the ones who are quite upset with Senri in the recent times are none other than the son of Aidou family, Aidou Hanabusa and the daughter of the Souen family, Souen Ruka. They too never missed out on their chance to harshly glare at the young maroon haired vampire as if warning him to remember his place.
Hanabusa on couple of occasions even tried to lecture him pointing out how rude his recent behaviors were towards his precious Kaname-sama. But Senri simply put those words through one ear and threw it out of the other. Ruka too sent him many warning glares but Senri couldn't be bothered with her. However the vice president and the fiery haired male that always stayed glued to Ruka were a different story. They were not as obsessed with the pureblood as the other two were. And not only that sometimes these two would even stand up in his defense…
…
The night class was getting ready for their session to start.
One by one the students entered and took their designated seats.
Suddenly the air temperate in there dropped, turning the room chilly even for vampires' standard.
Everyone understood right away that the change was the cause of the pureblood's sudden bitter mood. Hanabusa was probably the first to look in the pureblood's direction and noticed the way his eyes narrowed down in glare the moment the models stepped into the classroom.
Feeling the pureblood's eyes burning on him Senri stopped in his tracks and looked up to meet the pureblood in the eye. Not even for a second did the young vampire hesitate to return the stare. If Kuran Kaname could give him the death glare he could return him the same treatment. He wanted to show the pureblood that he wasn't afraid of him- damn the status!
Senri was still at the entrance of the classroom whereas his cousin was already nestled on his throne. Sitting there with an air as if this whole school was owned by him.
"Damn you Shiki-kun!"
Hanabusa gritted his teeth and in his mind cursed the Shiki heir. How dare that kid show such disrespect towards Kaname-sama? It boiled the blood running in his veins. Day by day Senri was starting to behave like that wretched little disgrace of prefect Kiryu. Being a hunter gives Kiryu more of a valid reason to despise the vampires but what reason has Senri got to act this way towards the pureblood the blonde simply could not understand.
Following Hanabusa's angry gaze his cousins Ruka and Akatsuki took notice of the moment unfolding between the pureblood and his cousin.
Time seemed to freeze as the staring competition went on between the Kuran heir and the Shiki heir.
It looked like they were openly challenging one another.
Various questions and thoughts roamed the minds of everyone.
But at last only disappointment came for all those who expected something between the cousins to befall. Nothing really happened; their long completion of stare came to an end when the pureblood just averted his gaze like he was bored and diverted his eyes towards the window.
The pureblood may have looked away but Senri did not remove his eyes from his form. He stood there for a while and watched as the pureblood's longing gaze looked out the window…
And there was no need to guess whom he was watching…
"No matter the effort I will not let Aiyora's heart be broken again by the likes of you…"
…
It's been a while, close to two months, since the night Senri showed up at the Shiki manor out of nowhere and caught the Kuran heir red handed in his lies.
The pureblood always lied to everyone, especially Takuma, telling him that he was going to attend the council meetings when in reality he was actually visiting his fiancée.
Kaname's reason for lying to the Ichijo heir was simple, Takuma was one of those who did not approve of his actions knowing all too well where his feelings actually lied. And on top of that in Takuma's eyes he was the wrong one, he was the villain in Aiyora and Senri's fairytale. It frustrated the pureblood to no end that his so called friend never tried to open his eyes and see things from his point of view and understand his reasoning…
He too was doing it for fairytale, not of Senri and Aiyora's, but of his and Yuki's. He was working towards to make that love story successful which was always meant to be...
The car pulled over in front of the main entrance of the Shiki Residence.
The driver came out and held the door open. Moments later Kuran Kaname stepped out.
Without wasting a moment he started to climb the stairs. It's been a while since he was last here. In fact ever since Senri's surprise appearance that night Kaname hadn't even been anywhere near the Shiki manor till today…
But here is the thing though…just because he did not visit, does not mean he hadn't been keeping in touch with Aiyora. He made a wrong calculation once, he cannot afford to repeat the same again. As a matter of fact he can't afford any mistake at this point, especially after her bold ultimatum!
Even the tiniest mistake bears the possibility of bringing in catastrophic result.
Prove yourself worthy of me… the insides of him still quaked every time as he remembered that challenging look, those glint in her deep blue orbs that she wore as she spoke those words to him.
During these long absence he phoned almost every other day and made- no tried to make long conversations with her. But the calls never lasted more than five to seven minutes, because Aiyora from her side always made sure to cut it short. Every time she had an excuse ready at the tip of her tongue.
The common ones being… tired, hungry, it's past my bedtime, sleepy, not in the mood to speak or have to go study. There was barely any effort from her side. Nor did he receive any appreciation for his efforts. Once she even dared to hang up the phone on his face and next time blamed it on poor telephone connection. Her audacity surprised him.
Kaname highly doubted that was the case! No…he was 100% sure that was not the case.
He was immensely insulted by this action. No one has ever dared to be so rude to him. No matter how much disagreement there was, no one disrespected him this way. And here this mere off spring of Kuran Rido felt bold enough to put the phone receiver down, right on his face, while he was still in the middle of a sentence…!?
What was actually more infuriating than Aiyora's action in the scenario…?
It was the fact that he could do nothing but to let the matter slide. Yes…he had to put his pride aside and act like it was no big deal at all and believe her when she claimed the line got disconnected because of the poor connection. When in reality he accurately heard the sound of her putting the receiver down.
It made him so, so, so angry that he could feel the blood in his vessels boil, it boiled to the extent where he felt like he would explode if nothing was done sooner. The urge to punish her ate him from inside.
Till now ever the mere thought of Aiyora's little insult awakened the worst type of wrath inside him. But all he could was suppress it, keep it inside, reminding himself again and again that it was all for Yuki's sake...
…for her better future!
With exhale of a deep sigh and straightening his posture the brunette continued to climb the large steps of the Shiki manor.
It has been a while since his last visit.
Deep down an insanely childish side of him wondered if Aiyora had missed him during this long absence like Yuki used to. What are the chances? But the part of his head that lived by the reality just laughed at that ridicule of an idea. It was quite absurd of him to even think like that…after all…
Yuki missed him immensely because he gave her the reason to him. What reason has Aiyora got to miss him? What reason did he give her? If anything she misses that boring-lifeless half-brother of her for sure.
He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to open it.
The door was answer by a timid maid, behind her standing was the head butler of the Shiki household.
"Kuran-sama, what a pleasant surprise, please come." Like always the butler of the house warmly invited him in. "Aiyora-sama is in the library. Please make yourself comfortable while I go fetch her. In the meantime shall I offer you something to drink?"
"There is no need for any of it." In one simple sentence the pureblood turned away all the offers that were made.
"…I actually wish to surprise her. If that's alright with you…Saiyunji-san?" he read the man's name off the badge.
"Yes of course Kuran-sama. This way please…" The butler led the pureblood towards the library.
Meanwhile in the library:
"Well done Aiyora-sama!" a wide smile and a subtle pink shade of blush appeared on the said person's face after hearing her own praise from her teacher.
"There isn't a single mistake. You surely do deserve a present after delivering such a great performance in your exam."
"…And she surely will get one." A third voice cut in.
Aiyora and her tutor both turned following the direction of the voice only to find the regal pureblood standing by the door, leaning against the door frame with his hands crossed over his chest. His appearance defined the word 'handsome'.
The teacher who now had a flushed face quickly got up and bowed in respect while Aiyora just remained in her seat simply staring- no trying to study him actually!
"Please excuse the fact that I came without a proper notice." He offered the woman a polite smile, making her blush deeper with that slight smile of his.
"Oh that is no problem at all Kuran-sama. Aiyora-sama is all yours now. We are finished for the day." The woman borderline stuttered.
"No we are not!" this time Aiyora cut in, making other occupants in the room face her.
"I still have to finish two more chapters for English literature." She looked at her tutor with pleading eyes indirectly signaling her to stay back and ask her brother to leave. But the look Aiyora received in return from her teacher clearly stated that it was way beyond her power to deny the older pureblood anything.
"Why don't you take it off early today since Kuran-sama is here, you surely do deserve good break after such excellent performance. Besides I'm sure you're eager to spend time with him as much as he is with you."
Aiyora wasn't sure what her teacher was trying to say, because she made no sense. She definitely was not eager to spend time with him.
And that made Aiyora's frown deeper than it already was. It upset her how the same type of privilege was never offered to Senri. He always had to wait till Aiyora was fully finished with her studies. Whereas every time Kaname showed up the teachers let her off mid-way. Like nothing but him mattered to this world!
The younger pureblood even went as far as to open her mouth to ask her teacher to wait but the woman quickly bowed and made her exit.
Once they were fully alone, Kaname slowly started on his footsteps, to make his way towards her.
Aiyora cautiously watched as he came around the table, pulled a chair closer to her before taking his seat gracefully. Her blue orbs followed the movement of his hand as it took hold of her small one in his large ones and brought it close to his lips to place a tender kiss atop her palm.
The kiss lasted longer than it was supposed to…and she did not like it. The thought of pulling her hand free ran through her mind. But before she could gather the courage to do so the kiss ended.
"How have you been?" he asked letting her hand free.
"Good…you?" she asked politely while at the same time trying to keep the conversation as minimum as possible.
"The past months have kept me busy, which was the main reason for my long absence."
"…"
He expected her to say something but she said nothing. Not a single word. It was enough to understand how least bothered she was about him visiting. Thus situation left him no option but to continue on his own.
"Despite my hectic days your thoughts have not left my mind." He watched for her reaction but there was barely anything noticeable. So he continued…
"…Not a day has gone by that I have not thought about you. I have missed you very much Aiyora…" then with a tone of hope he inquired. "… I hope you missed me too."
His burgundy orbs poured into her large blue ones, not just expecting but silently demanding an answer.
The kind of response he expected did not come, instead of response came the oddest expression ever. Whether its represents happiness, sadness, anger, curiosity…? He did not know.
Then followed by the line…
"Honestly I have not missed you that much."
Wow! Kaname was stunned by her brutally honest answer. For a second there he could not believe he was sitting before the same girl, who, not too many years ago used to phone him almost every day and desperately cried for him to come see her...but… he never came!
Her words almost sliced though his flesh like a sharp knife. For a second his impassive mask almost came off and showed her his disappointment.
And that gave Aiyora the opportunity to quickly correct herself. When she saw the sadness in his eyes, she recognized the emotion right away. Sadness, loneliness, feeling left out, these were some emotions she was all too familiar with. And by God she did not wish those feelings to befall upon anyone, be it her best friend or her worst enemy.
"…I mean I have been so busy with my studies that I barely had time to think about anything. And on top of that Lady Shiki hasn't been doing really well so I have been spending my spare time keeping her company. Plus I hear about you from Senri-chan…quite often. He told me you were doing fine so I thought…besides as the president of the night class you must be so busy and I prefer not to stand before you as a bother."
Kaname was no fool; he was able to get a hold of her pinching back-handed comment right away. Aiyora always looked for opportunity to use that tone on him in the recent time.
So he let out a sad chuckle let her know that her words actually hurt.
"I did not mean to hurt you,"
"It's okay..." He caressed her face affectionately, assuring her he was alright.
"I understand, I know where you are coming from, I was not there when you needed me, it would be foolish of me to accept your affections right away. But I want you to keep in mind I am ready to wait, because I will wait for you…forever."
To that message Aiyora said nothing, just cast her eyes down sadly because she knew the last line was a complete bull-crap. And the fact that he dared to say it out loud made her angry. However she decided not to show and kept her mouth shut. If she would have opened her mouth she would no longer be able to conceal the brewing rage.
If he could put a mask of kindness so could she!
Aiyora did not really speak much and Kaname was running out of words by now. He was no talkative person in nature therefore it was hard for him to go on conversing if the other party was not responsive. Not even with Yuki he talked so much. It was she, who did most the talking while he enjoyed listening to her.
The uncomfortable silence lingered between them for a while. During which Kaname made some small to little intimate contacts by frequently surfing his fingers through her long luscious locks. This was one particular common action that took place every time they met. This was also the affection that the male pureblood did not fake, it came genuinely. He quite enjoyed the silkiness of her baby soft hair…well it was actually more than that. To put it more simply he loved her hair. On days when Aiyora had her hair tied up, he told her to open it and if she wouldn't comply he would do it himself.
The silence was broken by the older pureblood.
"Come with me." He took Aiyora by the hand.
"Where?" she asked in a voice so innocent while putting the expression on her face of a naïve child…
It was interesting to see how quickly her personality could change.
He chuckled, the face she made was absolutely adorable.
"To the garden," he replied as they walked out of the library. "We shall finish what we left unfinished last time…"
Aiyora said nothing to that, nor did she put up an attempt to argue, she simply followed allowing him to lead the path.
…
That night the two purebloods spent their time strolling the garden.
They walked side by side, hand in hand looking no less than any love-struck couple from the romance novel…except for the odd difference in age factor and the height.
Together they covered almost every section of the massive garden, even though most of their time was spent around area where the roses were planted.
Kaname plucked out the biggest rose and presented to Aiyora.
When in return she gave him the blank look of not knowing what to do with it, he took the rose back, keeping the kind smile intact on his face and placed it behind her ear, tenderly tucking it within the locks of her hair.
The rest of the night was spent laying down over the grassy bed, just like last time. And thankfully this time the brunette is tension free because for sure the Shiki heir would not show up. There are no such chances since he is abroad for his next shoot and will not be back until next week.
Their time was spent by watching the moon, counting the stars and talking. However under the current circumstances most of the talking was done by the older pureblood while the younger one mostly listened.
Every now and then he laced their hands, knotting their finger together.
Even during heartfelt narration of his day to day life leading the night class Kaname kept on studying her. He observed how carefully she was listening to every single one of the stores regrading Cross Academy. She looked so eager to know more about the night class, especially the people consisting it. It showed in her eyes, she was already trying to picture herself in there. She absolutely wait start…only so that she could be reunited with Senri. She grew so much attachment towards the boy that at the mere mention of his name her lit up like a 100 watt bulb…Kaname found it absolutely nauseating. How could a chirping bird like Aiyora make that strong connection with that boring lifeless soul? How does she not get sick of him? It was the thought that the Kuran heir could not get out of his head.
However in order to make this Senri-chan topic more entertaining for him, he started to slowly bring up the ginger haired model, his partner at work and possibly his only friend in Cross Academy…
Touya Rima!
Now he paid extra attention to the detail of Aiyora's face. Last time when the model's name came up at the restaurant Aiyora sounded very excited at first but then suddenly for a moment there was hint of jealousy within deep her eyes. But before he could confirm his speculation it washed away.
It is utmost important for him to know where Aiyora stands in this equation of Touya Rima…
Does she like her?
Or does she despise her?
If it's the latter then he would be the one in benefit. Never the less he must have the answer soon. He must know the little pureblood deep-down, in and out. This is the time when he actually felt frustrated with himself. If only he would not have foolishly ignored her all those years then all these hassles could have been avoided. She probably would have been in his grip by now, head over heels in love.
But alas…now it is him who has to first win her over.
…What a waste of time!
"I rarely see Senri at the academy, he and Rima are out of campus for most of the time…" Kaname spoke in tone like he was just letting her know on what the Shiki heir has been up to in the Academy. He then let out a sigh and muttered under his breath. "…the profession he chose requires for him to spend most of his time in company of others..." that was meant to be a back handed comment.
To see how she reacts Kaname looked at her through the corner of his eyes. Aiyora was already facing him. Her deep blue orbs scrutinizing him. He also turned his head and gave her somewhat of a sympathetic smile. However she seemed unaffected by it…
Her gaze was strong, very strong, telling him loud and clear that she did not need his pity. In a strange way her powerful gaze, the expression of her eyes reminded him of Kuran Rido. Aiyora may not look like him but she inherited his long facial structure. Unlike Yuuki who has more rounder face like her mother Juuri.
"Modeling is not as easy as it sounds. It involves a lot of hard work. If Senri-chan wants to make it big in the industry like his mother, then has to work very hard in order to achieve it. And as for me…I will always stand by his side as a pillar of his strength."
That was a smart answer. To say that Kaname was impressed would be an understatement.
"Will you still support his carrier even if it means he has to spend more time in company of other than you?"
"I believe in making dreams come true. Besides it's not like Senri-chan is abandoning me…he will not and never forget me no matter which corner of the world he lives in."
Another smart answer. She was calculating her words well Kaname figured. But if she could play smart then so could he…
"So you are prepared to be the one that makes all the sacrifice…I see. So for Senri to spend more time with Rima should serve no problem to you…since It is required by his work."
She did not answer this time and Kaname took that as the confirmation that his words actually got to her. For a moment she just stared at him like she was thinking, trying to come up with at least something. He actually hoped to see envy in her eyes but to his utter disappointment there was barely anything of that sort, those usually expressive eyes were vacant at the moment. Not even the slightest frown was present at the corner of her lips.
"That should be no problem…" she spoke after a good period of pause, finally breaking the tensed silence that he created.
Kaname simply raised his eyebrow silently asking for elaboration.
"…after all you are the one whom I will have to marry. So it is I who will not be able to give Senri-chan much time. So for me to have any problem with him spending more time Rima would be hypocritical…wouldn't you agree?"
That was it, he could not come back with anything to tackle that. He accepted his defeat here.
"Plus I think Touya-san and I shall be great friends..." She added childishly. "Just imagine all the fun times we will have when we go out for shopping!"
And now she appeared and sounded super excited. It was like she couldn't wait to meet her in person.
What is going on? How on earth is that even possible? He could not understand. Should she not feel the same way towards Rima the way feels for that Kiryu boy? For heaven's sake not a single day has gone by that he did not imagine how he could murder that hunter. If only he wasn't one of the knight in his game Kaname would have gotten rid of that piece of garbage in a heartbeat.
And now that just brings out the import question…
What exactly Aiyora feels for Shiki Senri? Is her feeling for him platonic or passionate?
The only thing she said with her own mouth last time was 'he is the most important person in her life' and that could go either way. On the other hand her age also plays a crucial role. She is fairly very young, which brings out the chances that she herself may not know about the exact nature of her feelings for that boy.
But that's alright for now. He is in no rush to pressure her. Feelings can always be changed. This is exactly what his role is in this game. He must make her fall in love with him. So that when the time comes she is ready to sacrifice herself and surrender to Rido.
…But that is for future, for now he should concentrate on getting his equation right with her.
"Aiyora…" she hummed an automatic response to the call. However the person that actually called looked away from her and faced the sky.
"…Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"
She too followed his gaze and looked up at the sky. For a good moment they just stared at the sky in silence. No words were exchanged… perhaps it was for the best.
After a long pause she spoke, gave him the response he was awaiting in three simple words…
"I will try…"
Her words got to him. He turned to look at her…again. His hand reached out to touch her and landed on her hand that was placed atop her stomach. He held her hand in an unusually tight grip.
It was so tight that Aiyora had to look over to see if he was alright.
There are times when actions spoke louder than words, this was one of those times.
Although he did not want to admit but the way she just spoke, the sound of her voice, the tone she used, so soft…so polite …it managed to touch a part of his heart…unexpectedly!
"If you so crave my forgiveness then you must work for it…earn it…then nothing in this world can stop me from giving it to you…"
Her hand that was on his hold, he brought it over and placed it over his beating heart.
"I swear upon my beating heart, I will work for it till the day this heart stops to beat…" Aiyora said nothing to that just swallowed uncomfortably. Thus giving him the chance to continue…
"… I have let you down once, such mishaps shall happen no more…from now on…"
This is the promise that Kaname have every intention to break but little did he know the future and what it consists off…if only he knew… the oath he is taking now, with the vey intention to break, is something he will not be able to do when time comes…
…
It was an hour before dawn that Kaname chose to depart from the Shiki residence.
To his surprise Aiyora came all the way down to see him off. She stood on the last step of the stairs beside him as he waited for the vehicle to arrive.
Kaname let her know turning her form to face him. "I will visit soon." While allowing his hands to slide up her arms to cup her face.
"You don't have to put pressure on yourself. I understand you have a busy schedule."
He looked at her for a moment before resting his forehead atop her and said
"Thank you for your maturity and understanding Aiyora, but you must know that I have the power to change my schedule around according to my priority."
"…And staring from now you are my number one priority. No one is or will be more important to me than you. Nothing shall come before you. It will be you and only you…" The last part of the sentence was such a lie that he himself cringed.
"Kaname onii-sama-" She was about to interrupt but he put his foot down and gave her no such chance.
"No, you cannot do that Aiyora. You cannot take away my chance to redemption. You say you want me to prove myself yet here you are refusing to give my chance…that is not fair Aiyora…that is not fair…"
"I am sorry…" She apologized looking down.
"Silly girl, why are you apologizing? When it is I who should be doing that?"
"…"
"So the next time I see you…it will be to embrace our new beginning…?"
She argued no more simply nodded her head in agreement.
The car arrived soon. The siblings bid farewell to one another. Kaname placed a soft kiss over Aiyora's forehead before climbing into the car. She remained on the last step of the stair and continued to wave at him as the car drove away.
Inside the car Kuran Kaname heaved a sigh while his eyes lingered on the form that he could see through the side-view mirror. A small smile crept up his lips as the young maiden enthusiastically waved at him bidding him goodbye.
She is such a beautiful bright child!
But alas born to such an ill fate.
If only her father was not Kuran Rido, he would have done everything in his power to give her the future that she truly deserves.
a/n: thank you all for reading and taking the time to review the last chapter. both me and astrid claire are beyond touched by all your humble response. i'm glad that you guys gave astrid claire a well deserved response for her hard work. hopefully that will encourage her to write more chapters in the future. personally i am sorry for not being able to reply to all the reviews. i plan to do them by tomorrow. and also kudos to the recent guest reviews from astrid claire for figuring out RWBY reference.
also if anyone thinks kaname and aiyora are making up...not exactly but yes they are heading for a fresh start but both have two different agendas. you guys already know what kaname is up to but as for aiyora's motive you will find out soon. for now she is just here to see how her onii-sama is ready to prove her that he is worthy of him.
and for ppl like me who doesn't mind spoiler... there is a spoiler of what will happen in the future hinted in the chapter. hope you saw it.
thank you all for all the love and support. see you all in next chapter.
