Chapter 5: Caught

Yuki had finally mastered summoning familiars and was now proficient in creating a copy of herself from the mass of butterflies. Her mother had spent the past months teaching her this technique which was very useful. Even though the copy could perform most things the actual self can do, if it was harmed, the real body suffered no damage. This was the same technique Shizuku sometimes used to visit her when he was too busy to actually leave home, though his familiars took on the form of bats like most other vampires.

When Yuki had first shown him her butterfly familiars, he had made a characteristically rude comment about how weak and girly they were, to which she had huffed and replied that she was a girl, and being girly was not weak. Her mother epitomized feminine grace and she definitely was not weak. Having been on the receiving end of her mother's frosty glare a few times, Yuki secretly thought her mother could kill with that glare alone – without needing to unsheathe her katana or use her powers.

Today was an early spring day that retained some of the chilly bite of winter. The earth was muddy from melted snow, and the grass still had not sprouted yet. It was almost sunset, the time of day when Yuki had her allotted free time. She had snuck out from the cottage garden because she had spotted a bat hanging with one wing extended from the tallest tree in the garden – their secret signal.

She made her way over the mushy ground to the large gray rock, their meeting place. Although it was sufficiently far to escape her mother's detection, it was still close enough for her to return with time to spare. Having been grounded the first time she had met him four years ago for straying too far, she had since mastered the art of sneaking back before her mother awoke and noticed she was not in the immediate vicinity.

He was already there, sitting cross-legged with palms against the rock, staring up at the darkening sky. He was wearing his usual cloak but wore the hat with the blue band this time. Yuki wondered if he had a section of his closet dedicated to black top hats, the only distinguishing feature the color of the band. Given how fastidious he could be about his clothes, she would not be surprised to discover that was the case.

"Shizuku!" She greeted him with a wide smile, it had been almost a month since she last saw him.

He turned and glared at the girl clad in a peach-colored winter coat, her hair tied into two braids with white ribbons. "Like I've said a million times, it's Shizuku-sama to you!"

She pouted before complaining, "Ehhh, its weird to address you so respectfully when I'm as tall as you now."

It was true she had grown and might now even be a centimeter taller than the boy whose appearance and height had not changed since their first encounter.

Shizuku frowned at the mention of height. Maybe he should wear platform shoes next time so her increased height did not inflate her ego more…

"Don't look so annoyed! Look, I made you a gift!" She cajoled as she sat next to him.

Shizuku grimaced at her declaration. Last time she had bought him a gift, it had been one of her hand baked cookies. The cookie had not looked edible, and practically emanated toxic vapors. Against his better judgement and caving in to her pleas, he had hesitantly taken the tiniest bite and had nearly vomited up his last meal. Never in his immortal life had he ever come so close to death. Somehow, she had no problem chomping away at her own creations, perhaps her taste buds were naturally defective?

"What is it this time? Another poisonous cookie? Forget about learning how to use the sword, you can kill us purebloods with your cooking alone."

She swatted his shoulder hard, her face reddening briefly at the mention of her disastrous cooking. She had tried assisting Aoi in the kitchen a few years ago, but after a handful of catastrophic attempts (with her nearly setting the kitchen on fire one time), Aoi had firmly insisted that she keep out of the kitchen. Even her mother declined her cooking, always insisting she was not hungry when Yuki offered her some of her culinary creations.

"Forget the cookies, you just don't have the refined palate to properly appreciate them. Here!" She huffed and thrust something into his hand.

He looked at the item and saw with mild relief that it was a pink drawstring sachet that gave off the faint fragrance of roses. Most striking to him was the indecipherable creature embroidered with white thread in the middle of the sachet. Clearly, the maker was not skilled with the needle, the threadwork was rough and uneven, with gaps of pink showing through.

Unimpressed, he stared at the mysterious organism composed of white thread. "What exactly is this supposed to be?"

"That's obvious. It's a bunny!" Yuki replied with a tinge of smugness, "It took me almost a week to complete, aren't I such a good friend?" She omitted the fact that this was the prototype and she had given the (slightly) improved version to her mother.

"Huh, I see you're a fan of modern art."

She shot him a suspicious look. Though she did not understand the reference, she knew him well enough to know he had probably insulted her.

She scowled. "You're so mean! I give you gifts but you just criticize me. You never even gave me anything in return! Cheapskate!"

At her last word he glowered at her. "I grace you with the gift of my presence! Do you know anyone else besides me, your mother, and the maid? And I gave you a whole tin of candy last time!"

His words struck a chord, and she felt so frustrated that tears started to well up. It was not her fault that she did not have other friends – making friends was rather difficult when she had to hide from her crazy uncle in fear for her life! And she had been looking forward to seeing his response to her gift. She was a fool expecting gratitude from him when he had been a jerk the whole time she knew him.

Seeing the threat of a sobbing tantrum on her face, he decided it was probably wise to calm her down. "H-hey don't burst into tears like a baby now, you always do this whenever things don't go your way."

"I'm not the only baby! You claim you're older, but you don't act mature, and you haven't grown even a bit since I met you!"

Her retort also struck a chord and he readied himself for a verbal throwdown with the ten-year-old but stopped when he saw the first tear slide off her chin. Oh jeez, the waterworks have started, he thought and grimaced. He better stop her before the wailing started, once she gets going, she does not stop for at least five minutes.

"Fine! I'm sorry, okay? Stop crying, your snot is coming out!"

"No, it's not! You jerk!" She sobbed loudly, wiping her nose with her coat sleeve.

Shizuku made a face at her questionable hygiene and pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket. "Here, wipe your tears and stop crying, you're a pureblood!"

Yuki glared at him petulantly through her tears, not taking the offered handkerchief. Seeing her stubborn refusal, he ignored his distaste and leaned closer to dab her tears, feeling the liquid soak the fabric in his hand. When he first met her, he had thought her a complete pushover, but he had discovered she could be very stubborn, like she was now.

Oh crap! He suddenly realized he had taken out the wrong handkerchief in his haste, this was the one reserved for himself. He froze as he stared at the soiled cloth in his hands.

Despite her sniffles, Yuki had calmed down enough to notice his strange expression. Concerned, she lightly touched his hand that was holding the handkerchief. "What's wrong?"

At her touch he snapped out of his reverie and turned away to quickly compose himself.

"Nothing," he replied gruffly. It was not the end of the world…he could always carefully wash it later.

Following his gaze, she examined the handkerchief. It was an off-white hue and decorated with an intricate pattern of daisies and primroses. The needlework rivaled that of her mother's. Despite it being stained with her tears and nasal discharge, she could see that it was old, some threads were starting to come loose.

"Shizuku, you tease me for being girly, but you have such a girly handkerchief yourself!"

He looked at her, his lips contorted in an upset frown. His light green eyes displayed a uncharacteristic sadness for a split second before he turned away.

"I'm going home," he announced tersely and stuffed the handkerchief back in his pocket. He hopped off the rock and walked a few steps with Yuki following.

"Don't go yet," Yuki protested, grabbing his arm.

She had not seen him in a while and wanted to chat more. She was also curious why he was so upset, it seemed to be related to the handkerchief somehow.

At that moment, a katana flew through the air and impaled the end of his cloak to the ground.

"Yes, do not leave so fast, boy."

Stunned by the sudden projectile, Yuki gulped when she heard the familiar voice. She and Shizuku turned in sync to stare at the newcomer like deer caught in headlights.

Her mother was standing a few meters away, arms crossed while observing them coolly. Her long hair was not tied up and she was still in her nightgown, covered only with a light blue robe and her feet were bare.

"I would like to have a few words with you." Her tone informed them there was no room for negotiation.

Shizuku and Yuki glanced at each other, both understanding clearly that they had slipped up and the secret was out.


Yuki and Shizuku were now seated on the couch, waiting for Shizuka to get dressed and come back down. They knew it was futile for him to run, and fleeing would probably make matters worse. Aoi was currently off in town working at Erina's shop, so it was just the three purebloods in the house. The boy stared around the interior of the English-styled cottage. They were currently in the living room and although the cottage was old, it was well-kept. There was only one painting in the room, most of the walls were covered by large bookcases. The heavy curtains covering the windows had been opened and he could see the sky outside was now completely dark. As he examined his surroundings, Yuki sat fidgeting nervously next to him, worrying what her mother would do and how she had discovered them in the first place.

They finally heard footsteps descending the stairs and soon the older woman appeared. Shizuku wondered if she had purposely taken so long getting ready as a psychological tactic to make them feel even more ill at ease. Her hair was now done up in a low bun with an expensive-looking hairpin and she had changed into a simple but refined white dress tied at the waist with a yellow sash. She gracefully settled into the armchair across from the two of them, crossed her legs and looked at them silently with an unreadable expression.

The two younger vampires waited silently for their elder to speak, each second marked conspicuously by the ticking clock. Shizuka glanced at Yuki who was visibly racked with anxiety, then at the boy who sat with his back straight, staring directly at her in a relatively successful attempt to maintain his composure as a pureblood.

"Boy, what is your name?" Her voice was light and casual, as if this was just a simple encounter.

"Shizuku Toma, ma'am." His voice was a little strained but at least it did not quiver.

"Oh, a boy from the Toma clan?" Shizuka eyed the boy in front of her, noting he had their characteristic golden-orange hair.

His parents had been a bit younger than her, and had visited her a long time ago, once before she had gotten married, when she was still confined in her maiden home, and thrice at the mansion Rido imprisoned her in after marriage.

"I suppose you are currently head of the family since your parents passed away."

Shizuku's gaze faltered slightly at the mention of his dead parents. He was a little surprised that the "madly blooming princess" who had spent her entire life under house arrest was not entirely ignorant about the happenings among her fellow purebloods.

"Yes ma'am."

"Okaa-sama!" Yuki suddenly interjected, her apprehension overcoming her. "Shizuku didn't do anything wrong! He's my friend!"

At her daughter's outburst, Shizuka dropped her relaxed façade and the two younger vampires felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees.

"Oh? So, you're on first name basis with this boy?"

Her mother's cold glare and frosty tone made Yuki tremble with fear in her seat. She had never seen her mother this angry, and her mother's normally unperturbed aura was now threatening like a thunderstorm.

"I suppose this must have been going on for quite a while then." Shizuka shifted her glare to the boy.

He almost shivered despite himself. He was now fully aware that this woman lived up to her fearsome reputation. Her aura almost overwhelmed him, and he wondered how it was possible for a soft crybaby like Yuki to have come from her.

"If that is the case, boy from the Toma clan, how long have you known each other?"

"Four years ma'am."

"Four years?" Despite her ire, Shizuka was slightly impressed that Yuki had managed to hide this for that long.

On the bright side, it seemed she could relax a bit. If he had known Yuki four years already and the Council's dogs and Rido had not already reached their doorstep, then he was keeping their whereabouts a secret too.

"Okaa-sama…" Yuki weakly mumbled before being shut up immediately by another glare sent her way.

"I'm surprised the head of the Toma clan doesn't have more important matters to attend to than secretly socializing with a mere child."

The boy looked down and grimaced, it was certainly hard to respond when she phrased it that way…

Seeing his difficulty formulating a reply, Shizuka correctly guessed that he had been bored like purebloods so often are and had chanced upon Yuki by accident, deciding to interact with her for entertainment. She herself was guilty of toying with the girl, her reactions were simply so childish and unlike their kind that it was hard to resist teasing her. Aoi was also fun to mess with…Shizuka always found her maid's straitlaced scowling and nagging amusing. It seemed this was a vice that purebloods had, teasing others especially the weaker vampires close to them.

"I assume you know my husband is looking for me. Why haven't you turned us in?"

The boy looked her straight in her eyes and bluntly replied, "I don't particularly like the Kurans, so I see no reason to inform him of anything."

At his candid response, Shizuka's frosty anger melted somewhat, and she started laughing, startling both younger vampires. Perhaps she and this boy shared more in common than she had expected.

Sensing her mother's ire had subsided somewhat, Yuki finally dared to speak again.

"How did you find me Okaa-sama? You weren't supposed to wake up until later," she asked meekly.

Shizuka gave her a piercing look before lifting a finger to point at the bookshelf on the eastern wall. Yuki gasped, that was where she had hidden the large tin of candy Shizuku had given her. She thought it was hidden so well behind a row of books that her mother and Aoi would never discover it.

"Yuki, for someone that avoids reading whenever possible, loitering in front of the bookshelves is quite suspicious. I asked Aoi and she denied having bought that box of candy for you, so it made me wonder how you obtained it."

Shizuku would have laughed sardonically if it were not for the situation. He should not have been surprised at Yuki messing up, she was pretty much an open book. Despite her earlier accusation of him being stingy with gifts, this is the reason why he had not brought her anything else prior to the candy, it would only arouse suspicion.

"Having reviewed your actions and words that stood out in the past few years, I decided to keep an eye on you. I started waking up earlier and today I sensed you were not in the garden and searched for you."

Yuki squirmed under her mother's disapprobatory stare.

"Imagine my surprise at seeing you with this boy, another pureblood no less."

Shizuku felt that he should probably apologize to the elder pureblood. "I am sorry for my furtive behavior ma'am. It was wrong for me to see your daughter without your knowledge."

"Boy from the Toma clan, what exactly do you plan to do with this daughter of mine?"

He winced slightly at such a direct question. There was no dodging it this time.

"I was not planning anything…I was simply curious seeing a pureblood child out here, especially one that had not been formally introduced into society. You might not have known this, but my territory is not too far from here."

"And you expect me to believe that you are not planning anything?" Shizuka looked him straight in the eyes, and he forced himself to hold her stare.

"If I were planning to harm her, I would have done so already. But during the past four years she has returned home safe and sound."

Without pausing to blink, Shizuka launched into another question. "What is Yuki to you?"

The question caught him off guard. He was not exactly sure himself; Yuki was not what he would call a friend, she was nowhere near his level. She was not exactly a little sister either, she was simply a crybaby he liked to visit occasionally and tease.

He noticed Yuki looking at him with wide eyes, seemingly holding her breath as she awaited his response. She would probably get upset again if he denied her status as a friend…

"She…She is someone I enjoy spending time with."

The older woman's sakura-colored eyes regarded him for a moment that felt like a century. Her expression was inscrutable as she passed a verdict on his response.

"See Okaa-sama, Shizuku is my friend!" Yuki announced triumphantly, "He tells me about things happening in faraway lands and he even gave me candy."

At her daughter's naïve response, Shizuka sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples. This girl must be protected by some divine being, not having long since been abducted or worse with her ridiculous gullibility. She felt she could really use a glass of wine… it seemed that all Kurans elicited this response in her.

Shizuka brushed aside concerns over her daughter's naivete and focused on the boy's reply. He was not entirely unbelievable. She had witnessed him carefully wiping Yuki's tears, consoling her. Witnessing that was what had caused her to impale his cloak instead of his chest with her katana as her first instinct had urged.

"Now that you know he's my friend… can I still see him?" Yuki ventured cautiously.

Seeing her mother's impenetrable expression, she hurried to defend her case. "All my life I had only known Okaa-sama, Aoi, and Erina-san. I thought that was enough, but when I met Shizuku I finally made a friend, and I was happy not be alone anymore. Even though I knew it was wrong to keep it a secret, I was scared you wouldn't let me see him anymore, so I didn't tell you."

At her words, Shizuka's gaze softened a bit. She had wanted to give Yuki a childhood different from her own, one in which she did not have to be locked up and isolated from everyone, but she had been unable to do that. The most she could do was let her play in the safety of the garden, under that small slice of sky.

Yuki slipped off the couch and made her way to her mother, placing a hand on her mother's knee and looking at her with a pleading expression.

Shizuka leaned her head back, closed her eyes and sighed. More than a minute passed in silence before she finally replied. "He has to come through the front door next time." At least this way she could keep an eye on them.

At her mother's indirect acceptance, Yuki smiled widely and turned to look at the boy. Shizuku was a little dazed, he had not expected to be caught and interrogated, and for their conversation to end this way. Maybe this turn of events is due to that ridiculous luck Yuki seemed to be blessed with. All's well that ends well, he supposed.


The music of the waltz taking place below floated up, reaching the private area in which Kaname was resting, hidden behind painted silk screens. He was dressed up for this soiree that Asato had insisted he attend and looking dashing as expected. Although parties were meant to be fun, he had no interest in being here, and would rather return home early to finish his assignments.

Unfortunately, Asato wanted him to remain until the end and thus he stayed, but he was taking a long break now. If that man had a problem with his break, he would have to personally march up and tell him his respite was over. After greeting all the nobles of relevance, Kaname was slightly worn out, his facial muscles feeling stiff after having to fake so many smiles. Sighing, he couldn't help but think that if he was still king, he would abuse his power to limit the number of soirees and social gatherings allowed per month.

If he were still king though, soirees would be the least of his concerns. There were other more pressing matters. As he laid on the chaise longue, he stared darkly at the ceiling above him. Time inevitably corrupts everything, and the vampire world that he and the other progenitors had established so long ago had degraded into this sick farce. A few years ago, at another gathering, he had first seen for himself the depths this society had sunk to.

The sight of two human children locked in an ornate cage like pets had made his blood boil, despite the mask of neutrality he managed to keep. The aristocrat who had offered the sacrifices had also assured him it was alright to drain the children to death, for he would dispose the bodies. He had said it so nonchalantly, like it was only natural, reflecting how commonplace the practice had become.

If Kaname were to be objective, he knew he shouldn't only blame the vampires, for it was the human parents who had so selfishly sold the children off without a care for their fates. Humans and vampires were not so different in that regard. After all, vampires originated from humans, and thus they had inherited their capacity for evil.

Unbidden, a memory from long ago arose in his mind. It was one of his earliest memories, and in it, he was sitting at a rustic table, in the kitchen of a small but cozy house. To his side, a woman wearing an apron over a dress that had obviously been mended multiple times was gently patting his head as he ate a bowl of simple gruel. Across from him, a man in equally shabby clothes was laughing at something the woman said.

He had been so young then his feet did not reach the dirt floor underneath the chair he sat on. Those two had been his human parents – from a life so distant it felt like eons ago. With a heavy heart, he mused how he could not even clearly remember their faces. The color of their eyes and hair were hazy, the details lost with the passage of time. Even the immortal and powerful purebloods could not maintain the memories most precious to them when faced against the unrelenting onslaught of time.

Despite having forgotten their faces, he knew his fragile human parents had loved him dearly. In that modest kitchen, he had felt safe and warm leaning against his mother and listening to the chatter of the adults. Even though he was currently clad in an expensive tuxedo and lying on a luxurious chaise longue at a lavish party, living as Kaname Kuran, a pureblood at the pinnacle of the vampire world, he felt cold and empty. Part of him yearned for that warm home and family he could never return to.


A/N: Yuki and her homie got busted, and Shizuka is stressed from parenting. Jokes aside, I'm interested in Kaname's identity as the ancestor so I shall explore his past later… It will unfortunately take a while to get to as this is a rather slow story…