Chapter 22: Blood Ties


A/N: A small warning, the flashback section involving Rido is darker than usual.


It was undeniably winter; the winds were frosty, and the trees had shed their leaves. Soon the snow will arrive, covering campus with a coat of white. On this December day, Yuki and Maria waited at the front gates of the academy with their suitcases. It was the end of the semester, and around them students from both classes were leaving, some being picked up by their parents, while others were retrieved by chauffeurs.

Kaname had already left with his group, having informed Yuki that he was staying with Aidou and the others for winter break. Shizuku had gone home too, having been picked up by his chauffeur and his butler, Saikawa-san. Yoko was staying on campus since the headmaster did not have any trips planned this year.

Just as Maria glanced at her watch, starting to get concerned over how late her parents were, Yuki saw a black carriage drawn by two equally black horses appear around the bend of trees. Beside the coachman was Aoi who was dressed in her traveling outfit. The Kurenais had asked her to sit with them inside the carriage, but she had preferred staying outside. Aoi waved when she saw her ojou-sama.

The coachman stopped in front of them and helped Aoi down before he helped the other passengers exit the carriage. Aoi hurried over, greeting Yuki and Maria, before taking their suitcases and examining the ojou-sama she had not seen in a few months. She nodded, apparently satisfied Yuki was still the same cheerful girl.

"Yuki-sama, Maria-chan!" called Maria's father in his usual dramatic tone.

Masao Kurenai was dressed in his typical clothes, with no shortage of ruffles and frills, a black top hat over his chin-length white hair. His flamboyant attire and manner fit his job as playwright and novelist. His wife, Kyoka followed behind him, smiling at her husband's theatrics. She was dressed in more subdued clothes of gothic inspiration, typical of other aristocratic vampires.

Maria ran over to hug her mother and pulled back after a few seconds. She furrowed her brows and stared at her mother who smiled with amusement back at her. Yuki wondered what was wrong, Kyoka looked the same as she had last seen her. Well…her grey hair was styled differently, but that was hardly reason for Maria to look so concerned. As Yuki approached, she noticed Maria's mother was plumper around the waist and sensed a slight change in her aura.

Yuki gasped in excitement; her vampire instincts suggested to her one possibility.

"Okaa-sama, are you…" Maria's voice trailed off uncertainly.

Kyoka nodded.

"Surprise, Maria! You're going to be a big sister!" Masao exclaimed. "We were feeling lonely since you went off to school. Then we remembered we're still young and decided we're not done with raising children yet. So, here we are!"

From health education class, Yuki had learned that pregnancy for lesser vampires ranged from 12 to 15 months, whereas it took from 2 to 5 years for purebloods. As she congratulated the Kurenais, she wondered how far along the pregnancy was and whether it would be a boy or girl.

Either way, Yuki was happy for the Kurenais. She cared for them and almost viewed them as family. However, she had always found it funny that Masao was her mother's distant relative. His warm flamboyance contrasted sharply with her mother's ice-cold reserve. Their shared ancestry was evident in their physical features though, with Maria's dad sharing the same snowy white hair as her mother.


When Yuki was younger, she had once asked her mother about the Hiou clan. She had been curious why they could not seek help from them instead of wandering from town to town evading her Uncle Rido and his underlings. Her mother had replied that her cousin, the head of the Hiou clan, would just send them back.

Once a daughter of the Hiou clan marries out, she no longer belonged to the clan but to her husband instead. Furthermore, her cousin had always wanted to be rid of her. Shizuka was the sole descendant of their clan's main family while he descended from a branch family. Her parents had committed suicide shortly after she was born, leaving the position of clan leader empty. Since she was female and thus ineligible to inherit her father's position, her older male cousin was given the mantle instead.

Yuki had frowned, commenting that was unfair and cold, they were still family and women were not possessions. Her mother had turned away to look out the window as she quietly replied that was simply how her clan operated, one of those things in life that just was. Yuki was glad that Maria's father was not cold and uncaring like her mother's cousin seemed to be. In fact, he was a doting father, and served almost as an uncle figure to Yuki, even though they were separated by her higher status as a pureblood.


Masao embraced his daughter before turning to Yuki and apologizing for the delay, which brought Yuki out of her thoughts. The group got into the carriage as the coachman secured their luggage to the top. Aoi returned to her seat beside him, and they commenced the overnight journey home. Seeing the happy family, Yuki was glad she would see her mother again soon; she had missed her a lot.


Kaname and his followers had gotten off at their designated stop, their presence having causing passersby at the station to stare and blush. They had long gotten used to such reactions from humans and had quickly left the station and gotten into the waiting limousine. After a two-hour drive, they finally arrived at the Aidou family's lakeside villa.

The group was welcomed by Hanabusa's butler, an aging man sporting a fashionable monocle and an impeccable uniform. As he led them through the large villa, Hanabusa whispered, asking if he had informed his father he was spending the break at Rima's house instead. The butler conspiratorially assured his young master that he didn't have to worry about a thing. Hanabusa sighed with relief, glad his father was not going to pop up uninvited and disturb Kaname's vacation. He was still irked his father had tried to offer Tsukiko up to Kaname as a mistress during the previous soiree. That incident had been mortifying, and he had felt awkward around Kaname for a week afterwards.

They were shown to their respective rooms to freshen up and rest after their journey, and a few hours later, they regrouped in the spacious living room.

"It would've been perfect if Senri was here too," Takuma sighed, "Too bad he had to go home."

"Senri hasn't been home to see his mother in a while, it's about time," Rima replied with her usual deadpan expression.

The conversation reminded Hanabusa about a topic that had bothered him the whole semester – the issue of Yuki-sama. Apparently, Yuki-sama was spending the break with their aunt. Hanabusa had never gotten over Yuki-sama's sudden appearance. Although he was aware all families had their secrets, he did not understand why the Kurans would hide their other child's existence even from their closest supporters. Furthermore, why was Yuki-sama raised by her aunt? He had many questions about the mystery enshrouding the Kurans but did not know how to approach Kaname-sama about them.

Before Hanabusa could continue mulling over the complicated family situation of the Kurans, Takuma loudly interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey guys, let's watch a horror movie – how about the one that was released a few months ago, the one about the haunted doll?"

"What's the point of watching a horror movie when we're vampires?" Hanabusa grumbled, he did not like that genre at all.

"Oh, Aidou, are you scared? I promise I'll hold you when the frightening scenes come up," Takuma teased.

"As if! I cannot possibly fear something as predictable and boring as a horror movie. Besides, I'm sure Kaname-sama has no interest in watching such a movie either!"

"I want to watch it," Kaname replied nonchalantly, causing Hanabusa to do a double take.

"See, Kaname has good taste in films like me," Takuma laughed, seeing Hanabusa's dismayed reaction.

Akatsuki and the two girls could only shake their heads as Kaname and Takuma picked on his younger cousin. By now, it was almost expected, and to be fair, Hanabusa was a prime target with his hilarious reactions.


Senri slid the key in and twisted it before pushing open the front door of the mansion he called home. He wondered why none of the servants had been waiting to greet him outside. Entering, he saw his mother sitting on the bottom step of the wide staircase, her chin in her hands and a distant look on her face. Her mahogany red hair was in a state of disarray, and she was still in her nightgown, with only a flimsy shawl for warmth.

"I'm home, Okaa-san," he announced to the distracted woman.

Chizuru Shiki finally noticed him and rose to wrap him in a tight embrace when he got close enough.

"Senri, Senri, Senri," she repeated his name like an excited child.

He sighed at her clinginess and pulled back to examine her. Sometimes his heart ached just looking at her. "Let's comb your hair, your fans would weep if they saw you like this."

She smiled acquiescently at him, her blue eyes briefly displaying the liveliness she was known for back in her acting days.


As Senri combed his mother's hair while she sat on the chaise longue holding a mirror, he reflected on their relationship. She was once a famous actress; even now films she had starred in replayed on TV as classics. When he had first seen them as a child, he had difficulty reconciling the woman in the screen with the one he called mother.

For as long as he could remember, his mother had been unstable. Sometimes she was inexplicably sullen and stared at nothing, sitting still for hours. Other times she wore a dreamy expression, and laughed randomly, startling anyone nearby. At times, she threw tantrums if she did not get her way – something his great uncle blamed on her "diva personality". Only after he started going out more and meeting other adults did he realize his mother was not normal.

Because of her disfunction, servants had raised him more than she had. Over the years, through the servant's gossip and his mother's occasional coherent ramblings, he concluded that she had become like this due to his absent father. He had never met his father and could only speculate what sort of person he was and what he had done to change his mother from the animated woman on the silver screen to the broken woman she was now.


Chizuru Shiki observed her son's reflection in her mirror as he stood behind tending to her hair.

"Every time I see you…you look more and more like that demonic bastard," she announced, breaking the silence.

The older he got, the more he resembled his father, especially around the eyes. Although Rido Kuran was a pureblood, to be addressed with respect and fear, he was a wretched bastard to her. She loathed that man and often cursed him.

Even in her current state, she realized how far she had fallen from the days she was the star of cinema. She never would have imagined that she, Chizuru Shiki, famous actress once sought by fans, suitors, directors, and paparazzi would end up like this. Back then her fans had lined up and waited through rain and wind just to glimpse her and declare their love for her. Her detractors had accused her of being too ambitious and conniving, something she found humorous – after all you don't get to the top by being nice and besides, the film industry had always been a dog-eat-dog world. Although some rivals had accused her of sleeping her way up, most acknowledged her talent as the reason she had succeeded.

She had been at her peak, but her life started turning bad the moment her uncle, one of the top members of the Senate introduced her to Rido during a soiree. Her uncle wanted her to help strengthen the deteriorating Shiki clan by getting close to Rido, and she had agreed.

Even though Rido was much older and already married, she had not been worried. Married pureblood males taking noble females as mistresses was almost a norm in their society and she had been confident of her ability to gain his attention and affection. After all, she had been desired by many men – there had even been that pureblood from a branch family of the Ori clan who had pursued her, wanting her as his mistress.

She had been tempted to accept his offer but had declined when her uncle bought up the prospect of being Rido's mistress instead. Although the Kurans were no longer the ruling family, they still commanded much respect and power. The other pureblood wasn't even the head of his branch family, just the younger brother of the head. It was not difficult deciding which relationship would offer her more advantages.

In the end she had made the wrong decision.

Initially, she had been content being Rido's mistress, reveling in the prestige of being his woman. She had enjoyed the glances of envy and admiration from other women when she accompanied him to parties and events. Although he had a handful of other mistresses, she had been his number one and they had known it too.

Although she had been mainly attracted to his status and power, he had also possessed a certain magnetism. He knew how to be charming when he wanted, and thinking back, she could laugh at how he rivaled her with his acting skills. She eventually discovered the cruel nature hiding behind the charismatic façade he maintained in public.

Perhaps if she had been satisfied with the status quo, she would not have experienced that side of him... She knew her former rivals laughed at her now, calling it her just deserts for being too arrogant and ambitious. But could she really be blamed for what turned out to be her conceit? They would have done the same in her place.


Chizuru had never been able to read him like she could most men. However, she knew he was dissatisfied with his marriage – all men who cheat are. Although she had never met Shizuka Hiou, she assumed his dissatisfaction stemmed from Shizuka's failure to hold his attention. He had once told her that sleeping with his wife was like trying to bed a block of ice for she was a cold woman. Chizuru was not surprised, the Hiou clan did have a reputation for being overly traditional and rigid. Through hearsay and information from her uncle she also suspected that Rido still harbored feelings for his sister. However, that knowledge had not deterred her.

Chizuru had met Juri Kuran at a few functions and had not been impressed. She did not know what Juri possessed that captivated Rido and Haruka Kuran so much. What did that woman have that she didn't, besides her advantages of being a Kuran and their younger sister? In terms of beauty, she would not lose if the count of her admirers was any indication. In terms of personality, she found Juri bland, and her 'kindness' fake and superficial.

Back then, Chizuru thought she could do what all his other mistresses failed to do – replace his wife. After all, Shizuka was hardly competition – from what Rido mentioned, she did not seem interested at all in holding onto her husband. Juri should not have been an obstacle, as she was already happily married. Chizuru was sure she could eventually replace her in Rido's heart...

Chizuru was used to being number one. However, she had underestimated Rido's twisted attachment to Shizuka Hiou and Juri Kuran, and her error had cost her everything. She could still vividly remember the night her fortunes took an irreversible downturn.


[Flashback Scene]

It was a chilly night, and they were relaxing in the bedroom of the townhouse he had bought her in an expensive residential district of the city. As Rido sipped a glass of wine while staring at the crackling fire in the fireplace, Chizuru lay reclined beside him on their bed, her head on his chest while his arm encircled her waist. He seemed distracted, but he had been this way in recent years, his mind elsewhere even when they made love. In fact, he had been acting strangely these years, his manners and language becoming increasingly uninhibited, losing the restraint of purebloods. Likewise, his moods were increasingly unstable, morose one moment and angry the next.

When he fell into his dark moods, she was glad they no longer went out together, and that he only visited her here, for it would be embarrassing to be seen with him. Occasionally, he wore a wild gaze as he brooded that chilled her and made her seriously contemplate ending their relationship. It was getting tiring putting up with him, but she was in too deep now to cut ties – she was pregnant with his child.

She had found out earlier that week and decided to make her announcement now since he was in one of his calmer moods. And who knows when she will see him next?

Two years ago, he had suddenly disappeared for a whole year, not responding to her letters. At first, she had been suspicious that he was spending his nights with some new mistress but discovered that he had gone home to his wife. She supposed he had to go home occasionally, but it was odd for him to be gone so long since he spent more time in his city residence than his mountain estate.

For some reason, he and his siblings had stayed out of the public eye these recent years. She only saw him again a year ago, when he reappeared at her doorstep one night without warning. When she asked what had happened, he had only smiled eerily before roughly pulling her into a kiss. Although she was curious, she had not pursued the topic, since he had not been seduced by some upstart, and had returned to her. With purebloods, it was sometimes better not to know too much.

"Rido-sama," she now murmured in the demure tone that he liked, "I have something to tell you."

He made a "hmm" sound, not bothering to gaze at her.

Placing a hand on his chest, she said, "I'm pregnant with your child."

Finally, his eyes fell on her, studying her for a few seconds. After a pause, he smiled indulgently with a hint of irony. "I see, and what would you like for a reward? How about a diamond necklace?"

She shook her head coquettishly. "I just want to be by your side Rido-sama..."

He toyed with a few strands of her hair and replied indifferently, "You're already by my side."

"I want to be with you more...to live with you," she said.

He stopped playing with her hair, letting the strands drop. A touch of malice crept into his smile as he asked, "Are you not satisfied with this house?"

"I am, but I want our child to grow up with both parents," she said before adding, "And for him or her to be acknowledged as part of the Kuran family."

At that, he abruptly laughed, removed his arm, and stood up. She watched as he walked to the table where the wine decanter was.

Only after refilling his glass did he turn back to her, amusement lurking in his heterochromatic eyes and said, "You speak as if you're my wife."

Chizuru suppressed a frown, sensing the conversation had turned against her favor. "Would you not prefer me as your wife over Shizuka?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You've gotten arrogant. Referring to Shizuka without an honorific and even daring to compare yourself to her?"

Chizuru felt a flash of anger at his hypocrisy – he was berating her for that when he himself disrespected his wife frequently? In her ire, she retorted, "You don't seem to care much for her either."

He gazed at her coldly. "How I feel about her is none of your business, she's still a pureblood, your superior, and my wife."

At his emphasis on the word "my", Chizuru realized with scorn that even if he did not love Shizuka, he still felt a possessiveness over her. In Rido's egotistical mind, only he was allowed to disrespect Shizuka because she belonged to him, and disrespecting his possession was tantamount to disrespecting him.

Knowing she had messed up, Chizuru quickly changed her approach, burying her own indignation. She went over to him and knelt like a supplicant, taking his hand and pressing it against her cheek.

"Please forgive me, Rido-sama. Because I love you so much, I'm envious of your other women. I just want to do what Shizuka-sama hasn't, to love you and give you an heir."

He laughed hoarsely, and as Chizuru gazed up at him, she wondered how his face can simultaneously be so beautiful and sickening.

"You'll never give me an heir, you can only give me bastard children, whose blood have been contaminated with that of human's," he spat. "And that love you claim for me is cheap, a commodity easily bought."

He crouched down to meet her eye as she struggled to control her desire to slap him and tell him to go to hell. "Let me tell you something... unlike you Shizuka has pride. She has never begged me even once, and she would sooner die than kneel before me as you so readily do."

He stopped to caress her cheek, his hands like ice against her skin. "That's why I've kept you so long... unlike her, you know that pets should be docile. But it seems you're starting to forget that..."

Something snapped in her, and she laughed. Finally turning back to glare at him, she said, "At least I have more pride than you. It's pathetic how you're still hung up over Juri when she rejected you so long ago in favor of your younger brother-"

She was cut off by a slap that sent her sprawling on the floor. Before she could get up, he had grabbed her by the neck. The temperature dropped sharply, the fire in the fireplace blew out. In the darkness, only his eyes glowed, an angry crimson. She clawed at his hands desperately, struggling to breathe as he choked her harder.

"You're not worthy of even saying Juri's name, you insolent creature," he hissed.

Just as she was about to pass out, he released his hold and let her fall to the ground in a coughing heap.

"You're only still alive because you're pregnant with my bastard," he spat. "I've gotten tired of you. I'll leave you this house and money for the child, but never show your face before me again."

With those words, he turned and strode out the door. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed the wine decanter. At the doorway, she hurled it with all her strength, but he was already out of her range. The glass shattered against the walls, wine splattering onto the carpet and nearby paintings.

"You think you're better than me, but you're not! You're only lucky to be born a pureblood and a Kuran – you're nothing without that! Absolutely nothing!" she screamed at his receding back.

[End of Flashback]


That was the last time Chizuru ever saw him.

Afterwards, she had wanted to abort his child in retaliation, but her uncle stopped her, urging her to reconsider for their family's sake. She had only complied when he threatened to remove her from his will and to leave the Shiki estate and inheritance to another distant relative.

How she hated Rido! How dare he humiliate her like that?

If only she had never met him – how different her life would have been. She had given up acting because he had disapproved of her profession. After she gave birth, she had tried returning to the acting world. However, she discovered she had long been overtaken by her rivals and newcomers.

Chizuru Shiki was a thing of the past – how quick the spotlight fades...

The only good that had come out of it all was Senri. She was glad she had kept him, her sweet Senri who took care of her. She didn't need that man or anyone else when she had her Senri.

Senri would succeed in her place. He would move from modeling to acting and become a star like she once was. Her son would follow in her footsteps – no, he would surpass her.

A few years ago, she discovered that another one of Rido's mistresses had given birth to a son for him. It was almost insulting how he had replaced her with that boring and inane woman. But no matter, his other son was nothing compared to Senri, for Senri was her son, so he was superior.

And despite how Rido had sneered at her for being unable to give him a pureblooded heir, even now he had no heir. Chizuru had laughed uncontrollably when she found out that Shizuka had left him. While she had her Senri, he will never have an heir. In the end, she got the last laugh.


Senri instantly knew who she was referring to by the term 'demonic bastard'. He waited almost a minute before replying, continuing to comb her hair.

"Really? I don't know what Otou-san looks like, but I always thought I resembled you more."

"Yes, you do look like me," she affirmed before continuing, "But you have the same unreadable expression as him, that deep look I could never read…"

Senri stilled the brush, her hair now as neat as it could be. He did not know what to say to his mother's last sentence and stood silently, both lost in thought.

Finally, she seemed to remember something important, and walked to the nearby vanity, from which she received an envelope with a wax seal bearing the mark of the Senate.

"Senri, there's a letter from the Senate, Uncle told me to give it to you and asked for you to pay him a visit," she spoke as she handed him the letter. "Since Uncle doesn't have children, I think he wants you to succeed him eventually. Of course, we cannot decline because they're the Senate after all…"

She reached a hand towards him, adding, "But come home quickly, alright? I don't like it when you're gone…"

He sighed inwardly, knowing what she wanted next before she even asked.

"And I'm hungry, Senri…give me some fresh blood…"

She had already pulled herself close, her fangs exposed, ready to bite into his neck.

"How spoiled…well, alright…" he murmured as her fangs sank in.

Their relationship was an odd one – sometimes he found it hard to distinguish who was the parent and who was the child. Often, she behaved like a child, throwing fits when she did not get her way. He had learned early on that she would calm down if he acquiesced to her demands.

Among his earliest memories was one where she wept and grasped his shoulders, asking if he would do as she asked. Looking into her tear-streaked face, he had nodded mutely, unable to bear her crying anymore. She had then pulled him close and buried her face into his small chest. He had then stroked her messy hair, comforting her as she held onto him tightly, like a man adrift at sea desperately holding onto a plank for survival. Perhaps that was when he first understood the meaning of the word "pitiful".

Thus, he had come to live as a puppet, quiet and obedient. When his mother got the idea that he would become a model, he had gone along with her whim. He did not like the spotlight, but he wanted to appease her. She was most normal when discussing his career and the celebrities he met, some of whom she knew from back in the day.

Sometimes he was tired of her – she was like a ball and chain shackled to his ankles. It seemed horribly unfilial to feel that way, but he could not suppress his secret desire to abandon her. That was why he had immediately accepted the invitation to attend Cross Academy, it was the perfect excuse to leave. However, he always returned to her. Regardless of everything, she was his mother and blood runs thicker than water…their ties could never be broken.


The last student finally departed, and Yoko checked the name off her list. The girl's parents had apparently missed their train, so they were late to pick her up. Her classmate had complained when they finally arrived hours behind schedule. Yoko thought her classmate was quite like her tardy parents, because aside from physical resemblances, this girl was often late for class too.

During this time of year, she often thought about her birth parents since she saw so many families come to retrieve her classmates. Earlier, despite having a mission, the Kiryus had dropped by to visit and check on Ichiru. They had been immensely relieved to discover Ichiru was doing better, and the family had gone to town for dinner.

It was not as though Yoko missed the parents she had no memory of, it was simply curiosity. She wondered which parent she took after more. Perhaps her father? She had heard somewhere that daughters resemble their fathers while sons resemble their mothers.

Yoko sighed, deciding to focus on finishing her tasks. When she looked back at her clipboard, she saw blood glistening on her hands, her pen, and the paper. She blinked and the blood was gone. Her heart throbbed rapidly in her ears. The illusion had startled her, even though it had lasted for less than a second.

Yoko breathed deeply to calm down, wondering why her mind had played such a trick… perhaps she was not getting enough sleep. Thankfully she had winter break to catch up on rest. Still, it was strange, why blood in particular? Was there some significance behind the blood that her unconscious was trying to tell her?

She shook her head, stopping this track of thought, she was just tired. That was all it was –fatigue. She quickly finished the paperwork and headed back for dinner with her father, it was just the two of them tonight.