Chapter 23: Questions
Sweating, Ichiru watched Zero out the corner of his eye as he finally completed his hundredth sit up. The twins were in the area of the Sun Dorm set up as a de-facto weight room. The room was originally empty, but several affluent Day Class students had pooled together their pocket money to purchase equipment for shared use. The makeshift weight room was nothing fancy, but it did have weight benches, a full weight set, kettlebells, and a pull-up bar. Since it was winter break, the twins no longer had guardian duties and had more time to work out there.
Zero held his breath, finally releasing it when Ichiru reached the hundredth mark. His twin had never been able to make it past the fiftieth mark, but his endurance had improved to the point where he doubled his record. Kuran had not been lying, his blood not only saved Ichiru, it also improved his overall fitness. The sickness afflicting Ichiru had disappeared, with no relapses since Zero started feeding him Kuran's blood a month ago. Ichiru's skin had also taken on a healthier glow, and he was more energetic.
Ichiru saw Zero's subtle reaction and knew something had happened. He already found his sudden recovery suspicious when death had seemed a certainty. He was glad to be well, but over these weeks, he had felt unnaturally well. He no longer got fevers and could now keep up with his classmates when they ran laps during physical education. And now this – completing a hundred sit ups in a row? That was normal for Zero, but immensely abnormal for him. Ichiru knew Zero had something to do with his illogical recovery and good health. His twin was keeping a secret from him.
The next night, Ichiru hid behind a corner and witnessed Zero pouring red liquid from a glass vial into a bowl of herbal drink he had just ladled up from the pot. Zero had been feeding him a suspicious herbal tonic of dark color and bitter taste the past month, claiming he had read a book on alternative medicine, and that this mix of ginseng, goji berries, and miscellaneous herbs was beneficial.
"What did you just put in?"
At Ichiru's voice, Zero whipped around to see his twin standing at the kitchen entrance, looking at him with a serious expression. He quickly stuffed the empty vial into his pocket and kept his face as calm as he could.
"It's just a supplement to enhance the effects of the tonic," he said with a small reassuring smile. "I was just about to bring it to you, but since you're here, come and drink while it's warm."
Zero brought the bowl from the counter to the table and pulled out a chair, gesturing at Ichiru to sit. His younger twin remained where he was, his mouth now twisted into a hard frown.
"Don't treat me like an idiot. As your twin, I can see through all your deceptions," Ichiru spoke, his tone as cold as his gaze.
"I don't understand what you mean," Zero replied, staring straight back at him.
Ichiru tightened his jaw in anger at Zero's outright denial. "If you're not hiding anything, give me that vial you just slipped into your pocket."
Ichiru held his hand out. His brother did not move – unlike him, Zero had always been a horrible liar. Ichiru strode over and dug his hand into Zero's pocket, grabbing the vial. Zero stood still, his face studiously neutral while Ichiru uncapped the vial and sniffed.
It was blood.
The redness along with the slightly metallic scent identified it as blood. Just as he had suspected…
Ichiru had not been naïve enough to attribute his recovery and wellbeing to a miracle, an act of mercy from the gods. Nor did he believe in the nonsense about essential oils and other unscientific treatments. There was only one similar situation he knew of – Maria who used to be sickly like him had overcome her defect with the blood of a pureblood vampire. Only a month ago he had theorized about accepting this "panacea", but now he found his brother sneaking it into his diet.
Ichiru was already pretty sure of the answer, but had to ask anyway, "Whose blood is this?"
Zero stayed silent, as though the issue would be dropped in the face of his stubborn reticence.
Ichiru sighed. "The blood belongs to Kaname Kuran, right?"
A flash of surprise flitted over Zero's eyes and Ichiru knew he had hit the mark. There were only three purebloods Zero had access to, and he had seen the brief but clandestine looks Zero had shot Kaname as the pureblood passed by on the way to class this past month.
"What did you do to get his blood?" Ichiru asked.
Zero still kept silent.
Ichiru grabbed his brother by his shirt collar and yelled, "Answer, damn it!"
Zero looked down, knowing there was no escape. He spoke quietly, "I made a deal with him, I had to save you no matter what."
Ichiru let go and forced himself to take a deep breath. "What did you promise in return?"
Zero was silent for half a minute before he finally replied, "I agreed to kill a certain vampire for him."
"Who?"
"He hasn't told me yet."
Ichiru felt like shaking him. "How can you agree? He probably isn't going to ask you to kill any random level E, but someone of importance! You could get into big trouble with the vampire Senate because of him!"
"Kuran said it's someone who broke the agreement between hunters and vampires, someone who is turning humans against their will."
"So he wants you to kill a pureblood." Ichiru couldn't even feel angry anymore. "He knows as well as you and me that the Senate will never let the murder of a pureblood go unpunished. The Senate doesn't care when we enforce the agreement when it pertains to lesser vampires, but they've always made excuses for purebloods. You'll end up his scapegoat because he doesn't want to get his own hands dirty!"
"I'll deal with it when I cross that bridge," Zero replied tersely.
"Don't be a fool! He'll use you like a tool and cast you aside when you're no longer useful to him! You'll take all the blame even though he's the mastermind!"
"And what was I supposed to do? Just watch, wringing my hands and letting you die when I knew there was a way to save you?!" Zero snapped, his pent-up emotions and anxiety finally flowing out.
Zero was aware of what Ichiru had mentioned, he had wrestled with those concerns every night the past month but seeing Ichiru rebound and become healthy had been worth it – he had no regrets. He owed Ichiru for taking his life force while they were fetuses in their mother's womb, reducing him to a weak and fragile copy of himself. By accepting Kuran's deal, he finally had a way to make it up to Ichiru, giving him back the vitality he had stolen before they were born.
Ichiru plopped down wearily on the chair.
"Since there's no way out because I've already taken his blood, I'll help you uphold your end of the deal," Ichiru finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm.
"What're you saying Ichiru? You can't get involved, I made the decision on my own! Besides, it's too dangerous!"
Ichiru laughed bitterly. "Yes, fighting a pureblood is almost a death sentence. Even if you don't die, you'll likely come out maimed. But how can I let you face the danger alone, knowing you did it for my sake? How do you expect me to live, carrying that guilt for the rest of my life if you died because of me?!"
Zero stared miserably at his twin, knowing full well how Ichiru would not give up on helping him. Ichiru could be very stubborn too.
"I made the deal with Kuran so you'll live, not so you'll throw yourself into this mess and end up dead!"
"Don't bother trying to stop me Zero," Ichiru said and stood up to grab his brother's shoulders. "I won't let you die either. We'll face this together…I can't fight like you can, but my spells can help at the very least."
Ichiru was nearly done with the spell he had been working on for the past year. While it was not a magic bullet, it had to be of some help, he had to believe that.
Zero nodded, resigned to the fact that Ichiru was going to risk his life with him. He would train harder than ever and get stronger so he can at least protect Ichiru when things got bad during the confrontation. Meanwhile, he would take as much blood as he could from Kuran. No matter how much he disliked the idea of consuming blood, obtaining strength was the priority - he would do whatever it takes to protect Ichiru.
The illusion Yoko had seen was not due to fatigue. Three nights later, she saw blood again as she was washing dishes. The second time, the sight of blood covering the cutlery and plates had lasted five seconds before disappearing. A week afterwards, she had just finished all her homework for the break when she glanced out the window and saw the night sky had taken on a red tint. The pearly white moon had contrasted sharply with the eerie crimson of the surrounding skies. That illusion had lasted almost a third of a minute, and she knew then that something was seriously wrong.
The next day she went to the library and browsed books on medical conditions and diseases. Visual hallucinations were apparently symptoms of several disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, brain tumors, and schizophrenia.
She doubted her hallucinations were due to Parkinson's since that condition was more common in the elderly, and she did not have other symptoms such as hand tremors and trouble with balance. Epilepsy was also unlikely as she had never suffered a seizure. A brain tumor was dubious, as she did not experience severe headaches, nausea, problems with speech, etc. Perhaps her hallucinations had been a sign of early-onset schizophrenia? She did not have the other symptoms aside from difficulty sleeping, but still wondered if schizophrenia had run in her biological family.
Yoko knew her attempt to self-diagnose was probably futile and would only make her more paranoid, but she needed to make sense of things – she hated feeling unprepared and unaware. She would have to somehow visit the doctor without her father or the twins noticing. She might even have to travel to a larger city where hospitals were equipped with machinery for assessing the brain…quite difficult given how her father did not even allow her to go to town unaccompanied.
As the days passed, with Christmas and New Year's drawing closer, her condition got worse. Not only did she see blood, but she started smelling blood too. The frequency and duration of the hallucinations increased, and she was at a loss for what to do. She did not want to worry her father and the twins, and it was hard to admit she might be going crazy. It was also near impossible finding an opportunity to slip away to the doctor's and thus she could do nothing but act as though nothing was wrong, doing her best to maintain her composure.
Zero and Ichiru had already commented on her spacing out a few times. She had dismissed their concerns, claiming she was just tired and feeling a little under the weather. It was hard to act fine though, and to avoid arousing suspicion, she chose to isolate herself, spending hours in her room or some corner of the library. Reading helped take her mind off the reality that was slowly crumbling around her, so she read book after book, throwing herself into the world of words.
At night she stared blankly at the ceiling as her mind swirled with all sorts of thoughts. What would she do if she really was going crazy? How effective was medication? Would she spend the rest of her life in a mental institution? What would she tell her father, the twins, Yori, Yuki, and Kaname-senpai?
She wondered if her birth parents had abandoned her because they had been afflicted with schizophrenia. Rolling over to face the wall, she suddenly recalled Kaname-senpai's response to her questions during the school dance – he definitely knew something about her biological parents. She could not continue without answers and resolved to confront him when he returned from break.
"Senri, thank you for coming," the elder Shiki said as he led him deeper into the building.
"It has been a while, I hope you're doing well," Senri replied politely as he followed his great uncle down the dimly lit hall, their footsteps echoing against the marble floors.
His relative looked the same as he had when they last met a year ago, although he might have gained a few gray strands in his otherwise mahogany red hair which was slicked back. Senri had never seen him wear his hair differently, perhaps his great uncle simply liked looking severe. Or maybe that was just a trend among upper members of the Senate, like how the field agents, mostly level Cs with very diluted vampire blood, all seemed to wear glasses.
"How is your mother?"
"The same as usual…but she fired all the servants recently. Now it's just me and her at home."
His great uncle sighed before replying, "So I've heard. I'll rehire staff soon, but let's not worry about that now, I have something more important to show you."
They turned a corner and walked past portraits of prior Senate members, all captured solemnly in oil paints.
"I'm not a good fit for the Senate, I don't have any interest in politics..." Senri started explaining why he did not want to succeed his position.
"This isn't about taking over my position," his great uncle replied. "However, I need to remind you – modeling is not a respectable career for the only male successor to the Shiki family. It was already unseemly how your mother chose to be an actress... Anyway, you cannot be a model forever, the humans will eventually realize you're a vampire."
Senri kept silent, knowing it was useless arguing with his old-fashioned relative. They turned another corner and walked in silence down the long corridor. Senri glanced up at the vaulted ceilings, he had never liked the large and grand Senate headquarters. When he was younger, his great uncle had bought him to visit and see what his job was like. Even as a child, Senri had known he did not want to become a politician.
Although being a member of the Senate came with massive prestige and power, he did not care for those advantages enough to force himself into a career that he disliked. Unlike his relative, he was not ambitious. Furthermore, he preferred to avoid conflict, and being a politician came rife with conflicts, whether it be with purebloods, lower vampires, hunters, or humans. He was glad his great uncle was not going to push him tonight about succeeding him and wondered what other reason he had to invite him here.
"Senri, you're no longer a child," his relative broke the silence, "That's why it's time you finally met him."
They had paused in front of a room somewhere deep in the building. His great uncle pushed the doors open and turned to him.
"It's time for you to meet your father."
A sharp and overwhelming smell of blood flooded out. Senri saw a man seated leisurely in a high back chair at the room's center. He was bent forward, his fangs embedded in the neck of a scantily clad level D, who soon breathed her last and disintegrated into ashes. The entire floor surrounding the man was covered with ashes and clothes of all those he had drained to their last drop of blood. He raised his face and looked at Senri.
His mismatched eyes were striking, one blue and the other red. He was a pureblood, there was no doubt about that, given his oppressive and overpowering aura. The man who was supposedly his father smiled, and Senri flinched. There was something predatory and unstable about his smile, and his gaze was so cold. He could see why his mother had gone insane, being the mistress of someone like this…
"Excuse me for keeping you waiting, Rido-sama," his great uncle said as he knelt and bowed reverently.
The man ignored his great uncle and kept his gaze on him. He spoke, "I've been looking forward to seeing you all grown up, Senri."
His father's voice was as chilling as his eyes, and Senri almost shivered. His father raised a hand, beckoning him closer.
"I need to sneak into that school you attend, so let me borrow your body for a while, my dear son," his father spoke as his eyes began glowing red.
Senri felt his legs start moving on their own, and his consciousness start to fade. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the haunting eyes of the stranger that was his father.
The more Hanabusa thought about Kaname's family, the more questions he had. He knew he should not pry, that it was improper and ill-advised to do so. However, the previous night, Kaname had been very angry. After Seiren returned from whatever task he had sent her out for, Kaname's aura had darkened and had flared briefly, causing the roses Ruka had just bought in to burn up. He had then muttered something about how 'that man has finally started moving'.
Who was "that man" Kaname had been referring to? Did he have something to do with the deaths of Kaname's parents? Although the adults and the Senate attributed their deaths to suicide (which was common among older purebloods), Kaname's parents had not appeared suicidal. Hanabusa had met Kaname's parents a few times, since his father was a close supporter of theirs. Haruka-sama had been a gentle and quiet pureblood that watched over his wife and son lovingly. Juri-sama had been cheerful and kind, always patting his head and pinching his cheeks whenever she visited. She also had a mischievous streak and was prone to teasing him. Yuki was a lot like her, in both physical appearance and personality, although Yuki (thankfully) directed her teasing towards Maria instead of him.
There was no reason for Kaname's parents to commit suicide when they had two children. Around the time of their deaths, when Hanabusa and his cousins had gone to their memorial gathering, Yuki would have just been a baby! Even if they had been tired after living over three millennia, it was inconceivable they would be irresponsible and selfish enough to end their lives when their children were not yet adults and vulnerable to the complexities of vampire society.
Then there was the issue of Kaname and Yuki's separation. Why was Yuki raised by her aunt? Hanabusa had never met Kaname's uncle, much less his infamous wife. She was very mysterious, and it was hard to separate rumor from fact. Hanabusa had heard that she had been confined since birth and had never been introduced to society because madness supposedly ran in the blood of the Hiou women. Hanabusa briefly wondered why only their women were afflicted, if this alleged insanity was genetic, but shoved that line of thought aside, focusing again on Kaname's past.
Among aristocrats and lesser vampires, Rido-sama's wife was not referred to by name, but rather by her epithet the kuruizaki-hime. Apparently, it was bad luck to even say her name. Even among purebloods, she was a pariah. There were rumors that around two decades ago, she had slaughtered all servants in her manor in a fit of madness. Some aristocrats gossiped about how unfortunate Rido-sama was, to be married to someone so unstable. Overall, she hardly seemed the ideal candidate to raise a child – much less Kaname-sama's sister.
Hanabusa shifted in the couch, still running over the information in his mind. Suddenly, he felt a warm breath against the back of his neck, and almost leapt out of dhis seat. Turning around, he saw a grinning Takuma, who had snuck up behind him. He scowled, wondering how someone so carefree and immature could be the grandson of Asato Ichijou, the intimidating head of the Senate.
"It's boring when you're quiet, Aidou," Takuma complained with a pout.
"Go read manga or something, Ichijou-san," Hanabusa replied, annoyed.
"But it's much more fun teasing you," Takuma replied without any shame.
Before Hanabusa could grumble about how he was not a toy for his amusement, Kaname entered the room and settled into the armchair facing him. He looked somber even as he rested his head against his hand and glanced at the book he had brought with him. Kaname flipped through a few pages distractedly, then gave up and shut the book.
"Hanabusa…" Kaname turned his gaze to him. "What has been on your mind these past few days?"
Hanabusa was momentarily alarmed, but then remembered he had always been an open book for Kaname. It was only expected that Kaname would pick up on the fact that he was thinking over something furiously.
"Um…" Hanabusa hesitated, not knowing how to reply without the risk of offending him.
"If it's too hard to say, forget I asked," Kaname said as he reopened the book.
Hanabusa had to ask, he could not sit and mull over it anymore. "Kaname-sama, can I ask a question?"
The brunet glanced up from the page and eyed him. "What?"
"Your parents…why did they commit suicide?"
Kaname's expression was unreadable, and Hanabusa held his breath as he waited for the reply. A pair of hands suddenly blocked his eyes, and Hanabusa protested as Takuma kept his hands on his face.
"Aidou-kun, that's a difficult topic for Kaname, so just drop it, okay?"
"I don't mind. I suppose if you're asking, you already know the answer…" Kaname paused a bit before continuing, "In theory, purebloods could live for eternity, since we cannot die from accident or disease. Outside of immortality is death, which is only achievable through suicide or murder."
Hanabusa clenched his fists, his heart pounding faster as he waited for Kaname to confirm his suspicions.
Kaname glanced down and spoke quietly. "My parents did not commit suicide…they were murdered."
Hanabusa gulped, afraid but anxious for the answer. "Kaname-sama…who was responsible for their deaths?"
Kaname stared at him, his eyes dark and impenetrable. "Hanabusa, it's best if you don't know more…for now at least."
"But why, Kaname-sama? Why even give me a part of the truth then?" Hanabusa stood up in agitation.
"I figured it was better to tell you part of the truth so you wouldn't be rash and go investigating, uncovering secrets you shouldn't," Kaname looked down, his tone assuming a dismal quality. "I don't want there to be another senseless death…"
Seeing Kaname's expression and hearing his concern for his safety, Hanabusa felt guilty. It seemed he had dug up bad memories.
"I'm sorry, Kaname-sama."
"It's alright…"
Hanabusa excused himself, glancing back once at the pureblood that he admired and loved. He would protect Kaname, even if he had to put himself in danger exposing the dark past of the Kurans.
