Chapter 9: Maria

The sun's last rays outlined the distant mountain range with the orange of glowing embers. The view was framed by the darkened silhouettes of the surrounding trees. Shizuka silently admired the scenery from the side porch as she rested on the couch. Yuki had fallen asleep after feeding from her and was currently napping curled on the couch with her head on her mother's lap.

Shizuka removed her woolen shawl from her shoulders and placed it over her daughter. She lightly stroked the sleeping girl's face and smiled softly, remembering when Yuki was a baby and how she had always fallen asleep soon after being fed. However, Yuki was no longer a baby and was now in the early stages of adolescence. How quickly children grow up…

Aoi walked out onto the porch, having found a parchment envelope with a wax seal bearing the stylized jasmine flower of the Toma clan at their doorstep.

It had been almost two weeks since they had left the Toma manor and moved into their current mountain cottage. A few days after Shizuka had awakened, she had decided to leave the Toma residence. She did not want to overstay, and she also did not want to further involve the Toma boy in the conflict with Rido. It was her own family matter, and even she knew that potentially upsetting the peace treaties among the pureblood clans was ill-advised.

Shizuka had located her distant relatives, the Kurenais, and went to them seeking shelter. They were an aristocratic family of three, the father an author of some renown and the mother a housewife taking care of their sickly daughter. The girl, Maria, was the same age as Yuki, but had been plagued by a sickly body since birth. Shizuka had approached the couple with a deal they were more than happy to agree to: she would give Maria her blood in exchange for them giving her shelter and keeping their whereabouts a secret. The Kurenais owned a mountain cottage in the vicinity of the mountain villa they resided in, and they offered up that property to their pureblooded relative.

The cottage was secluded and obscured by the thick woods, their only neighbors the Kurenais. Although it was simple with a modest dark wood exterior, it had a natural grace to it, and the side porch offered a splendid view. With the help of some servants from the Toma estate, Aoi had managed to retrieve most of their belongings and clandestinely transport them to their new lodgings. She had also checked on Erina and informed her of their departure. Shizuka had wanted Erina to leave the town in case Rido sent his servants after her due to their connection, but the human woman had insisted on staying. Shizuka's concern for her friend's safety was only alleviated by the Toma boy offering to look after her.

"Shizuka-sama, a letter from Lord Toma arrived," Aoi reported and handed the mail to her mistress, who deftly opened it, scanned its contents, and put the paper aside on the nearby table.

As Aoi examined her mistress, her face scrunched with concern. Although it was not significant enough a change to be noticed by the Kurenais, she had been with her mistress long enough that she could sense Shizuka-sama was not fully recovered. Her aura was not as strong as it used to be, probably because she had not been able to drink enough blood. It was hard to procure blood nowadays, the price of black-market blood having soared in recent years, and all of them had to rely mostly on the dissatisfactory blood tablets and the occasional pack of animal blood.

"Shizuka-sama, you are giving too much blood to Yuki-sama. You have only just recovered, and need to take care of yourself more," Aoi implored, keeping her voice low to not wake the sleeping girl. Her blue eyes reflected her genuine concern and something akin to scolding.

Shizuka smiled faintly and shook her head. "There is not much time left. Rido will come back for her and until that happens, she needs to get stronger…at least strong enough to defend herself. My blood is simply the most efficient way to expedite that."

Aoi furrowed her brows and sighed, fully aware that her mistress was not the type to backpedal once she made up her mind. She could only resolve to somehow find more blood for her and to look after her more attentively.


Yuki trudged wearily into the house, having just spent the past hour undergoing hellish training with her mother. It was already difficult to defend herself when Shizuka was only wielding a sword, but now Yuki had to both evade the plants her mother manipulated and dodge her sword. Ever since they moved into their mountain lodgings, her mother had significantly ramped up the difficulty of her training.

Shuddering, Yuki recalled how her mother had mercilessly flung her through the air with one of the vines she controlled, sending her crashing ungracefully onto the cold, hard ground. Yuki had begged her mother to go easier on her, following her pleas with pouting and puppy eyes, tricks that had served her well when she was younger, but it seemed her mother had long grown immune to them. Her mother had responded with a serene smile before proceeding to knock her back a few yards with one smooth swing of her wooden sword.

Her body sore after that relentless training, Yuki sprawled onto the couch in an extremely unlady-like manner. She buried her face in a cushion and moped some more before a sweet and enticing smell caught her attention. Sniffing the air like a hound, she rose from the couch and followed the scent into the kitchen, where she beheld Maria wearing an apron and humming lightly while pulling a tray of freshly baked cookies from the oven.

Yuki was a bit startled to see the other girl, since Maria was sickly and usually had to stay in bed. She had only seen her a total of two times since they moved here almost three weeks ago. The first time she had seen her was when her mother had bought her over to meet the Kurenais. Yuki's eyes had widened with pleasant surprise upon seeing Maria; it was the first time she had met a girl her own age.

Maria had light grey hair, large cloudy grey eyes, and just the slightest resemblance to her distant pureblood relative. Her features were so delicate and doll-like that Yuki had been seized by the desire to hug and squeeze her. That desire was only strengthened by how cute and shy the girl had been, blushing and half hiding behind her mother. Yuki had been distracted from her urge when Maria started coughing uncontrollably and had to be sent back to her room to rest. Yuki had been shocked to see a sickly vampire, and later learned that very rarely, a few vampires were born with mutations making them sickly, although they kept most vampiric traits.

Finally realizing that Yuki was in the kitchen and staring at her curiously, Maria almost dropped the tray of cookies in her shock but managed to safely place the tray on the nearby kitchen counter.

"Yuki-sama." Maria bowed and blushed, fidgeting nervously where she stood.

Before, she had never thought that she would meet a pureblood vampire, since she was often bedridden and had never attended a soiree or other large social events. She had not even met the current leader of the Hious, the pureblood clan her family was allied with through distant familial bonds. She still had difficulty believing there were two purebloods living so close to her now.

"Ah, Maria-chan, hello!" Yuki beamed brightly at her and walked closer. The chocolate-chip cookies smelled heavenly and her mouth was already salivating. "Can I have a cookie? They look delicious!"

Maria stammered out a reply, "O-of course Yuki-sama, I actually baked them for you and Shizuka-sama. I apologize for not having greeted you earlier, but Aoi-san told me you two were busy training."

Yuki excitedly grabbed a cookie and bit in, the rich flavors melting in her mouth. It was not long before she finished the first one and crammed another cookie into her mouth. Blood was tasty, but she loved sweets too. Sometimes she dreamed of cakes, biscuits, and scones and woke up with a trail of saliva dripping from her mouth.

Maria observed the other girl eating with a blissful expression on her face and relaxed a bit. As an aristocratic vampire, she had been taught early on that pureblood were their god-like rulers, to be viewed with respect and fear. Although the purebloods were tasked with protecting the aristocrats and other lower vampires within their circles, they could be cruel and merciless when offended, thus one had to tread carefully around them.

Although Yuki-sama was a revered pureblood superior, she somehow seemed so normal and down to earth, unlike the elegant but reserved Shizuka-sama who carried herself with the air of an unchallenged ruler. Maria wondered if it were simply a matter of age, perhaps Yuki-sama would resemble Shizuka-sama more when she got older? Then again, she could not imagine the adolescent Shizuka-sama acting the way Yuki-sama is right now and promptly rejected that theory. It seemed that Yuki-sama's oddness as a pureblood was unique to her alone.

Swallowing, Yuki managed to choke out some praise in between bites, "These are so good Maria-chan! You should teach me how to bake sometime!" She smiled happily at the other girl.

Maria noticed a few crumbs around Yuki's mouth and smiled back despite herself. Perhaps Yuki-sama was not as scary as the other purebloods she had overheard her parents discussing? It was rather hard seeing the girl before her as dangerous when she had cookie crumbs on her face and such a bright smile.

She nodded hesitantly and replied softly, "It would be my honor to do so, Yuki-sama."

At Maria's shy response, Yuki immediately threw herself at her, enveloping the other girl who was visibly startled into a warm bear-hug.

"I'm so glad to finally meet another girl my age! Let's be good friends!" she announced, drawing back and grinning expectantly at Maria, who blushed and nodded weakly.


In this way, the friendship between the two young girls began. Yuki would spend most of her free time with Maria. Initially Maria was still sickly and confined to bed half the time, but she got visibly better over the course of a few months as Shizuka's blood gradually exerted their curative effects. Yuki would hang out at Maria's bedroom, where they read magazines or watched the latest romance drama on television together.

Yuki had never watched TV before, there not having been one in her old home. She was hooked as soon as she laid eyes upon the screen and developed the bad habit of reacting as she watched, laughing loudly, and pointing out particular scenes of interest. Maria sat beside her and smiled tolerantly at her frequent (and unnecessary) exclamations. Sometimes the two girls would watch a horror movie together, with them holding each other tight, quivering in fear and squealing the moment the ghost or monster finally appeared on screen.

Yuki also loved reading the magazines Maria subscribed to, and browsed the glossy pages displaying shiny products and unfamiliar fashion with great enthusiasm. Her mother's fashion sense was traditional and feminine (Yuki thought it was probably due to a mix of her upbringing as a pureblood and her age), always wearing either kimonos or long dresses. Yuki had thus grown up wearing girly dresses and the occasional kimono, but upon seeing the various fashions in the magazine pages, she desired to try different styles. She thought it must be much easier to run in shorts and miniskirts but doubted her mother would approve of her showing that much leg.

It was fun to daydream about wearing different clothes though, and Yuki liked looking at the models. Her favorite models were a girl their age, who had light orange hair usually styled into two pigtails, and a stoic looking boy with brownish-burgundy hair. She once commented that the male model somehow seemed familiar, and Maria had informed her that his mother was the lead actress in a few of the older movies they had watched together. Perhaps that was why he stood out to her, besides his handsome face.

Maria was more interested in novels than magazines and shared her vast collection of romance stories with Yuki. Despite her general reluctance to read unless forced, Yuki found it relatively pleasant and relaxing reading the books her friend suggested, and they spent a lot of time chatting about who the heroine should end up with and which love interest they preferred. Through their discussions about the fate of the heroines, Yuki came to realize that Maria had an unexpectedly bold streak, despite her generally bashful demeanor. While Yuki hemmed and hawed about which handsome suitor the protagonist should choose, Maria always quickly made a decision and stuck with it, even proposing schemes as outrageous as having the protagonist actively seduce the love interest and elope. Hearing her friend's words, Yuki could not help thinking that it was perhaps true what people said about the quiet ones being the wildest.


As the months passed, Maria's condition reached the stage where she was no different from any vampire girl her age. Shizuka finally stopped giving her blood and Maria's parents could finally breathe easy, no longer having to fret over their daughter's health. Maria could now leave her house to wander around the vicinity of their mountain home with Yuki. Sometimes they woke up early and carrying parasols, they would go pick wildflowers which bloomed in abundance, decorating the forest clearings with patches of bright red, yellow, and blue. Other times they would enjoy a picnic under the cool shade of the trees, sitting on a large blanket eating the sandwiches and desserts Maria bought along in a large wicker basket.

Almost every other day, Maria presented Yuki with some pastry or dessert she made. Yuki joyously stuffed herself with a variety of cakes, macarons, eclairs, tarts, cream puffs, Mont Blancs, Danishes, crepes and more. She had not even known most of these desserts existed prior to meeting Maria, since Aoi only baked a small selection of cookies and cakes. Maria was blessed with a talent for baking, and Yuki was glad that she was a vampire and thus could not eat herself into obesity. She would not be shocked if she had more sugar and cream circulating through her arteries and veins than blood cells.


Yuki soon came to learn that besides excelling at making sweets, Maria was also skilled at cooking, embroidery, knitting, and various arts and crafts. Maria had knitted an adorable pair of mittens and a matching winter hat for her, incorporating a bunny theme, given Yuki's love for bunnies. As Yuki opened the box and saw her gift, she was hit with the thought that if she had been a man instead, she would have proposed to Maria right there and then.

The more Yuki thought about it, the more she realized their dynamic mirrored that of a married couple. They spent a lot of time together, and were confidantes, telling each other secrets they could not tell others. Maria also constantly baked and cooked for her, like a devoted wife feeding her husband. In addition, Maria made her displeasure known like a wife does at an errant husband, twisting her small lips into a hard frown and narrowing her eyes whenever Yuki fell asleep when she was supposed to be studying, and whenever Yuki said or did something improper, which was quite often. With only the slightest bit of shame and absolutely no desire to stop, Yuki realized she was like a teasing husband, constantly harassing Maria. Unfortunately for Maria, Yuki found it hard to resist intentionally making her mad, because the way the other girl turned beet red when irritated was too cute.

On her part, Maria had gotten over her initial qualms about being so close to Yuki who was a pureblood. She stopped seeing her in a fearful light only a week after they had met in the kitchen due to the casual manner with which Yuki spoke and acted. One particular incident had crushed any remaining illusions Maria had harbored about Yuki's mystique and glamour as one of their revered pureblood rulers.

Yuki had been hanging out in her bedroom, messily sprawled on her bed and browsing a magazine while Maria had been drawing at her desk. She had then squealed loudly, startling Maria from her detailed illustration of an owl perched on a tree branch. Yuki ushered her over with animated hand gestures, her face flushed with excitement as she held a magazine towards Maria. She pointed at the article she was reading, titled "5 Ways to Naturally Enhance your Breast Size".

"Maria! Look! Maybe I should eat more papaya!" Yuki exclaimed, her large eyes shining with hope.

Maria stared at the title of the article Yuki was holding up, not quite believing what she was reading, pursed her lips into a thin line, then read it again. After making sure she was not dreaming, she smiled uncertainly, feeling like her brain was short circuiting.

"Um…excuse me for saying this Yuki-sama, but those methods aren't exactly validated by science. And frankly, from what I've read, breast size mostly depends on genetics…" Maria trailed off, waiting uncertainly for the pureblood's reaction.

Yuki immediately took on a downcast expression; she had no idea what her biological mother's breast size was. She would have to go back and ask her mother later. She sighed and squinted at her friend's chest, with enough intensity to cause Maria to instinctively cover her chest and turn away.

"Maria…your chest is pretty flat like mine," Yuki observed with a discerning glance, before breaking into a sly and somewhat suggestive smile. "But you might not have to worry since you're a blood-relative of my mother, maybe you're a late bloomer."

Maria's cheeks reddened predictably, and she indignantly sputtered, "Wh-what are you saying? Th-that is so inappropriate, Yuki-sama!"

Yuki cackled mischievously at seeing the other girl get embarrassed, it was so cute. She stopped herself, realizing she had taken after Shizuka in some ways – such as the tendency to tease others, especially those who are adorable like Maria. She sighed glumly, wondering why she could not have taken after her adoptive mother in terms of something more practical like figure instead. Perhaps her biological mother also had this playful streak in her? She really wished she knew more about her birth parents…

Maria pouted and decided to speak again, "Why are you even worrying about this topic, Yuki-sama? You are fine as you are."

"I already told you to drop the honorific, Maria," Yuki admonished before answering her friend.

"Anyway…I want bigger breasts so Shizuku can't ridicule me anymore! He always makes fun of me for being as flat-chested as a child, even though he's the one who still looks like a ten-year-old!" Yuki huffed, becoming annoyed just remembering how Shizuku had laughed so hard, tears had come to his eyes and he had nearly choked, when she had bragged to him about growing up and being too busy to play with him anymore during the last day at his estate.

Maria blinked, dazed by the other girl's childish confession. From that moment on, she lost the apprehension towards Yuki that she had once felt upon knowing her to be a pureblood. Yuki-sama was just a regular teenage girl, worrying about the same topics as most other girls their age, vampire or human. This startling realization made it easier to relax around her and see her as a close friend instead of an unreachable superior.


When she returned home later that night, Yuki did ask Shizuka about her biological mother's chest size. The adult woman had responded with a sharp judging look before replying that she would not know as she was not on such "intimate" terms with Juri, and that as they dressed more conservatively back in their day, her actual chest size was not that obvious. Yuki had frowned then grumbled something about breast sizes and genetics before heading off to bed, causing Shizuka to rub her temples and order Aoi to fetch her a bottle of wine.

Sometimes she had no idea what strange things went on in that child's head. Perhaps it had to do with the girl's Kuran genes – her husband (even before his insanity) and his siblings had all been a tad weird in her humble opinion. As she slowly sipped the wine, reclined on the porch couch and looking at the night sky, she started remembering bits of the past.

Although alcohol was enjoyable, it was occasionally a double-edged sword that had the unwanted side effect of making old memories surface. She supposed she would not be able to brush aside her secret thread of grief by drowning it in wine tonight, as the ancient poets of yore suggest.

She could still recall the days when Juri and Haruka used to visit them, before Rido finally snapped and everything went south. Leaning her head back, she remembered sitting beside Rido and pretending they were a married couple on congenial terms, putting on a show for the benefit of his siblings. The couple in front of them had behaved extremely lovey-dovey, both in smiles, with Juri clinging onto Haruka's arm and happily recounting a romantic dinner at some five-star restaurant. Due to Rido's competitive streak, not wanting to appear any less content with his marital life than Haruka, he had pulled her hand onto his lap, interlocking his fingers with hers. He held onto her hand tightly, and she had sat for the duration of the visit forcing herself not to slap his hand away.

Shizuka idly wondered if Yuki's predilection for asking overly personal questions came from Juri. There was that one visit in which Juri had out of the blue, over dinner, nonchalantly and euphemistically asked the two of them about their "love-life". The invasive question caused Shizuka to almost choke on the piece of asparagus she had been chewing and to shoot a frigid glare at her husband, indicating for him to answer that. Rido had forced out a chuckle and chided his sister about being too nosy and inappropriate, at which Juri had pouted and replied that it did not matter since they were family, and that she wanted to meet her nieces and nephews soon.

Having drained her glass, Shizuka gazed blankly at the empty vessel in her hand. As expected, Yuki resembled Juri more and more with each passing year in both personality and appearance. She wondered what the other girl, Yuki's twin was like. Would she be Yuki's carbon copy, her polar opposite, or something in between?

And that boy…if he had lived, would he have resembled her more or his father? It would have been better if he took after his aunt and uncle instead…he would have been happier that way. What meaningless speculation, Shizuka thought and settled the glass on the adjacent table. She leaned back, placing the back of her hand across her eyes. She had drunk enough for the night and was done remembering things she did not want to remember.


A/N: TBH, Shizuka is right about them Kurans being a tad "weird" (cough* perverted). There was that bonus strip in which Kaname said he was both a sadist and a masochist and Juri and Haruka squealing in the background happily that their son was a pervert. And in VKM, Ai has a lot of pervy thoughts about Ren... there's that chapter where she jumped for joy because she saw Ren's "erotic expression".

Anyway, in this story Maria is Yuki's best friend, like how Takuma is Kaname's. In true Kuran fashion, like how Kaname toys with Aidou, Yuki (playfully) harasses Maria. Also, I like the idea of them being close friends, given how they work together in VKM.