Chapter 8: Toma Manor

The last crimson rays of sunlight pierced the drapes drawn over the tall windows, imbuing the heavy wooden furniture with a somber glow. On the canopy bed, a woman rested in deep slumber, her long pale hair swept to the side, the almost imperceptible rise and fall of her chest as she breathed the only indication she was alive. A girl sat in a chair drawn up to the bed, resting her head in her arms with one of her hands holding the sleeping woman's hand.

Yuki raised her head when she heard the door open, but upon seeing Aoi enter with another tray of tea and food, she laid her head back down.

Aoi was wearing the maid uniform of the Toma estate, having decided to make herself useful at the residence of their benefactor. She knew staying on the move would help take her mind off worrying about her mistress who was still in a deep slumber, a week after the fight with Rido-sama. Although her mistress had drunk from some servants Toma-sama had offered to her, she had entered deep sleep to recuperate from the battle. Her ojou-sama had been disconsolate and had stayed at her bedside the whole time.

Seeing the previous tray of food and drink untouched, Aoi sighed as she placed the new tray adjacent to it. Kneeling down to face her ojou-sama who had turned her head to the side, she gently placed a hand on the girl's lap.

"Yuki-sama, you have not drunken or eaten anything all day. Behaving like this would only make Shizuka-sama worry," she cajoled softly.

"I'm not hungry," the girl muttered stubbornly.

Aoi frowned at Yuki's response but dropped her persuading when she sensed a presence at the door. Aoi bowed as Shizuku entered the room, his arms crossed and a serious expression on his childish countenance.

"Aoi, you can go, I need to talk to Yuki," he stated, dismissing her.

She nodded and exited, going downstairs to see what she could help the other maids with.

Shizuku stood beside Yuki who had her face turned away from him. Her behavior was getting on his nerves. He had let her be the first few days, understanding her anxiety over her recuperating mother. However, she had stayed this way too long, and it irritated him to see her looking so uncharacteristically morose. He even preferred her acting like an older sister and teasing him for looking like a ten-year-old over her current behavior.

"Yuki," he called her, but she didn't respond, which only irked him more.

Not having the patience to gently coax her like Aoi, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her up from the chair, his grip hard enough to make her wince and finally look at him.

"What're you doing, Shizuku? Let go!" she cried as she tried to wring free from his grasp, but he held on and further tightened his hold.

"You know why your mother is currently lying unconscious with no sign of waking up soon? It's because of you!" He spat and felt her freeze as the severe words pierced her.

Her eyes widened, and the tears welled and began falling as he had expected. Shizuku stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

"I already know that! Why must you be so cruel?" She sobbed, looking down, her chest heaving heavily as her tears fell to the floor.

"Does crying help? That's all you know how to do. You've been this way ever since I met you," he stated coldly, as she struggled to control her tears and emotions.

He silently watched her wipe her eyes for a few seconds before continuing, "If you have time to cry, you might as well use that time to get stronger so your mother won't have to keep protecting you as though you're a baby."

It was not often he spoke in a manner that reflected his age, inconsistent with his childish appearance. Hearing her sobs gradually become subdued, he finally let go of her arm and waited until her tears came to a stop.

"Listen closely. You have two choices. You either continue the way you are now and wait for Rido to return for you like a sitting duck, or you stop moping and start training with me."

At his declaration, Yuki wiped the last of her tears away, steadied her breathing and looked at him. She saw an unfamiliar gravity in his expression, mixed with a tinge of concern as he stared hard at her, waiting for her reply.

After staring back quietly for a few seconds while feeling like a reprimanded child, she nodded and took his hand. "I don't want to be a burden to mother anymore, so please help me get stronger."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips before he turned away, placing his other hand on his hip. "Then we'll start training tomorrow. You need to have strength, so eat something if you're not going to drink from the servants."

Yuki smiled a bit over his indirect expressions of concern for her wellbeing. He had always been terse and roundabout when it came to being kind, as though he saw kindness as a sign of weakness.

Suddenly, Shizuku was struck with a realization and abruptly yanked his hand away, yelping, "You just wiped your nose with this hand – what the heck are you doing touching me with your snot-covered paws?!"

She huffed at his expression of revulsion, "You're making things up, there's no snot on my hands – you're such a baby!"

As if trying to prove her point, she grabbed the bread Aoi had brought up from the tray and started stuffing her mouth, finally addressing the ravenous hunger she had ignored until now.

"At least wash your hands before eating! And how can you eat so crudely? It's like watching a goat chew grass!" he scolded, while furiously wiping the hand she had touched against his pants.

Yuki merely stuck her tongue out at him, some crumbs still adorning the corners of her lips. He shook his head, grimacing at her unrefined decorum, and headed for the door. This girl had always been a handful, but he was secretly glad to see her finally behaving like herself again.


It had been a little over a week since Yuki resolved to grow stronger and started training with Shizuku. Her mother still had not awoken, and Yuki checked on her every day, but she no longer wasted entire days at her bedside.

She now spent the days exploring Shizuku's residence, being homeschooled by his retired governess, badgering him when he was trying to work (it turned out he had not been lying after all – he could get quite busy as head of the Toma clan), and training with him. Their training sessions occurred every other day and lasted around two hours each. During that time, he had her spar against him with swords, practice dispersing into the form of her familiars and getting used to traveling in that form, as well as having her cultivate her special ability.

According to Shizuku, while purebloods had overlapping powers, such as the ability to control lesser vampires, morph into their familiars, perform vampiric spells, etc., they each possessed a specific ability that they exceled in. This ability varied for each individual and depended on their bloodline.

He then pointed out that besides the ability to wield hunter weapons (with females seemingly more proficient at it than the males), the Kurans possessed an ability involving transformation of their own body or their foe's body. He had observed Rido's power the night he had gone to Shizuka's aid and saw that Rido had transformed his forearm into a scythe and had also used his blood to form a whip.

Yuki had been a little deflated upon learning of her biological family's skill, saying that it sounded 'gross' and 'weird' compared to her mother's ability to manipulate plants. Shizuku had scowled at her before heatedly lecturing her on how strength is what matters, not the aesthetics. After days of mulling and negative results in their search for her ability, they finally made a breakthrough when she managed to manipulate her blood and sprout a pair of bloody butterfly wings from her back.

She could levitate a bit with the wings, but it was much more convenient to fly in the form of her familiars. The advantage of the wings was that they could generate wind of considerable strength, allowing her to keep enemies at some distance. Yuki's girlish vanity was somewhat satisfied that her power was not as gross as she had imagined; the phrase "transform your body or your foe's body" had bought to mind haunting images of bulging muscles, large horns, and sharp claws. She was immensely relieved her power did not involve her transforming into a muscular, hairy, bat-like monster like the demons she had seen in picture books. Shizuku would never let her live it down if that had actually been her power, she could imagine him laughing so hard that he rolled on the ground.

The training sessions took place in a wide field behind his manor, situated east of the gardens. It was far enough to not disturb the residence and spacious enough for them to use their powers without worrying about accidentally destroying stuff.

Yuki gleaned from his butler that it had been the same field Shizuku had practiced in with his father years ago, when his parents were still alive. The butler, Saikawa-san, an aging vampire with greying hair who carried himself with dignity, had even gotten a little teary-eyed reminiscing about the days when the young master was a child clinging to his mother's skirt. Before Yuki could satisfy her curiosity about her friend's childhood, Shizuku showed up and interrupted their conversation, telling Yuki to stop being a nosy guest.


Yuki was very bored when everyone else was occupied, Saikawa-san too busy managing the household to tell her more about his young master, Aoi busy helping the Toma family maids with chores, and Shizuku locking himself in his study to work. He had initially allowed her to be present in his study as he read his documents and signed papers, but her incessant pacing and talking proved so distracting he ended up throwing her out.

She had complained that he had not hung up the teru teru bozu doll she had gifted him, to which he had replied that demonic-looking object was properly sealed in a box somewhere in the basement. She had pouted at the discovery but was comforted by the fact that he had put the origami flowers in a small vase on one of the shelves in his study. She wondered where he had placed her other gifts and busied herself with exploring the large gothic-styled manor.

The high ceilings, tall windows, numerous arches, stone gargoyles, fancy tapestries, ornate chandeliers, intricate rugs, elaborate woodwork, and other fancy features almost overwhelmed her with its opulence. Although she knew that she had once resided in a manor that wouldn't lose to the Toma manor in terms of grandeur, she had no memories of that place from which her mother had fled with her when she was still a toddler. She could only remember the ivy-covered cottage that she had spent most of her life in. Although it had been charming and cozy, it was certainly nowhere as luxurious as this place tended by a squadron of servants.

Although Yuki knew it was improper and rude, her nosy side was interested in seeing what Shizuku's bedroom looked like. Could someone as childish as him still be sleeping with a teddy bear? Not that she could judge if that was the case…her former bedroom had been full of plushies. On a side note, she was quite relieved that Aoi had been able to salvage her collection. Her favorites included a dark blue bear dressed in a mini tuxedo, wearing a top hat and an eyepatch, and a white bunny in a frilly black dress with a rose decoration.

After restraining herself with commendable willpower for a few days, Yuki eventually caved into her curiosity. She snuck into Shizuku's bedroom when he was holed up in his study, and when the servants were busy tending to other floors. His bedroom was disappointingly normal – there was no teddy bear on his bed. His walk-in closet yielded more interesting findings. Yuki giggled when she saw that she had been right – he really had a section dedicated to top hats! Besides his closet, she also accidentally discovered his secret room.

She had been touching and lifting things up to examine them when she moved a small vase on one of his bookshelves. With a low rumbling sound like that of gears turning, the bookshelves slowly swung open to reveal a dark room hidden behind. She gulped, curious and fearful of what she might find.

Thoughts raced through her head. Why would he have such a well-hidden room? Based on the detective books Aoi sometimes read to her, a secret room like this could not bode well. Her friend wasn't a serial killer keeping a collection of trophies derived from his victims, right? Or maybe this is where he stored erotic books and pictures?! But there was no way he could have such perverse hobbies when he maintained the appearance of a child…could he?

She hesitantly stuck her head in, before quickly pulling her head back out. She shouldn't snoop– it wasn't right. But then again…she would not be able to sleep if she did not find out the truth. She ran her hands through her hair in her frustrated indecision and eventually made up her mind – she had to know! Hands clenched in resolve, she walked boldly into the room.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she saw a light switch to the right of the entrance. Pulling the lever, the room was lit up and she saw that she was in a windowless, medium sized room, with glass cases lining the walls. A wooden work desk stood in a corner, large diagrams and tools scattered on its surface, along with a half-finished model of a warship. Inside the cases were displayed model ships of various types. There were yachts, schooners, barges, cruise ships, galleons, and more, all crafted with detail and care. She marveled at a few glass bottles containing small ships inside them, wondering how the ships were placed inside despite the tiny bottle openings.

Having explored the whole room and finding nothing but model ships, she was hit with a sense of shame. How could she have doubted her friend and suspected him of being a serial killer or a pervert? She turned off the light and exited the room. The bookshelves swung back in place when she moved the vase again, and she hoped he would not discover that she had been sneaking around his bedchamber and private collections.


Despite having felt guilty for invading her friend's privacy, boredom soon compelled Yuki to go snooping around his manor again. She was just not the type to sit and read a book or play an instrument. One day she stumbled upon a bedroom with two large portraits hanging in ornate frames that immediately caught her attention. The painting on the right depicted a beautiful woman with the same orange-blonde hair as Shizuku, eyes the shade of a clear blue sky, and a gentle smile. The painting on the left depicted a handsome man with golden-blond hair and light green eyes, a serious but not unkindly expression on his face. The man and woman were a lovely pair to gaze upon.

Yuki knew they were Shizuku's parents the instant her eyes fell upon their portraits. She studied them in great detail, noting that he inherited his mother's hair color and his father's eyes. Her mind drifted momentarily, and she wondered if there were portraits of her biological parents and relatives hanging in the ancestral Kuran manor.

The thought that she was invading Shizuku's privacy and that she should stop occurred to her, but her inquisitiveness won out. She wandered around the bedroom, examining furniture and decorations. This bedroom had probably belonged to his deceased parents and had lain unused for years. However, everything was oddly clean, there was no musty smell associated with abandoned rooms nor a speck of dust to be seen. Even the intricately embroidered bedsheets smelled freshly laundered. It appeared carefully maintained as though expecting its former inhabitants to return at any moment.

Above the dressing table, there hung a painting in an oval frame, displaying the couple with the wife holding a toddler in her arms. Yuki could not help but smile at how cute and innocent Shizuku had been, with his chubby arms and big round eyes. It was also hilarious seeing him in a dress, and she giggled as she imagined the Shizuku now wearing a frilly dress with pink ribbons.

"Just what exactly are you doing in here?" A clearly unamused voice interrupted her daydreaming, and she whipped around to find him standing at the entrance, hands on his hips and looking at her without a smile (not that he smiled much anyway).

Yuki gulped; her cheeks red with embarrassment as she remembered that she was in a room she should not be in.

"I'm sorry Shizuku, I'm going to go now," she squeaked nervously and hurried to take her leave.

The moment she tried to walk past him, he grabbed her by the elbow. She froze, wondering if he was going to yell at her. Had he discovered that she had snuck into his bedroom a few days ago?

She blanched in fear and braced herself for an angry lecture on respecting people's privacy and not being rude. To her surprise, he simply sighed and led her over to the vermillion couch in front of the empty fireplace. They sat in silence, with Yuki fidgeting and mentally preparing a litany of apologies for her intrusions.

"We should talk," he said, his chin in his palm as he sat with legs crossed and an arm propped on the armrest. "Although I heard the gist of it from Aoi, I'm still annoyed you never told me you were adopted and had me believe you were Rido and Shizuka's daughter all this time."

"Ah," Yuki gasped, she had completely forgotten about that issue. On the bright side, it seemed she was safe, he still had not discovered her sneaking, and might not ever find out.

"I'm sorry," she apologized weakly, not knowing what else to say.

Shizuku sighed again, understanding that she had reasons for having kept him in the dark. If his parents had been murdered by their own sibling and he was adopted by the murderer's wife, that would not be something he would casually tell someone either. Being purebloods and constantly under the scrutiny of others, they all kept their share of secrets.

"My real parents…" she suddenly mumbled with her eyes looking downwards, "Did you know them?"

He glanced sideways at her before answering, "I met them before, but I wouldn't say I know them well. The Kurans have always kept to themselves, not interacting with the other families unless necessary."

"Oh… I was just curious what they were like," she said softly with evident disappointment.

They sat in silence for a while before he spoke, "Your parents seemed very close and in love, at least that's the impression they gave when I encountered them at soirees."

Seeing her perk up, he added, "You resemble your mother a lot, but her hair was curlier and darker. Though to be honest, you Kurans look more or less the same, given the high degree of incest. Only Rido stands out with his heterochromia…"

Yuki felt her cheeks redden a little, her mother had mentioned that her biological parents were siblings, given the Kuran tradition to marry inside the family. That custom had probably developed as a way to keep political power within their clan, and to prevent their hereditary ability to wield hunter weapons from spreading to the other families. Incest was not exactly rare among purebloods, given their limited numbers, but other families practiced less direct incest than the Kurans.

"Were your parents siblings too?"

"No, they were just cousins. My mother's father was related to the Shoto clan."

"Oh," she nodded, then diverted the conversation away from the topic of incest. "Shizuku-kun, you look a lot like your mother too, you're both so pretty," Yuki complimented him sincerely.

He was not happy to hear those words, and immediately snapped, "I'm not a girl! Call me handsome instead!"

She tittered at his riled response and patted his head trying to placate him as though he were a child, "Now, now, don't get mad, you won't look as handsome."

Scowling, he swatted her hand away. "Why are you asking me about your birth parents anyway? You should ask your mother, after all she knew them a lot longer."

Yuki looked down again, her lips drawn tight as her fingers traced the patterns on the couch's upholstery. "She had told me about them, but I don't want to bother her for more details…I don't want it to seem as if I miss them, in case it makes mother sad."

Shizuku snorted. "You're an idiot. Your mother wouldn't be upset over that. It's only natural for people to be curious about their birth parents. If she was concerned, she wouldn't have told you about them in the first place, and have you continue thinking you're her real daughter."

Yuki reflected on the truth in his words and nodded. Hesitating a little, she decided to ask anyway. "And what about you, Shizuku-kun? Do you miss your parents?"

He looked out the window, it was a cloudy night and the moon was currently hidden.

At his prolonged silence Yuki wondered if he was ignoring her question. He had always been reluctant to discuss his family. Just as she was about to change the topic, he spoke.

"I think of them sometimes," he murmured so softly she almost didn't hear his reply, but she saw an uncharacteristically pensive expression in his green eyes as he gazed up at the portraits.

Which was sadder? She wondered, having portraits reminding you of the ones you lost or not having anything them to remember them by?

This room was like a crypt housing part of the past, frozen forever in time. Perhaps Shizuku was unable to move on, chained to the memory of his departed parents. She had learned from Saikawa-san that Shizuku was the only member of his clan left, other than a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin, all of whom were slumbering in mausoleums and unlikely to wake up within the next few centuries. Yuki wondered how lonely it would be to have no family left…at least she had her mother, Aoi, and her siblings.

Her heart ached as she imagined him sitting all alone staring at the portraits of his father and mother. As she pondered what to say to cheer him up, she heard a knocking on the door. Shizuku told the newcomer to step in, and Aoi entered. She bowed and announced with a smile that Shizuka-sama had finally awoken.


A/N: For those who read Vampire Knight Memories, some may be thinking "But Toma is an antagonist!" Isn't it more interesting when an enemy becomes a friend though? That's the beauty of AU's in my opinion. Also, he seems a very flat villain who does bad things simply because he enjoys violence and chaos. Well, I'm gonna flesh my version of Toma out and make him a more realistic character, as I'll try to do with the other antagonists.

On a side note, since Toma looks like a shota and he's also a rich young master, he vaguely reminds of Ciel from Kuroshitsuji lol. That's why he has a loyal butler- the image would not be complete otherwise, heh.

For the training part where it mentions the Kuran's powers, I based it off the fan book where Rido's profile says he excels at "transforming their bodies" and where Haruka's profile says he "Excels in permeating others' bodies and transforming them." Imagine if Yuki and Juri could transform their bodies and become brolic monsters like those in Castlevania lmao.